Where should we go for our anniversary with a 4 year-old?

[Anonymous]

We have a big anniversary coming up and want to take a major trip in June. We'd like to take our 4 year-old daughter with us and would probably go for a week or so. Cost is not a huge factor in our decisionmaking. We like hiking and nature, and great food. What do you recommend? All suggestions are welcome!

[Anonymous]

We had a great family vacation on Amelia Island in Florida. There is a Ritz there, but I don't think their kid club starts until age 5. We stayed at the Amelia Island Plantation and had good food (went to Salt at the Ritz for dinner and it was amazing), beautiful nature hikes with the naturalists and our kids LOVED the kids camp which meant we got some alone time during the day. And the counselors babysat for us at night a few times, too.

If cost is no object, I've heard the 4 Seasons in Nevis is out of this world, and we also looked at resorts in Mexico (One and Only) that were amazing but really expensive.

[Anonymous]

What about the Canadian Rockies? Incredibly beautiful, very accessible for a 4 year old, and pretty good food. A week is a nice amount of time to spend up there.

It's not easy to balance great outdoors experiences with great food, so you might have to prioritize one over the other (although of course sometimes the setting can make any meal wonderful).

In the caribbean you can find islands with great food (St Bart's, maybe Antigua) but limited hiking (other than to a beach or two). Other islands, like say Dominica, may have great hiking but less of a high end restaurant scene. Guadeloupe might be worth checking out--I've always wanted to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a great family vacation on Amelia Island in Florida. There is a Ritz there, but I don't think their kid club starts until age 5. We stayed at the Amelia Island Plantation and had good food (went to Salt at the Ritz for dinner and it was amazing), beautiful nature hikes with the naturalists and our kids LOVED the kids camp which meant we got some alone time during the day. And the counselors babysat for us at night a few times, too.

What time of year were you there?

[Anonymous]

British Columbia! Hike and do nature in the more remote areas, and finish up in Vancouver, which has amazing restaurants and all the city edge you would want.

BC really is special.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks so much. I haven't been to BC and the Canadian Rockies. Can you suggest some specific destinations?

We will probably avoid the Caribbean; we love it other times of the year, but have had less positive experiences in the summer. We were thinking of a cruise to the Galapagos but don't want to spend the $5K apiece minimum that it would cost. (So I guess cost is something of a factor!) And I have a fantasy that some babysitting could happen somehow, so a resort or other option that offers babysitting could be very enticing. Sigh. . . . Thanks again for all the suggestions and please keep them coming!

[Anonymous]

Some US resorts within driving distance that have great kids clubs:
Homestead-VA
Greenbrier-West Virginia
They have nature, golf, horseback riding, hiking, falconry, wonderful spas, dress for dinner, fine food.

Seven Springs in PA also has great kids clubs and has more activities. These places worked really well for us when our children [note the plural] were really young. Many friends also used them since the kids programs/babysitting were superb.

[Anonymous]

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, near Charleston in South Carolina. I was blown away when we were there last summer. Both luxurious and kid-friendly at the same time. Great pools, beautiful beaches, lots of nature hikes related to the water, and yummy Low Country cuisine.

[Anonymous]

In the Canadian Rockies, I'd suggest flying into Calgary, and then Banff is about an hour away. I think Lake Louise is another couple of hours west of there (but with lots to see on the way). A lot of people I think use those two areas, and Jasper to the north, as bases to visit the Rockies. Jasper may be too much driving to fit in with a four year old, but even if you don't go the whole way you can drive partway there (the "icefields highway" is quite beautiful).

There's a lot of info. out there on the Rockies-- and in particular I think this would be helpful for planning hikes with a four year old-- http://www.amazon.com/Walks-Easy-Hikes-Canadian-Rockies/dp/1551537036


There are the traditional old school luxury railroad hotels, such as the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and then there are very nice (and very slightly more rustic) Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts, and there are a lot of other options as well (including apts I think). I don't know if any of them offer babysitting though.

[Anonymous]

For BC, if you'd like to have the hope of babysitting, you might try Whistler resort. Yes, it's a resort, but it's remote enough that you can get isolated on the trails if you want, then come back and eat dinner, get a babysitter, etc. if you like.

[Anonymous]

Shop around - the Galapagos might not be as expensive as you think in this market. You can definitly do it for less than $5k apiece, although it will never be a cheap destination.

[Anonymous]

We went to the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch last year and really liked it. It is in a beautiful area, north of Sun Valley, with tons of hiking and other outdoor activities. The food at the ranch was great - 4 course dinners and wine. I don't know the age of the kids programs - our DS was too young, although we did find a staffer to babysit for use once.