We are back from our trip to Grand Cayman: me, my husband and our six month
old baby. It was great vacation and I recommend it to other scuba diving
parents.
We arranged in advance for a babysitter for the week through the
Best Home Care Agency (809)947-2297. I requested (and was given) one
person for the whole week. She seemed reliable, was prompt, and had experience
taking care of babies. Ahead of time we set approximate hours for the entire
week (36 total hours). Once we were there, we changed them around a little
bit, and every day would confirm with the babysitter what time she would be
there the next day.
I think it worked very well and would recommend it to others, especially when
compared to the alternatives: not going, bringing along a babysitter, leaving
the baby with relatives and going without the baby. The babysitting
for the week cost us $7.20 per hour * 36 hours = $259.20. This cost much,
much less than bringing along a babysitter of our own would have. We got to
see the baby as much as we usually do during the week (we both work), and
seeing him every day we didn't worry about how he was doing. And we had a
chance to do the vacation things that we wanted to do. We didn't have to impose on any relatives by leaving the baby with them for the week while we went on
vacation alone. Actually, I felt better about the quality of care that he got
from this babysitter than with any relatives we could have left him with.
(This babysitter had was used to dealing with babies, etc.) Having
one babysitter for the entire week allowed her and the baby to get to know
each other, and made me feel much more secure.
The disadvantages: The babysitter came to our hotel room (a 1 BR suite with
a kitchen, actually), so we couldn't be there by ourselves -- it was kind of
strange to have someone else there when we would pop in and out to shower or
eat lunch. The babysitter gave the baby lots of attention so he got a
bit spoiled and now wants to be held ALL THE TIME. (After a few days back we
are slowly breaking him of this.) Traveling with the baby was a real pain,
especially through customs.
We really liked Grand Cayman. The scuba diving was great; the beaches were
great. Food and restaurants were very expensive though. It was definitely
worthwhile to have a suite with a kitchen so we could eat breakfast and some
lunches and dinners in. We were amazed at how many babies we saw there -- we
thought we would be the only people crazy enough to bring a baby on vacation,
