On 5/27/2007 2:02 PM wester@laway.net exclaimed:
> On May 26, 4:01 pm, Matt Beckwith wrote:
>
>> Never been to the Caribbean. Would like to take my whole family there
>> during Christmas. We will be departing from the Baltimore, Maryland
>> area. We will be 7 people, ages 68, 50, 50, 27, 21, 16 and 15. We'll
>> need 3 rooms. My wife and I will want a full-service hotel that is
>> somewhat luxurious. The children will want activities to amuse them
>> (that is, we won't want to go some place to get away from things,
>> we'll want a place that has lots of attractions). My wife and I will
>> want to learn to scuba dive. It would be nice if there were good
>> Internet access, and a few nice cafes. And of course restaurants.
>> Nobody in our party drinks alcoholic beverages. I'd prefer to be some
>> place where there's not a lot of poverty, because I think that would
>> depress me. Any suggestions appreciated!
>>
>
> With that many people, you might want to consider a villa on
> Montserrat. Most come with private pool, excellent views, and maid and
> chef services readily available. Try www.visitmni.com. Look for a
> villa in Woodlands, Mayfield Estate or even Lime Kiln Beach. Good
> scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, beaches (black sand), boating,
> hiking, biking, and see a live volcano close up. Visit the Soufriere
> Hills Volcano Observatory. You can connect through Antigua and SXM, I
> believe. Try Betty Dix for RE rentals. Some good restaurants available
> too. Learn to windsurf (Danny Sweeney at Jack Flash taught Sting,
> among others, to windsurf to Redonda). Lots of great music and
> festivals at Xmas. Go to Andy's to listen to Calypso King band
> practice, see the Masquers dance. A great time to be on island. BTW,
> Montserratians are very friendly. If the adults want to go out for a
> night on the town, child care services are readily available.
>
>
And buy trip insurance in the event that the volcano decides to blow
again without warning. I think the suggestion of picking up a Caribbean
travel book is a good one. Do some research make it a group thing; get
input from everybody. When you get things narrowed down somewhat pay a
visit to a full service travel agency. You may even find a TA who
specializes in small family group travel.
I am not saying that you should necessarily book through Apple Vacations
http://tinyurl.com/2ymbux or,
http://www.applevacations.com/index.do?command=showHome but they have
an extensive listing of major All Inclusive Resorts. I'm thinking
Beaches, it's a nice family AI with lots to do. But there are others
that may interest you. Don't limit yourself to the Caribbean, there are
many tropical vacation spots worth visiting such as Cabo or Puerto
Vallarta on the West coast of Mexico. Costa Rica is both Caribbean and
Pacific -- both coasts are good.
Alternatively you might consider a Caribbean cruise. That way you get
to sample a number of islands. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines are the
ships that have the rock wall, skating rink and on their newest ships
Surf Rider. It's just an option to consider.
--
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Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
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