We had a great time in Sanibel with a 2 year old (and his four year old sister). Easy flight from DC. Pick a hotel that has a good pool.

We had a lovely vacation on Ft Myers Beach in FL staying at the Pink Shell Resort. Sanibel is a short drive away, the gulf is much calmer, they have several great pools for kids and plenty of 2 or even three bedroom suites that you can rent. It was just the right combination of easy and fun.

Best vacation was renting a vacation house in an area we'd never been to and there was lots to explore. We got settled into the house, had a routine. Were able to take day trips to explore the area. What made it so special is we had no particular end-date to the vacation. We stayed until we were ready to come home. Since we've learned that we are usually ready to start home after 10-14days. This was Cape Cod and it was off season.

Anonymous wrote:My DD absolutely fell in love with South Africa when she was 2. I don't know what it is about that area, but we've been three times, and she's cried each time we've left and begs to go on the regular. We're white. We travel all the time. She's almost 4.

Only decent trips with toddler are....

Somewhere close while family keeps kid or

Franklyn D resort in Jamaica where every room comes with a nanny

That's it. Nothing else to say.

And yes I went on a terrible trip with a 2 year old. We both cried most days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with toddlers. There are only trips.

Preach.

Yessir. That is the gospel truth.

With grandparents along (or a nanny, I would guess) it can be pretty close to a vacation. We had a great time spending two weeks in France, most of it in a rented house, with a 16 mo old and my parents. We did bedtime duty and my early-riser mom took care of DS in the mornings so we could sleep in. And would use that time to go get fresh bread and pastries. Winning. Two weeks of sleeping in and having extra adults to chase after our toddler and split cooking with? Maybe it doesn't live up to pre-kid vacations, but it sure beats our usual routine. Just make sure the grandparents involved are actually going to be helpful and that you enjoy spending that much time with them... but I'm guessing if that weren't the case OP wouldn't be considering this.

I'd go somewhere where you can get as much living space as possible with a kitchen, dishwasher, and washer/dryer. Either a house or a big suite in a fancy timeshare resort (there are agencies specializing in renting out the points of people suckered into timeshares), not basic hotel rooms. Where this should be depends on your interests, but I wouldn't go for remote... somewhere with activities within a short drive, to make it easier to leave the kid with the grandparents for certain outings. And proximity to stores for all the toddler necessities you will inevitably forget to bring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with toddlers. There are only trips.

Preach.

Yessir. That is the gospel truth.

Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with toddlers. There are only trips.

Preach.

We loved Beaches Turks and Caicos.
We went there a few days before our son turned 2.

Anonymous wrote:Be prepared for 3 am wake ups on the West Coast. Not fun.

Just did this trip with an intense 2 yr old and that never happened. We had a blast!

There are no vacations with toddlers. There are only trips.

Tahoe lake house w/grandparents but not in April.
Captiva/Sanibel house rental was nice, placid beach, strollerable dining options on Andy Rosse Lane, nice beach house with balcony for nap time, grandma came and had her own room & babysat for us three times (spa + bathing suit shopping, visit to Ding Darling, dinner out.)

Anonymous wrote:The one where we left him/them behind with their grandparents and had a great time together as a couple. Toddlers don't care.

~Mom of four.

AMEN!!

It is your anniversary. Why is your whole extended family going?

Just did a cruise out of Baltimore to Bermuda with our 15 month old this summer. It was great in that there was babysitting on the ship if needed (a nursery set up), food was a non-issue (they were SO GOOD at getting anything we could think of for him), and plenty to entertain everyone. Downside is the small rooms and bedtime. We brought grandma along and had ajoining rooms, so baby could nap in one room while someone hung out with the monitor next door.

Tyler Place in VT