kokotg Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 The kids are studying Spanish now, and I was thinking it would be fun and motivating to plan a vacation to a Spanish-speaking country a couple of years down the road. Does anyone have suggestions for places they've enjoyed that are kid-friendly (kids are 7, 5, and 3 now, and we're thinking of maybe 1 1/2 to 2 years from now)? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Well, I went to Spain many years ago & it was better than my expectations (which were high). I was mostly in Madrid, but also did trips to the northern coastal areas (San Sebastian is especially lovely), Burgos, Avila, and Granada (the Alhambra is worth the plane fare). Beautiful, wonderful place to visit. I absolutely loved it. Lots & lots of Spanish-speaking practice too. I know it's a bit far (when the US has so many Spanish-speaking countries close by), but it's a grand place to travel. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imeverywoman Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 My kids LOVED Domincan Republic. We went to Casa de Campo. It was a FABULOUS resort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Puerto Rico. First of all, you don't need a passport. Secondly, everyone in Puerto Rico is truly bilingual. (OK, I'm sure not *every* person is bilingual; but it seemed that way.) The signage is in Spanish and English. You can drive a car understanding the traffic laws. It's a great place to try out your Spanish with folks who can understand your English if you mess up and chicken out! I was amazed in the short time I was there how difficult it was to CONVERSE in Spanish even with words I knew perfectly well! I had studied Spanish at the K-, 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-grade levels, but I had never really had to string a conversation together; and it was really hard! Afterwards I was kicking myself saying, "I knew how to say 'tomato' in Spanish!" (or whatever). Plus Puerto Rico has some amazing seafood and amazing beaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 The kids are studying Spanish now, and I was thinking it would be fun and motivating to plan a vacation to a Spanish-speaking country a couple of years down the road. Does anyone have suggestions for places they've enjoyed that are kid-friendly (kids are 7, 5, and 3 now, and we're thinking of maybe 1 1/2 to 2 years from now)? TIA! Costa Rica!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassiemc Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Sounds like fun Gretchen!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Tulum, Mexico. Easy access to three different sets of Mayan ruins, nifty towns, and right next door to the Sian Ka'an biosphere (totally unique ecosystem with Mayan water canals and tiny ancient sites). We had a truly lovely time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Northern Belize. It is so close to Mexico almost everyone speaks Spanish, yet the official language of the country is English. If you like scuba diving you would be happy there, too. www.travelbelize.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 Thanks for the ideas everyone--keep 'em coming! Stacia, I'd love to go to Spain if we can afford it--we'll have to watch and see what airfare does. Reya--Costa Rica was the first thing I thought of (we almost planned a trip there pre-kids, but wound up not going)...I was researching it the other night and kept reading about all the rough, winding mountain roads you have to drive on. I am sort of terrified of winding mountain roads. I nearly passed out when we went to Muir Woods in CA, and I suspect that was tame compared to what I'd find in Costa Rica. I should probably get over it, though. Heights and I are not friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Thanks for the ideas everyone--keep 'em coming! Stacia, I'd love to go to Spain if we can afford it--we'll have to watch and see what airfare does. Reya--Costa Rica was the first thing I thought of (we almost planned a trip there pre-kids, but wound up not going)...I was researching it the other night and kept reading about all the rough, winding mountain roads you have to drive on. I am sort of terrified of winding mountain roads. I nearly passed out when we went to Muir Woods in CA, and I suspect that was tame compared to what I'd find in Costa Rica. I should probably get over it, though. Heights and I are not friends. Costa Rican roads are not for the faint of heart, at least the ones I've seen. (We were south of San Jose, so things might be better up north.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I second Costa Rica. We were there for 5 weeks way before we had any children - it was great!! As far as driving - if you stay in San Jose you could walk or take the bus/taxis and then do tour buses/companies to get to the volcanoes and rainforests and white water raftiing. We opted on a flight to visit the beach - at the time it wasn't too expensive and the 20 minute(?) flight time was preferable to hours of driving over the mountains! (Be warned though - at the time everything had to be weighed and the turbulence was not nice - it was a very bare-boned plane!! When we were there the restaurants were fantastic and very reasonably priced. You may also find a spanish language/cultural immersion program for your family -where you have language instructions in the AM and planned excursions in the PM. I would love to take our kids to Costa Rica some day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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