We're looking into family vacations..... HELP!

[Tondi G]

Our DS will be turning 2 in July and we figure before we go ahead and get preggo again we'd like to take a nice vacation... the last one we took will be 4 years ago (OUR HONEYMOON!!!). First we cosidered a cruise but the ndecided against it.... don't wanna be stuck on a boat at sea with Mr. I get bored very quickly.... and he also loves the pool and pools on ships are saltwater.. YUCK!

So we are deciding between somewhere in the US or???... Hawaii was the first thought cause we're on the West Coast (In Los Angeles) then came the decision of what Island... I figued Oahu cause it's busy and lots of families... lots to do! My BIL and SIL are going to the Big Island AGAIN... they loved it so we considered that. Then I spoke with a travel agent who said Maui!!! My main thought is to try and keep our flying time to a minimum and eliminate inter island flights... now there are direct flights to Maui so???? The other possibility is Florida.. Miami area or Keys??? (not Orlando, WDW)... we've already done Disneyland too many times this year..LOL!!!

So have any of you vacationed in Hawaii with your kiddos... any suggestions on where to stay, things to do with a toddler etc... OR is there anywhere you would recommend for a family vacation without breaking the bank... only necessity is a Pool but a beach would be nice and warm but not HOT HOT weather would be preferred... DS is kinda fair! we are saving for a house so trying to stay within a reasonable ammount of money! Thanks a bunch!

Tondi and Mason (7/8/01)!!!!

[flagger]

Is in the states important or have you thought of international travel?

How about Costa Rica? or Belize?

As far as islands, it all depends on what you want to get done. Kauai would require an inter-island flight but is just beautiful. Though the life their is the slowest of all of the islands (if that is ACTUALLY possible).

Maui is nice but can be expensive. Going in mid-summer might not be bad for rates though. We stayed at what was the Rennaisance. The drive to Hana is a must, but three hours each way with a toddler might make it not so fun.

[egoldber]

The only thing about Hawaii is that it is very expensive. Flights there are shockingly expensive as are hotels. And when you get there, everything is incredibly expensive. I would recommend finding a condo/house to rent rather than staying in a hotel. It is much easier to vacation that way with a child and you don't have to eat out all the time. Overall, it would probably be less expensive to go someplace like Mexico or Costa Rica than to Hawaii.

I love Florida too. Consider the Panhandle beaches or somewhere like Clearwater. I spent a weekend there this fall with Sarah and we had a great time. I also rented a beach house once with some friends in SOuth Carolina. It was called Folly Beach which is near Charleston. We were there over Labor Day weekend, the beach was EMPTY and it was glorious.

Also, you may want to consider Europe. No, I'm not kidding. You can easily rent a house in the French countryside (with a pool) for less than $500 a week. (Of course, you can spend much more if you want or prefer.) The French are very tolerant of children. There are a number of "untouristy" areas of France that are just absolutely gorgeous. And the food and the wine... Ah.

Hope this gives you some ideas...

[Tondi G]

Thanks for the suggestions.... the reason we thought Hawaii was for the shorter airfare and it being safe! I was considering Mexico but DH is a little Hesitant... thinking about the water and I'm sure in his mind he imagines TJ.... Cabo San Lucas and Cancun are far from Tijuana (sp?)... he doesn't know this though! I was told by someone else that the resorts all have purified water and and not to worry but Dh is still not sold on it!

We are most likely going to go over the week our 4th anniversary falls on so Dh wants it to be nice since it took us 4 years to fially take a real vacation again... it might be another 4 years before we get away again! LOL

We were also considering going to England and seeing all my family there but looking down the barrel of that long flight with Mason scares me (he's one of those kids who is not keen on long car rides or being confined for long periods of time)!!!! We figure we'll get out to England once we have all our kids... maybe even just the 2 of us later on!

I suppose I'll look into Oahu some more and maybe Florida....try to talk to my own travel agent (the one we used 4 years ago...LOL) and see if she has some suggestions for us! Thanks again and any one else with suggestions I'd love to hear them and will check back!

~Tondi and Mason 7/8/01!

[newbelly2002]

Hey Beth--

What are some of the areas in France you were thinking? We're considering taking a month (yes, gotta love those European vacation benefits--6 weeks paid a year!) and going to either France or Italy to do exactly what you mentioned. We'd love to rent a house either in the country or on the shore and just take it easy.

What regions would you suggest? Also, how would you suggest going about looking for a place like this?

Paula

[LisaS]

We went to Hawaii - Maui and Lanaii on our honeymoon - but I can tell you that there were tons of families at certain hotels and you can get a direct flight from the W. coast to Maui, Oahu or Big Island - it is Lanaii or Kau'ii that you have to change to a tiny nauseating plane or take a 3 hr boat ride.

Maui - the place to stay is Wailea Beach - that's what the strip of beach is called. We stayed at the Four Seasons (which is amazing, but $$$$ and very much full of honeymoon couples), but there are 2 hotels right next door that are very family friendly - The Grand Wailea and the Kea Lani - the Grand Wailea pool area is like one big amusement park. The Kea Lani is an all-suites hotel which has its advantages. Neither are cheap, but everything in Hawaii is amazing - it truly is paradise and I can't wait to go back there with my kids one day. Oahu is a bit touristy - I haven't heard as good things abt it as I have Maui or the Big Island. The Big Island has an AMAZING 4 seasons - which is very kid friendly - more so than the others - friends just went with their 16 month old and loved it BUT, it is very expensive.

As far as Europe - the South of Spain (Costa Del Sol) is fantastic - great weather, food, people and very kid friendly. We took DD at 5 months to Marbella - the Marbella Club and had a great time. Loads of families - the flight isn't awful and if you take a red-eye, he should sleep most of the time. We live in London temporarily and fly w/DD all over Europe and to the US and I am always pleasantly surprised at how well she flies -- I definitely reccommend night flights...do whatever you have to to get through the flight - I find if you sit towards the back, the noise from the engines and motion of the plane puts most babies to sleep pretty fast. And then adjust for the time difference once you get there.

France - I would reccommend the south of France - Cannes is VERY child friendly - it gets warm right at the end of may/early June - after the film festival. There are lots of nice hotels (Majestic, Martinez, Intercontinental) - we've never rented a villa, but are thinking abt it for this summer. Its similar to Miami beach in that there is 1 long strip - part of it is all hotels...and then farther down is fancy stores and restaurants, etc. Food is great - more mediterranean than French, but I am not a fan of French food. Oh, yes, and the topless sunbathing is pretty rampant...

Portugal - not as popular a destination for Americans, but the Algarve is beautiful, guaranteed weather all summer, great golf, and tons of families (mostly Europeans or American expats living in Europe). There are tons of villas to rent and nice family friendly hotels. And, the flight is the shortest out of anywhere in Europe from the US, b/c Portugal is the farthest west. We havne't been to the Algarve, but I have 1/2 a dozen friends who have and loved it. The hotels I heard were great for famillies were the Sheraton Algarve, the Villa Vita Park and the Quinto De Lago.

Also, there are a few companies that help you plan trips with kids - I just heard of one called Powderbyrne.com - friends just went with them to Cyprus and loved it.


Good luck planning your trip.
Lisa

[egoldber]

My favorite areas of France are Burgundy, the Dordogne and the Languedoc. While Provence and the Cote d'Azur are beautiful, I find that they are much too crowded these days. And crowded is bad when traveling with a baby.

All of these areas have a ton of things to do, great food and wine, are very laid back compared to the more crowded regions and have a number of self-catering rentals. Would you drive? You really need a car in these places to get around. But all are easily accessible by train and have car rental places right at the major train stations.

To find a place try this site: http://www.gites-de-france.fr/fr/index.htm Self-catering rentals are called "gites". We always stayed at gites with two or three "wheat ears" (their star system) and have always been perfectly happy.

An area that is a little more touristy but still not too bad is the Loire valley. It would be a little cooler in summer there, since the Languedoc and the Dordogne get VERY hot in the summer.

Do you speak any French? My French is poor, but ANY is very helpful. People talk about the French being rude, but I have NEVER had that experience there. Everyone has always been very kind and when we went with Sarah, people bent over backwards to be very helpful. Going to the less touristy regions some French is almost essential since far fewer people there speak English (but may speak German).

I have only been to Italy once and while I enjoyed it, I was only in big cities (Venice and Milan) and I wouldn't recommend either as a place to go with a baby. We are actually thinking about going to Italy in April, but leaving Sarah with my in-laws. I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

HTH,

[sweetbasil]

Our two most *exotic* trips were to Kauai (on our honeymoon) and Belize (just before DS was conceived). For both trips, we had family members give us a week timeshare, so that helped on price. We had a refrigerator and only ate out for dinner (while eating out is one of my favorite things to do on trips, it was much more reasonable financially to do it this way). I'd have to say that Ambergris Caye, Belize, is gorgeous and perfect for a romantic getaway, but we didn't see ANY little ones there- the youngest were probably 6-8yrs. old.

On the other hand, Kauai had lots to do for little ones. The hotels had kids activities planned, and almost everywhere we went would've been completely manageable with little ones. We stayed at the Kalapaki Beach Marriott in Lihue, and mostly just beach-hopped during the day. If you want any info, just drop me a line and I'll be glad to share :)

Whatever you decide, I can't wait to hear all about it! Enjoy!

[newbelly2002]

Thanks for the great advice. We were thinking about going to Sicily for a week or so in the fall since my relatives (and Dante's name sake) come from there. Y'all have given me some great tips! I have a feeling that traveling with a baby will be a whole 'nother experience from traveling as a twosome (or threesome if you count the dog).

Paula

[cchavez]

I think Hawaii would be a great place for a family vacation. I would not choose Oahu. Although my favorite island is Kauai, I would recommend Maui for a family. We stayed at the Kapalua Bay Hotel, which is the often rated the best beach in Hawaii. Right next door, is Kaanapali Beach, which seems to have some resonably priced accomodations. Unfortunatly, you probably could not do two of the main attractions with your 2 y.o. IMO, the Road to Hana is overated and would be too long for a 2 y.o. and the sunrise at HAleakeala is awesome but you have to wake up very early!! Although, I have heard the sunset it great too. Oh, and I know you can get a direct flight to Maui from the west coast. Maui is full of families!!
The Big Island would also be a good choice too. The Hilton Waikoloa Village is a great place for kids/families!

Although, Europe is wonderful, I would hold off on Europe.....until your child is older. So he can appreciate it more. Not that somebody could say the same thing about Hawaii....but it is a different type of appreciation.

Our little one was conceived in Hawaii (due in April) and we cannot wait to take him there!!! As for Europe, we will wait until our kids are atleast 10 or 12 yEARS OLD.

[marinkitty]

Paula -

Just saw your post today and thought I'd weigh in re Italy in case you decide to go that route. Some of our friends rented a farmhouse in Umbria last summer and I think it would be a great trip to make with kids. We are expecting #1 in the next week or two and have already talked about going next summer.

They rented their place through Villas and Apartments Abroad in NY (212.897.5045). They have a great website that shows all the properties - they range in size and price. You can arrange to have a chef come in and cook for you a night or two if you want. All the properties have pools and maid service and tend to be in the countryside just outside the quaint Tuscan or Umbrian hill towns. If I can find the website I'll post it.

Good luck planning - I'm so jealous you have 6 weeks off. When will we get with the program here in the States?

Holly
Due with #1 3/12/03