|
Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Caribbean for Families
Contrary to popular belief, the Caribbean is not a haven exclusively for vacationing couples, titans of industry who fly in on private jets, or honeymooning newlyweds. Even with tykes in tow, you can enjoy the best of what these islands have to offer. Here, some of the most rewarding Caribbean isles to visit en famille. And if you travel between April 15 and December 15, you can usually snag discounted hotel rates, sometimes up to 40 percent off high-season prices.
Bahamas Though technically in the Atlantic Ocean (but why split hairs?), Atlantis, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, is named for the mythical empire. This gargantuan resort complex—it has more than 2,600 rooms and villas and 18 restaurants—welcomes families with open arms. The numerous kid-friendly activities are mostly marine-based, from the pools, slides, and water rides to the opportunity to feed fish in a lagoon. A kid's club and in-house babysitting services also allow adults a break and some uninterrupted time at the on-site casino, comedy club, or movie theater. Barbados The Caribbean's easternmost island is safe, small (21 miles by 14), and home to a surprisingly broad range of hotels. It retains British influences befitting a state that was a crown colony until 1966: the names of towns and villages and the ubiquitous Anglican churches. British tourists continue to frequent the isle, often staying at the polished hotels on the west coast (also known as the Platinum Coast), where the soft sands yield to warm still waters where even novices can snorkel effortlessly. Kids will also enjoy the submarine trip run by Atlantis Adventures. During the two-plus-hour ride, the submersible takes voyagers 120 feet underwater, offering them a panorama of coral, fish, and sunken shipwrecks—one usually reserved for scuba divers (atlantisadventures.com; tours, $84). Cayman Islands Set northwest of Jamaica, the three Caymans are lauded for their striking beaches and, by divers, for their healthy reefs and incredible underwater visibility. Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach is an impressive sweep fronted by postcard-worthy calm waters. Some of the Caribbean's best snorkeling is right offshore, and at Cemetery Reef, you can spot turtles paddling around in the clear waters. The wildly popular Stingray City allows a chance to snorkel with whole schools of stingrays. During the Summer Splash season (June–mid-Sept.), kids under 12 fly for half price on Cayman Airways, which departs from seven U.S. cities, and stay and eat for free at select hotels (caymanislands.ky). Jamaica This all-around Caribbean destination irresistibly combines beaches, turquoise seas, mountains, waterfalls, pulsing cities, and the island's ubiquitous music and food. Add to the mix a number of all-inclusive kid-friendly hotels. On the north and west coasts of the island, Beaches has three properties with children's menus, a golf program for kids, child care, and teen discos. At the two beachfront FDR resorts on the north coast, rates include a nanny from 9 AM to 4:40 PM (fdrholidays.com). Puerto Rico This U.S. territory allows Americans to experience a Hispanic culture—in parts of the island only Spanish is spoken—where the local currency is U.S. dollars. Puerto Rico's solid infrastructure allows visitors to easily access different parts of the island in one trip. Start in the old part of the capital, San Juan, where the restored colonial architecture is breathtaking. Active families should head east from the capital to hike in El Yunque, the Caribbean's largest rain forest, or west to the coastal town of Rincón to try surfing. Farther afield, do not miss the unique spectacle on the smaller island of Vieques, an hour ferry ride from the main island. Its Mosquito Bay is home to millions of microorganisms that light up whenever there is the slightest movement in the water, creating an otherworldly phantasmagoria (biobay.com). St. Croix Each year, leatherback turtles arrive on the northeast coast of St. Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, to lay their eggs—a spectacle that excites children of all ages. During late-night nesting watches in May and June, the 1,000-plus-pound reptiles can be seen scooping out sand to create a hole, depositing their eggs, and then sweeping sand back over the nest to conceal it. The eggs incubate for a couple of months. Hatchling watches, which occur around sunset in July and August, appeal especially to younger children. As the sun dips below the horizon and the air cools, fledgling turtles emerge and shuffle into the sea to start their life aquatic. While most turtle-watching activity is reserved for scientists and residents, the nonprofit St. Croix Environmental Association is afforded three nesting and three hatchling watches during the season, and this is the only way for non-islanders to participate (seastx.org; family membership, $50). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
|
||
 |
