Caribbean

[zanz1bar]

Need advice on which Island, what to do, where to stay.
Would like a mixture of lux and activities, 2 kids 9&10 into anything with water or jungle.

I've taken the DC to jamaica, st Lucia , 2 difference parts of Dominican Republic and 2 different parts of Cuba and I'd say the first 2 were the most jungly (not sure if that's a word). We stayed in Almond Smugglers Cove hotel in St Lucia and did some good trips to rainforest, pitons, boat trip around the island and then all the watersports at the hotel. It wasn't super luxury but a lovely family trip. We had a nice family suite and enjoyed the breakfast at the waterside grill restaurant which was on stilts looking out at the ocean.

St Lucia is beautiful with the Pitons offering one of the most impressive views from a beach I have ever seen.

The Almond group hotels were always a good bet for families, but the group has gone out of business and the hotels have been sold. Smuggler's Cove and Morgan Bay in St Lucia still get good reviews.

Have you thought about Barbados? Whilst it lacks the lush jungle of St Lucia, the wild east cost has some very impressive and dramatic scenery. If I were going to the Caribbean with children, Barbados would probably be top of my list simply due to the massive range of activities on offer. The hotels are generally not massive, but choose wisely and they are very family friendly. There is also a wide range of accommodation choices from fairly basic self catering up to the bling 5*-plus of Sandy Lane.

We stayed at mid-range all-inclusive hotels which is definitely the way to go as eating and drinking out could be expensive. They also include non-motorised water sports as part of the AI package. Happy to share our experiences of the hotels if you're interested.

Hoping to go back to Barbados or try Antigua or Mexico in June

Can I asked where you stayed in Barbados?
I was also going to suggest Mexico or even Costa Rico.

Hi Creamy. First year we stayed at Sea Breeze down on the south coast. Last year we stayed at Waves on the west coast between Bridgetown and Holetown. Out of the two, I definitely preferred Waves with Sea Breeze would probably be better if you were holidaying with children.

Great thanks. Do you think either would be suitable for young teens. They are not into partying but gym/spa/eating/organised stuff?

I would probably go with the Sea Breeze. Seemed a slightly bigger hotel with more families staying. Also had a fantastic beach! We definitely didn't go for the party scene and evenings are pretty quiet- apart from the obligatory lounge singer! If you want something a bit more lively, an evening out in St Lawrence Gap (about 2 miles west) is good fun and earlier in the evening its not too 'lively' (i.e. full of drunk, loud Brits)

sea-breeze.com/

There is usually a Virgin holidays rep onsite (I think Vhols are the only UK client of the hotel) who was fantastic at arranging activities- there really is tonnes to do in Barbados. A real must is a day trip out snorkelling with the turtles; probably the high point of the holiday. We went out with these people...

www.barbadossailingcruises.com/

Definitely not a 'adults only' day. Would also recommend a Friday evening trip to the fish fry in Oistins. If your at the Sea Breeze its 5 minutes away by taxi and is great fun but definitely something you could happily take young teens to to soak up a bit of Bajan atmosphere.

Have fun!

Thank you.
Sorry Zanz1bar for asking lots of questions on your thread.

Oh they sound wonderful, never been to an all in resort before, usual holidays are self catering.
St Lucia and Barbados sound wonderful, I will pop back with more Questions soon.

Hi Zanz. I had always been a bit sniffy about AI (my loss!) but there really is something to be said for knowing that your food and drink and some of your activities are already paid for before you even board your flight. The hotels we were at had a la carte in the evenings so it wasn't just non-stop buffet.

If we go AI, we don't spend all our budget on the hotel so we still have some money for excursions and the odd meal out as it is really nice to try somewhere else outside the hotel for a change. That said, in Barbados doing this is totally safe, but if you went somewhere like Jamaica you would definitely need to exercise more caution.

My youthful years spent as a waitress and chambermaid means I have just too much information!
Thinking about the end of March (avoiding Easter) whats the weather like and are we going to be the only family in a sea of loves young dream couples?

I've been four times at Easter and once for feb half term and the weather is fab. Sea is warm and not too hot for sightseeing and definitely not all honeymooners.

Sounds like a good time to go. I really wouldn't expect you to be surrounded solely by honeymooning couples, although your choice of hotel will have a bearing on how many will be around! The peak season is traditionally Dec/Jan with busy periods throughout the year around school holidays. You will be just after the peak which hopefully should be reflected in airfares/hotel rates.

Weather will be lovely- you have inspired me to start some holiday planning as I sit freezing on the sofa suffering from the absolute worst cold ever. Not that I am in any way a drama queen...

Can highly recommend Barbados & if you fancied self catering (too many nice restaurants in Barbados to go AI), Glitter Bay suites just north of Holetown, are excellent. Best if both worlds, facilities to cook if you fancy a night in, but also hotel like facilities too (& MUCH cheaper than a hotel!).

Loads of gorgeous places to eat, lovely beaches & lots to do. Can't recommend highly enough

St Lucia is beautiful but not as easy to get round as Barbados & if you're staying in the north of the island, it's a horrid journey & takes quite a while (unless you do a helicopter transfer ).

Went St Lucia last year and was really nice. Near the Rodney Bay Area was nice as it has a village feel and some shopping and a big street party on Friday nights (got rained out when we tried to go ). The main town was also near by and good for an afternoon or so to see what a typical Caribbean town looks like. Think there are plenty of tours and jungle type experiences. Also done Antigua which was lovely.

We've done St Lucia and Barbados with kids - preferred St Lucia (also Rodney Bay area)- very beautiful. Also been to Antigua (v. nice), St Kitts (fine) and Nevis without. Nevis was my favourite of all but not particularly suitable for family holidays - we stayed house party style in an ex sugar plantation - FAB u LOUS
Always been April/May as cheaper and weather still great.

Go to Grenada the Spice Island! Pretty with waterfalls, tubing, a chocolate factory and the most beautiful beaches ever. If you stay at the Rex it's a 5 minute transfer with no aircraft noise!