Seeking Kid-Friendly Beach Resort
Beaches Turks & Caicos is where I'd take my preschoolers . . . if only I could afford it!
Question from reader Nandamom:
"Our nanny just announced she is taking off the last week in August, so my husband and I are scrambling to plan a last-minute weeklong getaway for ourselves and our two girls, ages two and four. We'd like to try an all-inclusive family-friendly beach resort in the Caribbean. We're in the New York area and can spend up to $5,000 for airfare and accommodations, with some child care and activities included."
August is rainy season in the Caribbean. That doesn't mean it rains every day, but it does mean you need a resort that will keep your kids entertained and off your hands should the weather turn inclement. I think your smartest option is the Beaches chain of all-inclusive family resorts. The property I've heard the best feedback about from other parents is Beaches Turks & Caicos, but a seven-night package (including airfare from New York) for the four of you for the last week in August would cost about $6,000. Beaches Boscobel -- which gets an excellent review at the dependable family travel site WeJustGotBack.com -- is more affordable. The seven-night package at the Boscobel property, which is in Jamaica, comes in at just under $5,000.
If Beaches Boscobel includes more frills than you want or need, you could consider Franklyn D. Resort, where every family gets its own "vacation nanny." This property also happens to be in Jamaica -- a country with a number of high-value-for-your-dollar beach resorts and great child care -- and also gets a rave review from WeJustGotBack.com.
Doug and Charlie, then 3 and 4, at our child-friendly rental villa in Jamaica, January 2007.
Of course, if you're going to end up in Jamaica, I'd be negligent if I didn't tell you about the property I rented back in January in order to write my Guide to Affordable Villa Vacations in Conde Nast Traveler's June 2007 issue. It's a lovely private villa that comes with a child-friendly staff of five as well as full daily access to the nearby Rose Hall Resort & Country Club's beach resort, water park, spa, and other facilities. You can read all about the villa and staff -- you can even watch a slide show about my experience -- here. The rate for four people (in two bedrooms) in August is $400 per night. (Caveat: The villa's pool has no fence or lifeguard.)
Should you decide not to chance the weather and to stay in the U.S. and drive to a resort instead, let me know, okay? (To that end, check out my family trip to Cape Cod last summer.)
Tim and the kids enjoying the water park at the Rose Hall Resort
in Jamaica, January 2007.
RSS Feeds
Beaches becomes even more affordable during the fall, when the big kids go back to school and the pre-school set may still travel. Families can receive up to a 45% savings for travel between September 1 and October 30, with rates at Beaches Sandy Bay in Negril, Jamaica starting at $159.50 per person, per night with a two-night minimum.
Posted by: cathy5 | August 01, 2007 at 07:49 AM
After staying at Beaches Negril - a VERY positive experience - we were disappointed with the Boscobel location. The golf course is NOT on site - it's approximately 20-40 minutes away (free shuttle service). The beach itself is VERY small and the swimming area is ridiculously restricted . . . you are only permitted to swim within a space that approximates a basketball court - maybe three times the length, but only 20 feet from the waterline. The water at the farthest point from shore is waist deep at high tide. The dive boat was broken the entire week, as was the boat normally used for the banana rides . . . that left the glass bottom boat, which was shared between diving, snorkeling, banana rides, and sight seeing. I was only permitted one dive per day. To add insult to injury, I had to pay $75 to be checked out, despite being a PADI and NAUI certified diver with over 1,000 dives and 30 years of experience. The food was good; the staff was good overall, but at times seemed to be "forced" - I learned from one staff member that they were required to refer to the male club members as "Boss" and "M'Lady". I paid a significant amount for an upgraded room only to learn that someone we'd invited/referred got the same room for $1,000 less. It took two hours of discussion with management to negotiate an upgrade to one of the vacant beachfront rooms, which have a nice view, but are of substandard quality insofar as the bedding, bathrooms, size, and cleanliness. We suspected that this hotel was probably a resort that had gone bankrupt under previous management and was slowly being refurbished/upgraded. The Xbox game area was a joke . . . at least 75% of the games were not working and had missing or broken controllers. The Kids' Camp sucked - we could not keep our kids there because (a) the staff was terrible, (b) the "oversight" wasn't, and (c) the kids begged us not to take them back. In contrast, at Negril, the kids begged to go to Kid's Camp. The activities schedule was not followed . . . We were supposed to receive a resort credit of $250 but never did - VERY infuriating (per the Beaches web site - when we signed up for the vacation, the resort's parent company was supposed to offset a portion of the cost of the passport - later, they refused). Some areas of the resort were really very nice and several of the staff were excellent, but overeall, I'd recommend that anyone considering a Beaches Resort head to Negril or Turks.
Posted by: Shotzie | November 28, 2007 at 01:24 PM