Help with villa or other vacation idea - family of 11

[~Willow~]

Hello! My in-laws have decide to surprise the whole family with a vacation instead of Xmas gifts this year. Needless to say we are very excited! Originally they were looking at the Beaches resort in Turks and Caicos because we will be 8 adults (4 couples) and 3 children (ages 4,2,14months). But the total cost with airfare for that resort was so expensive it was crazy!! So we are back to square one and trying to find a place. We are going the week of Thanksgiving whick narrows that options down as well.

I would love to come back to St. John and rent a villa, but all the villas I found are not kid friendly or they are already booked for that week. Does anyone have any ideas, either for a villa or a resort anywhere in the caribbean for us. At this point, cost is not an option because I'm sure it won't be more than Beaches.

Some things we would like:

If a resort...all-inclusive, kid friendly pool and a playground would be nice, but not totally necessary. Of course, a nice beach is a must. Suite-style room would also be nice.

If a villa...a pool (with a shallow end for kids),
4-5 bedrooms, A/C in bedrooms or great breeze

Thanks in advance for your help!

[liamsaunt]

Have you looked at Great Expectations? It has the bedooms you need, a wading pool for the kids, and even a tennis court!

http://www.greatexpectationsusvi.com/

[pswlrw]

Villa Panache looks gorgeous, seems available and accepts kids! There is even an adjoining bedroom situation which might work well with the little ones.
Cateredto.com.

[gobucs]

Also try www.mclaughlinanderson.com
They have some pretty big houses

[Steve S]

You might like Kabej Patch just over the hill from the Westin. We stayed there in 2006 and I think the layout might work for you - http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/kabej_patch/index.html

[RickG]

We booked our villas for Thanksgiving 2006 12-14 months out. You probably want to get something booked ASAP. We chose to split up into 3 villas to accomodate our 24 people. You may find that approach a bit easier. You can see our trip report in the archives at the links below. I go into some of our villa selection process thinking.

Part 1 http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... light=gang
Part 2 http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... light=gang
Part 3 http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... light=gang
Part 4 http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... light=gang

If your folks start asking all of the typical STJ questions, you may find out Newbie's Guide to STJ helpful. I wrote it in response to all of the questions we got from our family before our trip.

Cheers, RickG

[pswlrw]

Also check out Oceana from Vacation Vistas - looks open.

[PA Girl]

My thoughts on the kid-friendly villa selection process (from a very long prior travelling with a toddler trip report) -

We rented a house that allowed allow mobile children (not all do) and it worked well but it was not particularly kid-friendly. It was decorated with glass topped tables that were just waiting to crack a noggin. Also, it had crank-out, floor to ceiling windows inside and out that had sharp corners right at eye level. Two, double sets of these windows openned into the kitchen (from the other wing of the house) and dining area. This actually ended up being more dangerous to the adults - all I can say is ouch!

The house we rented had a pool, which we all really enjoyed. There was no safety gate or cover. This was not a big deal for us because we watch our son very closely.

The entire patio was tiled. When wet, this made for a very slippery surface. The patio was essentially the only outdoor area for play.

If a pool cover and kid-friendly design of the house in general is important for your family's enjoyment and piece of mind, make sure you really question the rental agent on the subject.

I am not criticizing the villa or the rental agent; I am just mentioning issues that other parents of a toddler might find worthwhile to consider prior to selecting accommodations.

Overall, we were happy with the villa but it was not nearly as kid-friendly as the agent said.

I agree with Rick, book asap.

[wonderlost]

Starlit Escape, www.starlitescape.com is great for groups with kids and big families. 5 bedrooms, pool, , safe decks, big flat grass yard, and nice and cool with fresh breeze.

[rpr4394]

Try Vida de Mar. It's 5 bedrooms and has a big pool - and available for $7500 that week. http://www.vidademar.com

[Gromit]

Another option is to rent 2 houses next to each other. Sometimes that's easier.

[chicagoans]

Hi Willow,

I don't have much to add, but we stayed at Starlit Escape (mentioned above) so you can PM me if you have any questions. (I did a review on the Villa Review section.)

Mostly I wanted to say that your in-laws rock! What a great gift.

[Steve S]

Uhhhh, since Willow posted back in 2007, I hope she had a good trip. Willow, where did you end up going?

[chicagoans]

oops - I didn't notice that this is such an old thread! I think someone resurrected it to give props to a villa (that they are either owners or managers of, I think.) It happens to be a villa I like, but resurrecting an old thread for this purpose is not a practice I'm crazy about.

[pjayer]

LOL! I've been following this thread since it came up and didn't notice the date of the OP. We're traveling with another family this summer and I've been looking for a large villa, so please continue to post suggestions. This will be our first trip trip with anyone other than family, and I'm a bit apprehensive about it right now.