Turks and Caicos

We just returned from our first family destination vacation and we had a blast!!!  I had booked this trip in November of 2014 at a Beaches resort and it was perfect for our family!  We also traveled with two other families and are all ready planning our next vacation together.  I really enjoyed 24/7 bonding with the kids and hubby!  Work has been crazy the past year since we are down one partner so this was the perfect break we needed!

I think the kids were most excited about the plane ride!  I joked that we could have just scheduled a flight somewhere and come right back :)  This was Chet's first plane ride (and Elsa's 20th+) so when we boarded the plane, I asked if he could look in the cockpit.  The pilot told him to come in and even moved his seat out of the way so he could sit down!  He thought that was pretty cool!

They cracked me up with how interested they were in safety instructions!!

The weather the first few days was not great because of the big snowstorm on the east coast.  But, the kids were excited to swim despite the pouring rain!  I wish I would have taken a picture of us moms huddled under our umbrellas and wrapped in towels, watching the kids swim!

Swimming in the rain…but, on a positive note, they practically had the pools to themselves!!!

The Beaches resort is all inclusive and caters to young kids!  They have sesame street characters out and about.  It took Chet 6 days to warm up to the characters, but by the last day he was excited to see them!

We only booked one excursion and it was amazing!  They took us via catamaran to a reef to snorkel for the first part.  This was Elsa's first time snorkeling and it was a bit wavy and she got a little freaked out.  I think the part that scared her the most was that it was much deeper than the country club pool!  She tried though and I was so proud of her for trying!  Then, from there, they took us to a remote beach for more fun!  Elsa found a crab and we had to dodge iguanas on the sand!

The pool area at the hotel was great!  The kids loved sitting at the bar and ordering Virgin Strawberry Margaritas!  

We alternated spending time at the beach and the pool.  All water activities (hydrobikes, kayaks, windsails, etc) are all included.  Due to the previously mentioned storm on the east coast, the water was wavy, so most of the week we couldn't use the water equipment.  But, we did get out kayaking once.
The kids loved building sand castles and sand tunnels, wave jumping, and looking for sea shells.  Elsa also did snorkeling on the beach with Aaron since it was calmer waters!

We did the oceanfront rooms and it was definitely worth the added cost.  The view was amazing and provided a little break from the sun.  Elsa enjoyed doing her school work out there!

There were so many dining options…we were never hungry!!  The only trouble was that our kids were so exhausted by the time dinner was over, they usually fell asleep!  My only recommendation for this resort would be that they have golf carts offering transportation to guests since the resort is so large and spread out.  We got our workout in just carrying the sleeping kids back to the rooms!  This was the scene most nights after dinner.

We ate at a Hibachi style restaurant as a group one night.  Elsa had fun trying to catch food in her mouth.

Ice Cream was this kid's favorite afternoon snack!

Mario's had these great kid tables and the adults could sit nearby and enjoy conversation!

We ate at Arizona's a few times due to loving one of the servers, Reno.  He was amazing with our kids and the kids loved the food! I don't know why the woman in the background is wearing a down jacket…It wasn't that cold!

Barefoot by the Sea had amazing fish tacos and a great casual dining option for lunch.

The kids keep asking when the next trip is!   I guess that is a good sign that it was full of fun!!