Travelling (Caribbean) with an almost 12 month old

[KikaKika]

Dear mama-travelers, please help!

We planned to go to Europe in September, but it turns out we have to postpone that for spring/summer 2011.
Since we still have September open for travel, I've been dreaming of a beach vacation. Anywhere in the Caribbean is fine, I'm just looking for recommendations, where to go in September (prob. second half) and to enjoy great weather, sandy beach and blue sea? Baby will be almost 12 months young , and we are very easy-going, just want to relax somewhere.

Any recommendations are welcome!

[newmomroxi]

The Bahamas, Freeport in particular. You will probably have more people tell you to go to Nassau but I don't like that city! It's more of a party/clubbing vacation. It's where I grew up so I know from experience. There is nightlife in Freeport but that's not the focus of our tourism. You can go shopping, golfing, horseback riding, walk trails, spelunking, kayaking, or just lazing around on the beach or by the pool. And of course, there are the various water attractions including petting the dolphins or swimming with the sharks.

I've also heard great things about Jamaica but you have to be particular about which city you visit. Montego Bay and Ocho Rios are great locations!

Have fun on your vacay! I'm so jealous!

[Caneel]

Our son is past the baby stage but the Caribbean title caught my eye. We travelled the Caribbean for the past 15 years.

September could be great or horrible weather-wise.

The water will be really warm, which is awesome but that comes with the very real threat of tropic storms or hurricanes. Also, tropical waves can stall over the islands and hang around for days on end. Luckily, we got our July Virgin Islands trip in between two tropical waves that dumped rain all day every day for more than a week.

Bermuda would be a really easy flight for you. Very clean and beautiful. The Out Islands of the Bahamas are on our wish list. (We tend to stay away from crowds and big resorts)

We love the Virgin Islands, both US and British but depending on where you go, it can take a little more work to get there.

Are you looking for a resort on the beach type of vacation? Or a rental house?

[newmomroxi]

Caneel, I visited Andros, one of the out islands of the Bahamas. We went for our senior trip and it was a wonderful experience!! We stayed in these little huts right on the beach. There was running water but no electricity! There was a canteen on the site with electricity and it's where we ate our meals. We also saw the sites: blue holes, Henry Morgan's Cave, the Andros lighthouse. We went "hunting" for Chickcharnie as well and visited the AUTEC base. It was great, I would actually love to go again.

kikakika, it is true about the weather. It can be a real crapshoot and it's difficult to plan around the weather sometimes.

[staceychev]

We go to St. John in the USVI, and have been once in the fall (also have been in the summer and over the winter/early spring). The weather was definitely the hottest and muggiest I've ever experienced there, and the mosquitos were the worst. Personally, I don't know that I'd spend the money to go back in fall again (and I can stay in a gorgeous house for free, so that's saying a lot). Are you totally set on a Caribbean vacation?

[ellairiesmom]

DD1 turned 1 on our honeymoon 2 years ago in Aruba. We ended up picking Aruba because the trip was from 9/20-9/27 & Aruba sits just out of the main hurricane zone. We did not get 1 day of rain.

We did all inclusive & the price was reasonable enough that it allowed us to still go out to dinner 3 nights off the resort. Aruba is known for great restaurants & we wanted to try a few.

On the night of dd1s actual bday, the resort had called the restaurant to let them know it was her 1st bday & our honeymoon. We were greeted with special cocktails & they made a special dessert plate for dd with a candle & the whole place sang to her.

We brought one of those blow up pool floats with a shade top which was awesome. we used it everyday, all day, pushing her around the pools & ocean. she wasn't walking yet but was a butt scooter & could get around quick that way so we brought a swimways spring pool for on the beach & she wold play with her toys in there while we laid in our chairs under the resort tree/umbrella things. we left our float & pool there w/ another family instead of trying to pack them up to fly with...

she wasn't really eating much then-mostly nursing so i didnt bring any food along. and we requested a room w/ 2 queens since we cosleep so we didn't need a crib or anything from the hotel.

flying was also somewhat easy at that age. i used my sling throughout the airport & we also brought our Maclaren which was easy to deal with. we did not bring a car seat & it was weird getting into the hotel shuttle bus & holding her but we did it.

[AndtheStars]

DH and I honeymooned in the British Virgin Islands. It was amazing. We were on Tortola at Mongoose Apartments. Insanely reasonable price for an apartment type room. The owners live on the beach across the street from the property and are very nice. It's very chill, no nightlife to speak of really. It was perfect for us. I have been dreaming about it ever since and would take DS in a heartbeat except for our lack of money and DH's mistaken idea that we can't travel anywhere with DS. Anyway, I saw the title of your thread and had to respond. We went in the very beginning of October and the weather was fine. It was humid and there would be a t-storm every day around 4 or 5 p.m. but nothing that disrupted our fun. We loved, loved, loved BVI. The outer islands of the Bahamas sound good too though...everything sounds good to me at this point.

[KikaKika]

Thank you mamas!!! I knew I could count on you!

Just to answer couple of questions: not looking for anything fancy, as long as we don't have to rent a car to get to the apt/house/designated sleeping area
I'll check on area bellow the hurricane belt, that was my main concern with September travel.
Since we are leaving from NYC, anything with a direct (and up-to-3 hours) flight is a plus. It would be easy for the little one, and we are not really changing time zones, so that's a big plus.

I'm going to check all the places that you ladies mentioned!

P.S. Like ellairiesmom's LO, my DS is just crawling, not walking yet, and is mainly breastfed (so, easy for us, right?); we co-sleep, so that's a good advice, to check on beds and ask for 2 queen-sized beds... We still use baby carriers (my DH carries her for longer periods, my back is still building some muscle), and I'm not sure if Inglesina Trip can survive airplane ride or should I invest in a $20 stroller for this trip?

newmomroxi: our LO's share B-day!