If you are interested in planning a tropical resort vacation with children, this post is for you. Of course, you can go to this resort without children, but this resort chain has the best offerings for little ones that I’ve seen!
For context, at the time of this vacation I had 3 children, ages 5, 3 and 11 months. We traveled with other family as well, so there were 12 of us total, 5 of whom were 10 and under.
I am going to go through the notes I have on the features of this resort and elaborate as much as I can on each one to give the full picture of our experience, in the hopes that it helps you make a decision! If you have been to this resort and have feedback for me, that is welcome- feel free to comment here or message me. Questions on things I didn’t cover are welcome as well, and I can update this post as needed to include things I left out.
Let’s start here:
Why we chose this resort- Once we discovered that the Beaches chain had daycare/babysitting options that didn’t require the children to be potty trained, we had to decide on which one looked the best to us. There are options in Jamaica, and they are less expensive than Turks & Caicos. However, In Jamaica you have to travel much further to get to the resort from the airport. Also, the reviews of T&C location were better at the time that we looked. The T&C airport is also less than 15 minutes from the resort.
Room Accommodations- I did not book the resort for us, so I am not sure of all of the options. We had a room with 2 queen beds, and there was a twin-sized foldout chair in the room as well. That worked out well, because the girls (3 & 5) didn’t have to share a bed. They provided us with a crib upon request. It wasn’t full-sized, but it was fine. If you have the means and if there is availability, I’d suggest a suite where you could put the kids to bed and be in another space, but honestly we were so tired, we just went to bed at 9 pm most nights anyway. There were 2 sinks, a bathtub/shower combo, a closet, a big TV, a mini-fridge and a safe. We were on ground-level, so we had a walk-out sliding glass door with 2 chairs and a table outside, where we hung bathing suits mostly. There were a few resort cats (who they tell you not to touch as they are feral) that liked to cozy up on those chairs, FYI.
Included Childcare– This resort has babysitting built into the cost, and if you’ve looked into pricing it is not inexpensive (IMHO)! If you have no intention of using the services, you could save your money by going somewhere else that doesn’t include it. My advice? Use it. Don’t hesitate. Sign up Day 1. They didn’t advertise it well once we were there; we had to go looking for the info. Even the pamphlets given to us in our room about activities didn’t include anything about Camp Sesame, which I thought was strange. Because the information on how to sign up wasn’t readily available to us, we waited 2 days before looking into it (regretfully). It’s so worth it, though, and the sooner you sign up, the better, because then the ladies there get to know your kids and you feel more comfortable bringing them.
The main kids camp area is in the center of the resort. You will need their passports or a copy of them to sign them up, and then different age groups meet in different locations on site. You will get pamphlets on each age group and their itineraries for the whole week, and you can choose when to send them and when not to based on your own needs or on your kids’ interest in the activities. The main Camp Sesame location is for 3-4 year olds. The 5-7 and 8-10 year-old groups meet close by, but at a different location, and babies who can’t walk yet are actually further away in another part of the resort. That’s annoying if you have multiple kids, but still worth it. They allowed our 5 and 3-year-olds to stay together at the main camp which was nice, because I wasn’t sure our 3-year-old would stay otherwise. When you drop them off, you leave your phone number as well as where you will be within the resort so they can find you if they need to. You will also create a password, and no one will be able to pick up your kids without the password. This was enforced.
Hours of camp are 8am-5pm, and they’ll feed them lunch if you want. If not, you can pick them up from 12-2pm. Then, from 6-9pm, camp is also included at no extra charge! The baby center is closed after 6pm, so the babies get to be at the main camp with 3-4 year-olds, and since they let our 5-year-old stay with them, we only had one drop off point at night. They put the baby to sleep when he got tired, and we’d pick them all up at 9pm and head back to the room. The girls would be amped, and it was past bedtime, but it was worth it. The baby slept terribly all week regardless of if we sent him to camp, so that was just bad luck I think (and teething).
Kids Who Nap– taking your babies to camp for naps can allow them to get better rest without being nap trapped in the room! It’s not like the room is a familiar environment for them anyway. In fact, the only good daytime naps our 11-month-old got were at camp, and it didn’t require us to be nap-trapped! Our 3-year-old napped by the pool or beach every day, which was also lucky for us. I am not sure if there was a place for her to nap during the day at camp, but we didn’t ask. There are lots of umbrellas at the pools and beaches if your child can nap in a crowd!
Private Babysitting- if you would rather your kids not be stuck outside of the room until 9 pm, or if you want to stay out later than 9 pm, the kids camp will provide you with a private babysitter for an extra fee. They can take your kids to a restaurant to eat, back to your room or wherever you want. The only thing they won’t do is take them night-swimming. They need 2 hours notice before you need them, so you don’t even need much planning time! $50 per hour for the first 2 hours, and then $10 per hour after that. Additional children are $10 more each per hour. A private sitter will cover 3 children, so additional children will require another sitter at the same rates. We did not utilize this service, but we would have if we planned to stay out late.
Kid-friendly Activities on Resort- There is a water park at the resort, with 2 large splash pad areas, a pirate ship with small slides, a large lazy river loop and several large water slides (with height requirements). There are some smaller water slides as well. Each village in the resort has its own pool or multiple pools, and many have shallow areas for small children. You are welcome at any and all of the pools! We brought our kids’ pool floaties, which I highly recommend because they do not have them available there. There is a playground, a game room and a video game room. Of course, there are also the activities run by Camp Sesame. All of the pool bars will make virgin drinks for the kids, too!
Beach activities: Sailing and snorkeling are included at no extra charge. Glass-bottom boat tours also available (you must sign up early morning because they fill up fast). Parasailing companies not affiliated with the resort are present if you are interested. They had tubing as well for a charge.
Navigating the Resort– the maps of the resort show that it is quite large, with 4 different villages. This is true, but to me the scale of the maps made it seem more difficult to walk among the villages than it was in reality. They have golf carts that staff can use to drive you among the villages if you need it. When we got there, we realized everything is very walkable, and things were closer than they seemed. There are so many winding paths, that if you’re directionally challenged it will take you multiple days to find your way around. If you’re pretty good with that, you’ll be fine. There are tours daily, and I probably should have taken one! You’ll want to venture all around because each pool and restaurant have different vibes/activities and it’s fun to see it all. I only got a golf cart ride when I was going from one end of the resort to the other with the baby, and they were happy to accommodate me.
Restaurants– there are 21 places to eat, including full restaurants and smaller takeaway places. There are only 3 restaurants where children aren’t allowed, but if you utilize the evening daycare then you can go there too! Those three are the only ones where men need to wear nice closed shoes (no sneakers) and pants (jeans are okay). All other places are resort casual which means shorts and sandals are allowed but they want you to have a shirt on or bathing suit covered if female. There are a few places with buffets and they usually have the same food at each one (with different food themes for different days). You can get takeaway boxes from there if you want to grab food and eat by the pool or beach. The service at many restaurants was slow. We were on “island time,” but still had to be consciously patient sometimes. You can only make reservations for restaurants if your party is 10 people or more, or for the hibachi place where reservations are required for everyone (Pick a night and make a reservation for hibachi ASAP! It’s amazing)! On the nights where we left the kids at camp, we didn’t have enough people to make a reservation and we only waited a few minutes. Just for reference, we went in June. I cannot speak for high volume times like Spring Break.
Nutrition and dietary restrictions: There are so many options for meals, that you can most definitely have your needs met. For actual food allergies and intolerances, the resort will work with you and provide you with options if you are unsure about what is in some of the prepared foods. I was in no way restricting what I ate on this vacation, but there were certainly healthy options available nearly everywhere (except maybe for the pastry cafe!) I knew I would feel better if I made sure to have protein and veggies when possible, and those were almost always available. There is also fresh fruit available all over the resort! My advice to those who DON’T have medical food restrictions is to just eat what you want on this vacation. This is not a time to bring counting to the dinner table. This is not a time to place guilt or pressure on yourself to eat a certain way. Enjoy the cuisine, savor the island flavors and ENJOY yourself!
*First pic is at Bayside Restaurant, 2nd is at Cafe de Paris
I will list the restaurants they have and any input I have:
- Schooners– fresh seafood, nautical theme. Enjoyed the meal overall, fish was overcooked though.
- Bella Napoli– takeaway pizza by the pool! Takes a while, order before you want it.
- Sapodillas (adults only- 16+, resort evening attire)- traditional gourmet fare. We had a delicious, kid free meal here.
- Reflections- Buffet style, family friendly. Can get takeaway boxes and go eat by the pool or beach, or you can dine inside or outside. Daily theme for the menu, food ranged from excellent to meh. There is a kid’s food section in here.
- Arizonas– Southwestern, right by the beach. Delicious buffet that includes burgers, hot dogs, nachos, fries, variety of proteins, taco bar. We LOVED this place for lunch. Dinner had an a la carte menu but we never ate there for dinner, sadly!
- The Jerk Shack– Right on the beach, at the far end of the resort. They had a beach party here with a huge buffet while we were there and it was pretty decent! Had some conch curry and goat curry that was spicy but delish.
- Cafe de Paris– Cute little coffee shop with lattes, iced coffee, hot coffee, tea and a variety of pastries and muffins that changed daily. I went here every single morning for a caramel latte and a pastry, and it was the best way to start the day. Perfect to take little kids as well, because they get up early and you can give them something before heading to a bigger breakfast. My only complaint is the cups are kind of flimsy paper, though they do have lids.
- Guiseppe’s– Italian restaurant- we never went for lunch or dinner, only the breakfast buffet which was delicious and had something for adults and kids. You can get a mimosa there as well.
- Mr. Mac– Mac and cheese truck! It’s right by a few of the pools and the water park, and there are several varieties, plus fried mac and cheese balls. We loved it if we needed a quick meal or to feed the kids before evening camp.
- Curls & Swirls– Milkshake and frozen yogurt truck. Located at the water park, delicious. Only complaint is you cannot suck a milkshake through a paper straw.
- Bobby Dee’s– diner food plus ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy! Can get takeout or eat there. Lots of kid-pleasing food.
- Le Petit Chateau (adults only 12+, resort evening attire)- French cuisine. Sadly, we never made it here for dinner, but the menu looked good! The Sesame Street Character breakfast was located here, which was a standard breakfast buffet.
- Kimonos– Hibachi! Must make a reservation, because the hibachi tables seat 12 or so, so you may be sharing with another group. This meal was DELICIOUS, they can make it kid friendly and they accommodate for allergies. This is a must!
- Soy- sushi! The appetizer and sushi roll portions are somewhat small, so order plenty! Appetizers aren’t really share-size, so each get your own, and I’d say a full meal for me was an app and 3 rolls. They don’t love to make substitutions, but they did for my niece. As a side anecdote, they only had one song that they played on repeat for the entire night and there were multiple resort cats roaming around.
- Barefoot by the Sea- Seafood fare, by the beach, where the floor is all sand and it’s mostly picnic tables. Nice atmosphere, slow service. We came for breakfast which was good, but didn’t go back because we didn’t want breakfast to take so long every day.
- The Cricketers Pub- traditional English fare! Fish and chips were delish, and they have British beers and cocktails like Pimm’s Cup. 18+ years old after 10pm. Karaoke at 10 most nights.
- Mario’s- Italian restaurant with an adorable Medieval-themed kids section with small, fancy tables and Sesame Street Statues. We never ate dinner here, regretfully.
- Bombay Club- They call it “exotic fare-” the menu had Chicken Tikka and Lamb Samosas. We never made it here but it sounded good!
- Dino’s Pizzeria- dine in or take out, wood-fired brick oven pizza, salads, burgers and paninis. Never ate here.
- Bayside- Buffet restaurant, with the same theme as the other buffets, but the atmosphere is amazing. Views of the ocean are just gorgeous, we ate breakfast here several times, complete with mimosas. It’s great for breakfast especially if you’re coming to Key West village to drop your baby off at daycare for the morning!
- Sky- (adults only- 16+, resort evening attire). Sadly, again, we never made it here. It is directly above Bayside and must have amazing ocean views. It’s open for breakfast and dinner, but it’s adults only so we didn’t make it.
- Neptune’s- Seaside seafood restaurant right next to Bayside and Sky. We had a delicious, leisurely dinner here where we each ordered our own appetizer, entree and dessert. Highly recommend.
- Turtles- adults only bar, nice and cold in there. We popped in for a drink before one of our adult dinners and it was good, the staff was nice. No food.
- Le Bar de Musique– tons of good quality spirits, good atmosphere. Connected to the French restaurant.
Alcohol- bars are listed above, plus each pool area has a swim-up bar as well. Alcohol is included in the cost of the resort, and all shelf levels of liquor are included at no additional charge. If you want a drink made with something high-shelf, though, you have to mention it. All liquors aren’t available at the pool bars. When we were there (June 2022), there was definitely a supply issue. They only had 2-3 types of beer, and sometimes had limited amounts of different items at the pool bars especially (for example, sometimes they had champagne and sometimes they didn’t). They ask when you check in what kind of wine you want stocked in your room, and they will stock beer in your room fridge as well. Mixed drinks were made relatively “weak,” but you can ask for doubles.
Butler Service– you can pay extra to have cabanas and chairs reserved for you. They will stock a big yeti cooler for you. We never did this and didn’t find it necessary. We even claimed a cabana a few times when no name was on it, though no cooler was stocked of course. But it is definitely a cool service!
Reserving Pool/Beach Chairs– many people, not with butler service, will put towels or just shoes on chairs to reserve them, and then not show up for hours. Unless there is a sign on the chairs with “Butler Service” and a name, you can use your discretion! We reclaimed chairs sometimes if no one came for over an hour. It’s so silly to claim chairs and prevent others from using them. It’s so hot, most people are in the water anyway! Your group likely only needs 2 chairs to put your stuff on. Don’t be a chair hoarder!
Tipping– gratuity is included in the cost of the resort. You are not supposed to tip the staff, so you don’t need to carry cash. American dollars is the currency on resort, so if you go to the shops you can use it. You can also use credit cards or charge things to your room, even at the stores. Drivers to and from the airport are not resort staff, so they may be tipped (and would appreciate it). The only thing I used cash for was tipping the drivers and buying coconuts on the beach (a guy came by selling them to drink fresh coconut water from, which was a huge hit with the kids). It was also the only plastic straw I saw all week!
Straws- I am all for saving the environment, but all they had were paper straws. In the heat, with cold drinks, they disintegrated and got soggy fast. Some people had brought their own yeti cups or insulated wine cups, but I would have even been happy bringing a reusable metal straw everywhere to use.
Packing Tips-
- Evening Attire: I wasn’t sure if it was going to be necessary to pack a different dress for each night, but I’m so glad I did. Since drop-off for evening daycare was 6 pm, we made sure to go shower by 4-5pm each day, when we normally may linger longer on the beach or at the pool. I was happy to have an evening outfit for each night! Of course, you could always go drop the kiddos without getting ready yourself, but we found that a leisurely adult dinner could take nearly the full time from drop-off to pick-up, so you don’t want to waste time! Our group was big, so that did make meals take longer.
- A note for Men: Even if you don’t need the nice shirt and long pants for meals, it is nice to have some clothes packed so you can get nice photos before dinner! It seemed to be “Golden Hour” each time we showed up to dinner, and we got some great photos during those times. There are 3 restaurants that require long pants and closed-toed (non-sneaker) shoes for dinner.
- Cup/Straws: Insulated cup for drinks, reusable or plastic straws. The cups are somewhat small there and the straws are paper. The takeaway coffee cups at the cafe are flimsy.
- Meds to bring: Tylenol, ibuprofen, cortisone, diaper cream, bug spray and bug bite aid, cranberry pills (if you have a tendency toward UTI), aloe, band aids, chewable pepto, antacids, baby powder/ gold bond. There is a nurse’s office on site as well and a store with meds if you need them. Our baby was teething and another kid had a fever one day, so we were glad to have meds for them.
- Outlets: hair dryers are provided in the rooms. Plugs are standard American outlets, so feel to bring all your appliances and chargers from home without adaptors.
- Footwear: the resort is large, so I would bring at least 2 shoe options for yourself in case one becomes uncomfortable (I brought 5 and felt like I needed 4 in hindsight). There is a lot of walking to be done. I did not bring running shoes and did not need them. I had a pair of Sperry boat shoes, 2 pair of flip flops (one rubber, one leather), a nice pair of thong sandals and a nice pair of slide sandals (the slides, thongs and leather flops were for evenings). That was all I needed, personally. My nice thong sandals hurt me the first night, though, so I never wore them again and was extremely grateful for my Reef slides and Rainbow leather flops.
- Towels: we contemplated bringing our SandCloud towels as they are compact, but we didn’t, and we didn’t miss them. There are towel stations all over the resort that were consistently stocked.
For Kids:
- Stroller: we got by with an umbrella stroller for the 11-month-old. On resort, it was a little flimsy and the wheels weren’t the best, but it was better than having to bring a bigger stroller on the plane. I read that you can rent strollers there, so I recommend looking into that once you’re there in case theirs are better.
- Pool Floaties: they don’t have them there. If your child is not independent with swimming, bring them! They were the MVP of vacation.
- Sunscreen: the sun is strong in the islands, and sunscreen is expensive on vacation. Bring enough!
- Rash Guards/Hats: These were helpful to reduce the amount of sunscreen we had to use on them, and for days when they really needed a sun break.
- Beach/pool toys: If you have space in your luggage, some beach toys could be useful! I saw some pool floats out and about, but they seemed to belong to people. They sell some at the store there.
- Sound Machine: honestly, we didn’t really need it. We used the nightlight part, but the air conditioner was loud enough for us. It depends on if you want to drown that out or if your kids need a certain sound.
- Baby Carrier: We chose not to bring our Ergo360 babywearing carrier, because our 11-month-old was pretty big and it was really hot there. However, if that’s easier for you than wheeling a stroller everywhere, definitely consider it!
- Water Cups: We brought our kids’ reusable water bottles from home and were glad we did, though they do have bottled water at the resort and they will stock some in the room fridge for you.
- Small backpack: If you send your kids to Camp Sesame, it could be helpful to have their stuff in a bag. We mostly only sent their water cups, but if there were water activities we did sent their pool floaties. For the baby, we sent snacks (puffs and also fruit in a container), diapers, and wipes, so a bag could have been helpful.
- Small, airtight plastic container: we were so happy we brought this! We did it purposely, so that at the meals we could take some food away with us and then send it with the baby to daycare. We would mostly just cut up fruit from the breakfast buffet and send that with puffs that we brought or Cheerios from the buffet.
- Baby snacks: Puffs, pouches, spoon. Do this if your baby will need something at daycare. Of course, this will depend on their age.
- Pump/Haakaa/Breastfeeding covers: My breastfeeding babe was 11 months old at the time of vacation and my supply was just what he needed at the time. He needed to BF every 3-4 hours or so with meals mixed in. This is obviously very person-specific regarding supply and schedule, but I did not bring a pump. I did bring a haakaa and a bottle in case I pumped milk, but I never used either. I also did not use or even bring a nursing cover. That’s just me, though. There was always something around to use if I felt like I needed it. No one said anything or seemed to care.
- Sesame Street stuff: See below!
Themes- this is a Sesame Street themed resort, so if your kiddos have any apparel it would be great to bring it! You can also look ahead on their website for theme nights (like a white party, for example) and pack accordingly if you want to attend! A real varsity move would be to buy Sesame Street plush characters your kid may beg for while you’re there, because an 11” Abby Cadaby doll is $52 on site, but was $26 on Amazon once we got home. A few times throughout the week, there is a character breakfast that all of the Sesame Street characters attend and they each interact with the kids. It was wonderful, I highly recommend this. You can go to the office or call to schedule once you’re on site- it has a cost and you must be signed up to go.
Family Photo Shoots- the shoots themselves are complimentary, with no obligation to purchase, so pack outfits accordingly! Photographers walk around advertising them throughout your stay, but you can just phone the photo office and schedule one. They do them on the beach and will do however many poses you want. The price (as of 2022) is $22 per digital copy. You just go to one of their offices afterwards on site and can look through all of your photos to select the ones you want to purchase (no obligation). I paid for 7 photos so it was $154 which isn’t bad for a nice photo shoot! If you have little kids, let the office know, because they have photographers that are really good with them!
Sun protection- bring your own sunscreen, and at least one with zinc as a physical barrier. The sun is strong in T&C, and by the end of the week you’re going to be glad you protected yourself from burns. You’ll likely want at least one long sleeve coverup or rash guard, good sunglasses and a hat. Bring hats and/or sunnies for the kids, too, even if you think they won’t wear them. We had to buy a $22 unicorn hat while we were there bc our fairer skinned child really needed it.
Airport transport- shuttles are provided that you can set up ahead of time, and they hold 10 people (we got 12 in with 2 lap children). We tipped the driver bc they’re not resort staff so it was allowed. The airport is less than 15 min from the resort, and we chose not to bring a car seat. We just held the littles and it was fine. Of course, use your own discretion for this.
Covid precautions: Due to Covid, there had previously been an indoor mask mandate at the resort, but it was lifted by the time we went in June 2022. No masks required anywhere on resort. No testing required to enter the resort or return to the U.S. by the time we went, either.
Amenities we did not explore: On the resort, there is a Spa with well-qualified staff. I got a free 10-minute massage by the pool and it was excellent. There are scuba lessons if you want to be certified. There is golfing with caddies available at a cost. There are laundry services on site you may use. There are staff on site certified to work with children with Autism and other neurodivergent needs.
Overall Impression:
This was a great vacation. I loved all of the family time we got with each other and our extended family, and the kids had a blast with their cousins. The food was great overall, and the drinks were flowing. I didn’t feel guilty about sending the kids to some of the camp activities, because they had fun AND it gave us little breaks here and there. I know they say that a vacation with kids is a TRIP, not a vacation. And that is true. You are always ON, always watching, always vigilant. A resort that allows you some moments for adult time, dinners without scolding constantly to stay in chairs or not make a mess, and uninterrupted conversation was such a blessing. Those leisurely dinners without the kids really did make me feel like I was on vacation! As did dropping the baby off at daycare in the mornings after breakfast so we could enjoy the beach with our girls, and the sporadic times we dropped the girls off at camp during the day so we could enjoy the swim up bars even more!
We would go here again, and a huge benefit of that would be already knowing the resort well and not having to learn a new place. The likelihood we actually will return, though, seems slim. With so many places in the world to go, and with the high cost of this resort, it just may not be in the cards for us. But we sure did enjoy it!
The resort website has FAQs not discussed here, so check it out for more info and insight! PLEASE let me know if this post was helpful for you, and if you decide to go to this resort!
