I'm debating taking my kids (7,9,11) to the Caribbean for spring break but don't have a good feel for what is out there. I am looking for something away from the 18-25 year old spring breakers. I've looked at the Caymans and it seems good but I've never been there. Any ideas or recommendations? Resorts would be great if you know of any good ones.
I know you said the Caymans but we took the kids to Mexico this year for the first time. My kids were 8 and 7 at the time and here was are thinking. The flight is quick (2 1/2 hours) and direct. It was their first time on a International flight and first trip through customs. We did not want to spend all day traveling and changing planes and have them being tired or irritable when we got there. We stayed at the Barcelo Tropical/Colonial because of the kid pool area and it appeared to be kid friendly. Yes it an all inclusive but with kids you never know how they are going to do eating outside their comfort zone. My son will eat any thing, my daughter just wants her salad and nuggets. The resort had a kids buffet at every meal that had pizza, nuggets and fish sticks. Was it the type of trip my wife and I like, no, but it was perfect trial run with our the kids. They did great and can't wait for another trip out of the country. Good Luck and take all reviews you read on the Internet with a grain of salt.
I highly recommend Cayman and would say an emphatic "NO" to Mexico. Tha Mayan Riviera is full of 16 yr olds trying to be 21. Crowded, loud, not an environment I'd want young kids exposed to. Everything you want on Cayman except the Turtle Farm & Papagallos Restaurant are located on Seven Mile Beach Road (West side of island), although what you do and want is on about 4 miles of it. As for Cayman, what are you looking for? The Marriott & Radison have more rocks than beach. The Hyatt and Westin are preferable. The Hyatt is across the street from the beach, but traffic light for crossing. Hyatt's beach is sandwiched between that of two condos, BUT a small strip next to the Hyatt area is used by cruise ships and is frequently overcrowded. The Westin is really nice and has a good beach and pool. I recommend it for a family over any of the others. RitzCarleton is over priced, but those are the only three hitels I recommend. There are some deals on condos for about the same price as a hotel room. If there are budget constraints, I'd recommend Aqua Bay Club. It's about a mile north of Westin on Seven Mile Beach Road. All units have screened porches or balconies over looking the water. The beach is really good and virtually private. Pool is smaller than hotels, but on the beach and very nice. Private tennis courts if you like. There are several other projects in that area. Hope that helps for starters.
Atlantis is a good spot for kids. most very nice resorts in the carribean are not very kid friendly. you may consider a carribean cruise with the kids only because they do have tons of activities for kids and you will get to visit a couple different places.
I love Cayman. Easy flight from Houston. Great beaches. And most importantly for kids, probably the safest island in the Caribbean (It's my understanding that the Hyatt is no longer there. The original Hyatt was a victim of the hurricane and an eventual dispute between the Hyatt and its insurer, and the newer beach portion is now another hotel, I believe). Atlantis is also amazing.
We took kids (6 & 8) to St. John in the Virgin Islands this summer. Really nice trip. Snorkled every day on a different beach, sailed, ate well. Definitely not the college scene. We stayed in a house. Pricey but fabulous. Fairly hard travel day to get there, since you fly to St. Thomas and ferry over. The beaches are undeveloped, since almost all the island is a national park. Again, it made a great trip for a family.
