Looking for a family travel planner? Need some family travel inspiration? You’ve come to the right place.
I’m Lee, the founder (and for the moment, everything else) of Mango Tree Travel. I’m a mom, a litigator, a cook, a wine lover, a scuba diver, and – maybe above all else – a woman who loves to travel. I live for the anticipation of jetting off to a new place, towards a great sunset at a local restaurant or a view of the Caribbean Sea.
But it’s more than that. I not only love travel, I love family travel planning. When I say this out loud, it confuses people. But I can lose hours exploring travel websites, blogs, and Facebook groups looking for family travel inspiration — even if it’s for your trip, not mine. It turns out, I get equally excited trip planning for other families.
There is nothing more satisfying that coming up with the perfect family itinerary for busy parents who need a break. I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much joy I get from sharing with other parents the hidden gem hotels, restaurants, and activities I’ve discovered in my research. But I am delighted each time a client gets excited about the travel plans I propose.
I created Mango Tree Travel to encourage you – and other busy parents like us – to get excited about family travel. I want to help you find the perfect hotel – the hidden gem – where you (and your kids, of course) can enjoy your next family vacation.
Want to learn more about my travel planning style and the hotels we prioritize here at Mango Tree Travel? Keep reading.
Table of Contents
Caribbean Family Travel Resources
Before we dive in, let’s be sure you have our best family vacation planning resources at your fingertips.
First, did yo know we have a whole collection of recommended family hotels in the Caribbean? I’ll let you in on a secret, it’s sort of our pride and joy.
For those of you who also enjoy the travel planning process, I wanted to make it easier. Find the right Caribbean hotel for your family – with room to fit all your kids – by using the search filters (like room size) we designed just for parents.
Wishing someone else would just handle the logistics for a change? We’re here for that too. We offer bespoke Caribbean family travel planning services. Our specialty? Helping parents narrow down the choices to identify the best Caribbean island and hotel for a top-notch family trip.
And finally, want more Caribbean travel inspiration in your life? Sign up for our weekly newsletter, where we feature a Caribbean destination each month and highlight our favorite hotels and family travel tips. We also share our best family travel tips and resources.
Why I Became A Caribbean Family Travel Planner
I loved to travel before kids and have made it a priority to keep traveling with them. Traveling has shaped their first few years and brought us closer together. That’s a feeling I want to share with others who need family travel inspiration.
Some of our very best moments with our kids have been on family vacations. A multi-family trip exploring Grenada with four 18-month-old babies (chaos, but the best kind).
A family vacation to Cartagena where our 3-year-old surprised us by trying (and enjoying) octopus, and we found two of our all-time favorite hotels (Casa San Agustin and Hotel Las Islas).
A post-vaccination adventure to Bequia in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, where we reconnected after adjusting to life with a new baby, and started teaching our oldest to snorkel.
Even in moments when family travel seemed impossible and totally overwhelming – like in 2021, when we had our second child amid COVID concerns and restrictions – we were determined to find ways to keep it up. For us, it’s just that important. It was a way to feel like we hadn’t lost ourselves in the sea of major life changes.
My Mission As A Family Travel Planner
To Find Awesome Hotels For Families
I want to walk into a hotel and feel a sense of energy at having arrived, while at the same time, a sense of calm, relief, and relaxation. There are so many unique and exciting Caribbean islands to visit with kids, but we don’t gravitate towards the go-to all-inclusive resorts. These have a time and place, and some are great, but more and more I look for small, boutique hotels with character. Hotels that, in their own way, are a destination, rather than just a place to crash.
On family trips, especially with young kids, we tend to spend more time at our hotels – so, these should be places where we want to spend time. That means something a little different for each family and each trip (like is your baby still napping?). For me, that means a hotel with friendly staff, good food (and drinks), some family-friendly amenities, but more than anything, personality: that certain je ne sais quoi that you immediately want to tell your friends about.
But I’ll also admit, as I’ve gotten older and busier – and as the children in my life insist that I get less and less sleep – I also like a nice hotel. I don’t necessarily mean luxury – though there’s a time and a place for that, too. I mean comfortable. We are a family with two parents who work full-time, demanding jobs, and have two small children. When we pile everyone onto an airplane to get away from our daily routine, we need a break, sleep – and maybe even a little pampering – when we get there.
A hotel with kid-friendly staff and thoughtful amenities goes a long way in these circumstances. So, I am on a hunt to find these kid-friendly hotels all across the world, starting with our favorite destinations in the Caribbean. I can’t wait to recommend to them other busy, travel-loving parents.
To Take Something Off Your Plate
If this post resonates with you – if you’re a parent who loves to travel and who also loves a great and unique hotel experience – then I want to hear from you! Get in touch if you’d be interested in writing a guest post about a great (or maybe even not so great) family travel experience. Let me know if there’s a hotel you can’t wait to recommend to other families. And don’t forget to sign up below for travel and hotel inspiration!
3 Responses
Congrats on the new blog! I agree – sometimes I think the travel planning is as much fun as the travel itself. And I definitely hear you about wanting a nice hotel. Luxury travel makes me cringe a little bit, but my nights in budget hotels are behind me. Give me a nice boutique hotel any day!
Welcome to the blogging industry, Lee. I wish you all the best. Just be consistent and persistent.
Very cool blog! I love where you’re coming from with trip planning and finding the perfect spot for a family vacation. Sounds like your family has been to some pretty great spots. Can’t wait to read more!