The Cayman Islands in the Caribbean have some of the best sand castle making beaches around. The main beach on Grand Cayman is Seven Mile Beach. The white, soft sand, loaded with coral, stretches as the name implies for seven long miles caressing tranquil turquoise waters. Along the beach there are many resorts, shops and restaurants featuring local as well as international tastes.
Another great family activity on Grand Cayman is to visit the Cayman Island Turtle Farm. There are approximately 16,000 turtles living here. The kids can touch tiny baby turtles to huge Green Sea turtles weighting up to 500 lbs. If you want to get up close and personal, you can swim with the turtles. After you have swam with the turtles you can head over to Stingray City to swim with the sting rays. Stingray City is located in the shallow waters off Grand Cayman’s North Sound. Here you can get into the water and hand feed and touch the stingrays. Just be careful to stand clear of their stinger--though it is rare, you can get stung while feeding them.
November on Grand Cayman features a great festival called Pirates Week. The first Pirate Week started on Grand Cayman in 1977 and the festival runs for 10 days. This tradition started to boost tourism in the Cayman Islands and has grown to be one of the great festivals in the Caribbean. Pirates Week is full of fun activities from a mock pirate invasion and parades especially for kids to music and plenty of food for all tastes. There is always something for everyone.
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Puerto Rico is another great island getaway with many great activities for the whole family. Since Puerto Rico is part of the United States, you do not have to have a passport to travel there. This can save a family several hundred dollars in passport fees. There are many direct flights to Puerto Rico making it an easy destination for families with children.
San Juan is great city with many historic sites, white sand beaches, and plenty of things to do for the whole family. When you visit San Juan, be sure to visit Old San Juan, the cobblestone street district with a stone wall surrounding this historic area. It is best to be explored on foot so wear comfortable shoes. You can walk the promenade on the outer border of Old San Juan with great views of San Juan Bay.
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Another great place to visit in Puerto Rico is the El Yunque National Forest which is about an hour drive from San Juan. Here you will find the only tropical rain forest in the US National Parks system. Kids will love exploring the trails to find tiny tree frogs and the endangered Puerto Rican parrot. While there, check out the El Portal Visitors Center to learn many things about this Caribbean rain forest.
The Caribbean Islands have so many great places to visit . When you are ready to plan your family Caribbean vacation, contact me and I can compare the benefits of the many island choices.