You’re lying in bed in January enjoying a much deserved holiday from the office. It’s the dead of Canadian winter. A howling north wind whistles as it batters your BBQ against that loose gate in the backyard you’ve been meaning to fix for the past three summers. You pull the comforter right up against your nose and drift back to sleep. Images of a white sand beach sneak into your dreams and the gentle lapping of ocean waves replaces the wail of the winter wind.
Then a four-year old jumps on your head, followed closely by a six-year old screeching “She just pinched me!”
Sigh.
Everyone needs a vacation and my family and I are no exception. But the prospect of paying thousands of dollars to watch my kids fight by the beach as opposed to in my bed is not overly attractive. That’s why I’ve come to realize that picking the right destination with the right resort is crucial to the success of my family’s winter getaway.
Here, then, are The Crime Traveller’s tested-and-true tips on how to have a great vacation with kids.
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- Be realistic about your travel distance. Don’t test out your kids’ tolerance for air travel by treating them to a week in Australia on their first outing. If you’re like most Canadians, you live in close proximity to the U.S. border and within easy driving distance of an international airport. All of the southern United States, Mexico and the Caribbean are within a comfortable 3-5 hour flight zone. States such as Florida or California can be great, but generally lack the brochure-quality beaches and guaranteed hot weather travellers crave in the winter season. With so many islands to choose from and a massive inventory of quality resorts at all price points, the Caribbean is my choice for the classic week-long kid-friendly winter getaway.
- Pack a kid-friendly carry-on. Your passport and airline tickets are only marginally more important than bringing a portable DVD player. I kid you not. If you forget your plane tickets, the airline will simply send you home. If you forget the DVD player, you’ll get on that plane…and wish you had been sent home. While mobile movies are a parent’s best friend, be sure to provide some variety and stock your carry-on with light snacks (you can’t rely on the airline to feed you at any specific time — if at all — these days). Story and colouring books and a single small plush toy never hurt either.
- Choose a kid-friendly resort. Your kids don’t care that your resort offers all-you-can-drink premium tequila, nor are they overly interested in the cucumber seaweed wrap offered at the spa. Seared ahi tuna in a wine reduction sounds delectable to you but if your hotel doesn’t have a 24-hour french fry and ice cream stand you’re never going to get to enjoy that tuna. Look for a resort with both a great pool and a decent beach. The key to a kid-friendly pool is a large shallow end, ideally with a small fountain or waterfall feature and a smooth sloping incline (also known as a “beach entry”).
- Look for a resort with a formal children’s program and optional evening childcare. Many resorts claim to be kid-friendly, but that may simply mean that they keep a rusty high chair out back behind the shed to strap your toddler down at meal times. The savvy parent traveller seeks a resort that operates a full-service camp-style program. Don’t expect your kids to participate all day, every day. Our typical routine is to enrol our children in the programs from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. each day and again from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. This gives us time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, catch an early morning swim, make sure they eat a decent lunch and then reconvene the family again for late afternoon fun before dinner and evening activities. This strikes a perfect balance where mom and dad can enjoy some alone time while everyone still participates in a genuine family vacation. Budget a few extra dollars to hire a resort-supplied babysitter for one or two of the evenings and enjoy a decadent late-night dinner or stroll along the moonlit beach.
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“But Crime Traveller!” you cry. “Where can I find resorts that meet with your exacting specifications?” Fear not, fellow traveller. I have two strong recommendations.
FDR Resorts in Runaway Bay, Jamaica is ideal for families with young children. You won’t be getting miles of sugary white sand beaches nor will you be getting an opulent five-star room, but you will be getting one of the friendliest, most accommodating staff anywhere in the Caribbean. Jamaican weather is virtually perfect 365 days per year and the resort’s location boasts excellent scuba diving, easy day-tripping to Ocho Rios and Dunn’s River Falls, and is only a five-minute walk from a championship golf course.
The real magic of FDR is their unique “Vacation Nanny” program. When you arrive, your family will be assigned a Vacation Nanny who, in addition to doing the usual room/maid service duties, is available exclusively to your family from 9:00 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. every day of your holiday. During our visit to FDR, our nanny took our then one-year old daughter for walks around the resort’s tropical gardens, made crafts, or just played in the sand while my wife and I enjoyed our first real time off since becoming parents. The nannies are as helpful or unobtrusive as you choose.
If you’re looking for a more camp-oriented form of childcare, the Coco Land kids club at Coconut Bay in St. Lucia has entertained our children on two separate occasions. St. Lucia also enjoys a nearly perfect climate at any time of the year. The resort is only a ten minute drive from the airport, which is a blessing after extracting oneself from a long flight with two kids. Like FDR, this resort does not boast the type of exceptional beaches one might associate with the Caribbean, but it does enjoy a fantastic kid-friendly pool with waterfalls, fountains, beach entry, swim up bar, lazy river and water slides.
The kids program is outstanding — with caring, enthusiastic staff — and includes a separate splash pad and playground for participating kids. If your kids are up to a great day trip, book a ride on the Brig Unicorn through the hotel concierge. This classic tall ship made appearances in all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Ask the captain about it and he’ll sheepishly pull out a tattered photo album from his pocket filled with dog-eared pictures of him embracing Johnny Depp and other stars from the film. The ship will take you on a full-day excursion around the island, stopping in Soufriere to visit the sulphur volcano and a local waterfall while providing on-board meals and a chance to swim or snorkel.
Intrigued by what St. Lucia has to offer but don’t want to drag the kids along? Next month, The Crime Traveller will give you a unique perspective on this magnificent island.
When not jetting around the world as his alter ego, The Crime Traveller, Edward Prutschi is a Toronto-based criminal defence lawyer. Follow Ed’s criminal law commentary (@prutschi) and The Crime Traveller’s adventures (@crimetraveller) on Twitter, read his Crime Traveller blog, or email ed@thecrimetraveller.com.