Other than a week spent in Florida visiting vacationing snowbird grandparents, we’ve never had a real family vacation. So the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort was perfect for me, my husband and four-year-old daughter. Situated on a 1,000-foot stretch of Cable Beach, the all-new resort is popular among families lured by the warm weather, low-key atmosphere and short flight from eastern Canada, which made it an easy four-day getaway. And as much as Charlotte adored swimming in the property’s three pools (one with waterfalls) and meeting other little vacationers, she especially loved spotting the numerous beautifully gowned brides staying at the resort for their weddings.

Why it’s family friendly

• Child safety accessories and cribs are available on request. TVs also have a minimum of one family station like Nickelodeon or Disney Channel.
• For younger guests ages four to 12, the Sheraton Adventure Club, conveniently located right in the heart of the property, has arts and crafts, beach games, movies, swimming activities and more. With large floor-to-ceiling windows, you can keep an eye on your little one (or vice versa) while lounging in the nearby pool. Campers can be enrolled for full-day, half-day or evening sessions from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fees range from $25″“$50 US.
• While the children dine out during the evening session with other kids under the watchful eyes of the club’s counsellors, parents can enjoy a dinner at one of the resort’s six restaurants or try their luck at the nearby Crystal Palace Casino.
• Each of the restaurants feature kid-friendly fare that is pricey but is on par with other resorts in the Bahamas. At the poolside Dolphin Grill, Charlotte insisted on the hot dog (that was almost the length of her forearm) each lunch hour and she happily dug into her giant bowl of pasta at the upscale but welcoming Italian restaurant, Amici, a trattoria on our last night there.
• The resort offers floats, snorkel gear, small kayaks and beach/sand toys on loan.
• Older kids who get to stay up
  later will love the fireside storytelling, stargazing, and especially the “dive-in” family movies that you can enjoy from the pool or in a comfy lounge chair as my hubby did. I listened from the balcony while Charlotte snoozed.

Day trips

• The town of Nassau is a three-mile cab away. As a popular port for cruise ships, there’s plenty of shopping and places to eat. On the way back, visit Arawak Cay. This local spot has dozens of small restaurants with fresh fish, conch and more.
• One of our favourite excursions off the property was a delightful, history-laden guided tour of Nassau with Educulture Bahamas. Led by Arlene Nash Ferguson, the tour ended with her own Junkanoo Mini-Museum. Here we learned about the Junkanoo, a Bahamian festival involving a colourful parade with costumes and music held on December 26 and January 1. We dressed up in traditional costumes and got into the spirit of things, beating drums and blowing whistles while Arlene led the group singing a Junkanoo-inspired version of Happy Birthday to Charlotte, who turned four the day we visited.

Staying there
$1,530 US, four nights (no airfare), double occupancy. sheraton.com