re: beach vacation with kids

Beaches resorts are the Sandals for families. Turks and Caicos has one which is probably the best beach in the Caribbean. We stayed near one in Negril and walked over one day to see if we thought the kids would enjoy down the road. It looked big and had plenty for kids to do. Plenty of activities. All inclusive is great for a family because it takes the hassle of tipping and paying for everything while you're there away.

You can go to a local travel agent and give them your criteria and let them do the homework for you for free. Then when you decide on a place, you can try to beat their price online or have them beat yours. I've done that for a few international trips.