usvi-on-line
If you've done STJ with a 1 year old, would you again?
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Need2GetAway
- Posts: 326
- Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:52 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
We did beach vacations when our kids were little, but I was always glad we stayed right on the beach. (We did not do the Caribbean.) I would not feel very relaxed having to pack the jeep everyday for the beach with a small child. I also loved being able to spend some alone time on the beach when my kids were little. With a house right on the beach that was possible (husband or grandparents staying in house for nap time).
I took our (then) 18 month and it worked very well. The beaches are so calm and shallow, that it was very easy to watch her and play in the water with her at the beach. Maho and Francis have really nice, gentle slopes into the water. Hawksnest was great too. We found like others have said that if you keep to the kids' schedule, that works best - everyone up and out to the beach early, back to the villa by early afternoon for nap (and happy/cocktail hour), then out for an early dinner and back to the house for bed. We were almost as tired as her with all the sun and sand.
A few tips, and you will find tons of good ones on the forum: we flew down with her Britax carseat. She slept in it on the plane, it was a pain on the taxi (but I got it installed anyway!) but then we were happy we had it on St. John once we had the rental car. We also brought our own pack-n-play for her to sleep in at the villa. A cheapie umbrella stroller is great for controlling her on the streets of Cruz Bay (narrow sidewalks (if at all), also for getting around the airport, through security, customs etc. You used to be able to roll right up to the plane door, then they would gate check it and have it ready for you on the other side when you deplane. Hope they still do that, it makes it much easier when you've got a lot of carryons and other stuff. Consider bringing a portable DVD player. It can help keep them entertained and in their seat. I would not rent a house without A/C in the bedrooms - really helps naptime to be able to turn on the A/C for both coolness and white noise. Also, I liked the idea of washing off all the bug spray at night and then putting her to bed without all that DEET on her skin overnight - every place we've rented has had leaky screens, so you need A/C to seal up the bedroom and keep out the bugs at night. Finally, bring lots and lots of sunscreen, hats, bug spray. Their skin is so tender to the sun, we must have run through 3 cans of sunscreen in one week!
Good luck, you'll have a great time.
A few tips, and you will find tons of good ones on the forum: we flew down with her Britax carseat. She slept in it on the plane, it was a pain on the taxi (but I got it installed anyway!) but then we were happy we had it on St. John once we had the rental car. We also brought our own pack-n-play for her to sleep in at the villa. A cheapie umbrella stroller is great for controlling her on the streets of Cruz Bay (narrow sidewalks (if at all), also for getting around the airport, through security, customs etc. You used to be able to roll right up to the plane door, then they would gate check it and have it ready for you on the other side when you deplane. Hope they still do that, it makes it much easier when you've got a lot of carryons and other stuff. Consider bringing a portable DVD player. It can help keep them entertained and in their seat. I would not rent a house without A/C in the bedrooms - really helps naptime to be able to turn on the A/C for both coolness and white noise. Also, I liked the idea of washing off all the bug spray at night and then putting her to bed without all that DEET on her skin overnight - every place we've rented has had leaky screens, so you need A/C to seal up the bedroom and keep out the bugs at night. Finally, bring lots and lots of sunscreen, hats, bug spray. Their skin is so tender to the sun, we must have run through 3 cans of sunscreen in one week!
Good luck, you'll have a great time.
Another tip I just remembered - bring, buy, or rent a beach umbrella. Several of the beaches don't have a lot of shade except up under the scrub trees, and that's where the bugs are. Friends brought one of those 3 sided baby beach tents but the sun beating on it made it stifling hot inside and their son was miserable. We've flew down our own (cheap) beach umbrellas in checked luggage several times (before the days of charges for checked bags, now it might be cheaper to rent or buy one there), and they are a real necessity. Everyone in the group takes some time out under the umbrella, kids & adults!
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PatrickMcc
- Posts: 223
- Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:43 pm
- Location: Boston
Wow- this question always seems to strike a chord.
We did Cinamon Bay in 1983 with a 1 and 3 year old and did it almost every year until they were 17 and 14. Although when they were 6 and 9 we switched to condos and houses.
This year we did it again- the girls are now 33 and 30 and we had our 20 month old grandson. They all want to go back .
Hint: When they were preschool Cinamon had the advantage of being beachfront- no packing up the jeep to go to the beach or go home for the nap.
This yeqr we had a nice villa with a pool which we adults enjoyed hanging out at while the young one slept.
So either get beqchfront or a house you like hanging out at.
I would do it again- just hope that your chlld doesn;t hate sand and water.
We did Cinamon Bay in 1983 with a 1 and 3 year old and did it almost every year until they were 17 and 14. Although when they were 6 and 9 we switched to condos and houses.
This year we did it again- the girls are now 33 and 30 and we had our 20 month old grandson. They all want to go back .
Hint: When they were preschool Cinamon had the advantage of being beachfront- no packing up the jeep to go to the beach or go home for the nap.
This yeqr we had a nice villa with a pool which we adults enjoyed hanging out at while the young one slept.
So either get beqchfront or a house you like hanging out at.
I would do it again- just hope that your chlld doesn;t hate sand and water.
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PatrickMcc
- Posts: 223
- Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:43 pm
- Location: Boston
Wow- this question always seems to strike a chord.
We did Cinamon Bay in 1983 with a 1 and 3 year old and did it almost every year until they were 17 and 14. Although when they were 6 and 9 we switched to condos and houses.
This year we did it again- the girls are now 33 and 30 and we had our 20 month old grandson. They all want to go back .
Hint: When they were preschool Cinamon had the advantage of being beachfront- no packing up the jeep to go to the beach or go home for the nap.
This yeqr we had a nice villa with a pool which we adults enjoyed hanging out at while the young one slept.
So either get beqchfront or a house you like hanging out at.
I would do it again- just hope that your chlld doesn;t hate sand and water.
We did Cinamon Bay in 1983 with a 1 and 3 year old and did it almost every year until they were 17 and 14. Although when they were 6 and 9 we switched to condos and houses.
This year we did it again- the girls are now 33 and 30 and we had our 20 month old grandson. They all want to go back .
Hint: When they were preschool Cinamon had the advantage of being beachfront- no packing up the jeep to go to the beach or go home for the nap.
This yeqr we had a nice villa with a pool which we adults enjoyed hanging out at while the young one slept.
So either get beqchfront or a house you like hanging out at.
I would do it again- just hope that your chlld doesn;t hate sand and water.
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wishiwasinthevi
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:33 pm
- Location: Springfield, Illinois