Looking for beachy, kid-friendly sun in January
November 6, 2014 4:22 PM   Subscribe

Where should we go for a vacation in mid-January with our two small children? We don't need anything complicated; we just want to play on the beach, read books, eat tasty food, and maybe see a few fun things.

Our kids will be almost 4 and 1.5 in January. Ideally, we'd get a condo/apartment/1-2 bedroom situation with a kitchen, not too far from a beach. We're willing to go almost anywhere, as long as the flight isn't too far from Portland, OR. I took the kids to the Virgin Islands last winter, without my spouse, but the baby is now a toddler, and I'm skeptical of the ability of an 18 month old to hang out on a very long flight.

Places we've been considering are Hawaii (per a previous question...), the West Coast of Mexico, the Yucatan, and San Diego, CA. We might consider a two-part trip where we fly to the East Coast and then again to Europe, if that sounded awesome. Is there someplace in the continental US we should consider that will be warm and beachy in January?

We aren't all-inclusive resort type people; we were hostel-type people before kids. We like good food.

My spouse wants to go to Puerto Vallarta or Cabo, but I'm skeptical of the suitability of those places for small children, and they seem expeeeensive. Neither of us has been to Hawaii; we've been to the Yucatan; I've only been to Europe on a 10-cities-in-10-days type tour and he's seen it extensively; spouse has also spent significant time in central America. Neither of us has spent a lot of time in the warm, beachy parts of our own country.
posted by linettasky to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Puerto Vallarta is fine for small children. I've been there with my family a couple of times, and the children have ranged from 9 years old to 5 months. There's a specific place you might want to check out, called Villamagna in Nuevo Vallarta. It's part of the Dreams Villamagna resort. The Dreams part is an all-inclusive hotel, and the Villamagna part are privately owned condos. You can get anything from a place that sleeps 12 to a place that sleeps 2, all of the apartments I have been in either renting or visiting have been really well furnished and maintained. An example here, but you can find lots of others on that site. I was there in the summer and it was FULL of kids. Also, there are two big supermarkets really near, or the rest of Puerto Vallarta 25 minutes away. You do need to rent a car.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 4:53 PM on November 6, 2014


If you are interested in the Baja Peninsula, La Paz might be a good alternative to Cabo. I can't speak to how great it would be to go there with kids, but the beaches are beautiful, the food is great, and it's not that expensive. The only downside is that the good swimming beaches are mostly out of town, so it would definitely require a car and more logistics wrangling than a resort.
posted by ohisee at 5:01 PM on November 6, 2014


Came back to say MeMail me if you need more info on my suggestion and saw ohisee's answer. I would not go anywhere in the Baja peninsula right now as hurricane Odile made a big mess there two months ago and even though they say it's up and running again, I wouldn't risk finding out if that's true with an 18 month old in tow.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 5:07 PM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


I was just in Cabo for the first time last week, and they're about 70% back to normal after the hurricane, according to a few locals I spoke to. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there based on that concern.

The beaches at La Paz are gorgeous, and it seems like a nice, quiet area. I would definitely go again.
posted by homodachi at 5:14 PM on November 6, 2014


San Diego area would be good for small kids (LegoLand, Zoo, etc) but is not really warm in January. It might be sunny, but probably not warm enough to just lounge around on the beach. And the water will definitely be cold.
posted by wsquared at 5:29 PM on November 6, 2014


I love Hawaii in January but you will have to be ready for it to rain on and off in most parts of the state, and it may not be as warm as you expect. Still, I would take kids to almost any place in Hawaii in a heartbeat. It's still plenty beachy, especially if you are staying right at the beach and can head under cover for a while when it does rain.
posted by BibiRose at 5:45 PM on November 6, 2014


I loved Puerto Rico, esp. Vieques, and we saw many vacationing families there.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 5:51 PM on November 6, 2014


Re: Hawaii

Hawaii is very, very popular in the winter for a warm beach getaway. Some people book 10-12 months ahead, or even over a year ahead. Especially to get the reasonably-priced condo they want.

If you want to go to Hawaii in mid-January, especially to Maui, you will find availability of rental cars and condos to be low & getting smaller every day... I'm afraid you'll find booking a Hawaii condo this late in the game difficult, especially if you are somewhat cost-conscious.

If you're serious about Hawaii, book a rental car via DiscountHawaiiCarRental.com or Costco ASAP on your chosen island (not prepaid, so you can cancel).
posted by kathryn at 6:12 PM on November 6, 2014


I'm always going to recommend Puerto Rico, then Florida, and perhaps a cruise.

But from your description, I'd say Puerto Rico.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:15 PM on November 6, 2014


I wouldn't bother going to Europe; even the warmest cities in the south typically only see highs around 60° F during January.
posted by neushoorn at 2:00 AM on November 7, 2014


We went to Cabo with our 18mo two years ago in December and it was sunny but cold. We didn't get in the water (not even the pool). So I would say definitely go much farther south if you're looking at the west coast of MX.

For context, I live in LA and have lived in San Diego. We go to the beach in winter, sure (and Jan can be shorts and tshirt weather), but we don't go in the water.

A nice alternative if you don't mind pool but can skip the beach might be Palm Springs, winter is high season so rates are a little higher. If you're looking for a condo check out VRBO, but pools tend to be much better at the resort hotels.
posted by vignettist at 4:16 AM on November 7, 2014


Europe is a terrible idea for a sunny vacation at that time of year! Especially with two little kids for a short trip!

Puerto Vallarta's fine with kids!

Manzanillo is also beautiful and a bit more unique than PV. Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are also towns on the west coast of Mexico that have given us great family holidays.

Cabo might not be SUPER warm in January. It'll be warm but maybe not warm enough to lounge in the pool - I guess kids tend to do that even when it seems cold for adults, but I have memories of December/January in Cabo that were not really pool-swimming weather. Maybe low 70s during the day, and in the 50s at night.

I'd figure out flight times and do the shortest trip to the warmest place. It might be Hawaii, which could get expensive in January, but it's popular for a reason.
posted by barnone at 5:52 AM on November 7, 2014


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