These Family-Friendly Resorts Are Autism-Certified For Neurodiverse Vacationers

As the parent of three neurospicy kids, including an autistic son who is now in his teen years, it took my husband and me years to feel like we knew what we were doing when we took a family vacation. Stress-free travel with kids always takes a little extra work, but there was a time when our family trips had to be planned down to the most minute detail to make sure our son's sensory needs were met, and everyone in our party had a good time. Just like everyone else, autistic kiddos deserve a chance to make amazing vacation memories that will last a lifetime, and finding a resort with things like quiet spaces and empathetic staff members can make all the difference for families like ours.

That's why I'm so excited to see more vacation destinations taking major steps forward in their effort to create inclusive spaces for all guests while honoring the neurodiversity that families of autistic folks will happily testify makes life all the more beautiful. And that's getting easier with the help of two organizations committed to connecting autistic folks and their families with travel destinations that have been certified as autism-inclusive. Such advances are a long time coming, but it is better late than never.

AutismTravel uses a rigorous certification standard from autism and cognitive disorder certification experts at the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), and Autism Double-Checked uses a three-tier system to certify airlines, hotels, and resorts based on their knowledge and inclusiveness. All power to data! Get ready for some family fun in the sun because we've combed both websites for the best autism-certified resorts for your crew.

If you're in the market for tropical dreams, you can't go wrong with the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory that's part of the Lucayan archipelago that resides in between the Bahamas and Hispaniola. Here, you'll find some of the clearest azure waters on the planet, miles of glittering white sand beaches, friendly faces, and an absolutely magical barrier reef system.

And you'll also find one of the best Beaches Resorts, an all-inclusive resort chain with a special emphasis on autism awareness. The stunning resort features five themed villages and is loaded with family-friendly amenities, including 10 pools, a 12-mile beach, a massive waterpark, an Xbox play lounge, age-appropriate autism-friendly certified kids' camp for all ages, and even a disco for teens. Beaches Resorts also feature Sesame Street activities such as baking, storytime, and art activities, and their Sesame Street locals include the adorable autistic four-year-old Julia.

According to their website, Beaches was the first resort to complete the training process necessary for IBCCES certification with the goal of giving all of their guests the same high-quality experience regardless of their special needs. To achieve this, the resort offers custom dining options, sensory-friendly excursions, and specially designated areas for sensory breaks. Beaches also have staff trained in autism, sensory awareness, social skills, emotional awareness, bullying, communication, transitions, and more. Nannies and one-on-one Beach Buddies are available, and everyone who works with kids at Beaches is IBCCES Certified.

If you're looking for something a little more intimate that still offers autism certification, Beaches Resorts' stunning Jamaican spot offers all the same autism-friendly amenities as the company's establishment in Turks and Caicos. Located in a town called Negril on the western coast of Jamaica, the resort features Pirates Island Waterpark, certified autism centers, Sesame Street Caribbean Adventures, three pools, certified nannies, kids' camps, autism-friendly excursions, and plenty of other fantastic amenities to make your all-inclusive family vacation memorable. Not only is Beaches Negril's kids' department autism-certified, but most of their other staff (including activities staff) are as well.

Recounting her family's experience at Beaches Negril with her 15-year-old autistic son Bennett in Reader's Digest, Lisa Kadane said their experience began with the promise of an easy vacation. "[I]ts 'welcome home' greeting promised a week in paradise that could be as easy as never leaving home," Kadane wrote. The experience was personalized to her son's needs before the family even arrived, thanks to a pre-travel questionnaire where Kadane could share information about Bennett's dietary needs, triggers, abilities, diagnosis, and even his likes and dislikes. 

Kadane said Bennett warmed up to his Beach Buddy pretty quickly and ended up having a wonderful time. "We felt confident waving goodbye to Bennett when he was with Monique because she'd been armed with a cheat sheet — she knew he loves swimming and french fries but dislikes shrimp and waiting in lines," she wrote. Going that little extra can make all the difference.

One of three Legoland parks in North America, Legoland is a unique, imaginative, and interactive California resort with three theme parks and two themed onsite resort hotels, all of which are IBCCES certified. All Legoland staff have been through the training program, so no matter where you're at — hotel room or theme park — you're guaranteed to find sensitive, inclusive staff around you who are ready to help. More to the point, the staff will know exactly how to help.

Legoland California has several quiet spots, including a sensory room on site where guests with sensory needs can get some chillout time, something I know firsthand can be very necessary after the overstimulation of a theme park starts to kick in. Reporting on r/Autism_Parenting, one parent wrote, "I liked the new dinoland sand box play area. Perfect sensory chill spot for us this afternoon." There's also a sensory-sensitive hour that runs from 1 to 2 p.m. daily at the LEGO Ferrario Build and Race. Parents can also pick up a sensory guide on the resort's website that rates attractions on touch, taste, sound, sight, and smell.

It gets better. At a time when Disney Parks are rolling back their Disability Access Services (DAS), Legoland has rolled out an Assisted Access Pass (AAP) program that helps out guests with sensory or other challenges that could make waiting in line for rides and other attractions difficult.

Legoland Florida shares all of the lovely amenities for autistic guests offered by its California sibling. And in addition to a sensory guide for the parks, the Florida resort also features a sensory guide for its hotels, available from the website. The guide includes all of the same five-senses ratings as well as information about low sensory areas, allergy and food information, and where to get noise-canceling headphones, which can be an absolute lifeline for many neurospicy folks.

Guests at Legoland Florida can also pick up social stories from Guest Services upon arrival. If you're not familiar with these, social stories give autistic kids a visual guide that takes them through a process or experience to help them prepare for what's coming. This can be especially important for autistic kiddos who have a tough time with transitioning from one activity to the next.

The resort has three hotels: Legoland Beach Retreat, Legoland Pirate Island, and Legoland Hotel. All of the guest rooms feature a separate sleep area available for kids, something that can be helpful for families whose neurospicy members have sleep issues. And each hotel has a heated pool with soft LEGO bricks kids (or parents) can actually use to build things while they're swimming.

One of the best places to experience an all-inclusive family vacation is the spectacular Riviera Maya, Mexico's gorgeous Caribbean coastline destination. Karisma Hotels and Resorts' Nickelodeon Riviera Maya is an Autism Double-Checked resort that offers extensive specialist services, beginning with an Autism Concierge. This is a special concierge for ASD folks of all ages who understands the resorts' offerings for neurospicy guests and makes it their business to help connect them with resources.

The resort offers a fairly extensive guide for autistic guests with specialized warning triangles to denote topics like crowds, safety, noise, body awareness, waiting, lighting, taste, or smell. The guide covers the hotel's busiest and lightest crowd months and what to expect around the hotel in terms of lighting, crowds, and other sensory needs. The staff also seems to go out of their way to make sure guests with autism enjoy their experience. Writing on Tripadvisor, one parent of a son whose autism requires substantial support wrote, "I chose this resort due to the autism double checked certification ... The staff lived up to this certification and were overall thoughtful."

Like Nickelodeon Riviera Maya, the company's sister resort in the Dominican Republic offers an Autism Concierge that guests can connect with before they leave for their trips. The resort also offers an Autism Passport, which allows guests to outline their needs and sensory issues ahead of their family vacation. That includes making sure your trip is safe and comfortable right down to your mealtime accommodations. And all of this is offered in a stunning area surrounded by golden sand on a resort with the super cool Aqua Nick water park.

One of the things that makes this resort a great destination is how appealing it can be for every member of your family. Yes, there's plenty of kid-friendly Nickelodeon theming, including lots of Spongebob kitsch all over the place. There are also character experiences your kids will most likely appreciate.

However, you get the fun kid stuff here without having to take on the sensory powder keg of a theme park, which can be fairly daunting with a neurospicy crew, no matter how many times you've done it before and lived to tell the tale. As resort rep Frank Maduro told USA Today, "Fortunately, we have plenty of space in the properties where they can carve out quiet time or space for themselves." That space includes things like a decadent spa and a luxurious infinity pool. 

Another Karisma resort, Azul Beach Resort Riviera Cancún features the same Autism Double-Checked certification and amenities as most of Karisma's other resorts. Like most of the Riviera Maya resorts, Azul Beach is an all-inclusive destination. And as part of the Karisma resort family, it connects to the Nickelodeon Experience. Azul Beach Resort also offers a family section and an adults-only section, which means you're going to be surrounded by other families who totally get the stress of traveling with kids rather than hard-partying college kids or honeymooners who have very little chill for your crew's noisier moments.

However, with Azul Beach, you get a higher-tier experience than at some of the other family resorts, particularly in terms of the accommodations. The resort's family suites include a master bedroom with its own hot tub for two, which you totally deserve after surviving the airport with kids — not to mention the rainforest shower head, plush bathrobes, coffee maker, and stocked minibar. The all-inclusive resort package includes all of your meals, including gourmet dining with a decent wine list and adult beverages, a kids' club, a teen club, entertainment, and plenty of other goodies.

Almost all of the Margaritaville resorts and hotels are certified by Autism Double-Checked, including the Margaritaville Island Reserve Resort Riviera Cancún, which has a detailed sensory guide on the Autism Double-Checked site. One of the smaller Riviera Maya resorts, this Margaritaville destination is all-inclusive and includes plenty of family-friendly activities, including excursions, several pools, and a kids' club. The resort also offers dance lessons, yoga sessions, mixology and cooking classes, cornhole, beach volleyball, and kayaking.

As a Karisma resort, Margaritaville offers guests an Autism Concierge who can help make sure their vacation goes smoothly and everyone's needs are met, as well as access to an Autism Passport. If elopement is a concern for your autistic loved one, you can request a door alarm from Margaritaville staff. The resort will also let guests request quiet rooms if needed. Although the resort offers fewer dining options than some of the other Maya Riviera resorts, your Autism Concierge can help you arrange any meal accommodations, including gluten-free options and special dietary requests.

Another great Autism Double-Checked certified Riviera Maya resort from Karisma is Generations Riviera Maya. This is also another one of the brand's higher-end resorts, and it's absolutely gorgeous. What makes Generations stand out is the resort's philosophy about bringing luxury, concierge service, and big extended families together. Per Generations' website: "Generations Riviera Maya was designed for the purpose of providing a relaxed luxury getaway for multigenerational families — from the baby to the baby boomers."

Every room in the resort includes a private indoor hot tub, a free stocked minibar, and a patio or balcony perfect for relaxing and watching the sunset. The resort also features a kids' club for ages 4 through 12 and a Family Lounge equipped with a reading area and library. Guests at Generations can arrange one-bedroom connecting rooms or two- or three-bedroom suites. They can also arrange for special meal accommodations, request door alarms, and set up an Autism Passport or connect with their Autism Concierge prior to the vacation.

As the mom of an autistic kiddo with two otherwise neurospicy siblings, there were many times in my kids' younger years when the idea of a full-blown vacation with all the trimmings just felt too daunting. That was true from a financial perspective, a planning perspective, or both. We lived for short getaways that let us take a break from everything without having to micromanage two weeks' worth of dining and activities. And that's exactly why Great Wolf Lodge is so fantastic for families that need a well-deserved break from juggling appointments and IEP meetings.

If you've never heard of it, Great Wolf Lodge is a super cool indoor water park and hotel all rolled into one. And with 25 resorts across the United States, this is a place you can get away to without having to invest a ton of time or money, which means more dearly needed short-term vacations — especially since Great Wolf Lodge is IBCCES certified. The resort chain even has a surprisingly bulky sensory guide on its website to help make parents' lives even easier.

After once losing my autistic child in the labyrinthine tunnels of St. Louis's absolutely bonkers City Museum, I love that Great Wolf Lodge lets guests opt their kids into RFID bracelets and multicolored wristbands so staff will know their kiddo is neurodivergent and keep a special eye out for them. And that's just the beginning of this resort's stellar autism track record.

If you love the idea of a tropical, autism-friendly vacation but are looking for something a little less commercial than, say, a Nickelodeon or Margaritaville, check out Ramon's Village Resort in Ambergris Caye, Belize. An intimate beachfront jungle resort with thatched roof cabanas, a white-sand beach, and the second-largest barrier reef in the world nearby (not to mention a mysterious blue hole that is perfect for divers), Ramon's is a little slice of heaven on earth that just so happens to be an IBCCES Certified Autism Center. You can also check out a detailed guide to the resort's autism services on Autism Double-Checked.

You're not going to find a lot of the all-inclusive resort trappings here, like a large waterpark or kids' zones. What you will find is a very chill spot to enjoy fishing and water activities in a picturesque backdrop surrounded by helpful staff eager to help with your child's sensory needs. And you can request an Autism Concierge to help make that happen.