# Best Carribean spot for families with kids aged 10 and 13



## scooooter (May 11, 2012)

We are looking to plan a trip to the Caribbean in April 2014 to celebrate our son turning 10 and our daughter turning 13.  We will be traveling with my brother and sister in law who have kids the same age.  We were considering going to Paradise Island and staying at the Atlantis but it's rather expensive.  We are wondering what island is the best for kids and what resorts should we consider.  We'd really like to get something nice.  We own in the Bahamas (Taino Beach) but would prefer to take them somewhere else.  

Also, if we do opt to go to paradise island - what is the best timeshare that would be close by?  

Thank you all in advance for your help!


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## siesta (May 11, 2012)

Hard to compare anything in the Caribbean to Atlantis in regards to kids. Waterslides, tube rides, lazy rivers, various pools, aquariums and marine life displays, as well as a beautifully themed resort. Harborside at Atlantis is the timeshare on property and is part of the resort. 

http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/harborside_resort_at_atlantis/welcome.html


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## scooooter (May 11, 2012)

Thanks so much for your response.  We exchange thru RCI and I don't see Harborside thru them which is a bummer.  We may just bite the bullet and stay at Atlantis, just wondering if there are vacation spots in the caribbean that might be just as nice for the kids but not so expensive.


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## siesta (May 11, 2012)

scooooter said:


> Thanks so much for your response.  We exchange thru RCI and I don't see Harborside thru them which is a bummer.  We may just bite the bullet and stay at Atlantis, just wondering if there are vacation spots in the caribbean that might be just as nice for the kids but not so expensive.


harborside is thru II, you could try renting from a Starwood owner to save over what Atlantis charges. Also, you could stay at the Comfort Suites right next to Atlantis, and that gives you access to Atlantis Aquaventure.

But there are absolutely other great family places, like Aruba for example. Many nice timeshare resorts on Palm or Eagle Beach thru RCI, the water is calm and shallow, and they have great windsurfing. But to be honest, we have enjoyed many islands as a family including but not limited to: caymans, barbados, st kitts, puerto rico.


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## stmartinfan (May 11, 2012)

We have traveled with our kids (now young adults) to the Caribbean since they were pre schoolers.  Our kids love beaches, boogie boarding (we always bring our own), snorkeling, day trips on catamarans, etc., so they enjoy almost any island without needing lots of "extras."  Just providing that as background, because your kids may have different interests.  That said, here are some we've enjoyed:

Grand Cayman is nice with great beaches, and the opportunity to do the stingray tour is unique.  (Although try to avoid being there during the craziness of many cruise tours, because it's overcrowded.  We were there one time on a cruise but booked separately on an independent tour recommended on Cruise Critic.)  It's also interesting to visit the turtle farm, and we were fascinated to find turtles swimming in the area where we stayed on 7 Mile Beach.  Not much natural beauty on Cayman, but it felt very safe; food seemed pricy compared to other locations.  

Aruba also has great beaches, an interesting desert like landscape, lots of large! iguanas.  There's some ship wrecks in shallow enough water that you can see them snorkeling, although the waves were pretty rough the day we were there.  But we had a great time on the "pirate ship" tour, including doing the swing into the water.  There is some Dutch influence but Aruba is pretty Americanized in feel.

Jamaica - we would not return , because of safety and the predominance of all inclusives. 

St. Maarten - our favorite because of great beaches, opportunity for both Dutch/French culture, wonderful food of all kinds - from gourmet French to local BBQ stands.  Butterfly farm is interesting to visit; horseback riding on the beach is fun.  We enjoy day trips to Prickly Pear or Anguilla.  Pretty island, with a feeling of being somewhere "foreign" - less Americanized than others I've mentioned. Snorkeling isn't great but so many wonderful beaches you can find wild waves or calm water.  Other tours like Rhino Riders, Jet Skis, etc., if you like water things, and a zip line course.


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## scooooter (May 11, 2012)

Thank you so much!  Will check those out.  Will also look into aruba.  Appreciate all the great feedback.


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## Weimaraner (May 11, 2012)

St Martin fan did a nice job and those three islands are tops on my list. They are also places that I would feel comfortable taking my 5-year-old that she would enjoy as much as I would. I did want to add that Grand Cayman has a blue iguana sanctuary and they are interesting because they only live on Grand Cayman and no where else in the world. It's an interesting tour for animal lovers. Also Aruba has a donkey sanctuary for donkeys who were put out pasture after they were no longer needed as transportation. Aruba & Ocean Surf Club have a Kids Club with activities for young people including a teen den. They are with II but wanted to share that. Also I don't know from personal experience but from what I've read Windjammer Landing in St. Lucia (am RCI resort)  has a kids and teen club. Windjammer and Harborside are definitely on my list for future places to go with our daughter.


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## brother coony (May 11, 2012)

Different stroke for different folks,  as with kids I love all inclusive resorts, as the kids, can eat when they want, what they want 24/7, if they taste some think and they don't like it, no problem try something else, now as for resort thats Not the Atlantis, but close with water slides etc, its Beaches, by Sandals, 3 in Jamaica, and one in the beautifully Turks and Caicos, On one of the the world's best beach, "Grace Bay"


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## siesta (May 11, 2012)

Deleted......


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## ilene13 (May 11, 2012)

El conquistador in Puerto Rico is excellent with kids, though not cheap.


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## scooooter (May 12, 2012)

Wow such great information!!!!!!  Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond.  Much appreciated.


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## Free2Roam (May 12, 2012)

We were at the Harborside at Atlantis last October and noticed Club Landor right next door... it trades thru RCI. I'm pretty sure you don't get access to the Atlantis pools, etc. (at least not for free). Perhaps you could look into whether Club Landor guests can pay for Atlantis access?


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## siesta (May 12, 2012)

FreeIn2010 said:


> We were at the Harborside at Atlantis last October and noticed Club Landor right next door... it trades thru RCI. I'm pretty sure you don't get access to the Atlantis pools, etc. (at least not for free). Perhaps you could look into whether Club Landor guests can pay for Atlantis access?


 you don't want to stay at land or, smallish pool from the pics  and no free access to atlantis, atlantis pass in its own is about 100 a day per person.

We were at Atlantis in October too, 23rd to 30th


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## Free2Roam (May 13, 2012)

siesta said:


> you don't want to stay at land or, smallish pool from the pics  and no free access to atlantis, atlantis pass in its own is about 100 a day per person.
> 
> We were at Atlantis in October too, 23rd to 30th



Ouch! That's pretty steep.


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## Whirl (May 13, 2012)

*Sandals Grande Jamaica?*



brother coony said:


> Different stroke for different folks,  as with kids I love all inclusive resorts, as the kids, can eat when they want, what they want 24/7, if they taste some think and they don't like it, no problem try something else, now as for resort thats Not the Atlantis, but close with water slides etc, its Beaches, by Sandals, 3 in Jamaica, and one in the beautifully Turks and Caicos, On one of the the world's best beach, "Grace Bay"



I see you own there....do you get exchange or trade in privileges with all or doe of the sandals and beaches resorts. I am curious how that works, if you don't mind sharing....

we are going with a group to T&C and those who have been swear it is just the absolute best beach and so kid friendly..looking forward to it.


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## sun&fun (May 13, 2012)

I would check on the seasonal water temperatures in April for any destination where beach and water are the attractions. April may be OK in the Bahamas (I haven't been there recently) but for predictability of nice water temp and sunny skies, I'd go with Aruba.


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## akbmusic (May 14, 2012)

*A couple of suggestions*

We have been traveling with our kids since they were little (son first went to Mexico just before his 4th birthday). Our kids don't like to run from thing to thing, and they enjoy hiking/snorkeling/kayaking/swimming... along with historic sites.

Our favorite places include:
Grand Cayman Island:  At Morritt's you can snorkel off the beach; Stingray City and the Turtle farm is great; Botanical gardens, nice pools and beaches. 

St. Thomas and/or St. John USVI:  Again, a nice mix of hiking, attractions, activities and relaxing. If you stay on St. Thomas you can take the ferry for a day or two from Red Hook to St. John

Mayan Riviera:  Too much stuff to see and do in one spot. Mayan ruins, good shopping, great places to snorkel and hike...

Puerto Rico:  Nice mix of historical and natural things to do. The only bad side is it is pretty Americanized and very large as far as islands go.

If you are looking more at staying at a resort where you don't really have to leave to be entertained, then I would advise you to try for a nice AI resort in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica or Aruba.  

Not sure what type of vacationers you are or what you are looking for...
Hope that helps


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## JustKeepBreathing (May 19, 2012)

*Beaches Turks and Caicos*

I second Beaches Turks & Caicos for a trip with Tweens.  We were there in 2010 and are taking our second trip there this year.  If you are willing and able to book pretty far in advance (as we Tuggers are used to), you can get a better price.  At first I thought it was very expensive, but then I compared the cost to a cruise, with excursions, paying extra for soda and alcohol, etc. and determined that we were getting a pretty good deal  -- provided that you book in advance.  As you get closer to the travel date, it gets much more expensive.  Beaches includes almost everything - alcohol (with good brands), snorkeling, scuba diving, kids club, water park, etc.).  We stayed in the Italian Village and would definitely recommend it.  All of the rooms are family suites with a master bedroom and separate kids bunk room (no living room or kitchen).  I wouldn't pay extra for a room with an ocean view - we hardly spent any time in the room.  You have a minibar in your room that they stock every day with sodas, juices and full bottles of liquor and wine - I'm not sure that is the case in the other sections.  We got a butler service room for our upcoming trip, but we had a wonderful time without it.  It is great for tweens as they can sign themselves in and out of the kids clubs and they have group activities such as snorkeling etc. for the tweens only.  If you are scuba certified, dives are free or if not, you can do the free certification class at the resort in a dedicated pool.


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## Asl18940 (May 19, 2012)

Eventhough it's an all-inclusive, we really enjoyed the Rose Hall Hilton in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  My kids were the ages of yours, and they had a terrific time.


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