tennesseeriver

Hi,

I'm new to flyertalk. My wife and two kids (1.5 years and 5 years) are looking to travel to a beach destination in December for under a week. We are AA members and Starwood members. I've got about 400,000 points and am Platinum on Starwood.

We've stayed at the W Fort Lauderdale last year so we'd prefer something else.

I'd love some input on the best points values at Starwoods in the winter time.

We are looking at beaches since it's easy play time for the kids and my wife prefers warmth. However, I'd be open to hearing suggestions on colder destinations that folks know that can be family friendly with toddlers (might be a shot in the dark).

Additionally, given the age of the kids, we'd prefer to limit the flying times and # of flight stops. Can't have it all but that's the preference.

Please let me know if I need to post this elsewhere or if there's any other info I can provide.

Thanks so much!

MSPeconomist

Caribbean (requires passports for everyone) and Hawaii are the obvious choices. Florida and southern California can be cold for little ones to go in the ocean, but a heated kid-friendly pool might solve the problem.

atxtraveler

Puerto Rico exempts the passport need, and all of the properties that have Beach access in PR are very nice.

MSPeconomist

Good point, although PR is supposedly easier with passports. I was told by the airline and my travel agent to bring mine.

tennesseeriver

Been to PR, great place. sorry should have mentioned that before.

megalab

The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in PR is very nice and pretty kid tolerant. I haven't been to the W on Vieques but I've heard it's even nicer. Harder to get to though.

We went to San Diego with our kids often. There are plenty of nice *Wood properties. The Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina is very family-friendly. It doesn't have a beach but they're nearby, and the Bay water will be warmer than the ocean water. They also have a nice pool. SAN seems to serve most US cities.

The Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Florida has a huge beach, nice pool, park nearby, many tourist activities in the area, etc. The Gulf side water will be warmer in Dec than the Atlantic side. Lots of flights to TPA.

What about Mexico? In November we're going to Los Cabos for the first time, staying at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, and it appears family-friendly. However, there are a lot of beautiful *Wood properties all over the country. Hopefully one of them should be easily accessible.

DesertRat

Yes, Cabo if you're in the west, Puerto Vallarta if you're central, and Cancun if you're in the East. Lots of nonstop flights and Starwood hotels. As long as the kids have passports, that is.

huanggy

It seems there is not much to do in Cabos. Any thoughts?

IluvSQ

It might help if you stated where you were coming from.

tennesseeriver

Chicago. Thanks for helping!

megalab

Then you can get to nearly anywhere. We're flying ORD-SJD on AA non-stop. There is plenty to do in Cabo for less than a week; e.g. numerous beaches (though watch the currents), water sports (snorkel/scuba), tours of the natural beauty (and wildlife), fishing, restaurants, clubs, etc.

If "under a week" means 5 days have you looked into SPG Nights and Flights? Transferring to Avios (BA) and redeeming on AA could be a nice way to stretch your points, especially if you fly non-peak. There are a lot of Cat 3/4 properties on the Gulf Coast and in Mexico. Poke around here for all the relevant options:

https://www.starwoodhotels.com/prefe...ghtsAndFlights

MSPeconomist

Snorkeling, scuba diving, and clubs with two young children?

megalab

More in answer to huanggy than OP. "Club" could also mean the Sheraton Adventure Kids Club!

MSPeconomist

When the post lists clubs (plural) after restaurants, I would assume that it's not referring to kids' clubs.