USVI-On-Line

We are SO VERY excited to be heading down with our almost-4 and almost-6 year olds next month!! It will be our 8th or 9th trip I think, but first with the kids. Aside from the things to keep them occupied on the plane (thank you portable DVD player and headphones), I'd appreciate any tips/tricks/advice anyone is willing to share about what to pack, places to go or not go, things to do or not, lessons learned.

They're not particularly high-maintenance kids and we are pretty laid back parents - have the basics and neat sheet, night lights, beachwear, but wonder about anything you've learned in your travels is a good thing to have around.

What places to eat are good with kids?

Comments on Christy's (or others) babysitting for an afternoon and evening so Hubby and I can hit the town for a few hours and get dinner together? (Planning to return before bedtime to make life easier for everyone.)

Thanks in advance,

Please, please please find the waterproof sunscreen with the highest SPF you can. The lower latitude will be so much more intense than they have ever seen. There are rashguards and other apparel that will also help. Wide brim hats are also helpful. The waterproof sunscreen has its limitations too. Apply it often and liberally.

If you are there when we are (5/21-6/1)we should get together.

JIM

Some quick thoughts from our Feb trip and our upcoming trip with the 4 year old -

I took too many toys. I should have let him pick three favorites and stopped there.

If you are staying at a place with a pool, those audible, ear-splitting door alarms cost next to nothing and are great for night-time peace of mind for me.

Every place we ate (7 out of 8 nights and nearly every lunch) was just fine with kids. Overall, all were welcoming.

If they are fussy eaters .....

Food basics that they can't live without in case you can't find what you want on island!

Hi there
I agree with what everyone else said about high spf. I also make sure our daughter wears a hat while we're at the beach. We live on the East Coast so shes used to playing in rough water. The fact that most of the beachs are on calm waters is a bonus. The first trip she took with us she was five. She is a picky eater so I would feed her dinner before we left the villa and would let her order dessert when we went to a restaurant. They brought it out while we were eating our meals. It worked perfectly. Also, as much as she likes flip flops I always have her in a sandle with velcro straps. I found a nice pair from The Childrens Place that are water shoes but look like a sandle. We also are a carry on only family. We stay in villas so we can wash what we bring. We always over pack and end up not wearing half of what we bring. To be honest we would not go again without taking her. Its become our families favorite place. Have a great time!

We just got back from our 10th annual trip to STJ, always with our kids who are now 6, 4 and 1. this was probably our most enjoyable trip (except for our first one of course, since it was our honeymoon.)

We find it best to hit the beach early, like 9am to noon. Then either go out to lunch or eat back at the house, take a siesta to swim in the pool a bit during the heat of the day before heading back out to a closer beach like Hawksnest or Gibney at 4pm or so until sunset. that way you avoid the real strong sun from noon to 3pm. Then change into clothes at the beach at 6pm & head out to dinner. We usually start out at the easily accessible beaches early in the week until we get into the system (ie Maho bay at 9am means you can park 10 feet from where you set up camp.) By weeks end we were hiking down to honeymoon & solomon on consecutive days. The kids even loved the hike back up in the heat of the day since they could look for geckos. Our 1-yr-old went into the backpack, but your 4 & 6 yos should have no trouble hiking it.

Always put sunscreen on before leaving the house for the beach, much tougher to get it on them once you get there. Don't worry too much about bugs, the salt water heals up any bug bites really fast. Buy your kids each a pair of crocs and they wont need any other shoes for the week.

the house you rent might have sand toys already there, if not just buy them at the drug store for $5 (we actually bought them at skinny legs on our second day.) leave them at the house when you leave.

If your kids dont swim well, bring a cheap inflatable tube or swimmies in your luggage. no need to pack toys to use at the house as long as you have a pool.

We ate at skinny legs, jakes for breakfast, morgan's mango, banana deck, miss lucy's (sunday jazz brunch), Lime Inn (best meal BY FAR, the kids love Rich), spyglass (great sunset spot over cruz bay.) All those are kid-friendly and have the usual kid menu stuff. don't stress about it, your kids will LOVE it and you'll have a great time. enjoy!

We always bring a big water bottle or bucket that you can fill at the beach and bring back to the car to wash the sand off before getting into the car. Also a quick change of clothing so they can put something clean and dry on in case you want to go to eat, shopping etc, or just to get the wet bathing suits off.

We had a small lifevest (not the orange kind, more like a ski vest) for our youngest (when she was 3, 4 and maybe 5). She wore it all the time. Even though she could swim a bit it was fun for her to bob around and it gave us a tremendous amount of peace of mind. We weren't on edge the whole time...while it doesn't replace supervision, it is so much better than a floatie and we could turn our back for a few moments without worrying.

I will add a couple must have for me. If you haven't traveled on a plane with your kids make sure they have something like a lollipop or gum to chew- so their ears don't bother them. My other must have for all our beach trips is a bottle of baby powder. Keep it in your car when you return to the car apply the baby powder and the then the sand will brush off with ease. Have a great trip.

We traveled with the kiddos to the Caribbean many times when they were little.

We always brought a gift for them to unwrap while they were there. It gave them something to look forward to and once opened -- if we chose wisely -- it kept them busy. This usually meant some kind of Lego toy for our son, some kind of doll or stuffed animal for our daughter.

Blowing bubbles was always a fun (and usually quiet) activity!

TM

Our girls (now 6 and 9) have been going for 3 years now and LOVE it. All restaurants we go to are fine (although we avoid the "fancy" spots with them- ZoZo's, Asolare, etc). Everywhere else is great. Be careful at Skinny's- that store right outside the entrance is toy heaven and there's usually a meltdown because they want ONE MORE stuffed sea turtle They live in rash guards and ball caps. Flip flops get mine just about everywhere, although Keens are great for hiking. The Solomon hike is great for them- as is Peace Hill and they love to scramble around Annaberg. Our 9 year old actually did Reef Bay- down, then up- as a 7 year old- but our little one wasn't so keen on it last year- too young. We always go out on boats with them and has always been great- usually Cap't Brandi and Han with Sail Safaris/Fly Girl. They LOVE both. If you go to Jost make sure to look for Taboo at Foxy's. That dog is my girls' favorite part of the entire trip- they throw sticks for him in the water and they play for hours. You will LOVE going with the kids- we think it's prefect with kids. Have fun!

Many thanks to everyone for your replies, experiences and tips. We are well geared up for the flight and for sun protection, have noted water or baby powder for sand removal, are in the process of trying to find small-sized packable life vests (suggestions are welcome!).

Thanks for thoughts on restaurants too. I had a terrible meal at Lime Inn a number of years ago and have never been back - maybe it's time to give them another chance.

And Jim, our trips will overlap by a couple of days (we leave on 5/26), so it would be cool to meet you!

Still looking for Christy's babysitting feedback if anyone has any.

[quote="SOonthebeach"]Be careful at Skinny's- that store right outside the entrance is toy heaven and there's usually a meltdown because they want ONE MORE stuffed sea turtle quote]

Argh! Our danger spot was that store in front of the Lime Inn.

How many stuffed turtles in your house?

I estimate we have at least 6 and twice as many plastic ones....

Sams Club and BJ's both have nice soft life jackets for kids for 24.99. I also got one from Dicks Sporting Goods, but it was more expensive. Our son 7y/o swims well but when we go out snorkeling far from shore its really nice to know he won't get tired. they are comfy enough that he often wears it while just playing at the beach, then i don't worry if i'm only keeping one eye on him.

also, we stayed at the westin last july and sent our son to the kids club twice, he seemed to like it. they took him swimming, feeding iguanas, video games, arts & crafts. we're not staying there this year, but i just called the westin and asked if non-guests could use the kids club. the lady said yes, but i'm trying to speak with a kids club person directly to confirm this and the fee.

Oh we have at least 8-10 stuffed turtles, 3 mermaids, a few fish, 3-4 iguanas and a few piles of pirate booty/maps/eye patches. We now go to Skinny's and realize we just about have one of everything. Still doesn't stop them from asking for more!

Would love to hear the reply from the Westin on Kid's Club for non-guests. We too have used kids club a lot when we have stayed there- the kids love it- but we want to stay in houses more often now. Would love to know if Kid's Club is still an option. I have no experience with babysitting services, but would love to hear about that as well. Thanks!