By Rick Watkins
Think the Caribbean's just for couples? Think again. Virgin Holidays brings you the best family fun you can have in the Caribbean sun.
In times past, the Caribbean may not have been the obvious destination for family holidays - but times have changed. For those hoping to combine a luxurious break with top-end family activities, the region now has a great deal to offer.
Most of the islands, including Jamaica, Grenada, Tobago, Barbados and Antigua, provide child-friendly resorts. The following three areas offer some of the most impressive combinations of high-class accommodation, family-minded facilities and offsite attractions.
Jamaica
The Caribbean's third-largest island, Jamaica also has one of the largest ranges
of family-centered, all-inclusive resorts. Consider, the Beaches
Negril Resort and Spa if you have young children in tow, as it's set on
a superb stretch of beach and provides a number of child-friendly features.
These include a water-park, video games and an onsite kids’ club that
runs supervised activities and sports.
Another all-inclusive hotel, the Rose
Hall Resort & Spa, offers extra attractions for adults, including
a championship golf course and gourmet restaurants, as well as an activity club
for the kids and a private beach.
Not far from this resort, Montego Bay boasts a fine array of restaurants and interesting shops to browse through - pick up handmade leather and carved wood souvenirs at the Craft Market, or high-quality Jamaican paintings at the Gallery of West Indian Art.
Turks and Caicos Islands
If you're looking for something smaller or more exclusive, the Turks & Caicos Islands are likely to appeal. Regular visitors include Sir Paul McCartney, Barbara Streisand and US designer Donna Karan, who owns a villa here. The TCI, as the islands are known, have become an A-list celebrity hangout.
Once you've been there, it's easy to see why. The islands make a friendly and
relaxed destination, which lays claim to the best beach in the world, the white
sands of Grace Bay. This is also where the Beaches
Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa is situated. As well as a spa for the grown-ups,
and no less than 11 restaurants, the resort has exceptional facilities for children,
including a 'Pirate Island' water-park, a video game arcade, a supervised kids'
club, discos for older children and special breakfast buffets for younger children,
featuring live entertainment and games.
Fringed by the world's third longest coral reef, the islands are also a world-class diving destination; a choice of operators can guide you through the shipwrecks and abundant marine life just offshore. More laid-back activities include boat tours to the Mudjin Harbour lagoon and the local flamingos, and visits to the world's only conch farm.
St Lucia
The pretty island of St Lucia is another appealing choice for families, with
several all-inclusive resorts. Almond
Smugglers Cove provides a supervised kids' club for children of all ages,
from toddlers to teenagers, as well as an adults-only pool and an adults-only
restaurant, for child-free time.
The
Coconut Bay Beach Resort has St Lucia's only water-park, as well as kids'
play-areas and pools, and a babysitting service that offers the chance of an
evening out.
St Lucia is also renowned for its rich marine life, and gives you the chance to take the family whale watching - with a remarkable total of 20 local species to spot.
If the Caribbean sounds like the destination for you and your family - find
out about the latest VHOT
DEALS to the Caribbean
Rik Watkins is a freelance travel journalist who regularly writes for Lonely Planet and Rough Guides