So happy together

By Staff

updated 7:45 p.m. ET Sept. 28, 2005

Family travel strengthens bonds, renews relationships and only sometimes tests patience. The Caribbean offers a whole host of destinations ideal for traditional mom-dad-and-the-kids trips and multigeneration reunions, as well as getaways where adult children can connect with their parents on a grown-up level.

LIFE LESSONS

Dear Mrs. Carneiro,

Please excuse Alex from school for four days. He is accompanying us on a business trip to Aruba where he will spend his time playing on sugary beaches, swimming,

snorkeling, eating out every night and having ice cream twice a day.

Thanks for your understanding.

-Alex’s mom

Taking the kids out of school for something as indulgent as a family vacation makes me uneasy. But my husband, Gary, and I realize that Alex and Marlie, ages 10 and 6, won’t be kids forever, and when the opportunity for some Caribbean quality time presents itself, we go for it. I scrapped that first note and instead sent one that extolled the trip’s educational aspects — exploring the island’s cultural and natural attractions. Alex’s teacher wrote back her consent, provided he makes a presentation on Aruba when he returns. With the guilt lifted from my shoulders and Alex stoically accepting of his homework, we head off.

After settling into a spacious suite at the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino on Palm Beach, the boys beeline it to the pool. Gary and I stake out lounge chairs amid the Edenic landscape of waterfalls, swaying palms, and exotic flowers and birds to soak up some late-afternoon sun as Alex heads for the water slide. Marlie calls for us to watch and strokes confidently across the pool. I have one of those transcendental parenting “ahhhh” moments as three summers of swim lessons suddenly pay off here in paradise. As the sun slips toward the horizon, the boys move to the beach just steps away, allowing us to relocate to a seaside palapa and cozy up to watch the sun set and their sand castle rise.

The next day, we start our exploration of Aruba early. First stop is the Butterfly Farm where Alex finds himself nose to proboscis with a tipsy technicolored bug. Our guide explains that feeding on fermented fruit intoxicates the elegant but normally skittish creatures, and apparently they’re happy drunks, becoming more agreeable to close encounters with people. Marlie is spellbound as we’re shown the entire life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to cocoon to glorious winged insect. “I think I’ll do my report on butterflies,” Alex announces as a flurry of shapes and colors flutters around him.

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On the rocky and rugged north coast, we visit the California Lighthouse, which stands guard over the northwest corner of the island and its distinctive desert-meets-the-sea terrain populated primarily by cactus and goats. Farther along the north coast, we walk over the Natural Bridge, a 100-foot-long stretch of ancient reef that’s been carved into an arch by the surf’s ceaseless pounding. Big waves roll underneath and rush into a small cove surrounded by a semicircle of beach. “Mom, can I put on my swimsuit?” Marlie asks, and is soon cavorting in the shallow water, entertaining a group of elderly tourists.

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