You love your kids, and you want to vacation with them, but to have a good trip, you need time apart, too. A good resort lets you do it all, offering age-appropriate activities for every member of the family, without turning into a theme park for roving characters, because let’s be honest here – if you wanted Disneyland, you’d go to Disneyland.
Here are some warm weather destinations for every type of family:
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Resort: Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa
Stars: 4.5
Tripadvisor rating: 4.5
All-inclusive?: Optional
Perfect for: Families who want to experience local culture and luxurious resort life
Like most family resorts, Grand Solmar hosts a daytime kids club – children 5 and up can visit the tree house-style building and learn Mexican arts and crafts. Three nights a week, the Grand Solmar also runs theme events, so parents can enjoy an evening alone while the little ones roast marshmallows, dress up as princesses and superheroes and listen to story time. Grand Solmar has all the amenities you’d expect from a 4.5 star resort, but encourages a deeper community connection than most. Twice a week, guests can partake in a Helping Hands tour to get a first-hand look at underdeveloped areas in Los Cabos. Children are encouraged to participate and to bring clothing, toys and art supplies to hand out to their less privileged peers.
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Resort: Royalton White Sands Montego Bay
Location: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Stars: 5
Tripadvisor rating: 4.5
All-inclusive?: Yes
Perfect for: Sporty families with kids aged 2 and up
Athletic families will appreciate the Royalton White Sands’ abundance of activities. Beach Olympics, table tennis, kayaking, snorkeling and weightlifting are just a sample. Armchair athletes are well served, too, as the onsite sports bar guarantees it will screen all major athletic events. ClubHouse Kids Clubs access is available for children two and up, while teens can escape their parents at the Hangout Teens Lounge. What’s more, a special kids’ pool encourages little swimmers to get their splash on.
Cancun, Mexico
Resort: NIZUC Resort and Spa
Stars: 5
Tripadvisor rating: 4.5
All-inclusive?: No
Perfect for: Families who are serious about luxury
This design showpiece offers amenities for all ages, and kids and their parents are encouraged to enjoy their time there together – and apart. In addition to the standard kids club, Nizuc boasts an adults-only pool, so parents who have already dropped their kids off can avoid other people’s children, too. Budding archaeologists will appreciate nearby ruins, while little art historians/snorkeling fans can visit the Underwater Art Museum, a world first.
River Ranch, Florida
Resort: Westgate River Ranch
Stars: 3
Tripadvisor rating: 3.5
All-inclusive?: No
Perfect for: Adventurous families, cowboys and cowgirls
Stay in a lodge room, bring your RV, or go ‘glamping’ at this authentic dude ranch in central Florida. Activities include a petting zoo with pony rides, horseback riding, fishing, swimming, boating, swamp buggy rides, trap and skeet shooting, hayrides and cookouts! Be sure your stay includes a Saturday night, when the ranch hosts a rodeo show complete with trick riding, calf roping and barrel racing.
Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Resort: Grand Wailea Resort
Stars: 4.5
Tripadvisor rating: 4
All-inclusive?: No
Perfect for: Little wedding planners and their willing parents
The Wailea’s popular Redo Their I Do package allows families to stage a second wedding and include their kids. Once the ceremony’s over, parents can enjoy their honeymoon by enrolling the kids in Camp Adventure. For $125/day per kid, children experience supervised activities – think scavenger hunts and sand castle contests – in the facility’s 20,000 square-foot kids’ camp. Families who’d rather stick together can enjoy the whale-shaped wading pool, video game rooms, movie theatre, craft room and indoor play area. The hotel also offers evening programs for kids so parents can enjoy a romantic dinner.
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Resort: Memories Splash Punta Cana
Stars: 4.5
Tripadvisor rating: 4.5
All-inclusive?: Yes
Perfect for: Waterslide aficionados of all ages
Memories’ waterpark is the real deal: wave pool, slides, tubes, splash pads and spray grounds keep things playful for kids of all ages, while the nearby Royalton Punta Cana offers amenities for adult Memories guests. Kids two and over can participate in adventure programs while their parents visit the Royalton’s casino, spa, shops and martini bar.
Mahe Island, Seychelles
Resort: Maia Luxury Resort & Spa
Stars: 5
Tripadvisor rating: 4.5
All-inclusive?: Enhanced all-inclusive pricing is available on some packages
Perfect for: Multi-generational family travel
Luxury is not a word that’s used lightly at the Maia. Villa rates start at $2,800 per night (good for two adults and up to two kids) and include a private butler who will even escort children on excursions. The Maia’s BEYOND All-Inclusive package offers morning yoga and qi gong, plus unlimited scuba diving and equipment with PADI instructors. A la carte meals are provided on a “whatever, wherever, whenever” basis, and reflect the resort’s commitment to providing every family member with what they want.
Paradise Island, Bahamas
Resort: Atlantis
Stars: 4
Tripadvisor rating: 4
All-inclusive?: No
Perfect for: Everyone (with money to spare)
From toddler excursions to teen nightclubs to an adults-only pool, Atlantis has something for everyone. Waterpark lovers will flap their flippers for Aquaventure – the 141-acre waterspace is one of the largest in the world. Babysitting services are available, and toilet-trained kids aged three and up can be dropped off for various adventure activities that run from morning to midnight.
