Caribbean Vacations for families

A Caribbean vacation has something to offer the entire family. The hardest part of a family vacation is usually finding something for the younger members of the family to do. The Atlantis resort on Paradise Island Bahamas has a great children’s program. They offer an Aqua Tots program for kids 3 years and older. Kids can chose from water sports such as water bikes, kayaking, and snorkeling. Teenagers can also enjoy their own nightclub called Club Rush.

The Westin Resort St. John also offers a kids club including many of the water sports activities and special amenities just for kids. They also have a special program just for infants. Some of the cool activities include kids club sailing lessons, floating trampolines, and movie nights by the pool.

Next time I’ll talk about Caribbean vacation activities for newlyweds or anyone looking for a romantic getaway.

1. Kalik – Bahamas
2. Banks – Barbados
3. Stingray – Cayman Islands
4. Kubuli – Dominica
5. Presidente – Dominican Republic
6. Dragon Stout – Jamaica
7. Biere Lorraine – Martinique
8. Blackbeard Ale – U.S. Virgin Islands
9. Piton – St. Lucia
10. Carib – Trinidad and Tobago

On the top of the list (my list) would have to be Red Stripe. If you haven’t tried Red Stripe, you don’t have to go to the Caribbean to get it. Most stores now carry Red Stripe.

Remember, it’s 5 O’clock somewhere!

John

The 2008 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival will be held January 24 – 28. Since its introduction in 1996 it has become the premier entertainment event in Jamaica. This years entertainment lineup includes Diana Ross, Anita Baker, Jill Scott, Billy Ocean, TAJ Mahal, and many others. Tickets are $75 – $80 depending on which days you want to go. A 3 day pass for the entire event is $225. You can get all of the details at Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival 2008

This past weekend, the weather turned pretty cold here in Florida which made me think.. It’s time to plan the next mini-vacation. One place that has been on my list for years has been St. Kitts. When I first moved to Florida a friend of mine recommended St. Kitts to me as “the best island in the Caribbean”. I’m not ready to claim any island as my favorite yet until I’ve seen them all. So, what is it about St. Kitts that is so special?

The first thing that I noticed is that American Airlines will soon be offering non-stop flights to St. Kitts from Miami and San Juan. Delta will also begin flying non-stop to St. Kitts from Atlanta in February. That fact alone puts St. Kitts pretty high on the list. When I take a mini-vacation the last thing I want to do is spend a day hopping from one airport to another. The quicker I get there the better. If flying isn’t an option, there are several cruise ships that pull into Port Zante. Unfortunately the Port Zante website doesn’t keep updated with the Cruise Ship Schedules but I was able to find that Carnival Destiny and Carnival Victory make weekly stops in St. Kitts. On occasion the huge Queen Mary 2 also makes a stop as well. St. Kitts also estimates that cruise travel will increase as much as 70% in 2008.

If St. Kitts is a bit out of reach for your next Caribbean Vacation, Travelocity is currently running specials on other Caribbean destinations.

For me, I’m going to do more research on St. Kitts. Here are a couple of books I’ve picked up about St. Kitts and Nevis:

Antigua, Barbuda St. Kitts & Nevis Alive (Antigua, Barbuda, St Kitts & Nevis Alive!)
St Kitts: Cradle of the Caribbean

Technorati Tags: St Kitts, Port Zante,

Let’s face it, no one wants to encounter a hurricane especially during a vacation. Hurricanes are a unfortunate fact of life living anywhere in the Southeast. The good news is that hurricanes only occur during certain times of the year. For Caribbean vacation planning, hurricane season goes from June 1 to November 30. With current technology forecasters can make decent assumptions on where a hurricane will land. Just because it’s hurricane season doesn’t mean you should avoid taking a Caribbean vacation.

If you want to error on the side of caution, there are areas of the Caribbean that are unlikely to see hurricane activity. The islands furthest south – Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, and Turks and Caicos are the best bets. Depending on the type of Caribbean vacation you choose, you can elect to purchase a hurricane guarantee for an additional cost.

In my opinion, being educated about hurricanes and monitoring the tropics during hurricane season is the best defense to an enjoyable Caribbean vacation. I’ve placed some links below that I use to monitor the tropics during hurricane season. The good news is that we are about to say goodbye to the 2007 hurricane season.

National Hurricane Center

Weather Underground

There is just something about a bar named The Soggy Dollar Bar that you know you’ll have a great time. In fact, they call it “A Sunny Place for Shady People”. The Soggy Dollar is the home of the original Painkiller drink. The Soggy Dollar is located on Jost Van Dyke in White Bay.

Jost Van Dyke

Jost Van Dyke is part of the British Virgin Islands and is approximately 5 miles northwest of Tortola and 7 miles northeast of St. Thomas.

The Soggy Dollar gets its name from the the fact that they don’t have a dock for visitors to tie up to. Guests swim ashore from their boats and buy drinks such as the Painkiller with soggy dollars. If you’re in the area and want the “soggy dollar” experience, you can check out Bareboats BVI for a charter.

Technorati Tags: soggy dollar, british virgin islands, jost van dyke

Here’s a video to give you an idea of the scenery that Aruba has to offer:

Check out this vacation video: