Planning a spring-break trip or an extra-special summer vacation? Think Caribbean and Bahamas. I know, I know. Bone-chilling winter seems the obvious time to travel to tropical islands. That's what I thought, too, until I started working for a Caribbean travel magazine and found out that most of the trips I'd be taking to the area would be between mid-April and mid-December, when the throngs of tourists disappear and prices at island resorts dip as much as 40 percent.

From 12 years of research, I've found that, despite the lower rates, the top family destinations in the Caribbean and nearby Bahamas don't skimp when it comes to service and activities. At Paradise Island in the Bahamas, your family will experience an underwater world full of amazing sights and fun activities that will keep everyone entertained for days.

PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS

Families love Atlantis' Waterscape. Covering 14 acres, it's the world's largest outdoor, open-air aquarium. It has six saltwater lagoons that house thousands of tropical fish; plus three swimming pools with geysers, falls and water slides; a tubing area and an underwater snorkeling trail. Your family can even ogle sharks and barracuda from the safety of a submerged pedestrian tunnel at the Predator Lagoon & Reef. Amid all the poolside action, don't overlook the powdery four-mile-long beach and its abundance of water toys.

Camp Paradise will keep kids ages five to 12 busy with treasure hunts, sand-castle building and marine education programs. The cost is about $30 for a half day from 9am to 12pm, $120 for a full day from 9am to 10pm. Hotel rates may be as much as 20 percent less than they are during the winter high season. Kids ages 17 and under stay free year-round. A meal plan is available and kids under age six eat free when parents are on the plan. The resort also features a Discovery Channel Camp for kids 4-12, Call 242-363-3000.



Sharon Jaffe Dan, a former senior editor at CARIBBEAN TRAVEL & LIFE, writes from her home outside Washington, D.C.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.