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Post by jillonthehill on Aug 16, 2015 20:36:22 GMT
Help me please. I'm tired of searching the internet for fun places to take the kids during the week between Christmas and New Years.
Anyone want to tell me where to go? I have two boys 7 and 9 who love the beach and could spend the entire week there. Are there any beaches in the contiguous 48 that have water warm enough for swimming in December? Southern California maybe? Hawaii is out of the question since airfare is crazy expensive right now.
I'm looking at the Caribbean also, but safety is a concern. Anyone have a family friend recommendation?
TIA!
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Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 16, 2015 21:08:55 GMT
Disney cruise?
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 16, 2015 21:15:02 GMT
You can't get much safer than the Cayman Islands. The islands are mostly surrounded by a reef and the water is clear and calm.
Crime is pretty much non-existent. Unless you count political corruption.
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Post by birukitty on Aug 16, 2015 21:17:39 GMT
St John USVI-U. S. Virgin Islands. Very safe. You can explore the entire island with a rented jeep-we did. It's not the kind of island where you have to stay on a resort at all! 2/3 of the island is National Park, which means it's protected nature and absolutely gorgeous! Beaches are pristine as is the water-even the water is protected and that means wonderful snorkeling. It's a quick flight from Miami.
You can rent a cottage (which may make more sense than a hotel), up to you. It's a small island, so easy to get around. We went (twice) for two weeks from Dec 1 to Dec 15. High season starts Dec 15 (the day we left) so we got low season rates on everything, plus the beaches were empty. Something to think about.
St. John is called the Kauai of the Caribbean. It is beautiful, friendly, safe and the snorkeling is superb! DS adored it.
Debbie in MD.
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Post by ~summer~ on Aug 16, 2015 21:57:30 GMT
San Diego! Hotel Del Coronado or rent a small house
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paigepea
Drama Llama
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Post by paigepea on Aug 16, 2015 22:14:50 GMT
We are doing Hawaii but it sounds like we're further west than you because we looked Into the Caribbean and the flights were too expensive.
We went to an all inclusive on the Mayan riviera last year (flew into cancun) and it was fantastic. We went to Azul fives and if flights weren't so expensive we'd be back in a heartbeat. The ocean was perfect and safe. There was a wave break that the kids could swim to.
We've been to St. John. Most gorgeous beach in the world but not enough for my family to do every day for a week.
Paige.
Eta - as a previous poster stated, If you can go before dec 15 the rates are better. We are going the week before school gets out because that is what we can afford.
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Post by cmpeter on Aug 16, 2015 22:25:35 GMT
So Cal won't be warm enough in December for a beac vacation. I would do the Caribbean. I don't think of it as an unsafe place.
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Post by padresfan619 on Aug 16, 2015 22:50:53 GMT
San Diego will not be warm enough for ocean swimming. It will be nice, but not for what you're looking for.
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Post by epeanymous on Aug 16, 2015 22:56:09 GMT
San Diego! Hotel Del Coronado or rent a small house We did San Diego with the kids this past January and in January six or seven years ago, and it was a nice break -- it was warm enough to spend a lot of time on the beach. There were definitely people in the water, but my kids aren't that keen on ocean swimming, so I have no idea if the water was warm enough for kids to swim. |
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Post by happymom on Aug 16, 2015 22:56:58 GMT
Twice my 13 member family has been in key west/ mid keys in December. Warm enough to be on the water. Fishing boating and kayaking but I wouldn't want to swim for long or snorkel. We did wade some and our pool was heated.
The air temp was 65-80 degrees and that was awesome for us northerners!!
this year the group is going to Puerto Rico. Water temp is much higher and we are looking forward to more beach time
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frostybuns
Shy Member
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Post by frostybuns on Aug 16, 2015 23:31:43 GMT
We just got back from a disney cruise and it was FABULOUS! Can not say enough good about it. My kids are 12, 10, 7 and 4 and they all loved it. St. Maarten was a surprising love for us and I can see us going back and doing more there someday. The water was a perfect temp and so clear and beautiful. Why do you think the Caribbean is unsafe? I would definitely stay away from Pacific Ocean beaches. They aren't warm enough for me in the middle of the summer (water temp wise).
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Post by beaglemom on Aug 16, 2015 23:37:41 GMT
We go down to Cabo most years December 16-January 2. It is fabulous!!! We love it! The kids spend the whole time in the pool or at the beach. The water is great, the weather is great, and it is amazing!
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Post by birukitty on Aug 17, 2015 0:09:02 GMT
I understand the OP's concern about the Caribbean being unsafe. It depends on what island you go to-the entire Caribbean is not safe. On some islands you cannot leave the resort and go exploring the island. I tried that in Jamaica and was so swarmed by locals trying to sell us whatever they could it was difficult even trying to get a taxi to make an escape. And yes, that is what it felt like-making an escape.
On some islands you can't leave your towel (or anything else) on the beach while you go in for a swim because when you get back, it's all gone. I've done research on various islands and I remember one where this came up in several comments. I crossed this one off my list. Who wants to vacation on an island like this? I think it was the island of Bonaire.
As far as St. John being boring, I guess it's how you look at it. We found plenty to do in both two week vacations we took there. If you crave things like shopping and nightlife St. Thomas is a 20 minute ferry ride across the bay. We were there for water sports, the incredible scenery and nature and we got plenty of that. Check tripadvisor.com is my advice as far as things to do on St. John and which islands are safe OP. One of the best places to snorkel on St. John is a place called Waterlemon Cay. It's truly spectacular. The coral is bright, amazing colors and my son saw a spotted eagle ray the last time we were there.
Debbie in MD.
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Post by ahiller on Aug 17, 2015 0:30:45 GMT
You can't get much safer than the Cayman Islands. The islands are mostly surrounded by a reef and the water is clear and calm. Crime is pretty much non-existent. Unless you count political corruption. This was what I was coming to suggest. We love Grand Cayman. High season starts around Dec 15, so if you go before then, you'll still get off season rates. |
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Post by lavawalker on Aug 17, 2015 1:28:31 GMT
Hawaii, Disney Cruise, Grand Cayman
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Post by christine58 on Aug 17, 2015 1:32:09 GMT
Jamaica..stay in an all inclusive...it's safe. I stayed at an Iberostar...wonderful spot. Tons of activities for kids
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likescarrots
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,879
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Post by likescarrots on Aug 17, 2015 1:46:31 GMT
I understand the OP's concern about the Caribbean being unsafe. It depends on what island you go to-the entire Caribbean is not safe. On some islands you cannot leave the resort and go exploring the island. I tried that in Jamaica and was so swarmed by locals trying to sell us whatever they could it was difficult even trying to get a taxi to make an escape. And yes, that is what it felt like-making an escape. On some islands you can't leave your towel (or anything else) on the beach while you go in for a swim because when you get back, it's all gone. I've done research on various islands and I remember one where this came up in several comments. I crossed this one off my list. Who wants to vacation on an island like this? I think it was the island of Bonaire. As far as St. John being boring, I guess it's how you look at it. We found plenty to do in both two week vacations we took there. If you crave things like shopping and nightlife St. Thomas is a 20 minute ferry ride across the bay. We were there for water sports, the incredible scenery and nature and we got plenty of that. Check tripadvisor.com is my advice as far as things to do on St. John and which islands are safe OP. One of the best places to snorkel on St. John is a place called Waterlemon Cay. It's truly spectacular. The coral is bright, amazing colors and my son saw a spotted eagle ray the last time we were there. Debbie in MD. I've been to Bonaire twice and traveled around the whole island (it's not very big). It was relatively safe - and no harassment like other Caribbean islands. However there is not a lot of 'beach' area in Bonaire, so I wouldn't recommend it for someone who wanted to sit in the sand all day, but for snorkeling it is really beautiful. |
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Post by jillonthehill on Aug 17, 2015 2:34:13 GMT
Thanks everyone! I'm glad to hear that some islands are safe. Now to find one that has a room for the week I need.
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Post by gritzi on Aug 17, 2015 2:48:37 GMT
I would find a nice condo at Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman  |
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Post by 950nancy on Aug 17, 2015 16:56:11 GMT
I understand the OP's concern about the Caribbean being unsafe. It depends on what island you go to-the entire Caribbean is not safe. On some islands you cannot leave the resort and go exploring the island. I tried that in Jamaica and was so swarmed by locals trying to sell us whatever they could it was difficult even trying to get a taxi to make an escape. And yes, that is what it felt like-making an escape. On some islands you can't leave your towel (or anything else) on the beach while you go in for a swim because when you get back, it's all gone. I've done research on various islands and I remember one where this came up in several comments. I crossed this one off my list. Who wants to vacation on an island like this? I think it was the island of Bonaire. As far as St. John being boring, I guess it's how you look at it. We found plenty to do in both two week vacations we took there. If you crave things like shopping and nightlife St. Thomas is a 20 minute ferry ride across the bay. We were there for water sports, the incredible scenery and nature and we got plenty of that. Check tripadvisor.com is my advice as far as things to do on St. John and which islands are safe OP. One of the best places to snorkel on St. John is a place called Waterlemon Cay. It's truly spectacular. The coral is bright, amazing colors and my son saw a spotted eagle ray the last time we were there. Debbie in MD. We've been to Jamaica twice in two different cities and never felt unsafe at all. We walked the beach for about 7 miles. We had two eagle rays swim past us on a snorkel trip. We've also visited Punta Cana and loved that spot. Riviera Maya has amazing beaches and cheaper flights. My ultimate trip was Costa Rica. Since it isn't an island, it has more wildlife than most Caribbean places. I think if you find a good hotel, you should be fine. We haven't visited St. John. I think it more pricey. Just know that almost everywhere will have some bad reviews. It seems the people that are unhappy like to let everyone know. We go somewhere every spring and have never had a bad experience. Things aren't always perfect, but if you are with the right people, the trips are wonderful. |
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Post by anxiousmom on Aug 17, 2015 17:01:03 GMT
How about checking out some place like Marco Island? (Florida-it's on the southern west coast) It is all island, all beach, great food choices, close to Naples, close enough for a day trip over to Everglades National Park where you can take a park ranger guided boat ride through the Everglades/Ten Thousand Islands...all kinds of pretty.
Safe as can be, some very pretty beaches, and you get to keep your tourism dollars in the US. (LOL)
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