Hi! My hubby and I are planning a trip. W We will be traveling with an almost 2 yr old when we go. My hubby has been the
difficult one as he wants a resort with a non-rocky beach right out the door plus a trail; walking, nature etc. too. Does something like this exist there? Or does it exist in the Caribbean. How much walking can we do with a 2 yr. old who runs but loves mommy carrying him just because.
Thank you.
Thank you for your advice. Yes, my hubby and I have a hiking carrier for him already as my hubby "makes" me and my boy hike during spring and fall weekends. I like to stroll and our toddler boy likes to pick up rocks, twigs, and acrorns,
Caribbean would be the place, but it sounds like it does
not matter since it sounds like you carrry him around.
Hope you allow him some independence.
Hi L.,
Google the Franklin D Resort in the Bahamas. It gets amazing reviews and they have the most perfect perk: a vacation nanny assigned to your family! You and your hubby can use or not use her as much as you want. A little alone time? Perfect! It's not a fancy schmancy resort but the beach is right there and they have a variety of activities.
Enjoy!
We just got back from Beaches Hotel in Turks & Caicos. It is an all-inclusive resort and has an amazing kids club that is included in the price. The hotel is sesame-street themed so the kids club has Cooking with Cookie Monster, Exercise with Elmo etc.... (great except if your child, like on of mine, is afraid of characters!)
The beach feels like you are walking on talcum powder. No rocks, no shells. And the water is turquoise and so clear that you can see your feet when you walk in the water. The surf is almost non-existent so great for little kids. Plus, they have 5 huge pools and a water park.
In terms of trails.... hmmm... didn't see much of that but I didn't venture out of the hotel except to go to lunch one day (and we took a cab). You can walk for miles on the beach though.
Website is beaches.com
I'm not sure you'll have it all right outside the door of the hotel. You can try Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, the resorts will have sandy beaches (you may want reef shoes for the water, the amount of sand covering the coral in the ocean varies even day to day). There is a little rain forest and definitely nature hikes, you can also take ferries to either Jost Van Dyke or Virgin Gorda and there is more hiking you can do then.
The amount of hiking you can do with a 2 year old is entirely up to you. I definitely recommend some kind of kid backpack carrier, but try to try some of these on ahead of time, with your son in it if you can, you want one that fits you comfortably (and preferably fits your husband as well - so you can share the load). The more serious hiking ones can be bought at EMS or REI, but there will be some at Babies R us too.
Other locations are St. John in the USVI, the whole island is a Natural Park. Grenada has great hiking and waterfalls, but I was there 20 years ago by sailboat and I don't remember what the beaches are like. They have a very nice open air market.
There is El Yunque, the rainforest, on Puerto Rico, but be prepared, there will be language barriers on this island (not at the resorts though).
Have a Great Trip!!!
A.
We are headed back to St. Martin this winter. The hotel we are staying at is the Radisson which was recently reovated. We were there several years ago when it was under different ownership and were unimpressed with the hotel itself but LOVED the location. It is a medium sized hotel with a GORGEOUS pool that is set on an ideal family beach. The water is very calm because it is a reef protected bay. The other thing that was amazing is that the entire area is ringed by mountains so it feels very secluded (unlike most of St. Martin) On the island and close to the hotel there are some nice restaurants (Sol e Luna is one of my faves ANYWHERE!) but also yummy beach lolos (shacks) to eat at. There is a nature preserve on the island and a butterfly farm that might be fun to visit.
There are other small islands that you can take day trips to from St. Martin like Anguilla (Shoal Bay East is my fave, uber perfect beach) and St. Barths.
Hello,
I recommend St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands on the far shore I stayed in a lovely complex with room on the beach not too developed. Rented a small car by the airport so we could drive through the hills and get to Christianstad to walk around have dinner. This is a great age to teach your kid about the great water, and enjoy swimming and walking with your husband and son
all the best,
We went to Curacao and had a really nice room with a patio that opened onto the beach, no rocks. I dont remember the name of the hotel, but you can check out Curacao on line.
we honeymooned in st croix, we had a cottage right on the beach. it is not 5 star, kind of rough around the edges, at least it was then, though my husband is on their website right now and it looks like they redid everything, looks really nice. chenay bay. we went a long time ago, so look into it. also, if you go to tripadvisor.com, you can really get lots of great feedback and info from real people, its a great resource. enjoy.
A company called Tough Traveler makes backpack carriers for the hiking set. These are high end but sturdy as heck. At least, it'll be easier to carry your little guy on hikes.
We went to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic when our son was 8 months old. We chose Puerto Plata over the more popular Punta Cana because the beaches there are shady. We stayed at the RIU Bachata. It is adjacent too 2 other RIU resorts and you can enjoy the all inclusive amenities at any of them. I highly recommend it. There is a trail between the resorts but not a hiking trail persay.
I recently went a wedding at Moon Palace resorts on the Riviera Maya. It was beautiful, and was easy to plan - you get there, you plan day trips (ziplining, Mexican ruins, whatever) and then spent the rest of the time on the resort on the beach, which was quiet and not too crowded. You will likely not be able to take the baby on the excursions, however, you will likely have time to do what you want and your husband, what he wants.
How about Cancun? We have a timeshare and it sits right on a sandy beach. There are lots of places to walk and lots of things to see. It's worth considering...
It's not the Caribbean - but how about Costa Rica? It's beautiful and would have everything that you want. You can go high end (Four Seasons) or rough it and everything in between. Lots to do there that is both active and relaxing. I stayed at Si Como No which is family friendly and the activity sports in that area were great. Take a look online. You'll love it.
I'm not sure about locations- we don't vacation to beaches often. But i do recommend buying a backpack. We travel to Israel often and love our Kelty backpack which worked great when our son was 1 and 2. I know other people who also use the ergo. These can improve your vacation greatly if you plan on going to the beach a lot where the stroller won't work. Have a great trip!
