Quiet Carribean with kids

September 12, 2019 5:06 AM

We are planning our winter vacation, two adults, two kids for mid February 2020 and hoping to go to a warm, sandy, snorkeling type of beach as low key as possible, but still in a resort type of situation. At the moment we think Mexico is out and we went to Sanibel last year and are looking for something more tropical and quieter this time around. We would want a kitchen of some kind and dont need activities per se, but snorkeling, kayaking and other any wildlife type excursions would be of interest. Cost is certainly a very strong consideration. Thanks for the ideas, thoughts and feedback.
posted by silsurf to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

I like St. John, USVI. Full disclosure: we have a Westin time share on the island that is a studio apartment so try renting out one of the timeshares. You would fly into St. Thomas and take a ferry over to St. John and plan to rent a car. Most of the island is a national park and well protected. Two small towns, quiet beaches (if you plan, you can figure out when the cruise ships drop off their day passengers and go to the smaller beaches.)Mellow and chill with beautiful beaches.
posted by IndigoOnTheGo at 6:02 AM on September 12, 2019 [2 favorites]

What about one of the quieter Florida Keys?
posted by jquinby at 6:23 AM on September 12, 2019

Mainland Belize, specifically Hopkins Bay, is low key and you can get easy boat for snorkeling. Also, Belize has cave tubing, Mayan ruins, ziplining, and rain forests to explore. English speaking, takes the US dollar most places.

Costa Rica, Nosara area, is beautiful. Though island-wise, Grand Case in St. Martin (French side) is also a great option.
posted by rich at 6:59 AM on September 12, 2019

This probably doesn't match your qualifications on several fronts, but I'm gonna throw it out there anyway: I have been to Mount Victory Camp near Frederiksted on St. Croix twice. Shared outdoor kitchen.They'd rather you didn't eat the hens, but if you can catch one of the roosters running through the local rainforest the proprietors will happily help you kill it and cook it. We bought my nephew a machete so he could open his own coconuts.

The down-side is unless you really like walking you need to rent a car, but...

Frederiksted is on the poorer, rainier side of the island, which means it's more laid back and low-key. Frederiksted pier is amazing snorkeling. The other beaches around that area are good snorkeling. There are two dive shops in town, I've only gone to N2theBlue, but they've got snorkeling gear for rent super cheap and are happy to stash your valuables for you.

Near the camp there are some old sugar refinery ruins that are fun to explore. You can go to various other areas around the island if you want, drive over to the north shore, or Salt River Bay, but I can spend a heck of a lot of time face down n the water watching the sea turtles and coral, searching along piers for seahorses, basking in the amazing variety of spectacularly colored fish...
posted by straw at 7:09 AM on September 12, 2019 [2 favorites]

The Bahamas has just been devastated by Hurricane Dorian, but by February, resorts will be back in business. But because of the publicity, many people tend to stay away from disaster zones for quite a while. You can help out the Bahamians who earn a living from the tourism industry, plus probably get yourself a pretty good deal, by booking now for February 2020. Activity-wise, it checks your boxes.
posted by beagle at 8:23 AM on September 12, 2019 [2 favorites]

Roatan, Honduras! One of the most stunning beach/reef combos I’ve seen, and resort-y without being overloaded with tourists. Prices aren’t bad for the Carribean. Amazing snorkeling that’s a few minutes swim from the shore
posted by horizons at 5:37 PM on September 12, 2019

Response by poster: Amazing suggestions, thanks!
posted by silsurf at 7:04 PM on September 12, 2019

Minus the kitchen availability, I can highly recommend Charela Inn in Negril, Jamaica. You can snorkel right there or hire a boat to go out to the reef for $30 per person or so. There are plenty of little day trips to take from Negril as well.
posted by ReginaHart at 11:25 AM on September 14, 2019