Many resorts worldwide cater to families these days. Spacious suites, on-site babysitters, kids' clubs and activities, buffet meals and early evening shows are only some of the many amenities that please children and adults alike.
So how do you choose among all the family vacation resorts out there? Here is a checklist of questions to answer as you narrow down a resort for your next family vacation:
- Does the resort hotel offer suites? Sharing a standard hotel room with two small children is doable, but certainly not that comfortable for a weeklong vacation. For family trips, a spacious one-bedroom suite with a mini-fridge to store favorite snacks and drinks is ideal. If it's got a kitchenette with a microwave, even better; then it's ultra-convenient to serve up hot oatmeal or instant soup when the kids need something filling in their bellies. And a condominium with a full kitchen is wonderful, too. But even connecting standard hotel rooms will give your family a bit more room to spread out.
- Does the resort offer child care? Some hotels have babysitters on call if Mom and Dad would like a grown-up night out on the town. But resort hotels that truly cater to families have full-on kids' clubs, where children can go to to daylong "camp" (or drop in for part of the time) and are supervised by trained counselors or activities' staff. You'll find these "kids camps" at most all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, Club Med and other hotels in popular family-vacation destinations. Kids' activities might range from relay races and sandcastle building to arts & crafts and snorkeling. At family-friendly resorts in wintry destinations, they'll build snowmen, sled and drink hot cocoa with newfound friends.
For kids under the age of 4 or 5 (check your resort's kids' club minimum age), find out what sort of child care is available before you book. Few resorts do offer organized infant care, but at the Franklyn D. Resort in Jamaica, the price of your vacation includes a Vacation Nanny, who will care for your children (of all ages) from 9 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. every day of your stay. And in the evenings, you only pay $4/hour for care.
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Author: Kara Williams