How to Travel the Caribbean Successfully With Teenagers

By Lisa Kadane

The golden ticket for a great trip for youths means having limited Wi-Fi, an unlimited buffet and a full slate of awesome activities.

Before our family flew to Puerto Rico to catch a weeklong cruise around the Caribbean Sea’s southern islands, we believed the cruise portion of our twoweek holiday would come in second to the time spent exploring Puerto Rico post-cruise. Family friends who were joining us – and bringing their own two adolescents – agreed. All four teenagers rolled their eyes at the mention of the ship’s ‘Teen Club’ and went back to staring at their phones.

But something marvellous happens when we board the ship in San Juan. Without Wi-Fi access (we refuse to pay the high daily rate), the kids soon discover the swimming pool, all-you-can-eat buffet, 24/7 ice cream machine and gym. And when the ship arrives in port, we disembark for teen-approved shore excursions. With no digital distractions and full bellies, the teenagers are totally down to swim, snorkel, take a mud bath and kayak their way around the Caribbean. Here are our top picks for what to do on each island to keep your minors maximally engaged.

IMMERSE IN ST. LUCIA’S VOLCANIC MUD BATHS

At Sulphur Springs in St. Lucia, plumes of steam rise from vents in the ground at the base of the dormant Soufrière volcano. Despite the prehistoric setting, it still takes a bit of convincing to get four teenagers to voluntarily submerge in hot muddy water. Once they’re immersed in the brown sulphurous morass, they revel in the calming and therapeutic experience. (Truthfully, we’d sold the excursion as a ‘hot springs’ visit rather than a ‘mud bath’ soak.)

When we finally emerge, the real fun begins. We decorate each others’ exposed skin with muddy hand prints, war stripes and Jackson Pollock-inspired splatters, before rinsing off beneath a nearby waterfall. Afterwards, everyone’s skin is smooth and flawless and we swear yesterday’s sunburn has been soothed by the healing mineral water.

SWIM WITH STINGRAYS IN ANTIGUA

An excursion to Stingray City, just a 30-minute drive from St. John’s, is a highlight on Antigua. There, in the middle of a shallow pool of turquoise water on the island’s northeast coast, 30 to 40 southern stingrays swim around tourists daily searching for food.

Tour guides show us how to pet their silky mud-brown backs and my 15-year-old daughter holds one in her arms in a ray embrace before feeding it a piece of squid. She stays in the water for over an hour, never tiring of interacting with the gentle creatures. The high from the stingray encounter lasts the rest of the day as we visit Devil’s Bridge National Park to see a natural rock arch and Betty’s Hope, a former sugar plantation.

GO UNDERGROUND IN BARBADOS

Stalactites hang from the ceiling and flowstone appears to pour down the walls deep in Harrison’s Cave on Barbados. The enormous limestone cavern is part of a cave system stretching underground for more than two kilometres beneath the jungle in the middle of the Caribbean’s easternmost island.

UNDERGROUND AT HARRISON’S CAVE IN BARBADOS

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On a tram tour, you can see fragile rock formations that grow a tiny bit every year, plus trickling streams and deep pools of clear water. It’s kind of like the Indiana Jones Adventure ride at Disneyland – minus the snakes and special effects – a comparison most teens will get behind. Plus, you can get off the tram in a couple of spots for photo ops.

SNORKEL THE VIRGIN ISLANDS’ BEST BEACHES

The tiny islands of Tortola and St. Thomas, part of the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, respectively, look like picture-perfect postcards – their pristine white sand beaches fringed with swaying palms beckon sunbathers and snorkellers like a fever dream. Because teenagers really do love lazy beach days, our goal is to show them the best.

SWARMED BY TROPICAL FISH AT COKI BEACH, ST. THOMAS

© Lisa Kadane

On Tortola, we take an open-air taxi to Smuggler’s Cove, located at the west end of the island. The curaçao-coloured bay entices the teens into the water while the competing drink shacks serve cold beer and rum cocktails to the adults. At Coki Beach on St. Thomas, we wade into calm, clear water teeming with yellow and blue angelfish, rainbow-hued parrotfish and iridescent triggerfish. My 13-year-old son marvels as they boldly nibble his fingers, while our daughter dons a mask and snorkel to watch the fish dart around the offshore reef.

GET GLOWING IN MOSQUITO BAY, PUERTO RICO

After the cruise, we spend a few days on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, a stay that culminates with a nighttime paddle on Mosquito Bay. A local tour company drives us to the world’s brightest bioluminescent bay where we board glass-bottom double kayaks. As we glide into the middle of the protected cove under a new moon, each dip of the paddle agitates the tiny dinoflagellates that thrive in the water. They light up like fireflies and then go dark.

KAYAK PUERTO RICO’S MOST FAMOUS BIOLUMINESCENT BAY

© DISCOVER PUERTO RICO

“It’s like stardust!” says our friends’ son, scooping up a handful of glowing blueish-white water, only for it to disappear when he lifts his palm above the surface. My daughter and I splash our paddles to see the pyrotechnic effect and watch the luminous water pass beneath our kayak as though we’re hitting warp speed in outer space.

The spellbinding experience caps off what the teens agree has been a memorable vacation. Though they go back to their old habits when we’re reunited with Wi-Fi, a two-week digital detox definitely encourages family bonding on the land and in the water.