Caribbean All Inclusive with Toddler?

[NewShiny]

Hi,
I know there lots of world travelers here so I'm hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction for a family vacation this fall. My husband is still traveling a lot, but he's promised to take some time off so we can take a family vacation this fall (Oct-Nov) timeframe.

It will be our first family vacation with our 3 year old. We're looking for a place where we can relax, play, and reconnect as a family without having to worry about cooking or cleaning up too much after ourselves for about 10 days. Ideally we could find an all inclusive place but all inclusive isn't a must. However, the place must have childare/kids camp/club where a potty trained 3 year old is eligible to attend. Evening babysitting availability would be nice too.

The place needs to be relatively easy to get to from the Southeast US (Atlanta area). We don't want to make our little guy sit on a plane for more than about 6 hours total (connections are okay).

I think places like the Ritz/Four Seasons, etc. are just out of our budget, but we're looking for something higher end than a Carnival Cruise type atmosphere, KWIM? BTW, cruises are out - DH just won't do it, though I love cruises.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[LoveLikeCrazy]

I'm not much of a world traveler but I was looking into resorts of this type for my brother who also has a 3 year old. He was looking into beaches resorts (owned by sandals, kid friendly).

http://www.beaches.com

http://www.beaches.com/activities/kids-camp.cfm

 

[amc80]

Hi! I'm a part time travel agent. I'd focus on the Domincan Republic and the Bahamas, both of which you can easily get to from ATL non-stop.

The suggestion for Beaches is good, they take 2+. Check out Breezes in Curacao and Franklin D Resort in Jamaica. Some Club Meds do as well.

 

[NewShiny]

Thanks! I will take a look. Have you ever been to a Beaches? The web site just seems commercial and the resorts seem huge and impersonal. But maybe I'm just overthinking it?!?!

 

[momhappy]

I have friends that go to Beaches and they love it. It's expensive though.

 

[baby monster]

A friend just came back from Beaches in Turks and said it was great for kids so I'm looking into it for us. I have a toddler as well.

We just recently went to an all-inclusive place in Playa del Carmen area in Mexico (outside Cancun). It had a nice kids program, babysitting and kids pool. We had a swim-out room which I highly recommend if you have a small child. We could keep all of pool toys on our balcony and come in and out of our room straight into the pool. Ability to use own bathroom is a big+ for me. My toddler loved the resort but DH and I not so much so I'm looking into Beaches for next trip.

 

[NewShiny]

Thanks mom happy and babymonster! Sounds like I need to check out Beaches T&C. I just wish I knew of someone who's actually been there.

 

[NovemberBride]

We went to Beaches Turks & Caicos in 2011 with our then 1.5 year old DD for my BIL's wedding. It was amazing and we are planning to go back next spring when our DD will be 4 and our DS will be 1.5 The resort is huge, but I wouldn't say it is impersonal. It is also very high end while also being kid-friendly, which I think is a hard balance to strike. Turks is absolutely beautiful, Mexico and the Bahamas don't even compare. We did not take advantage of kids camp or babysitting as our DD was still young and since it was for a wedding, we had lots of family help. But we did see the kids camps and they looked very nice. I will say that Beaches is very expensive, we spent as much on a week there as we did staying at the Four Seasons in Maui on our honeymoon. But it really is all inclusive, we did not spend any money at all while there other than to have family photos taken on the beach. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

 

[SB621]

How about a disney cruise? In the fall children are usually free to sail.

I have friends that absolutely love it. During the day the kids can participate in camp/ daycare while the parents go off to adult only activities. Customer serivce, dining etc is all supposed to be top notch. A disney cruise is pretty high on our list of family vacations once we get our youngest potty trained.

 

[NewShiny]

NB, what part of the resort did you stay in?

Unfortunately, cruises are out. I would LOVE to book one and be done with it, but my husband flat out refuses. I guess he's watch too much of the new reports of stranded ships & fires. Hopefully I can work on him, because I really want to take A on a Disney Cruise in the next year or two.

 

[maccers]

Hi NewShiny,

Recently, I've been investigating destination weddings in mexico. Our party will have at least two babies and two three-year-olds, most resorts (four star or higher) have kids programs however I have noticed that many of the programs are for kids four-year-olds and over. Most resorts have babysitting services as well, a quote I received yesterday was $15USD/hour. We're looking at Iberostar Resorts mainly...they are a bit smaller (400-500 rooms) than some of the giant hotels. In speaking to some of my friends who've done resorts with young kids (babies and toddlers), they absolutely LOVE it (the parents, I mean). No cooking, no cleaning, children's entertainment usually available, kids pool, kids programs and babysitting.

 

[NovemberBride]

We stayed in the Carribean Village, because that was where the wedding room block was located. I think we paid about $3750 for 6 or 7 nights (not including airfare). The other areas of the resort would have been almost double that. The Caribbean Village was nice, but definitely older than the rest of the resort. If I went back, I would stay at either the Italian or new Key West Villages. The french is also nice but not right on the beach.

 

[NewShiny]

Thanks again NB, this is super helpful!

 

[April20]

I don't have any resort recommendations as we don't have kids and only book adults only resorts. However, I live in the ATL area and can comment on easy distance locations. I would look into Cancun, Dominican Republic, Jamaica or Turks and Caicos. Easy, easy flights. It's about three hours to DR, 2.5 to Cancun...

I would check all inclusive deals on Cheap Caribbean (www.cheapcaribbean.com). They have great deals that include your flights. We did a week (7 nights) in a Cancun a couple years ago at a 5 star all inclusive for $1000 per person, which included flights. I have seen a ton of kid friendly resorts that are very, very reasonable on the site.

One last thing.... book airport transfers with whatever package you do. If the resort is more than 15-20 mins from the airport, book a private transfer. It will be slightly more, but totally worth it as you won't spend double to time dropping everyone else off.

 

[Kaleigh]

www.curtainbluff.com Fave place ever.

They are great with kids. Food is amazing..

It's home away from home for us...

 

[Rockdiamond]

Beaches Negril is amazing
We went with our 2 and 4 year olds- I can't say enough good things about it
The first day we used the sitting service I was freaking out after 20 minutes- the kids? They were having an awesome time!
By our last day we dropped them at 9am and picked them up for supper with no second thoughts
Jamaican people seem to have a great way with kids- even the diapers were no problem for them
The beach oneself is perfect for young'uns- far better than Cancun
It's so gentle and you have to walk out at least 100 yards before the water reaches your shoulders
It's expensive for sure- but worth it IMO
We heard that the one in Ocho Rios is not as nice
If you go , make sure you get to Mayfair falls....

 

[NewShiny]

Thank you April! I saw several great looking Cancun resorts, but it looks like all of the child care in the area starts at age 4. The prices on the cheapcaribbean website can't be beat though, so I'm going to keep checking back. Thanks also for the tip on airport transfers. We will be sure to book a private one.

I don't have any resort recommendations as we don't have kids and only book adults only resorts. However, I live in the ATL area and can comment on easy distance locations. I would look into Cancun, Dominican Republic, Jamaica or Turks and Caicos. Easy, easy flights. It's about three hours to DR, 2.5 to Cancun...

I would check all inclusive deals on Cheap Caribbean (www.cheapcaribbean.com). They have great deals that include your flights. We did a week (7 nights) in a Cancun a couple years ago at a 5 star all inclusive for $1000 per person, which included flights. I have seen a ton of kid friendly resorts that are very, very reasonable on the site.

One last thing.... book airport transfers with whatever package you do. If the resort is more than 15-20 mins from the airport, book a private transfer. It will be slightly more, but totally worth it as you won't spend double to time dropping everyone else off.

 

[NewShiny]

Kaleigh, this place looks perfect if it was just me and DH. I wish they had a full time kids club! I'm going to bookmark it for when he gets a little older

www.curtainbluff.com Fave place ever.

They are great with kids. Food is amazing..

It's home away from home for us...

 

[NewShiny]

Rockdiamond, looks like I need to do some serious comparing between Beachs Negril and Beaches Turks and Caicos. Thanks for the info!

Beaches Negril is amazing
We went with our 2 and 4 year olds- I can't say enough good things about it
The first day we used the sitting service I was freaking out after 20 minutes- the kids? They were having an awesome time!
By our last day we dropped them at 9am and picked them up for supper with no second thoughts
Jamaican people seem to have a great way with kids- even the diapers were no problem for them
The beach oneself is perfect for young'uns- far better than Cancun
It's so gentle and you have to walk out at least 100 yards before the water reaches your shoulders
It's expensive for sure- but worth it IMO
We heard that the one in Ocho Rios is not as nice
If you go , make sure you get to Mayfair falls....