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Taking kids to resorts
Filed under: Babies, Activities: Babies, Places To Go, Development/Milestones: Babies
There was a time not so long ago when I would've eschewed the opportunity to vacation at an all-inclusive resort. Same with cruises. Cruises scare me into thinking I will drown, so I've avoided them my whole life (saw Titanic-themed movies too often as a child?). Resorts are another matter all together.
My husband and I are both wanders, explorers. We like to go off the beaten path and check out whatever interests us at that moment. We also like to hit all the major landmarks and tool around, guideless and carefree. Thus, we've never considered the all-inclusive resort packages.
They seem like traps. They seem to contain you. And, uhm, they seem uncool. At least they did to the pre-baby me. Now I am starting to understand the appeal. You need something? They've got it. Anything you want is bam, presto, there.
At least it seems like it in the ads I've watched. With children it's probably best not to go off wandering. It's probably best to hang out poolside and arrange for a quiet dinner with a highchair. That kind of thing. Sounds kind of boring but also hassle free. And relaxing. Isn't that what vacation is all about???
Plus they seem safe. I worry about what could happen to us out in the middle of nowhere. At a resort it seems like someone always speaks your language, is always there to help you when you need it, and would know what to do in an emergency.
All of this is pure conjecture, of course, as I've never done an all-inclusive and certainly haven't with kids. So, I'm curious. Have you taken such a vacation? What was it like? Did it meet your expectations? Was the cost worth what you got out of it?
I got the idea in my head after reviewing this. I immediately thought to myself--hey, we could take the kid to ALL these places. We could be the little band of travelers we always were, just plus one more.
Pic of relaxing resort by dboy.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-08-2007 @ 12:53PM
jen said...We have been travelling in New Zealand, and the US with first a small baby (4mo) and then a nearly-toddler (14mo). NZ was a breeze (despite the 27hr flight from the UK!), as my son was breastfed, and it made things a lot easier with not having to cart around bottles and sterilising equipment. The US was harder work as he was bigger, and I had to taste the gross baby food in the airport security (bleurgh!), but luckily was *just* before he weaned so I didn;t have to take formula. That was harder work as he didn't want to be in a car seat, but more rewarding for us as he took more in.
Wherever you go, take NAPPIES. We didn't take them to NZ and took ages (and failed) to find ones that worked. When we went to the US we took our own nappies (replacing them in the bag with cool kit we bought over there at the Outlet malls). If you're thinking of going anywhere exotic then I would highly recommend taking your own favourite brand if you can get it in the luggage allowance (don't forget that babies often have good baggage allowances over and above their strollers)
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10-08-2007 @ 12:54PM
jen said...PS I should add that now we have two (second is 3mo), we will be sticking to home ground until they are a bit older, if only to avoid going anywhere near airport security in this country! (UK). An all inclusive sounds heavenly, though! For European readers, KinderHotel in Austria comes highly recommended as being extremely child friendly!
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10-08-2007 @ 3:13PM
Kelly said...There is a lot of terrific travel advice and reviews to kid-friendly resorts on WeJustGotBack.com. The whole site is all about family travel. I use it to plan my trips. You might like it, too!
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11-20-2007 @ 1:45PM
travelmom said...I have a travel website, Child of Leisure, that is all about travel with kids. It is geared towards the luxury market. Like you, I sort of scorned all-inclusives because they don't inspire you to get out and experience the culture of a place. But depending on the age of the child you're traveling with, not to mention if you're going with more than one child, sometimes these can be worthwhile options, and it doesn't mean you have to take every vacation like this. We did the Ritz Carlton in Jamaica when I was 5 months pregnant with my second child, precisely because we just needed to get away, wanted to be somewhere warm on a beach, knew this was our last vacation with just our daughter and didn't want to have to move about or lift a finger. In future, I'd prefer more gadding about, but this was just what we needed at that time. So don't clos the door on them - and remember too that even with an all-inclusive, you can still leave the property once in a while to get some local flavor. Will I do this every time? Absolutely not - but with young kids or when it's a desperately needed getaway where you just want to veg, these resorts can be good options.
http://www.childofleisure.com
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