The Single Parent
Create lasting memories with the kids,
but make time for relaxing solo activities
By Michelle Chumbley
Franklyn D. Resort and Spa
Plenty of Jamaican resorts offer supervised clubs, special dining menus and water parks to engage young guests, but single parents sometimes need an extra hand to make their stay as relaxed as possible. Franklyn D. Resort and Spa in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, offers daytime nannies as part of its all-inclusive vacation package.
Assigned to your family only, this trained child care provider helps out with little ones between 9 a.m. and 4:40 p.m., entertaining them at the pool, taking them to organized activities and keeping watch while mom or dad sneaks in a spice-infused body scrub or scuba lesson. Babysitting in the late afternoons and evenings runs just $7 an hour, so parents can decide to fly solo or bring the kids along for the Jamaican-owned boutique property's nightly entertainment, from live reggae music to guest dance troupes.
Connect on a cruise
When it comes to kid-friendly vacations, Disney Cruise Line is a mainstay. Play areas transport young imaginations to fantasy lands where they fight pirates and dance with dwarfs, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse are available for shipboard meet and greets. With the little ones occupied, grown-ups have plenty of time to relax by a quiet pool, in an aromatherapy steam room or at a wavefront pub. On two 2,713-guest vessels, Disney Wonder and Disney Magic, these pubs host "singles' mingles" to connect parents traveling solo.
A four-night, round-trip Disney Wonder sailing from Miami on Feb. 25 visits the Bahamas and Key West, FL, with prices from $600 per person. Click here for additional rates and 2015 itineraries.
Find single-friendly resort rates
Supplemental fees often apply when one adult books a double-occupancy room at an all-inclusive property. Velas Resorts has removed this hindrance at two of its Mexico developments, where additional perks include a "baby concierge," a youth club for guests ages 5 to 12 and suites with plasma TVs and espresso machines.
Grand Velas Riviera Maya, on the Caribbean's Yucatan Peninsula, also offers eight restaurants, tai chi and meditation classes and a game lounge with foosball and air hockey. On the Pacific coast near Puerto Vallarta, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit boasts a three-tiered infinity pool and a kids' spa with themed treatments, like a Princess Massage using shimmering skin cream.
The information in this story was accurate at the time it was published in January/February 2015.
Please visit Vacations To Go or call (800) 998-6925 for current rates and details.
