Suggestions for plans with toddler?

[dealic]

We are going to be in Antigua in November and I am trying to figure out a plan. We are cruising for my sister's wedding and Antigua will be our first port after 2 sea days including the wedding at sea. We will have our then 19 month old daughter with us. I am leaning towards a beach day because we figure will a relaxing day between wedding and excursions.

 

So what beach would you recommend for a toddler? I'd prefer to be away from crowds and if there was shade somewhere handy, I'd be thrilled. Or is there something else there that is really great for toddlers that I should consider? Is there someone you would recommend as a driver to the beach? Someone who won't mind be being anal and installing a car seat?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Muumuu]

Anyone have any suggestions as we will also be there this Nov with our 18 month old.

Would like a quiet and shady beach.

[khm1]

There are many beautiful beaches in Antigua. I have 3 kids and went to a great beach for kids the last time I was there (although I was child free for that cruise). It was called Valley Church beach. It may not always be crowd free, but if you walk a ways down the beach, away from the restaurant, you will find natural shade and less crowds. A big bonus are the shells that are there. My DD loves to collect shells! Had she been with me, she probably would have spent her day collecting them!

 

There are chairs for rent and you can order food and drinks from "The Nest". There is even free wi-fi. The water is pretty clam and a beautiful milky aquamarine color. There are plenty of taxis as you leave the ship. I believe there is an official taxi stand there. Make sure you get a certified taxi driver. It is a little chaotic to actually get on a taxi going to the right place. There was a lot of shouting and haggling between the drivers. It was about a 15 minute ride. We had a very nice, polite driver who even returned for us at an agreed time. If you just want to catch any cab back, you can do that too.

 

Make sure that you take a sun shirt for LO and loads of sunscreen. That Caribbean sun is brutal on little kids!

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We went to Valley Church beach. I posted a review of our cruise. We loved it. It was a nice wide beach. It was very relaxed. I liked the soft sand and calm water. There was a little bit of a drop off when you entered the water.

 

Go to this page and you can see my text and pictures for this port.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=38255260&highlight=nest#post38255260

[dealic]

Thanks! This is very helpful!