My DH is turning 40 next year (I'm sure he would want me to add that this is OVER a year away so he is still 38 and very far away from 40, ha ha). I was trying to think of a really special trip for him and having a hard time. I asked him what his dream vacation would be and he said "I don't know, how about yours?" He's very easy going! I don't know where to start. We will have 3 kids ages 4,2,1 and I think it would be preferable to just bring them with us but either have help with us or on-site high quality child care. He tends to get stressed out when we leave the kids with anyone for long periods of time. Time frame will be October or November, probably around 7-10 days at most. We live in Denver so have easy access to mountains - so a mountain destination is not ideal. He likes beaches and really enjoyed a family vacation to Hawaii earlier this year but I think he would also like "something" extra - culture, activities, etc and not lying on the beach all day every day. I'm open to flying anywhere, but would prefer shorter flights if possible. We have dreamed of visiting London, Japan, Australia, Iceland but I don't know how many sights we'd be able to see with the kids in tow (our kids are not ones to nap on the go or do well with changes to their schedules). I started looking into all-inclusive resorts which I think would be a possibility, if they are family centered. I'm not afraid to splurge a little bit, we have always watched our budget closely while traveling so I don't even know how much is reasonable to expect to spend. He likes: craft beer, mountain biking, hiking, skiing. If you are still reading this, thank you, I appreciate any and all ideas!
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We stayed at the azul beach resort in Mexico and it's very family friendly!!! I highly recommend upgrading your room, though
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I think London with kids would be amazing. There's so much to do and see. Though the flight with that many young kids might be rough. Maybe Costa Rica for beach plus lots of other stuff to do? I'm sure you'll have fun no matter what you choose!
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I have not been to Costa Rica with children but it was an amazing beach vacation! We stayed in Tamarindo at the four seasons.
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I would go for sayulita or tulum, mexico with kiddos that young and do an all inclusive.
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I've had several families rave about the Beaches resorts (Jamaica and Turks & Caicos) when traveling with children. They said that the childcare is excellent when you want to go on excursions/want time alone and the staff goes out of their way to do simple gestures like playing with the kids if they are getting restless at meals.
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Whistler! It's great for adventurers and kids. The Northwest is known for their craft beer. It is a walkable little village town with lots to explore without having to drive once you get there. Since the Winter Olympics, Whistler has made it very family friendly and if you go in late spring, he can go skiing (awesome forever trails), you guys could go tubing (sledding), mini-hikes and even rent a bike to go riding. I used their babysitting services there and they are pros. Everything to research about the place is right there on their central Whistler Blackcomb website. I've been there 3 times, once with a preschooler for a week, and would happily return again.
ETA: oops, just read again...you'll be there in fall. Likely no skiing or tubing but all that other stuff will still be nice and relaxing. ETA: just realized no mountains.....ah well....MEXICO or San Diego then!
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Costa Rica seems like it fits a lot of your wants. Relaxing beach full of culture. The cost is pretty reasonable so I would feel safest bringing someone you trusted as a babysitter. I just love that Costa Rica is so small that anything is just a few hours away from each other so it wouldn't be unreasonable to visit a beach one day and the forest the next.
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@blackbird: @birdofafeather: I will definitely look into those areas! Thank you!
@lawbee11: @matador84: @hellocupcake: Costa Rica is a great idea. I will start looking into that as well.
@Ra: OMG I found Beaches in T&C and drooled over it for a long time last night... it sounds amazing! One thing my husband really enjoys is good beer, after doing some google searching it doesn't sound like they offer any good beer options. It sounds like a small thing but I can't imagine dropping thousands of dollars on a week's vacation and then not having the option to drink tasty beer. I am going to contact them, though - if they don't have beer options, at least that way they will know people are interested in it. Thanks for the rec!
@808love: I initially dismissed mountain options but have started reconsidering (see beer comment above!). A friend recently traveled to BC and was raving about the beer scene there. We could do some hiking and biking at the resort, great to hear that the babysitting is good there because that's a priority and we don't really have anyone to take with us that we trust. Except our parents who I think would drive DH too crazy.
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Cruises arent' for everyone, but it may suit your needs. You can have as much or as little family time as you want because there are child care centers and babysitters on board, and you can pick a route that has as much beach time / culture / etc. as you prefer.
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Disney cruises have AMAZING childcare - and they have great destinations. We did a European one and it was fantastic.
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Yeah I agree with a cruise if it's your thing. It's a great way to travel and see a lot.
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@shellio: If you decide to do that, read the age requirements ahead of time and don't count on the whole day daycare for the Teddy Bear one. (Forgot the name of it. They waitlist non residents so I had to go with the hourly which was awesome because they take the kids out. Also tons of little pubs there and the mountain biking is awesome. Just check the season hours at that time of year.
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I def second Costa Rica. It sounds like it would fit a lot of your criteria.
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With kids that young I would maybe skip a cruise. My DH got very bored on a cruise (lots of just sitting around in chairs) and with kids it could just be more work than it is worth.
I think an All Inclusive would be wonderful if you could find a good place. Or maybe just a really cool B&B place in a little town.
What about taking a sitter/nanny with you to help with the kids?
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@MrsBananaGrabber: @AmandaB8: @youboots: He is not really a cruise person but I'm considering it as an option anyway for all the great reasons you guys mentioned.
@T.H.O.U.: The babysitting is my big hang up. The all inclusive that really caters to kids sounds amazing - but personalized care would be even better and give us more flexibility as far as location. The problem is finding someone we trust to take with us. We have a couple of regular sitters that we pay, but none of them would be available for this longer trip (school/work/family). I guess care.com? I also want to consider the politics - I can easily see grandparents being a bit miffed if we pay someone to help us when they would have done it for free (for example).
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@shellio: The good news is that you have time to look around. Your best bet may be a high schooler or someone that wouldn't have a lot of commitments. Really just to be an extra set of hands and then maybe to stay in the room with sleeping kids for a night or two.
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@shellio: Not sure what your budget is, but DH and I are going here - they seem to be very family friendly (kids club) and have large rooms/residences
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@shellio: The problem with taking someone with you is that you have to pay for their flights, meals, and lodging, which can really add up! We have had great luck with using nanny agencies when we travel. We hired temporary nannies through the agencies before we left. Was a lot cheaper than bringing our own nanny.
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One of my dream vacation is to do a cruise that goes to northern europe!
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@raintreebee: That would be ideal. We tried that once and didn't have a great experience (nothing dangerous or scary) but I feel like this would be the best option. Lining up someone ahead of time is a great idea!
@BabyBoecksMom: Thanks for the link! That resort looks really nice - I'm going to have to save this. When are you going? I can't wait to hear how it was!
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@shellio: We are going in about a month... although, we might have to postpone since it's in the height of hurricane season (I didn't think about that when I was booking it). I'll definitely try to remember tell you how it was when we get back.
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