Tips for Families

Aruba remains one of the safest and most reliably storm-free Caribbean destinations. With the creation of one water park on De Palm Island and another new park close to Oranjestad, Aruba is even more kid friendly than ever. Most hotels and resorts have well-run children's programs as well as special activities for young guests that include introductions to snorkeling and underwater exploration and supervised participation in other outdoor watersports and games.

Some top kid pleasers include:

• Windsurfing lessons in Lac Bay (best for the over 10 set)
• The Donkey Sanctuary
• The Blue Parrotfish Water Park on De Palm Island (best for tots)
• Morgan's Island water park
• The Ostrich Farm
• The Butterfly Farm
• Miniature golf and paddle boats at Adventure Golf
• Atlantis Submarine
• Snorkeling on any catamaran sail
• Land sailing on the flats near Sourbon

Family Travel Forum (www.familytravelforum.com) regularly prints articles about destinations including Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao and also offers discounts, deals, and trip-planning consultants to guide parents to appropriate vacation destinations for the entire family. Some good books on the market that address specific concerns of traveling with kids are Open Road's Caribbean with Kids (2008) by Paris Permenter and John Bigley and The Everything Family Guide to the Caribbean: A Complete Guide to the Best Resorts, Beaches and Attractions -- Island by Island! (2005) by Jason Rich. Both are available online.