On our six-month trip around the world with our daughter, we visited no fewer than 10 different islands. Which islands did we find most suitable for kids? And which islands have the most activities for kids? We will list the different islands and give our opinion on each one.
Tropical islands with kids
#1 Maldives
This country is known for its beautiful white beaches and that is also the main reason why you should visit the islands with your kids. Maldives beaches are ideal for kids. On most beaches it slopes very gradually, so you can walk dozens of meters into the sea and still only be up to your knees in the water.
In addition, the water is wonderfully warm, so you really feel like you are in a lovely bath with your kids. Because the water is calm, you can easily snorkel and view tropical fish with your kids. If you love a beach vacation with your kids, this island is highly recommended! If you want to know more about this island, read our blog Maldives with kids.
#2 Hawaii
Hawaii is definitely in our top 3 islands that are ideal for kids. We spent almost three weeks on the island of Oahu and had a top time here. The big disadvantage of Hawaii is that it is quite remote. From Los Angeles, it’s another 5.5-hour flight to Hawaii.
Yet the various islands have much to offer. Especially many beautiful beaches and lots of nature. Each island is hugely diverse, making it easy to spend a few weeks hopping from one island to another with kids.
We ourselves spent three weeks on Oahu and had a great time with our daughter. If you want to know more about what you can do in Hawaii with the family, read our blog Hawaii with kids.
#3 The Bahamas
The island of the Bahamas is very touristy and overrun by cruise ships and Americans. Because of this, prices for tours are also very high. This makes sense, of course, because it has to do with supply and demand.
For us, the Bahamas was a necessary stopover because we could no longer fly directly between the U.S. and Cuba. Still, we were impressed with Cabbage Beach. This beautiful white beach is still run by locals, so prices for food, drinks and a beach bed are still relatively low.
Looking at the other islands we have visited, the Bah amas is not super high on our list.
#4 Cuba
Cuba is a vacation country on the rise. Also, the distances between destinations are not super great. The capital Havana is really a fun city to spend a few days with your kids. It looks dilapidated, but we certainly thought it had its charm.
You can make a beautiful itinerary here, taking in lots of culture and ending in the town of Varadero for a wonderful beach vacation. On that note, the beaches in Cuba are also very beautiful and also family-friendly. We only visited Havana and Varadero in Cuba with our daughter, but we definitely want to visit the country again to explore the rest.
#5 Tonga
Tonga is perhaps the most unknown island in this list and is also rarely visited by tourists. Unjustly, we think, as it really has a lot to offer parents with kids. The big disadvantage of this island is that it is so remote. It is therefore best to visit this country as part of a trip to New Zealand or Australia.
Because the country is not yet heavily visited by tourists, tourism is still in its infancy. Because of this, facilities are still a bit lacking. Still, there are plenty of cheap day trips here with kids to beautiful subtropical islands. If you are looking for a special country, where you are one of the few tourists, then Tonga is a beautiful country to visit.
#6 Fiji
The island of Fiji is visited by many travelers as part of a trip to Australia or New Zealand. Therefore, the facilities here are better than a country like Tonga, but the prices are also a lot higher.
From the capital, Nadi, you can use a sort of Hop On Hop Off boat to visit dozens of offshore islands. This includes plenty of islands, where you can find very family-friendly resorts. We have already listed some of these resorts in our blog on Fiji here.
You do come to Fiji purely for the beaches, as there is not much else to visit with kids. If you want to attach a week of beach fun to your trip through Australia or New Zealand, then the island of Fiji is definitely an option.
#7 Samoa
Samoa is near the islands of Fiji and Tonga and is somewhat in the middle in terms of tourism. Opportunities to visit beautiful beaches and islands from the capital are disappointing. However, you can visit beautiful beaches, waterfalls and lakes in a day trip around the island with a rental car.
If we had to choose between the three islands of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, we would not choose Samoa first as an ideal island to visit with kids.
#8 Mauritius
Mauritius is also a wonderful tropical island to visit with kids. Of course you also have beautiful beaches here like on most bounty islands in this list, but we were also able to do a lot in Mauritius together with our daughter. You have some beautiful beaches here that are definitely worth visiting and we found the most beautiful and family-friendly beaches to be: Le Morne Beach, Trois aux Biches and Belle Mare.
It is also cool to visit the La Vallée Des Couleurs Nature Park in Mauritius. We did this with a baby carriage and it was very cool to explore the national park this way. We also visited the island Ile aux Cerfs and went parasailing here. A super cool experience with our daughter.
Another beautiful national park we visited in Mauritius with our daughter is Casela Nature Park. Here we went ziplining. We also visited beautiful waterfalls on the island, which made us really recommend Mauritius for families with kids. If you want to know more about all the activities you can do on this tropical island with the family, read our blog Mauritius with kids.
#9 Seychelles
The Seychelles also definitely belong in the list of tropical islands with kids. You have several islands here that are worth visiting and on these islands you have beautiful and family-friendly beaches that you can visit. We visited the islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue and especially the last two islands are really recommended to visit.
On the island of Praslin, you really have to go to Anse Lazio beach. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever visited with the huge rocks you can find on this beach. On the island of La Digue, you must visit Anse Source D’Argent which is known as the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles.
Besides the beautiful beaches, you can also go to nature parks in Seychelles, despite you should keep in mind that the beaches are the biggest reason, why seychelles is in this list of tropical islands with kids. If you want to know more about what you can do on this island, read our blog Seychelles with kids.
#10 Curaçao
Curacao also definitely belongs in the list of Tropical islands with kids. We found this to be one of the nicest islands we have visited. We visited Curaçao after we had been traveling for 6 months with our daughter and loved seeing a piece of the Netherlands again and being able to shop in a Dutch supermarket.
Curaçao also has beautiful beaches and you have very nice beach clubs at most of the beaches as well, which makes it great to go anywhere for lunch or dinner. We had rented a car here, as we do on most of the bounty islands in this list, and spent over a week exploring the entire island.
You do not have many natural parks you can visit with the family, but if you love beautiful beaches then Curaçao is a top island. Want to know what you can do on this tropical island with kids, read our blog Curacao with kids.
