Well, they loved Jamaica and Cozumel (Florida keys was a little rough in summer... we were attacked by hordes of mosquitos after the rains) so if you all are saying there's no particular issue with noseeums on AC relative to these other locales, then they'd love to go.

I've also read Hopkins is particularly bad so we'll just avoid this area? One of the places I was looking to rent on AC was 5 miles north of town (is this far?) -- do the noseeums get worse the more remote the area or is that irrelevant?

I also have a friend with young children who was thinking of a huge family trip on AC in a 6 br villa on the beach. But he's also become worried about kids not being able to hang out on the beach in morning and day. is this concern unfounded?

If biting bugs are an issue, I definitely recommend staying in town. I believe they spray for mosquitoes in town, and not up north or south.

that's good to know. So like a mile north/south of San Pedro should be our furthest parameters?

I guess if you google no see ums and any caribbean destination there's bound to be hundreds of pages that pop up....

thanks for the counter-info....

one mile south is safe. Not sure about north of the cut.

A mosquito was reported at Central Park...

When I visited in July 2008 I brought my grandchildren and their parents. We stayed at Oasis del Caribe for 13 days. About mid trip my son took his family out to eat in downtown San Pedro, not sure of the restuarant, had a sand floor and the next morning both my grand-daughter's legs were covered with sand flea bites. 85 on one and 47 on the other, they counted them (very competetive with each other LOL). They had been biten by a few before then but I had made sure I used bug spray on them because I'd had problems on prior trips. I did not warn the parents adequately. I've never seen anything like it. I ended up with about 20 bites on my legs as well, that trip. I accumlated them at various places and times. You don't feel them bite, they itch like heck and it takes a while for them to heal.
I ended up with some (8) after our trip in Feb. I made a point of putting on bug spray and baby oil.
It seems once I'd been bitten the little buggers won't leave me alone. My husband never has been bitten.
Mesquitos have not been problem unless we are in wooded areas.
I love San Pedro so I've learned to take precautions as much as possible.

Bug sprays don't do much against the sand flea bites. Baby oil is the way to go there. They slide right off I guess.

I wonder if Skin So Soft would work as well as baby oil?

It does!!

ridiculous is right skippy.