Vacation Booked!

Let me first say that this (vacation planning with a child) was harder than I thought. There are so many things to take into consideration when traveling with a baby. Of course I want her to get used to traveling since mommy and daddy love to do so. We did not want to let Miss G stop us from traveling and the sooner she gets exposed the better. Plus everyone needs a vacation at least once a year and starting a summer vacation tradition is just the perfect excuse! We definitely wanted to do a beach vacation. We do one every year except last since I was pregnant and I'm dying to be laying out with my feet in the sand drinking a coctail.....and playing with G. Unfortunately I did not get Gabriella's passport earlier and by the time we actually considered an international trip it was a little too late and I did not want to stress over the passport arriving on time. Therefore we considered Puerto Rico, SanDiego,  Hawaii and Florida. I know I said I did NOT want to go to Florida but that is what suited us the best.

Puerto Rico was not a perfect fit for a vacation with a baby. It requires you to travel among the island to really get the best experience and there were not a ton of things to do with a baby. El Yunque Rainforest is a popular attraction and it would have been awesome except it probably would not have been the best idea to hike a few miles in very hot weather and a baby:( We decided not to go with San Diego since we've been there before and not necessary the "Caribbean" type beaches we were looking for. We entertained the idea of Hawaii for just a bit, but since we went there 2 years ago and Hawaii is not cheap it was easily discarded plus I did not want Gabriella's first plane ride experience to be for 8+ hours.

I did a ton of research and we ended up choosing to vacation in Naples and Fort Lauderdale/Miami for seven days. We wanted a family friendly destination with nice beaches, shops, dining, and nice resorts. According to my research Naples has beautiful white sand beaches (see the picture above) and is a very kid-friendly town. There is 5th Avenue with tons of shops and dining options and there is a zoo nearby. Captiva and Sanibel Islands are a short distance away and we will check those out too. We are staying at LaPlaya Beach and Gulf Resort and it looks fabulous. The resort is on the beach and it has excellent reviews.

We wanted to venture out a different city in Florida. We thought about Disney, but Gabriella is too young and I'm sure she will ask us to take her in a couple of years anyway. We decided to drive drive south to Fort Lauderdale/Miami and fly out of there. We'll be staying at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale. Although Miami is known for their nighlife there is plenty to do with the kiddos. We are planning to go to the Seaquarium, The Butterfly Observatory, maybe a baseball game, and of course have some Kilwins icecream. I also want to grab a bite to eat at Bongo's Cuban Restaurant.

I just booked our vacation yesterday and have to do more research and plan our itenerary. I will of course write a review after our trip which is not until mid-summer. I cannot wait for our first and much needed vacation with Gabriella!