|
There comes a time in your life when vacations that require vaccinations get put on hold in favor of family-friendly activities. If you want to enjoy a food-, booze- and babysitting-rich getaway that lets you lock your wallet in the safe, you may want to look into all-inclusive resorts. We compared the leading contenders: Beaches Resorts (an offshoot of Sandals) and Club Med. —April Peveteaux
Beaches:
While there's luxury aplenty at both these all-inclusives, Beaches Resort has one big thing going for it that Club Med does not: Elmo. If you've already accepted that your kids are going to have more fun than you are on all vacations going forward, you might as well go where there are fuzzy Muppets. At Beaches, the cast of Sesame Street walks around, hugs your kids and puts on nightly shows. If your kids are at that magic age where they worship Bert, Ernie and the gang (and do not yet grasp that these characters are just musical theater majors in costume), Beaches will give them a thrill like no other place on earth.
Bonus: an Xbox 360 room for sullen teenagers, daytime age-specific activities ('tween fashion show, anyone?) and water slides galore. And for adults? The Turks & Caicos resort, an island in the Caribbean, has beautiful beaches and not much else. The off-site excursions to places like a scuba and shop seems like a lot of effort when you could be sitting under a canopy staring at the surf while sipping fruity frozen drinks. The food is only about as good as what you'd get at Applebee's, but there sure is a lot of it, and it's all-you-can-eat. (This led my family to quickly tap into our inner glutton; I actually heard myself say, "This burger is bland. I'm going to go get a lobster.")
Beaches Resorts are found in Turks & Caicos and three locations in Jamaica. Rates start at $1,000 per night. Included: Unlimited food and drink, babysitting from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., kayaking, on-site scuba, snorkeling and sea cycle driving, airport transfers. Extra: Personal or late-night babysitting, photo sessions and pics, phone calls, internet access, special events such as the "Character Breakfast," and off-site activities.
Club Med:
Club Med is a French company, which explains the relative emphasis on great food over child-centered activities (although they do have clown school and water slides). There are eight Club Med resorts all over the world that offer Baby Club Med (for families with children aged four to twenty-three months), Petit Club Med (two to three years), Mini Club Med (four to ten) and Junior Club Med (ten to seventeen), but programs for the under-four set cost extra. Club Med offers a wide variety of sports, from windsurfing to water polo, and Baby Club Med has superior babysitting: the childcare facilities are ultra-professional, and they even take photos to document your child's day. Plus, if you're wary of international travel with babies, Club Med Sandpiper in Florida will keep you stateside.
Club Med with family activities can be found in Florida, Dominican Republic, Mexico (Cancun, Ixtapa), Brazil, Martinique, Guadeloupe and France. Family plan rates start at $1,115 per night. Included: Unlimited food and drink, airport transfers, adult sporting activities including lessons, 24-hour baby room with snacks, fresh water and milk, strollers and toys. Extra: Nighttime sitting, off-site activities, phone calls. |
