Romance, Even With Small Children Along

Linda and Brian Singer didn’t let their two young children keep them from a romantic getaway. No, they didn’t leave the kids home or travel with a nanny.

Their secret: booking a first-floor suite in Cancun. “We’d put the kids to bed at 8 p.m., and we had from then on for ourselves. We’d eat dinner out on the terrace, listening to the ocean.” Room service was essential to making the trip a real vacation, Singer added.

Beth Pretty and her husband, Paul Sanz, squeezed in just as much R&R; traveling with their 5-month-old daughter Annabel to the U.S. Virgin Islands. They booked experienced baby-sitters at the resort before they left their Florida home.

Jeannie Rosen and David Sofen managed plenty of vacation romance while in the California Sierra Nevada with their preschooler and baby--without splurging on a luxury hotel or hiring a sitter. Their secret for a romance-on-a-budget family trip: traveling with another family and trading off child-care duties.

Your destination should be:

* Easy to reach: With a baby in tow, you don’t want to drive six hours or change planes twice.

* Near good medical facilities.

* Kid-friendly: A place that touts its children’s program will welcome, not just tolerate, your baby.

Here’s where I wished we’d gone when our kids were in diapers. All can provide experienced sitters:

The Kona Village Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. Stay in a thatched-roof cottage surrounded by fish ponds and beach. Costs start at $425 per night, per couple, including airport transportation, meals and all activities. Call (800) 367-5290.

The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort, 40 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, is the place to hike or ride, as well as play golf or tennis. Book between September and June for activities-included packages. Rates start at $325 per night for a double (children under 6 stay free), including breakfast and dinner. Call (800) 4-ALISAL.

The Pointe Hilton Resorts in Phoenix, Ariz., offers suites and pools, along with mountain trails and sports. Kids can play at Coyote Camp. Rates start at $179 per night, per room this fall and can dip to $100 in the summer and early fall. Call (800) 747-7111.

Taking the Kids appears the first and third week of every month.