Four Seasons Resort

Location, location, location - the mantra of all buying or selling land. You will be delighted to note that Four Seasons Resort on Nevis, has an enviable spot in the West Indies, with no neighboring hotels to compete for its wide stretch of Pinney's Beach.

Most guests arrive unconventionally at this former coconut plantation. You'll have to get the private hotel "shuttle", a boat that zips 25 minutes across the water from St. Kitts. You can also get a flight from San Juan or St. Kitts.

In case you're thinking the "Kids for All Seasons" is as tightly scheduled as other Four Seasons properties, we believe you'll be happy to know that the schedule here is "loose". General manager, Martin Sinclair, worked with the laid-back atmosphere of this luxury resort to fine tune the program into fun. For instance, Sinclair says they avoid complicated pre-registration policies or set-in-stone schedules. "The think I hear most from parents is that the program is very accessible and simple in how it functions."

And functions it does! High class service is standard. The "Kids for All Seasons" facility is in the middle of the resort, so wherever you are - spa, dining, beach - you're not far from the kiddos.

Fun? Imagine cake baking, croquet, and a supervised lizard hunt, followed by story time in the shade of a palm tree. Can you hear the breeze through the palm fronds? No? Close your eyes...

RESORT INDEX:

• Size: 196 rooms and suites (many recently renovated), a room with two double beds is 560 sq.ft. (the largest in our top 10!)
• Features: child bathrobes; milk and cookies on arrival; free-form infinity pool; babyproofing kits for your room on request; 17 family suites; DVD player in all rooms
• For Mom & Dad: chilled towels and fruit; specialty massages; golf course by Robert Trent Jones II; beachfront restaurant with West Indian cuisine
• All families with children ages 3 to 9 get a Sea Turtle Adoption Kit, with a satellite transmitter by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation to be tracked at home via the Internet; kit also includes a plush turtle toy and treat made by the resort's pastry chef
• Playground has a small general store - kids sized; the "Kids for all Seasons" children's program has a mock pirate ship, jungle tree house, stuffed monkeys adorn the trees