Turks and Caicos

Turks and Caicos

We have been to T&C 3 times.  The first time, in 2007,  we rented a 3 bedroom villa, In 2010, we stayed in a 2 bedroom suite at the Somerset on Grace Bay for a wedding, and in 2013, we rented a 6 bedroom villa.  All were fabulous in their own way! The first villa had a main house and 2 casitas which would not be ideal if you are planning on having small children in the outer bedrooms.  

Above is the first villa, the 2 guest bedrooms are to the right of the pool.  There was a short walkway down to the beach.  2 Kayaks were availble to use as we pleased. It was a beautiful setting, unfortunately this particular villa isn't available at this time, however, the location was perfect for children.  The water was shallow really far out so there was tons of room for non-swimmers to enjoy the water.  It was in the area Chalk Sound.  

The Somerset on Grace Bay was nice as well.  It was more of a condo feel.  Our balcony was very large and had very comfortable outdoor furniture to lounge on and look out at the beautiful view.  The staff was very friendly and accommodating. Check out the website for more pictures of this beautiful resort! http://thesomerset.com

Our last time we decided to rent a villa again because we like the privacy and the feel of being in a home.  This time we stayed in the Blue Mountain Villa.

http://www.villasatbluemountain.com/#the-blue-mountain-experience

The beach was a small walk but very nicely done and very private.

Below is our walk to the beach.  This location on the island has sand however there are many large rocks in the water.  My boys had fun throwing them into the water!  It was wonderful, but not Grace Bay, which is one of the best beaches in the world.                                

Dining

Coco Bistro is my favorite dinner spot! We've been every time and it's always wonderful and super kid friendly.  When you make your reservations ask to sit outside.  It's so beautiful at night under a ton of coconut trees

 We tried Las Brisas this last time and enjoyed it very much! The staff was very friendly and accommodating to the children.  We sat in the pagoda over the water which the children enjoyed and the food was very good.

We also had a chef come and prepare a meal at the villa for us one night.  It was so nice the children could relax and swim while dinner was being prepared.  We were given a menu we could choose from and the chef came prepared and cooked and his assistant served each course and cleaned up when they were done.  I highly recommend this option!

Bugaloo's is a must for lunch! It is an absolute favorite spot.  We just found it last time and it was amazing! It's off the beaten path, outside seating, on the beach.  They were catching conch right outside while we were eating.  Everything was fresh and delicious! The drinks were great too!

Here is link for more information http://bugaloostci.com

Finally, If you are going to scuba dive I recommend using Dive Provo! Every visit we have always used them and they have been all around great to dive with!

http://diveprovo.com

Okay, now I'm ready to go back!!!!

Next blog post

Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands

Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard

We visited in the Spring before it was warm enough to enjoy the beautiful beaches, but it is amazingly beautiful year round! We were here for a weekend and since it was too cold to enjoy the beach it was the perfect amount of time to get to see and do everything else wonderful about the island.  Some restaurants and shops close down in the off-season, but there was nothing I was looking forward to that was not open. 

There are many ways to get to Martha's Vineyard, we drove to Cape Cod and took the ferry into Edgartown.  Once there I had pre-arranged to rent a jeep to get around. 

My favorite place on the island was the Aquinnah Cliffs. You can make a picnic basket (or ask your hotel and they can make one for you) and enjoy a nice lunch or sunset dinner here.  This is a great option if you have children.  It's quite a drive and if you don't rent a car there is a shuttle.  If you are here during a busy season the parking can be a problem, but it wasn't for us.


The Aquinnah Cliffs

 This is the way to shop here with a little one! There are many cute shops and galleries. One of my favorites was the original Vineyard Vines!

We stayed at the Harbor View Hotel. The location was perfect. The service was spot on, the only draw back was the high price for what seemed to be a regular hotel room.  There are some rooms with amazing views and patios but those options weren't available to us at the time. 

Across from the hotel is a nice path to the Edgartown Lighthouse and beaches.

My Favorite restaurant was Among the Flowers Cafe.  The outside patio was beautiful and very kid friendly! We walked from our hotel every morning for breakfast!  Check out their website amongtheflowersmv.com

If you have a chance stop by The Black Dog Tavern.  This is the original spot that created the bumper stickers you see driving around occasionally.  They also have really cute souvenirs of all kinds! 

There wasn't a bad meal the whole weekend!

 

After our wonderful visit, we returned our jeep and caught the ferry back to Cape Cod!  Here's the link on Trip Advisor for more wonderful advice! Hope this helps!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g29528-Martha_s_Vineyard_Massachusetts-Vacations.html

Travelingwithtykes next post.... Turks and Caicos 

Tips for Traveling by Plane

Helpful Ideas for Traveling with Kids by Plane

Age

Birth- 12 months

This in my opinion is the easiest time to travel with children.  They aren't yet mobile and if you are breastfeeding they are usually happy under a nursing blanket.  I felt like when I was on a plane with my little babies that they were safe from germs under there as well.  For those who do not nurse, having a bottle is very important even if it's not during a feeding time.  if your child is particular about the temperature of the milk sometimes the flight attendant can warm up the water for you with their coffee maker, but not all attendants will provide this service.  Once they begin eating solids I'd stick some in your purse to have on hand.

If the baby is a lap child than you can't bring a car seat on the plane unless there are empty available seats.  In the case of no extra seats on the plane they will gate check the car seat for you and you can grab it right when you get off the flight.  My favorite stroller to carry the car seat and baby through the airport and security and onto the plane has to be the Snap n Go.  It's light weight and super easy to fold up.  Which you have to do quite often when traveling by plane.

If there is an empty seat, definitely bring the car seat onto the plane.  It will give you a chance to have 2 free hands at some point and maybe you yourself can enjoy a snack and drink.  It might give you a break which will make traveling so much more enjoyable!

Only bring the amount of diapers you will need plus a couple extra, wipes, and at this stage if there is a blowout, which easily can happen, you will certainly need an extra outfit or two!

1-3 yrs

This stage of traveling is the most challenging! They are mobile now and so curious about everything.  Some like to stand on your lap and push the light button on and off or mess with the air conditioner.  They like to stand up and look at the people behind you.  Hopefully, the person behind you doesn't mind and might even play peek- a- boo with them!  Once they learn that the tray table can come down, some children constantly enjoy messing with it, up and down, up and down! They get really frustrated when during take-off and landing that the tray table must remain in the upright position.  This is the time when you need serious distractions or you may get a tantrum.  

There are many useful distractions that can help in this situation.  Things that have worked for me include:

Tic Tacs

Pez candy already loaded into the dispenser, they can only get one out at a time

Dum Dum suckers

a new toy or one they haven't seen in awhile

(I usually go shopping for a few new small toys they have never seen before just for the purpose of traveling.  A couple of favorites are a small toy phone, keys that make noise when you push buttons, and anything with buttons really!)

The IPAD or mommies phone with pre-loaded apps is such a nice item to have when traveling.  It's become a necessity and can really make the trip so much easier.  Especially if the children don't get this privilege all the time!

In desperate situations you can try to make a puppet out of the barf bag

or look in the magazine and catalogs for animals, there are usually many pets in the Sky Mall magazine.  I did hear that this magazine is going out of business so may not be an option anymore.

I always bring an empty sippy cup on the flight and when the flight attendants offer drinks, they will fill it up with juice for the kids.  I feel like it gives the kids something to look forward to and you don't have to take a drink through security.  You can bring a sippy cup with juice through but they sometimes open it up and test it with something and I don't like that very much.

Hand Sanitizer! Planes are full of germs! 

At this stage we like to bring the forward facing larger car seat and pull it with the Britax Car Seat Travel Cart.  The child can use this as a stroller in the airport and then when you arrive at your destination you have your car seat ready to go and you don't have to carry the car seat around!

4 and up

This stage is much easier.  I usually still bring wipes for clean up and an extra set of underwear, shorts just in case. I usually pack them their own backpack so they can be in charge of their own snacks and entertainment.  Maybe a small bag of legos, a book, an iPad, an empty sippy cup if age appropriate and small snack options and a few pieces of candy!

Sometimes it helps to decide who is going to sit by the window before you get on the plane and don't forget headphones!

These are just suggestions that have worked for us.  I hope they can help!

  

Boston

Boston

One of the best things about this city is how easy it is to get around! Most places can be accessed by walking and I have always felt safe even at night.  There is a subway throughout the city as well.  We took the train from Providence, RI and began our journey taking the subway to Boston Common.  This is where the famous Swan Boats are located.  

 

This is also the inspiration for the famous children's book, Make Way for Ducklings.  

Walking the Freedom Trail is a must to do.  It takes you by Paul Revere's home, Old North Church, Faneuil Hall, and the USS Constitution, site of the Boston Massacre, among many other incredibly interesting historic sites!

Faneuil Hall is fun for the kids as there are usually street performers and if you are there at lunch or dinner time, there is a restaurant from London called Wagamama located here.  Its a Japanese restaurant that offers many noodle dishes that some children seem to love!

"Old Ironsides"

USS Constitution

Really cool to see and the tour was interesting.  Make time to do this! Last I heard they were refurbishing it and it will still be a few more years till it's done so check and make sure before you plan on it.

Dinner in the North End is highly recommended! It's a largely populated Italian area and the food is fabulous!  

Martha's Vineyard is the next post!

Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

The Children's Museum is fabulous here. One of the best I've been to.  If you are here with children it's worth your time!

The Carousels! All of them

The Crescent Park Looff Carousel was our favorite. As you go around you have to try and grab the gold rings.  It's not easy.

The Wright Dairy Farm
This farm is over 100 years old and they sell Cakes, Whipped Cream,  Milk and all kinds of amazing desserts.  It is so wonderful and fresh and the reason why is they use the freshest ingredients and the milk from their own cows.  Kids love visiting because of the cows and chickens.  There is daily milking at 3.
This place is totally unique in its greatness!
Check out the website http://www.wrightsdairyfarm.com

Dining
Federal Hill is an area of Providence with the best restaurants in town. The square here has many restaurants with outdoor seating that are kid friendly.  There's also a unique poultry store here where you can buy chickens and they have the chickens in the back ready to be sold for food! It's kind of interesting for the children and I'd never seen anything like it.  It's worth it to stick your head in and check it out.

Constantino's in Federal Hill

Along the river in downtown Providence there is a restaurant called Hemenway's Seafood Bar and Grill and was a favorite spot of ours.  It has large windows that overlook the river that the children seemed to enjoy.


Near Brown University there is an area called College Hill. This is a great area to explore and your children will enjoy a bite to eat at Johnny Rockets.  Super kid friendly!

If you happen to be here in the Winter there is an outdoor Ice Skating rink downtown.  This was a fun way to spend one of our days.

There is an awesome bike/running trail from Providence that is beautiful especially in the Fall.

Day trips from Providence

Newport, Rhode Island

Less than an hour drive, this was one of our favorite places to go! It was so close we went as often as we could.

Some of our favorite things to do there were:

Sailing- There are sailboats that you can charter 

Eating outside at the Black Pearl

Going to the beach- 

There are 3 beaches in Newport.  We usually went to the first beach called Easton's Beach but also enjoyed beach 2 called Second Beach.  We never made it to the third beach.  I believe it's smaller than the first two. On a hot day in the summer the water was too cold for me, but the kids loved it.

Second Beach had bumper boats and a large blow up slide.

Grabbing an Awful Awful at the Newport Creamery 

This is similar to a milkshake and is not awful!

In Newport, there are Beautiful mansions you can tour that are worth seeing, however, children do not care about the inside of these large old homes.  If you have time away from children I'd suggest visiting them.  The children do enjoy the outside though and there's an awesome trail to explore called the Cliff Walk. I highly recommend this activity with children.

More Day trips from Providence in the next post...

Boston

Martha's Vineyard

Mount Washington Resort in New Hampshire