iahphx

Can anyone suggest a resort/vacation destination that offers extensive free kids' activities? We find that when we travel to a resort with our children (10 and under), it's nice when there are some activities they can do -- and it's also nice to get an adult break for a couple of hours. However, most nice resorts levy pretty stiff prices for their camps: $40 to $70 seems to be the norm.

Last summer, we were pleasantly surprised that the Barbados Hilton had a free kids camp. They had scheduled activities all day, usually in one-hour blocks, so the kids could stay as little or as long as they liked. One night they even had a free "babysitting night" where, for a few hours, they fed the kids dinner (again, free!) and showed them a movie. Again, it was great to get these services without the typical stiff resort hotel price.

Can anyone suggest similarly accomodating hotels/resorts? Thanks.

Musken

All the Four Season hotels that we have stayed in, offered complimentary Kids Programme. The programme itself and the age group catered for, differs from hotel to hotel, so you should check the Four Seasons site if iterested for more details. There is a section called "For younger guests" under "Services and Activities" for each hotel where you find information.

mechteach

We are going to the Crown Paradise Club in Cancun at the beginning of March, and they have free kid's clubs for ages 18 months - 12 years (obviously not all grouped in together!). It won one of the tripadvisor best family resorts in the Caribbean slots in 2006 and 2008. The prices through the hotel website were outrageous, but you can get it for much cheaper through Apple Vacations (if you want to bundle it with airfare) or through bookit.com (if you want to buy your air tickets separately). If anyone's interested, I'll report how it was after we come back.

If you're looking to go further afield, Lykia World in Oludeniz, Turkey, is outstanding, and the Paradise Resort in Surfer's Paradise, Australia, is great for families. They both have free clubs. We've also found that a lot of cruise lines also offer good clubs for kids, usually free on sea days, and for a charge while in port.

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

At FDR Pebbles in MBJ a fulltime nanny is assigned to each family. The nannies are available for evening babysitting at a modest hourly rate.
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13F

PS We were very recently at the BGI Hilton for several days. The kids club is free, but the animators are not very proactive with the kids. There is a heavy reliance on video games and television. We found it to be quite disappointing.

iahphx

I'm not sure that's an entirely fair criticism of the Barbados Hilton children's program, but I would agree that they spend too much time in the clubhouse and not enough time on outdoors recreation. They do a LOT of crafts. They will let the children play video games if that's what the kids want to do (and a lot of them do!). They do some tennis with them, and some beach activities, but don't take them swimming or engage them in other watersports.

Accordingly, I think that camp is probably better for younger children (like age 6 or 7, and not pre-teens. It also works best as a "break" from outdoor time with the parents -- like popping in for an hour or two at a time. It is not a particularly enriching "all day, every day" childcare solution. I would also note that the activities they do seem similar to what I've observed at other 4-star chain-managed North American resorts, including the hotels that charge $50 or $60/day for the same services.

TrojanHorse

two years ago at the Fiji Sheraton Denareau they had a Kids camp and although not free it was in the $20 range I believe. The only reason I know it was another FT'er was there with his kid and he was telling me how much it was. They did a lot of stuff too.. I'd take my kids there if I were to go back

erik123

You could check out paradisus playa conchal in costa rica - they have an excellent kids camp for all ages which a few years back was free.

iahphx

That's an "all-inclusive" resort chain, right? Perhaps not a bad option, but I guess the price of camp is baked into the price you pay per kid.

erik123

Yes - it's all-in. FWIW - all-ins will be your best bet if you want the camp to be included and you want a wide range of activities. I haven't come across many regular hotels that do not either levy a charge, or instead have very limited activities on offer.

stuffy

mechteach, please report back on the activities at the Crown Paradise. Thanks!

mechteach

Will do!