Getaway: Caribbean capers: family fun in the sun
Editor's note: For publication Dec. 26.
Beneath the sea is a vivid world where hiders and hunters play out an aquatic dance of life. On the surface, blue-green water connects diverse cultures on islands spread across thousands of miles, thick with bougainvillea and ringed with sand in shades of pink, gold, black, and white.
This is the Caribbean, North America's tropical playground of balmy waters and sweet beaches, cool pools and open-air restaurants. Yet each island is unique in its culture and landscape. Some islands are French or Dutch or Spanish; some are mountainous and tree-covered, others flat and sandy.
The Caribbean isn't one destination, it's many, and it's loaded with family-friendly resorts offering the best of all worlds - as much time together as you want, time apart if you wish, family activities, discoveries just for kids. Here are six family-loving resorts on six different islands with everything you need to stay and play.
On St. Croix, the largest U.S. Virgin Island at about 80 square miles, the must-see is Buck Island Reef National Monument. The must-stay is The Buccaneer, 340 acres, three beaches, and 138 guest rooms in a setting that exudes casual elegance. Owned and run by the Armstrong family for generations, the Buccaneer is anything but chain-like. There are lodging options (I love the Doubloon rooms near Mermaid beach), multiple restaurants, and a complimentary Kids Camp for ages four to 12. Don't miss the weekly crab races, an enduring - and endearing - Buccaneer tradition.
Decades before "eco-tourism" was a catch phrase, Maho Bay Camps, inside Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, was all about the environment and affordable paradise. Snorkeling and diving there are excellent, as are diverse art and craft classes. The resort's "Cottage" tents, community buildings and pristine beach are connected by walkways and many steps (parents of toddlers take note), but this isn't roughing it; tents have comfy beds and everything from linens to cookware. As low-key as St. John itself, Maho Bay is for families whose idea of glitz and nightlife are stars and the sound of the sea.
Several airlines fly non-stop from Boston to Puerto Rico where the coolest activity is an evening kayak tour of a bioluminescent bay-picture a million fireflies going for a swim. El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa, 31 miles from San Juan, is huge - 984 rooms (recently renovated), 22 restaurants, and a private island. Now there's a new water park with a massive main pool, four slides and a lazy river. Camp Coqui is for ages four to 12; family programs include guided eco-tours of mystical El Yunque Rain Forest and mom/daughter hand-and-feet spa treatments.
For the friendliest people and fabulous hiking it's St. Lucia, one of my favorite islands. Almond Smugglers Cove opened in 2007, an all-inclusive specializing in personalized service. The 357-room resort has five pools, four restaurants, and a spa, and it sits on a cove with black and white sand. It also has Almond's chain-wide Kids Club for newborns to teens. Discover St. Lucia's British heritage at "high tea" each afternoon.
In Jamaica, climbing Dunn's River Falls is a must-do. But families will find a lot of other activities at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Montego Bay, which sits on a half-mile of beach. Each oceanfront family suite boasts a private Jacuzzi. Families mingle at the resort's beach parties and dive-in movies (at the pool). The KidSpree Vacation Club is complementary for ages six months to 12 years. The 524-room hotel is full service (except there's no room service) but also all-inclusive, meaning no surprise bill at checkout for dozens of a la carte offerings.
Curacao is my son's favorite island, no contest. The ostrich farm and Dolphin Academy are memorable for him, but so is meandering through multi-hued Willemstad with its pontoon bridge and eclectic shops. Located by the Sea Aquarium on 1,500 feet of fine snorkeling beach, "super inclusive" Breezes Curacao (premium drinks are included) has every activity imaginable plus circus workshops and ice skating - yes ice skating - on an artificial rink. Kids Club is for infants through age 12 and there's a Teen Center.
If You Go
The Buccaneer. $280-$945 per room, per night including breakfast, snorkeling, kids camp and more; 17 and younger free in parents' room some seasons. On the family package a second room for kids is 50 percent off. 800-255-3881; www.thebuccaneer.com
El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa. 2008 Family Escape Package: $259- $695 per night, including free Kids Club; age 17 and under stay free with parents. 800-247-9810; www.elconresort.com
Maho Bay Camps. May to Dec., kids age 15 and younger stay free with parents. $80-$130 per night. 800-392-9004; www.maho.org
Holiday Inn Sunspree Montego Bay. Kids 12 and under sharing a room with parents stay and eat free. $216--$605 per night.
800-HOLIDAY; www.montegobayjam.sunspreeresorts.com
Almond Smugglers Cove. $350-$600 per night for two; kids under three and first child under 12, free; $50 per night each additional child. 800.4ALMOND; www.almondresorts.com
Breezes Curacao. All-inclusive, $129-$169 per night; ages two to13, $50 per night. 877-GO-SUPER; www.superclubs.com
Best Activity: Dolphin Meet and Greet at Anthony's Key Resort
Anthony's Key is a tiny Caribbean islet just off Roatan, which itself is 35 miles off the coast of Honduras. Laid-back Anthony's Key Resort there spreads across a steep hillside, acres of beachfront and palm trees, aqua lagoons, the little islet and Bailey's Key, where the resort's dolphin adventures take place under the auspices of the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences. It was in the lagoon at Bailey's Key that I first met Dee Dee.
Standing in waist-deep water, my daughter Kira and I joined two other guests and four bottlenose dolphins, including the exuberant Dee Dee, for a Dolphin Beach Encounter (one of several dolphin experiences at Anthony's Key). The Beach Encounter doesn't require snorkel gear or even swimming, making it ideal for everyone from young children to grandparents. Kira was 20, but playing with dolphins brought out the kid in her, right down to giggling, mugging for the camera, and being sad when it was all over.
The program is a mix of interesting information about dolphins and demonstrations of their behaviors and skills. Spectacular leaps provide the best photo ops, but there's something humbling and powerful about looking into the eyes of a dolphin and recognizing a deep intelligence. As we left Dee Dee I wondered who really learns the most when humans and dolphins come together.
Flash forward a couple of years. My son and I arrive for a session at the Dolphin Academy on Curacao, and who's there but Dee Dee, flown in from Roatan to help start a new program at Curacao's Sea Aquarium. She didn't remember me - or did she? - but it still felt like seeing an old friend.
Learn more at www.anthonyskey.com
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