Save money – and your sanity – at these all-inclusive resorts.
“Traveling with a toddler isn’t always easy”
The following written content by Allison Tibaldi
Traveling with a toddler isn’t always easy. For every moment of delight or discovery, there’s often a corresponding mood swing or meltdown. Jet lag, changes in routine and even the novelty of a new hotel room can raise the overall stress level for little ones. That’s why the best vacations for toddlers often involve staying at an all-inclusive family resort that caters to toddlers and parents alike.
With accommodating staff, creative kids clubs and activities to stimulate their budding curiosity – plus important extras like travel cribs and nightlights available on request –there’s nothing quite like a toddler-friendly all-inclusive resort to help ease your little one into vacation mode.
Here are the best all-inclusive resorts for toddlers in the U.S. and abroad where the fun is built right into the package price.
1. Flathead Lake Lodge
Bigfork, Montana
Owned and operated by the same family for three generations, Montana’s Flathead Lake Lodge is a back-to-nature dude ranch-style family retreat in the shadow of stunning Glacier National Park. Guests stay for a week at a time at this toddler-friendly all-inclusive resort, which is open from June to September. Horseback riding is at the heart of the experience here, though the crystal-clear lake provides plenty of options for kayakers, sailors and swimmers too.
Supervised programs for toddlers, kids and teens are led by a team of enthusiastic young adults. Toddlers participate in arts and crafts, pony rides and scavenger hunts. Babies are invited to join the fun accompanied by a family member or a trusted local sitter that the ranch recommends. Many toddler activities coincide with adult trail rides, allowing parents to enjoy time in the saddle.
There’s no roughing it at Flathead Lake Lodge and its fully equipped cabins. Meals are served three time each day. Fine wines are poured at dinner. And the lodge will even do your family’s laundry, delivering it back neatly folded.
2. Martinhal Cascais
Cascais, Portugal
Once a summer retreat for Portuguese nobility, the coastal village of Cascais is now home to the Martinhal Cascais, where style and practicality blend into a resort experience perfect for families with toddlers. Guests may book a half-board option that includes a bountiful buffet breakfast and a choice of either lunch or dinner.
Toddlers ages six months to three years are catered to in a supervised kids club with a ball pit and a teepee filled with stuffed animals. Children ages three and older may enjoy sensory-stimulating toys, music classes, puppet shows, painting and pasta-making. Thematic programming during the holidays adds a festive note.
The resort’s Baby Concierge provides useful items such as cribs, door protectors, potty chairs, bottle sterilizers and safety gates. The children’s menu features easy-to-eat favorites and homemade purees for the toothless. After toddlers finish their meal, the play area is stocked with art supplies, wooden blocks and puzzles, plus a childminder who ensures that parents may enjoy a leisurely meal of their own.
3. Beaches Turks and Caicos
Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos
No one does Caribbean family vacations better than Beaches Turks and Caicos. This toddler-friendly all-inclusive resort is located on a pristine stretch of Grace Bay where sugar-white sand and azure waters beckon.
Beaches has an exclusive partnership with Sesame Street. Little guests may participate in activities like Baking with Cookie Monster, Puppet Making with Bert and Ernie and Move and Groove with Zoe and Rosita. Bedtime tuck-ins and parades with Sesame Street characters are a big hit with small kids.
There’s no minimum age for child care at Beaches Turks and Caicos. At the resort’s Kids Camp, certified nannies are all members of the International Nanny Association. There’s a designated infant program for ages zero to two and a toddler program for ages three to four, plus programs for older kids and teens. After-hour childcare is available on demand. Read more from USA Today.
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