CaribSeek Kaleidoscope | Caribbean with Kids by Paris Permenter and John Bigley

Paris Permenter and John Bigley, Editors of Lovetripper.com

Ready to cast off those jackets, feel the sun on your face and the sand between your toes? Watch your children romp in the sand, be introduced to new cultures, and share a few days with you that you will all remember the rest of your lives? Then it's time to head to the Caribbean. Year around, these islands are blessed with weather that's just right for a day of snorkeling, sandcastle building, or just sunning.

The Caribbean Islands
While they may all share the powdery sand, the aquamarine waters, and the near-perfect weather, Caribbean destinations can be as different as the seashells found along their beaches. Some islands are large and span hundreds of miles; others can be covered in an afternoon bicycle excursion. Culturally, these islands vary from French to Dutch to English; language and currency differ as well. Political structures range from crown colonies to independent nations.

If you look at a map of the Caribbean, you'll see that the islands arch out like a cracking whip, with the largest islands to the west and the small islands to the east, curving on down to South America and ending with a "snap" with the ABC islands: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao back to the west. The whole formation of islands is referred to as the Antilles, usually divided into the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles. The Greater Antilles, as the name suggests, are the Caribbean's largest islands: Cuba, Hispaniola (an island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. The term Lesser Antilles encompasses the other islands. Often, the area is just divided up into the Eastern and Western Caribbean. The Eastern islands are the same as the Lesser Antilles; the Western Caribbean is the Greater Antilles and the Cayman Islands. Although technically not part of the Caribbean, the Bahamas also shares its azure waters and perpetual summer. The multiple names given to this region is your first hint at the diversity the Caribbean boasts.

Rich in History & Culture Diversity
The islands have such varied cultures because of the many nations that fought over this valuable area. During this time of unrest, protecting the islands was a major job. Magnificent forts were constructed of stone to defend the islands from marauding buccaneers. Today you can tour El Morro in San Juan, stroll along the lemon sherbet-colored walls of Fort Christiansvaern in St. Croix, photograph the city of Puerto Plata from the Fortaleza San Felipe in the Dominican Republic, or visit imposing Brimstone Hill in St. Kitts, known as the "The Gibraltar of the Caribbean."

Once the islands were settled, many prospered with sugar cane plantations. Today you can tour the islands' heritage of huge plantation houses. In Jamaica, tours provide a peek at the lavish lifestyle once enjoyed by plantation owners at Great Houses such as Rose Hall near Montego Bay, and the newly opened Barnett Estate Plantation also near Montego Bay, with a jitney tour of the sugar, banana and mango plantation and fine dining in a restored sugar mill.

Caribbean with Kids

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Although every island boasts a rollicking Caribbean spirit, their cultures also borrow heavily from their founding fathers. Aromas of fine French food fills the air of Martinique, St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, and Guadeloupe. Dutch architecture creates picturesque waterfront communities in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Maarten, and Sint Eustatius. A rich Spanish atmosphere pervades the islands of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos still operate as British dependencies. In the former British colonies of the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica, the British influence is still strongly felt, with driving on the left side of the road and the Royal family smiling back from postage stamps.

Family-friendly Resorts
What they do have in common is a family-friendly attitude. Parents who have vacationed here before are discovering the fun of introducing their children to favorite island attractions. Families are playing together and staying together in some of the Caribbean's premier destinations, creating warm holiday memories that will last for generations. Regardless of the island, you'll find plenty of activities to hold the interest of the youngest travelers, from viewing undersea life aboard a submarine in Grand Cayman to swimming with dolphins in Grand Bahama. The islands also give children the chance to experience different cultures through song, dance, and even food. Kids love many of the local dishes like patties (meat turnovers that are the equivalent of burgers in Jamaica) and sweets such as ducana, a pudding made from grated sweet potato and coconut, sugar, and spices, or flan, a delightful custard.

Throughout the Caribbean, you'll find resorts with kids' programs to keep youngsters busy and happy as well as beaches where the whole family can play in the waves, snorkel in shallow waters, or just build sand castles until the sun sets over another perfect day. And if you're ready to take a break from constantly watching the budget as well, you'll also find many all-inclusive resorts that leave the worries of "how much is left in the vacation budget?" at the door. So, when it's time to plan your vacation, you'll find excellent family resorts on just about every island.

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