Beach Vacation

[Carlos_Delpin]

Come visit. The St Regis Resort and the Ritz Carlton Dorado are great. We’ll open some wines.

[Scott_Brunson]

@Robert Alfert

@jeffmazen

We used to take the kids to Kiawah Island when they were your kids ages.

Charleston has a very nice aquarium and some very good restaurants.

Kiawah has something for everyone. Beach, pools, golf, tennis, camp for the kids if you need a break, lots of nature related things, and an extensive network of bike paths.

Great recommendation. Isles of Palms is quite nice too. Both 20-30 minutes into the City.

I was going to recommend both.
Within a month the Chas area will be in full bloom.

[Andrew_Kaufman]

@Niv Nissenson

I’m a big fan of Club med. It’s all inclusive and as kid friendly as a resort can get. There’s a good one at Ixtapa and a few on Caribbean (and 1 in Florida) - prices are reasonable.

Typically it used to be a week @ a time not 3 days.

[Mike_Cohen]

I wonder how far any of the caribbean islands are from you or Bermuda? I’d go there before I’d go to any of the Florida beaches. Or Mexico.

[dbailey]

@Glenn L e v i n e

@Robert Alfert

@Glenn L e v i n e

Gulf Shores, AL.

Actually, quite close to a very good idea. Ryan, fly into the new Panama City Beach airport. Stay at Rosemary Beach or Seaside. You will not be disappointed. I think Neal would even like these venues.

There is an airport there now?

Strong recommendation for Rosemary beach. Only 20 minutes from Panama City airport which has direct flights to Houston. Beautiful beach, great facilities (pools, tennis etc) and lots of nice restaurants.

[dbailey]

PS great fishing too, both freshwater and deep sea.

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

I do love 30A, so many super fond memories from there. Does the Santa Rosa golf course still have a set of tees that force you to hit over 30A with a due N tee ball?

[Darren_Leininger]

Four Seasons Papagayo Resort in Costa Rica is awesome! Stayed there with our twins when they were 8 or so and we all had a fantastic time. Direct flight from IAH to LIR (Liberia, CR) is about 2.5 hours. Many really nice and family friendly resorts in CR and they are generally way cheaper but just as nice as comparable US or Mexican properties.

[Scott_Butler]

@JKim

I’ve never been but some friends rave about Playa Del Carmen about an hour south of Cancun. They went with their kids and had a fantastic time.

Playa is amazing … love it!

[Ron_Erickson]

I’m a huge fan of the Barcelo Maya Palace with kids. (10 miles south of Playa del Carmen)
Great beach with little undertow. Multiple kids pools(shallow) with water slides. Buffets are very good, with a separate section with kid friendly items.

Barcelo Maya Palace Review: What To REALLY Expect If You Stay

[M_McCombs]

Have taken young kids to Azul Beach & Paradisus La Esmeralda. Both are south of Cancun. Azul is quite a bit closer to the airport. It has a better beach as well. La Esmeralda has more places to eat and some good kids things with the “family concierge” upgrade. Pool options are better at La Esmeralda as well. We are going back in May and trying Iberostar Paraiso Maya. Brother in-law had a neighbor who went there recently and said it was nice. Your daily budget sounds higher than mine. Grand Velas Riviera Maya is a very nice place from what I have heard. Wine options at Azul and Esmeralda aren’t the best. The house wines are usually drinkable. All of these places are “all-inclusive” until you go to premium wine and on occasion lobster. Wine markup was pretty severe. Saw some familiar names and decent vintages. I didn’t want to part with 4x domestic retail.

[Mark_Y]

Perfect beach vacation without kid is Maldives.
Pick a mid/far out island and chill.

Perfect beach vacation with tiny/little kids - we liked Beaches resort in Turks an Caicos. The beach and location itself is amazing. White powdery sand. A bit touristy but the resort has all day day care. Which meant we can actually go diving and stuff even with a tiny one.

Perfect beach vacation with mid age kids - tbd

[Sc0tt_F_tzgerald]

Marco Island or Hilton Head. Have enjoyed both with kids.

[Chris_S_p_i_k_e_s]

Rosemary Beach, Florida. (Or, any of the other upper end areas along that stretch - Seaside, Alys Beach, etc. along that stretch of 30A. But, I think Rosemary sets up for an ideal family spot. We became addicted based on recommendations from friends in our neighborhood (University Park in Dallas). It’s become an annual trip for us since my daughter was 2 and we’re looking forward to our 4th visit in late May. It meets all your criteria. Very safe, slow paced, all families, and no “trinket trash” like you might find over close to Destin. It’s a high(er) end family destination with very nice homes as rentals.

Happy to offer more info if you want. I went begrudgingly the first year on my wife’s suggestion. We had vacationed a lot as a couple down in St. John, Turks, and Cayman and my impression of north Florida was not positive and based on the Destin reputation. So, it had to be impressive if I’m heartily endorsing it! I really can’t say enough good about it as a family beach destination that is super easy to reach.

[Mike_DiSalvo]

I wouldn’t do South Carolina until late May or June if you want really warm temps.

[Robert.A.Jr]

@Neal.Mollen

@Robert Alfert

Ryan, I’m a big Breakers fan. Been going there every year since 1992, so totally disagree with Neal. It’s the perfect luxury vacation with everything for adults and kids. Season rates start dropping around May, I think. I’m also a big fan of the Boca Resort, another historic Mizner era property. A beautiful resort with many venues, including golf villas that are more affordable.

The Don Cesar in St Pete is on a killer stretch of white sand beach. Not as upscale as Breakers or Boca Resort, but an historic propery. Tons to do in St Pete for adults and kids. Close to Bern’s!

See? I said no one in their right mind could love the place and Alfert proved me right. I bet at low tide Alfert could actually lay down on the beach, with hi head on the seawall and his toes in the surf.

LOL, Neal was right . . .

Down here right now

[Neal.Mollen]

Ha! As opposed to

[Robert.A.Jr]

I’m exaggerating for a bit of humor, of course, but yes the east coast of Florida is always fighting erosion. I remain a big fan of the resorts I’ve mentioned, the above is my hometown of Vero Beach in very high tide. The South Beach side is a much deeper beach. The Gulf Coast side has very deep beaches as it is not hit by constant waves.

[Scott_Brunson]

@Mike DiSalvo

I wouldn’t do South Carolina until late May or June if you want really warm temps.

We don’t usually swim at Isle of Palms until about the 2nd week in May

[Chris.Martin]

@Ryan Caughey

We have two young kids (10 months and 2 years, 10 months) and are looking to take a 3 or 4 night beach or other warm-weather vacation in the next month or two. Criteria are: (1) warm; (2) direct flight from Houston of less than 4 hours–i.e., no Hawaii; (3) enough room for the kids; (4) as nice of a resort as possible; and (5) not outrageously expensive (probably willing to pay up to $1,000-1,250/night absolute max, preferably much lower). Our first thought was places like the Breakers, One & Only Palmilla, Montage resorts, Ritz Naples etc. – which we’ve enjoyed as a couple – but to get a suite to make it comfortable with the kids gets you quickly to the $1,500-2,500 range, which is too painful. (I lean against San Diego because we go there semi-regularly.)

Any places y’all can recommend? We are looking for a luxe resort that tolerates children more than a “kid friendly” all-inclusive type place. We are also looking into rentals although that’s a bit hit or miss so I’d appreciate recommendations in that regard as well.

Thanks in advance.

We did this trip last year with our 10 month old daughter and 3 and a half year old boy. We ended up going to Cancun and staying at The Palace Resorts. The resort, food, service, were all top notch and would definitely recommend. We even hired a nanny through the resort so we were able to have some freedom.

I agree that Montage and One and Only are out of the $1250/night range as I’ve stayed at both and adding in the suite, food, activities, etc. you’ll be way over that budget.

Good Luck with the continued search!