One of the best decisions I ever made was to make sure that my little family took one great vacation every year. This has produced, both for me and for my boys, many of the best memories I’ve ever had, from rock-climbing a waterfall in Costa Rica to our initial forays at learning to surf to snorkeling way too close to a large shark to…gosh, there are too many to mention. This was a GREAT idea.
Along the way, we’ve stumbled upon a few secrets. Thought I’d share them.
- The tourist places are… umm, touristy. This doesn’t mean that tourist places aren’t good places to go; they’re just not good places to stay. This is an important distinction, since tourist places are usually your cheapest flights. Here’s how we get around the crowds: we fly in to a major airport, like Cancun or Puerto Vallarta or San Juan (Puerto Rico) or Montego Bay or whatever…and then we rent a car and drive somewhere between 45 minutes and a couple of hours away from the tourist spot. The advantages are: (a) we still get the cheap flights; (b) we can visit Cancun or wherever if we like; but (c) we’re avoiding the crowds unless we actually want them. Places we’ve stayed include Discovery Bay, Jamaica (90 min. east of Montego Bay); San Pancho, Mexico (45 min. north of Puerto Vallarta), Vieques Island, Puerto Rico (90 min. east, and then a 45 min. ferry ride, from San Juan), etc. Always close, but never too close.
- Rent a house. Unless you’re a very small group, this is both cheaper and vastly more convenient than a hotel. Think of it: if you’re even four people and any child is over 12, there will almost certainly need to be at least two hotel rooms. This is going to run you, what, 250 to 400 bucks a night or more, right? And in a hotel you will go out for every meal. Meanwhile, if you had rented a house: you’ll probably pay between $200 and $500 per night (it’s rarely more than that). You’ll have vastly more space. You’re often right on the water. It’s private. Everyone has their own room. And, significantly, you can eat breakfast and lunch right at the house if you like, and no one has to get ready! The rental houses can be very nice, too. Here are some actual places we’ve rented:
Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Discovery Bay, Jamaica
San Pancho, Mexico
Pool on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico
- Find a “go-to” restaurant. Almost without fail, we’ve found at least one perfect place for a family. This spring it was an epic tacqueria that served fantastic food in a rustic environment (think plastic chairs) for about $5.00 per person. Here’s a picture:
There’s always some cantina or small restaurant like this. We don’t eat every meal there, but we probably take 75% of them at the “go-to” place. Then we might have dinner someplace a little fancier a few nights of the vacation. - Ask the locals. We normally try to get to know some people in the (usually small) town we’re staying in, and they can often help you find good bargains. Once we got to know a local fisherman named Salvan in Jamaica, who showed up later with some lobster he caught and wanted 10 bucks for all of them. He then took Reid and I snorkeling for 20 bucks, about a quarter what it would have cost us using one of the advertised guides (and he took us to a better spot). We’ve gotten ten-dollar surfing lessons, cheap dinners, and more from locals.
- Go beach hunting. Not all of the world’s best beaches are well-known: I love the beach at Tulum, Mexico, but I’m not sure it’s better than remote Playa Grande in the Dominican Republic, or Akumal’s town beach in Mexico, or Playa Espadilla in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Vieques Island, in the middle of nowhere, had three awesome beaches, each with a different flavor. Look around. You might be surprised. Here are a couple of hidden gems:
Playa Grande, Dominican Republic
Red Beach, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico
- Do things. Use the money you’re saving on housing and food to do things. This year, we did the following: snorkeled in a cool lagoon, went to a spa, visited a huge eco-park, donned diving helmets and walked the sea floor, deep-water snorkeled, took a ferry to Cozumel and hung out, shopped for trinkets in Playa del Carmen, cave snorkeled, and visited the ruins at Tulum. It’s worth it to get out there. Here’s a shot of Summer in a diving helmet. Think she’s having fun?
Sea Trek. Xcaret, Mexico.
- Once in a while, a cruise is a great idea. I didn’t think I’d like a cruise, but I do. Essentially, you put your stuff in the closet and move in to your room, hang out by a pool, go to sleep and voila! You’re in the Bahamas. Go back to sleep and presto! You’re in Jamaica. Every day a new spot, something to do. And the ships are sort of fun, anyway. It’s a surprisingly good time.
If you haven’t already caught the travel bug with your family, think about it.
