We are planning a trip to AC this winter. We have a 4 year-old and an 8 year-old and are looking for a family friendly place to stay. Most of our family vacations are camping in the mountains of Vermont, but wanted to go somewhere warm this winter. Prior to kids our beach vacations have included the British Virgin Islands, Thailand and Vietnam. So we are not looking for, nor do not need American standards of comfort. On the other hand want to stay someplace nice with the kids, so not too worried about prices. Just want to have a great time, take in the local scene and hang out on a nice beach with our kids. Have been reading Lonely Planet and Ramon's, Journey's End and Captain Morgan's all sound good. Also have seen a lot of postings on this BBS about Banyan Bay. Any recommendations?

Would love to hear from other families about their experiences on AC.

Thanks.

We have stayed with our family at many places, and all were quite excellent with the kids...

give us an idea of any requisites, like A/C or pool, and whether you want to stay in town, or if a bit north or south from town is ok.

Nearly all the hotels on the island are family-friendly. With kids, I think "condotels" or suites hotels are one of the best ways to go. These are not big sprawling condos but usually small lowrise, groups of apartments and suites, offering extra room and a kitchen.

With kids, I also think a pool is a must. So I'd recommend, among others Villas at Banyan Bay, Banana Beach, Paradise Villas, Blue Tang Inn, Caribe Island Resort, Belizean Shores or The Palms.

--Lan Sluder

Marty,

Pool is essential. A/C would be nice but no esential. As long as there is a breeze at night for sleeping. Some sort of kitchenette so we could make breakfast and possibly lunch on our own is key. Eating out three meals a day with our kids turns out to be a lot of work.

I was thinking staying close (within a 10 to 15 minute walk) to town would be more fun for the kids. They will get bored all day on the beach and being able to easily get to town to buy an ice cream or explore would be great. Will it be too nosiy to sleep at night?

My daughter is a picky eater (read that as only eats very bland food) and was also wondering if any the the places have kids (i.e. bland) menus.


Lan,

I had the possibly goofy notion that staying in a thatched roof type of place would be kinda cool with the kids. Am I crazy? Should I stick to the condo-suite stuff? Ramons had a two bedroom cabana set up that, altough pretty pricey, looked like it might be a good setup for kids.

Thanks for all the info. This is a great way to plan a trip!

Wynn, another suggestion is the Blue Tang Inn I've found it great there for kids and there is a swimming pool as well. It's not too far from town and for convenience there is a super market right around the corner.

If you want more info you can e-mail
djones@btl.net

There is also the Fountain Blue it now has as new name as it is now owned by new owner.

The new owners will be sending me some info on this later today.

wynn, i went with my 5 & 7 year olds this past june. i strongly recommend a place with a kitchen so snacks are always available.

a pool is a must.

i took down a container of Quick so they could have chocolate milk, fruit snacks, and a box of cereal. my kids ate a lot of plain tortillas or pasta. if you ask, many places would make things plainer, like my kids got grilled shrimp or something. there is pizza available too.

trust me: knock JE off that list. i stayed there in '00. dont necessarily go by what you read. i got sucked in like that too.

i would recommend the palms, banyan bay, belizean shores, and i stayed at caribe island (and we thought CI was terrific). some are a little far to walk to town, but the kids thought riding in the golf cart was the coolest! (see linked pic!)
http://www.pbase.com/image/3514735

ps - skip the thatched thing. as i said in a previous post, it isnt as cool as you'd think. stick with a condo. we did 2 br's. that was nice for us grown-ups. plus - bonus! - cable tv including Nick for 'downtime'.

If you want a thatch experience, I'd say do that at one of the excellent jungle lodges on the mainland -- for example, Chan Chich, Chaa Creek, Pook's Hill, Blancaneaux, Banana Bank or Ek'Tun.

--Lan Sluder

Here's the new "fountain blue", AquaMarina Suites
http://aquamarinasuites.com

i think a 15 minute walk is perfect with kids. my brothers kids are super picky eaters, and they did just fine when they came with us in July...

Pools within 15 minute walk. ok, Seven Seas Resort, Paradise
Villas, SunBreeze, The Palms, Ramon's Village, Belize
Yacht Club, Hide-A-Way Hotel, Hotel Playador, Villas at Banyan Bay, Tropica, Banana Beach Resort, Royal Palm Villas, Xanadu Island Resort... and Aquamarina Suites

I agree with Banana Beach, Banyan Bay, The Palms or possibly Xanadu as good places with 2 bedroom units & pools. For the mainland, I recommend Crystal Paradise for families with kids. It is run by a big Belizean family with 13 kids so there is bound to be some your kids ages running around. My kids loved at and said it had the best food in Belize (kid opinion). Five Sisters or duplooys are also good places with kids.
www.barbsbelize.com

[This message has been edited by Barbara K (edited 09-17-2002).]

(yes, lan, no disrespect. i meant i didnt care for the thatch on the island, not the mainland. different animal, i think.)