Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

DH and I wanted to go away in April when DD will be 11 months old. I was thinking of an all inlclusive in a beachy area that isnt too long of a flight and that DD would enjoy.

I was thinking of Beaches Turks and Caicos? but that's all I can think of!

Anyone have any other suggestions? Oh and i was trying to steer clear of mexico.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

I went to Beaches Turks and Caicos for a wedding a few years ago.
We didn't have kids at the time but it seems great for kids. Lots of characters, activites etc
However, for the adults, I wasn't impressed.
The food was sub par, the rooms weren't great, lots of maintaince was needed etc.
Plus it was SUPER SUPER over priced.

I dont' have any other suggestions- but just wanted to give you my feedback on Beaches Turks...but maybe other Beaches locations would be nicer?
Like the one in the Bahamas?

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

My SIL is pretty picky and they did Beaches Jamaica and LOVED it. Not too expensive either since Jamaica tends to be cheaper.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

We did Beaches Turks & Caicos when DD was 15mth old. Entertainment was great for her and we even dropped her off at the daycare for a boat ride on the ocean. The service was very good as they went out of their way to locate soy milk for DD since she had a dairy allergy at the time but I was very disappointed in the food it ranged from fairly decent to not very good at all. Out of all the choices of places to eat we pretty much stuck to one restaurant for dinner, and the kids fast food place for lunch.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

my co-worker just got back from the RIU in Aruba. He loved it and was very impressed with the food. I think Aruba is a great place for kids and families. It's safe and you don't have to worry about getting sick like you do in Mexico and DR.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

We like Paradisus Punta Cana

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

Paradise Island Bahamas.
Short flight, tons to do for mommy and daddy..great beaches

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

Beaches _Sandy Bay. We went with DS when he was 11 months. It is the smallest (and cheapest) of the Beaches. It is small and extremely manageable with a little one. You also have complete access to Beaches Negril. Shuttles run between the two every hour. You can eat at Negril and use all of the facilities. We really felt we had the best of both worlds. DS had a great time and we did too!

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

We have a trip to Beaches Turks & Caicos coming up. I looked all over the internet and then called my travel agent & we could not think of a better place. The flights are easy (no stopovers and they run late morning flights). I am a bit concerned about the food & I just hope that we figure out early on where we like to eat. DH and I like all the campy kids' stuff and the characters and I love water parks so I think that DH and I will have fun. I can't wait and I just hope we enjoy it . I'll post some sort of review!

Message edited 9/2/2010 7:12:44 PM.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

I have done a lot of research and Beaches (Turks & Caicos or Jamaica) are the only ones that cater to families with babies. A lot of resorts say they're "family friendly" but that usually means preschool or school aged kids. If traveling with a baby or young toddler, I'd stick to a Beaches resort. Unfortunately for us, if we were to travel there in April when I have vacation from school, a 5 day trip with airfare would be over $7,000 so a trip is out for us. If you travel off peak, it should be significantly less - by more than half....

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

FDR resorts in Jamaica offer nannies for every family. And many Club Meds cater to families.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

BEACHES TURKS!! We had so much fun last year (DS was 18mths). They have camp for kids until 10pm. We would send him there for his nap at 2, then pick him up at 5. Occasionally bring him at night if DH and I wanted a nice dinnerl. He LOVED IT! Especially hanging with the sesame street people. There are 16 rest. 7 pools, it is AMAZING!! Anyway..we are going back 1 mth from today!!

THe other place we loved with kids club was Meilia Puerto Vallarta. We went there when DS was 5mths. It was more of a daycare situation for him. He would go there for his naps.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

Beaches Turks and Caicos....AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I am dying to go back with the girls one day!!!

Check out pics in my album

ETA - We went with DD when she was just turning 8 months. It was PERFECT!

Message edited 9/3/2010 7:27:30 AM.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

I cannot wait to go to Beaches Turks and Caicos, but we are waiting until the girls are a little older (around 3 and 4) to get the most out of it. It is supposed to be amazing, but for the kids to really appreciate it, I think they need to be a little older, and we aren't the kind of people to go back to the same spot. I would do something like Aruba, Jamaica (FDR or Beaches there), Bahamas, Curacao. At 11 mths, your DC will be entertained by the environment itself--the beach, different sites, people, everything. I find as they get a little older they need a little more entertainment geared specifically for them.

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

Beaches Turks & Caicos is awesome.

Italian Village is a very nice section if you have the kids coming along. I would probably steer you away from Caribbean Village because it’s the oldest section and some of the rooms are a bit dated and needs overhaul. Unless you want one of the Butler suites because those are all fantastic. One room category in particular in the Caribbean Village is awesome though. (Suite 719 and 720)

French Village is always a great choice – although it is a bit to the rear of the resort and you may want to be closer to the ocean. But the nice thing about French village, is its close to the waterpark. Rooms are great too.

Tiffany Goldberg - the Kids Camp Supervisor does a great job down there making sure all the different age groups have something interesting to do.

We also have access to tons of great info that they don’t advertise on the website like the full menu’s, kids activity sheets, the catamaran cruise info, and a bunch of the excursions. Send me a message if you want to see that and I can email the .pdf's

Over the years we have gone, we have become friends with many of the staff there and Tanya Swann in the sales office keeps us up to date on any changes - she's awesome by the way!!

May 1st the prices drop - significantly!! But don't forget to ask your Travel Agent for the Military or Fireman's IAFF discount if that applies. And it's less crowded in May. We just went May 1st to the 8th and it was awesome. We are heading back again in early October.

This place has it all - and 2 free tanks a day if you Scuba Dive. But if you snorkel, thats included too - all the gear is there to use. (tip: head to the water, turn left, and walk down the beach about 300 yards to the spot in front of Coral Gardens Resort. The coral reef there is amazing and its steps from the beach. I have spent hours there but the best time to interact with the Sea Turtles is about 9:00 am. They are very curious creatures!!

It's nice here - nobody pesters you to buy anything or harps on you to get your hair braided. Just peace and quiet!! Everybody who loves the Caribbean has their favorites - ours sits on Grace Bay in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos!!

Image Attachment(s):

Re: Where to vacation @ an all inclusive with an 11 month old?

I know you are trying to stay clear of Mexico but I can highly recommend the Gran Caribe Real in Cancun. Their food is excellent and the amenities are great. Plus it's very kid friendly -- they have two children's pools, one with a pirate ship and slides and one with a smaller slide and sprinklers by the Kids' Club. Lots of fun for adults as well! and great location -- across the street is Lorenzillo's, a short walk down is a nice little shopping center with Bubba Gump, Paddy O'Brien's and Margaritaville. I've gone three times with my son just because its such an easy vacation -- once when he was nine months old, then again at 16 months and again this summer -- at 21 months.