Belize vs Turks & Caicos: which one is better for young families

[canto2010]

Hi guys,

I need your advice which one is better place for families with young children. My wife and I have a 4 year old and 18 month old. I am into scuba diving; my wife isnt. Belize seems to have a good mix of outdoorsy things to do on the mainland and then diving off the island in Ambregis Caye. Looks like San Pedro island are quiet and isolated and away from noise.

Turks and Caicos are known for their pristine beaches where my kids could enjoy.

Any suggestions will be highly appreciated.

 

[Streydog]

San Pedro is small but it is not quiet. If you stay a little out of town it calms down quite a bit.

 

[Carlos Danger]

So, like a lot of Caribbean destinations, there are some trade-offs.

Most of the usual spots in Belize (Ambergris, Caye Caulker, or the atolls) will require an additional internal flight on a small puddle jumper from the international airport on the mainland, or extended boat trips; any of which I could see as potentially being stressful for a family with small children. I personally would not stay on the mainland.

Turks is a little different in that the international airport is on Provo, which is developed and arguably more family friendly (Grace Bay, etc). However, the good diving off-shore is more accessible from the opposite southern side of the island, so it is generally more expensive to dive in Provo just due to the distances and logistics, and can also be an all-day time commitment depending on where you go. Grand Turk arguably has the best diving in the BWI, but is located in the extreme eastern part of the island chain and would also require an additional internal puddle jumper flight as well.

In terms of topside atmosphere; San Pedro on Ambergris is compact, less corporately developed, with a more intimate flavor, average beaches, plenty of people, and a lot of golf carts. The energy level in Caye Caulker is much more laid back, and the atolls (Turneffe, Lighthouse, etc.) are very remote, secluded, and idyllic. On the other hand, Provo in Turks is very spread-out with huge beach areas that are full of large hotel/condo complexes. By contrast, Grand Turk is the polar opposite from Provo; very small, sleepy, quiet, w/ excellent diving right off shore, and ultra laid-back vibe. All are great destinations that are well worth visiting, so kind of depends on what you like.

Personally, if I were traveling with a young family, I would probably pick Provo in Turks and stay in Grace Bay. This would probably be the least stressful travel option for your family, but the diving would generally be more time consuming and costly.


Hope this helps.

 

[KathyV]

My preference would also be for Provo and the T&Cs, but be aware that you are likely to experience long boat rides to the reefs from Provo, so less time to spend with family during the day.

Why does it have to be one or the other of these 2 choices, take a look at St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, I think it would offer a nice mix of family and diving activities.

 

[KathyV]

My preference would also be Provo for a family vacation, but be aware that you are likely to experience long boat rides to the reefs so that will cut into the time you can spend with family.

Why does it have to be Provo or Belize? Take a look at St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. It offers a nice mix of family vacation and diving options, @drrich2 took a family trip there recently, see his report at the link below

St. Croix Research Report Aug. 2017

 

[drrich2]

Turks & Caicos Research Notes - Turks & Caicos Research Notes

Regarding Provo, with 2 kids that young, your wife likely won't like you gone on really long boat rides.

As often as little gets ear infections and what not, and one might want access to a doctor and antibiotics (maybe even a hospital?), you may want to explore the medical service availability of destinations you consider.

You been to Grand Cayman yet? Can be pricy (like Provo), but there are ways to mitigate that somewhat.

When our kiddo was around 8 months old, I think it was, I chose Key Largo with ready access to '1st world' healthcare in mind. But it was not a 'beach place.'

Richard.

 

[Damselfish]

Both places (like most) involve compromises, especially if you've got a non-diver and young kids in tow. Not sure either is the best choice right now and it would be worth considering other options too.

Long boat rides to the good stuff from Provo (plus a drive to the dock), and not actually a ton to do there other than the beach and water stuff. Maybe Beaches Turks&Caicos would be good though, lots of things for the family to do and you could mostly dive with them - may not get you the best diving available there I don't know where they go, but would probably take less time out of your day.

Belize is a neat place but it's hard to mix diving and land tours on the same day, or even from the same location. It's a small country, but still a pretty big place way bigger than any Caribbean island. You'll have short boat rides to the local reefs from AC, but it's not so convienient to do the mainland jungle stuff from an island. You could combine things better from someplace down south like Placencia, but you will have longer rides to the diving, and not short rides to some of the inland activities. Generally I think it's better to divide a Belize trip into diving and land parts and stay 2 different places, but that may not make sense for you right now.

 

[diversteve]

You should also consider Zika - both countries have Level 2 Zika status. I'd be concerned about the young one getting bit.There's also a low risk of Malaria in Belize - none in Turks and Caicos that I'm aware of.

The beaches are better on Provo than Belize also - assuming you don't want the additional flight to Grand Turk with the young ones. There's direct flights to Provo from Charlotte if that's a possible connection for you.

Another poster hit it - especially with small kids - you'd wnt to stay near Placencia for the jungle activities - some of which are even from there a long ride - vs. trying to come over from Ambergris which requires a flight/ferry.

Placencia is a pretty quiet little town - my friends have been there diving with Splash Divers. Most of the better dives are longer boat rides out - some an hour or more. So factor that in to the time you'll be gone.

A friend lives in Belize permanently. He said the faster you can get out of Belize City the better.

I'd go to Turks if those are your only two options.
There's a Beaches on Provo that's supposed to be extremely kid friendly. They also have an onsite dive operation that judging from their dive list - dives mostly around Provo (short boat rides - you're back sooner) and occasionally out to French Cay or West Caicos - you will be gone most of the day.

One nice thing about the Beaches is they have sitters even for the very young so you wife can have a vacation also if you're comfortable with that.

It's just very pleasant on Provo and the people are very nice. The captain of the boat we were on told us that when they put an old fax machine out in the trash - they had to put a sign on it so locals would know it was scrap - it sat there a few days till they did.

I doubt there's much crime there vs. some sketchy areas in Belize my friend has mentioned that he stays out of.

hth

 

[diversteve]

I;d consider Richards suggestion of Grand Cayman also - it's as pricey as Provo - has about the same number of kid-friendly things to do - one they might like is the butterfly farm as well as the turtle farm. plus Seven Mile Beach is about as nice as Grace Bay.

For you the dive shops will pick you up at any resort/condo property and you'll easily be back b4 noon most days. Several of the resorts - the Westin, the Marriott Grand - also have Red Sail on-site and for dives in the area they beach the boat to pick you up. Both off-beach (short walk) Suites (Cpmfort or Sunshine) properties also have a dive operation on-site - their boats in the nearby marina.

I don't believe there's any crime there being the offshore banking capital of the Carib. It's also one place I didn't see any bugs - they must spray.

 

[Charred]

There are some good points here on mixing diving and family. As a mixed family (9 year old doesnt dive yet) I will encourage you to very carefully consider the total dive time you are away. If you leave at 8 am when are you back?

A 2 tank dive at some places could get you back at 2 pm. Rushing through breakfast and then missing lunch will likely result in a fight 3 days in...

Compromises are needed and its probably best if you consider non-ideal dive spots with great family vacation potential. I won't pick a place where I won't be back by 1 pm for lunch.

In June, we just got back from Dominican Republic and that worked out very well. We also considered Playa De Carmen and Aruba.

Going to an all inclusive makes it easy to leave people behind, for my family at least.