We did it again!!! Another family vacation in the books...and we are still married!
Guys, it is no easy task traveling with young kids, but I’ll be damned if I am going to let them cramp my style. Ha.
We chose Bermuda as we wanted something warm/tropical, east coast based for time zone (the kids suck at traveling west), Zika Free and relatively short travel time. Bermuda is the only island Zika free and while there are no direct flights to/from Chicago, 6 hours of travel isn't terrible. While a pretty pricey island, October is end of peak season and there are deals to be had.
A few highlights:
Liv going down the water slide all by herself. This kept her entertained for hours.
Three (3!!) dinner date nights with just my love; a lovely time to reconnect. And escape the kids.
The hotel-The Fairmont Southampton was literally perfect. Tons of kid friendly things-meals, kids play room, kids pool. Plenty of restaurant options. Beyond friendly concierge (Liv especially loved Rachel and would ask for her every morning). Physical dwelling was ideal-2 adjoining rooms, corner Ocean View.
Gray getting his first stamp in his passport - BOOM!
Exploring Bermuda's Aquarium - different than what I expected but pretty cool.
A few lowlights:
Gray waking up in the middle of the night every night screaming. #tiredmama
I guess I forgot to put spf on my lips and had a 2nd degree burn upon returning home. I legit almost called into work sick one day since it looked like I had the herp. When my sis saw me she asked if I got collagen injections…not good.
Our last night we hired a sitter as you'll read below, she let Liv sleep with her iPad (which is a big fat NO-we only bust out the iPad on travels anyways). When we came home from a delish dinner, she was awake at 10:30 PM (!!!) playing with it. In the dark of her room. 2 inches from her face. When we went to take it away, she went bananas. Like exorcist worthy hysterics. For an hour. Until she passed out halfway on the bed, clutching a book in one hand and a cup of milk in the other. Poor girl. Great way to end our trip :/
A few tips:
When hiring a sitter, ensure it is the same one throughout your stay. We had a last minute switcheroo on our final night as the original one was sick and let’s just say, it was no bueno.
Plan out a few things to do in advance- Jon really wanted to go kite surfing and had we scheduled these lessons (yes, plural, three to be exact) I wouldn't have had such a breakdown to be solo with the kids at the pool/beach. I love my kids, but I also tend to worry and get uptight at the thought of taking my eye off one to tend to the other and something terrible happening. Knowing in advance I might have scheduled a sitter or mentally prepared for this nerve wrecking adventure. And brought extra breast milk so I could drink to loosen up. #kidding #amithough?
Call to book your hotel-we got a better deal than what most online reso places were offering.
Let your kids run free at the airport. We let G scoot around on the floor on the monkey mat my sis got us; Liv legit would sprint screaming “running!” through the gates. It was too funny and yes we were those people that didn't give a shit about her running into people who were busy trying to catch their flights. At that point it was about survival...and laughing.
Take some time just for yourself and for you and your spouse- I got a massage, enjoyed some alone time by the pool. Heavenly.
Where should we go in 2018? We’ll take a few short trips over the next 6 months, but need some recs on bigger vacation spots. Thinking Greece (hello my people!!!), maybe Germany as we had hoped to do this year...where else is doable with young kids? Keep in mind we're a little nuts. Ok, I'm a lot nuts.
Xoxo
Niki