Talk to me about safety at kids clubs at foreign resorts

[Anonymous]

I sent my five year old to a kids' club at a resort in Cancun, and she enjoyed it. They stayed at the kid club area, adults weren't allowed to go in, and the kids couldn't leave without the adult who dropped them off. We were given a pager so that if the kid wanted to be picked up earlier, it would be easy to do. I just told my kid that if she wanted, she could have the staff page me at any time.

In terms of the kids wandering off somewhere, that just wouldn't happen. If you're worried about kidnapping, I think that's super unlikely, as the staff would be held responsible. I think at worst they would be poorly supervised or maybe not treated as well as you might hope, but for your kids' ages, I can't imagine an egregious scenario (and again, the staff want to keep their jobs).

I think it's ridiculous that people wouldn't take advantage of the kids' club on a family vacation, because everyone needs to get some time on their own. However, if my kid wasn't interested in participating, I wouldn't force it.

[Anonymous]

They're usually pretty well run but often will give quite a bit of autonomy to 8+ year olds. At a Club Med, they let 8+ check themselves out (you could request that they not be allowed, but they're not really helicoptering over kids that age.)

[Anonymous]

We left our son at age 14 months at a club in the Maldives for an hour here and there. It was a very small island (the hotel took up the entire island) so I was pretty sure they'd have a hard time stealing him. He loved it and didn't want to leave. It's unusual to have a club that takes kids that young and in diapers--we have hoped for it elsewhere but haven't found it.

We traveled around the world with our son (35 countries) and left him with lots of babysitters, usually hotel housekeeping staff. Sometimes friends of friends of friends. In Boracay we left him with a hotel restaurant waiter for an hour while we went on a boat tour. We thought we could take him with us then when we got to the rendezvous point found out we could not and the waiter offered to watch him. I know almost everyone on here will think we're crazy but we chose to be a bit adventurous and we are all the better off for it. My son (now 2) loves all people and never has separation anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you don't trust your kids? But you are considering just handing them over to complete strangers in a foreign country? Are you serious? This is because you need you time right?

Seriously unbelievable!

How about going to a great restaurant with your kids, talking about the highlights of the day, things they still want to do, order something fun off the menu, go shopping for trinkets and stopping at an ice cream store for desert? This is what I just did, oh yeah I called for massages and they only had room for one so I let my daughter get one (I was in the room) even though I threw out my back. This was her highlight of the trip. Then after the kids went to bed my husband and I shared a bottle of wine on the balcony. Ya know, I put my kids first because I am a parent and we ALL created fabulous memories.

But please enjoy your wine and your time and shuffle your kids off to complete strangers. I am sure they will enjoy it and who knows probably remember it for the rest of their life too. So when you are old, they in return can shuffle you off to complete strangers in a nursing home.

Enjoy lady!

What a dumb post. Just because your kids spend a few hours in a kids club doesn't mean you won't spend time with them while on vacation. Children aren't barnacles.

[Anonymous]

You cannot generalize, OP. It really depends on the "kid zone" manager of that particular complex. I'm from France, and there might be places I would trust my kids in, and a host of others I wouldn't. Just like in this country.
Your best bet is to find reviews and then when you're there talk to the people running the place.