In just under a month we're taking the family (almost 3 and 10 months) to Coconut Bay in St Lucia for a week. When I first booked it I was super excited and now I'm starting to get stressed about it. My main stress is having everybody living/sleeping in one room (do we all have to go to bed at 7:30?) and how we'll handle naps, etc. I am definitely aware that I need to relax a little bit about schedules, etc, but would love any suggestions on how to make it all go smoothly, and anything else you've learned from traveling with two kids! (Do you take a stroller to a resort?)
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We went to Maui at the end of August this year with two kids, 3.5 and 1.5 yo, for ten days. We brought our double umbrella stroller because there were other resorts in the area that were within walking distance. We also rented a car to go to other parts of the island and rent car-seats through the rental car provider. Our kids can sleep in a stroller or Ergo carrier so we were able to do naptime on the go. Lastly, while it was a pain, we did sleep when the kids did. If DH or I wanted to stay awake one of us would go into the bathroom or go down to the lobby area for time to ourselves after the kids fell asleep. There was a slight time difference of -2 hours so for the first couple days we were adjusting to that. Other than that the kids did well. I think my biggest advice is to set aside one or two hours each day for each of you to have alone time while on vacation. Doesn't matter what you choose to do, I did a lunch alone for one day and my partner did snorkeling another. I think that helped us deal with being with our LOs in a small space for an extended amount of time. Have fun!
ETA: If your kids are going to be sleeping in the hotel roll-away bed or crib I recommend bringing sheets/bedding from home so the bed/crib smell like home.
Also, I don't know what it is about the beach or ocean but it seems to really tire LOs out. Our kids easily took naps while we were in Maui. So you may not need to fret about your LOs getting their daily naps.
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Are you staying in a standard hotel room? Or does it have a separate bedroom or living space? Idealy there is a separate space so you don't have to all go to bed at 7:30.
If the hotel has a balcony, you can put your kids to bed, then sit on the balcony and have drinks.
Bring a sound machine - it will help everyone sleep better in close quarters.
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Have you asked if they can possibly upgrade you to a two bedroom? We learned if the kids don't have their own space, especially for that amount of time it gets to be very much no fun for all, and yes typically you have to sleep when baby sleeps unless you have a balcony you can sneak off to.
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We like to use a laptop and headphone splitter to watch movies or tv shows. Our infant is still in our room so we do this all the time. But we've also done it on vacation with our toddler. We watch shows and text each other.
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It's all one room - I would have loved a suite but the hotel only has the option of two interconnecting rooms which is twice as expensive. There is a balcony and a little sitting area, though, so we can probably hang out there. Or maybe like @Mrs. Cheesecake said one of us could go to the bar and the other could hang out in the room. I think I probably just need to stop stressing out about it - it's not going to be a vacation but hopefully it will be a fun trip.
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I have a 4 year old and a 17 month old and we just got back from Hawaii. We also went to Atlantis when DD1 was a little over 3 and DD2 was 10 months. I always bring a stroller on vacation because the kids would always nap on the go, especially after the pool and beach. At night we just put the little one in her pjs and go out for dinner and she sleeps in the stroller. We do all go to bed at the same time but the kids tend to go to bed later when we're on vacation. I actually don't mind going to bed early because I'm so tired after a full day of sun and activities! You guys will have so much fun!
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We always take a stroller just because its easier to drag our hoard from place to place and not chase a child. Because our kids have always slept in their own spaces and DS1 literally refuses to cosleep, we try to rig up some kind of personal sleep zone for them. Over Thanksgiving the baby (6 months) slept in the bathroom and DS1 slept in the bedroom but we boxed him in with furniture because he figured out how to escape the pack in play. We probably looked insane, but we literally pushed the PNP into a corner, flipped a queen mattress against one side and braced it with a nightstand. Then we flipped a coffee table against the foot of the PNP and braced it with another nightstand. We basically caged in our 2 year old, but we couldn't keep him safe otherwise. Maybe you can rig something like a floor bed under a desk or something that you can drap a sheet over to make a little tent fort for the toddler, if they're into that kind of thing. We're leaving for 16 days for Christmas and ordered a Privacy Pop tent for our toddler (and converted him to a big boy bed after Thanksgiving's escape antics).
Just expect naps to be off schedule and shorter and bedtimes to be later (for the toddler anyway). Lots of water and sun to tire the toddler out so they will nap. Wait until the kids are good and asleep and then you can flip on your laptops or Kindles or drink out on the balcony.
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