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What was your favorite Caribbean vacation and why (1 Viewer)

noleswin

Footballguy
Looking to get away for my aniversary in June and wanna do something in the Caribbean. Not a cruise as we usually take one a year as a family.

 
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Went to Couples Negril with my wife a few years back. Best time of my life. 6 straight days of all you can eat food, alchohol, ganja, and sex. Breakfast in the morning, beach in the AM, volleyball, lunch, pool with swim up bar in the afternoon, afternoon nap, ganja, dinner, dancing and more alcohol at night. Met alot of great people. I wanna go back so badly.

 
We've been to about 8 or 9 different islands, although it's been a few years since we've been back. Loved St. Maartin because we had a bungalow that opened right up into the beach and Aruba is great if you're looking to do a little exploring of the island. Also, the weather is almost always nice in Aruba so you won't be risking a rainy vacation. There's also a constant breeze so it doesn't get so scorching hot on the beach.

 
Havent been to too many islands, but:

Favorite: Caymans. Quiet, relaxing, great beaches and snorkling (SCUBA too if that's your thing)

Worst: Jamaica - Obnoxious/dangerous locals, dirty, crime riddled. If you never leave the resort then Jamaica can be great. But why go somewhere you can't explore a bit IMO

 
Havent been to too many islands, but:

Favorite: Caymans. Quiet, relaxing, great beaches and snorkling (SCUBA too if that's your thing)

Worst: Jamaica - Obnoxious/dangerous locals, dirty, crime riddled. If you never leave the resort then Jamaica can be great. But why go somewhere you can't explore a bit IMO
Did not have this problem.
 
St. Lucia- Beautiful island, nice people, great weather, good food and beer.Worst- Aruba- Dirty, boring, and polluted.
I will second St Lucia. We loved it and it was great. We stayed at Sandals and The Ladera which only has 3 walls. The room is open to the pitons and has no fourth wall closing the room in. I loved Aruba though. I didnt find it boring, dirty or polluted. Was one of our best vacations
 
1A: Excellence Punta Cana in DR. 1B: St Lucia.
Great Resort.I liked Grand Lido Braco in Jamaica as my 2nd.

I don't usually leave the resorts
How does the Lido Braco compare?
It's been a long time since I was there and apparently they changed names but when I was there I thought the room at grand lido was better, we walked righout the back door onto the beach. I can't remember the food but I think Excellence was better. I liked the layout a bit better in Excellence, I think. Grand Lido was 12 years ago... omg
 
I've fallen in love with St. John (and the virgin islands in general). Probably won't venture back to the Bahamas, Jamaica, ect. ever again.

 
Ive been to Bahamas, St Marten, Aruba, and Antigua, but the nicest imo is Turks and Caicos.

Stunning beaches, crystal clear water, great service everywhere you go. Very tranquil. Although its been about 5 yrs and in that time it has been very built up, so it might be more crowded now.

 
My favorite is the French Side of St. Martin/Saint Marteen. We stayed at the Alamanda and loved it.

Jamaica is ny least favorite. It is ok on the Negril side but stay away from the areas where the cruise ships dock as it is bad. I enjoyed the Grand Lido in Negril but that was years ago.

Caymans are the way to go for snorkeling and diving. Stayed at a variety of locations along 7 mile beach.

Turks and Caicos are ok if all you want to do is hit the beach. Not a lot else going on.

 
Ive come to realize that my idea of a carib vacation and most people's idea of a carib vacation are very different as my main interests are outdoor fun, adventure, laid-back vibe, and cheap... my list goes like this...

Belize

Costa Rica

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St Lucia

Water Island (USVI)

Culebra (PR)

St John

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DR (we didnt do Punta Cana)

Turks and Caicos

Jamaica

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St Thomas

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Cayman

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Any cruise

eta - guess i didnt read the OP close enough... Belize was my favorite because we spent half the time in the jungle doing awesome things (cave tubing, swimming holes, ancient ruins, hiking/nature) and half the time on an island (caye caulker) doing awesome things (snorkling, bone-fishing, kayaking). it was also dirt cheap, english was the primary language, currency was based off US dollar, the food was awesome/cheap (local vendors cooked fresh seafood on grills right on the beach), ganja was plentiful and easy to find, and the people were super friendly.

 
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Where and how did you stay in Belize cheap?
Well, we used frequent flyer miles for the flights which certainly helped. In the jungle we stayed at Caves Branch which was like $400pp for the 3-day package (included lodging, all food, and 2 adventures) and was free for kids (they were just young enough - under 9 I think?)... Caye Caulker is just plain cheap. You take a public transportation ferry from Belize City (cheap and a little scary/fun) to get there. We stayed in the upstairs of a kite-surfing shop ($75/nt) which had a big porch with hammocks, incredible view, and about a 20ft walk to the water. You could get freshly caught lobster (killed, cut, and cooked right in front of you) or snapper kabobs with rice, potato salad, and roll every night on the beach for like $10.
 
I've fallen in love with St. John (and the virgin islands in general). Probably won't venture back to the Bahamas, Jamaica, ect. ever again.
Where do you stay?
"villas" on the coral bay side of the island.
staying here next month.Da Raiders is a STJ guru. knows people, ect.
man, that place looks awesome! was at st john last month for the first time and really liked it. didnt realize there were private places to stay? thought the whole island was a park? only thing i didnt like was pretty expensive (im cheap) and that it seemed like you would need a car to get around (taxis are ridiculous).
 
Ive been to Bahamas, St Marten, Aruba, and Antigua, but the nicest imo is Turks and Caicos.

Stunning beaches, crystal clear water, great service everywhere you go. Very tranquil. Although its been about 5 yrs and in that time it has been very built up, so it might be more crowded now.
We've travelled up and down a lot of the Caribbean and have been to T&C twice- only Provo though. IMO and IME, Grace Bay is a beautiful beach and the water is going to great pretty much wherever you go in the Caribbean, but I found it to have the worst of everything else. Suprised to hear it called out as a favorite.
 
June's a nice time to travel to the Caribbean- off-season (lower prices and less crowded), hot but not too hot.

What kind of things do you imagine wanting to do? There's a range of options out there, so it would help to get a better idea of the type of vacation you're hoping for.

also- this kind of thread has popped up a bunch of times before... migth be worth doing a search too.

 
I've fallen in love with St. John (and the virgin islands in general). Probably won't venture back to the Bahamas, Jamaica, ect. ever again.
Where do you stay?
"villas" on the coral bay side of the island.
staying here next month.Da Raiders is a STJ guru. knows people, ect.
man, that place looks awesome! was at st john last month for the first time and really liked it. didnt realize there were private places to stay? thought the whole island was a park? only thing i didnt like was pretty expensive (im cheap) and that it seemed like you would need a car to get around (taxis are ridiculous).
The island is filled with these type of places varying in size and cost. Last time, we stayed in VERY small little "cottage". I think I got 5 nights for $1000. This time, we are dragging the kids with us so we went bigger.Food is expensive, but manageable. Shipping nonperishable stuff helps.

And yes, renting a 4x4 is a must (but completes the adventure bc you can explore the island end to end).

 
Looking to be very lazy and relax. A drink at a swim up pool bar is much more what i am looking for over an adventure. All inclusives look interesting. But if the are is reasonable its not necessary.

 
I've fallen in love with St. John (and the virgin islands in general). Probably won't venture back to the Bahamas, Jamaica, ect. ever again.
Where do you stay?
"villas" on the coral bay side of the island.
staying here next month.Da Raiders is a STJ guru. knows people, ect.
man, that place looks awesome! was at st john last month for the first time and really liked it. didnt realize there were private places to stay? thought the whole island was a park? only thing i didnt like was pretty expensive (im cheap) and that it seemed like you would need a car to get around (taxis are ridiculous).
The island is filled with these type of places varying in size and cost. Last time, we stayed in VERY small little "cottage". I think I got 5 nights for $1000. This time, we are dragging the kids with us so we went bigger.Food is expensive, but manageable. Shipping nonperishable stuff helps.

And yes, renting a 4x4 is a must (but completes the adventure bc you can explore the island end to end).
Yeah, we did a day-trip to Trunk Bay (from Water Island). It was an awesome place, but it kinda sucked driving right past 3-4 awesome beaches with no one in sight only to get to a beach filled with the obnoxious herds from the cruise ships. I gotta think with a car, you can find your own secluded beaches pretty easily. The cheap flights to St Thomas can sorta make up for the other high prices. I assume VRBO is the place to look for the rentals?
 
Looking to be very lazy and relax. A drink at a swim up pool bar is much more what i am looking for over an adventure. All inclusives look interesting. But if the are is reasonable its not necessary.
If I were looking for a cheap/nice all inclusive, Id probably check into Punta Cana. Most of the DR is a like a 3rd-world country, but Punta Cana caters to the Americans.
 
St. Lucia- Beautiful island, nice people, great weather, good food and beer.Worst- Aruba- Dirty, boring, and polluted.
I will second St Lucia. We loved it and it was great. We stayed at Sandals and The Ladera which only has 3 walls. The room is open to the pitons and has no fourth wall closing the room in. I loved Aruba though. I didnt find it boring, dirty or polluted. Was one of our best vacations
I'll also recommend St. Lucia, but I actually liked Aruba more. Sounds like someone had a bad experience there. I stayed in the "low rise" area which was a lot more quiet. We ventured to the "high rise" area a couple of nights and it was a little crowded, but some people might like that. It is not dirty or polluted. There is as much to do there than any other islands that I know of, so I don't get the boring comment either. My favorite caribbean spot is St. Kitts and Nevis. We stayed at the Four Seasons in Nevis and it was by far the best vacation I ever had. It is the samoa to St. Lucia's thin mint.
 
I've fallen in love with St. John (and the virgin islands in general). Probably won't venture back to the Bahamas, Jamaica, ect. ever again.
Where do you stay?
"villas" on the coral bay side of the island.
staying here next month.Da Raiders is a STJ guru. knows people, ect.
man, that place looks awesome! was at st john last month for the first time and really liked it. didnt realize there were private places to stay? thought the whole island was a park? only thing i didnt like was pretty expensive (im cheap) and that it seemed like you would need a car to get around (taxis are ridiculous).
The island is filled with these type of places varying in size and cost. Last time, we stayed in VERY small little "cottage". I think I got 5 nights for $1000. This time, we are dragging the kids with us so we went bigger.Food is expensive, but manageable. Shipping nonperishable stuff helps.

And yes, renting a 4x4 is a must (but completes the adventure bc you can explore the island end to end).
Yeah, we did a day-trip to Trunk Bay (from Water Island). It was an awesome place, but it kinda sucked driving right past 3-4 awesome beaches with no one in sight only to get to a beach filled with the obnoxious herds from the cruise ships. I gotta think with a car, you can find your own secluded beaches pretty easily. The cheap flights to St Thomas can sorta make up for the other high prices. I assume VRBO is the place to look for the rentals?
Yea, Trunk is the place to avoid on cruise ship days. Laid back is the key to that place and crowds kill that buzz.Flights suck nowadays it seems. Lots of airlines trimmed their flights back.

As for houses, YES, VRBO is key. Also, the tripadvisor forums for first hand recommendations/reports.

 
I think the OP said no kids, but with kids Atlantis is pretty awesome (for a resort trip). Huge property, tons of things to keep you busy and you never feel trapped on a resort bc it is so huge.

 
Ive been to Bahamas, St Marten, Aruba, and Antigua, but the nicest imo is Turks and Caicos.

Stunning beaches, crystal clear water, great service everywhere you go. Very tranquil. Although its been about 5 yrs and in that time it has been very built up, so it might be more crowded now.
We've travelled up and down a lot of the Caribbean and have been to T&C twice- only Provo though. IMO and IME, Grace Bay is a beautiful beach and the water is going to great pretty much wherever you go in the Caribbean, but I found it to have the worst of everything else. Suprised to hear it called out as a favorite.
Usually on my vacations to the Caribbean I want to be very lazy. Relaxation is number one priority and T&C seems to be the most relaxing/tranquil/least crowded of the others Ive been to. And Provo does have 6-7 very good upscale restaurants and a few solid casual spots and that seemed like enough for us.
 
My favorite is the French Side of St. Martin/Saint Marteen. We stayed at the Alamanda and loved it.
We stayed in Grand Case and it was fantastic. Short ten minute walk to a very non-touristy strip with a lot of excellent bars/restaurants. Beach bar for drinks while sunning/swimming. Very safe area where we didn't feel threatened walking around.

 
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####, just deleted a long reply. Here is a list (I had links and everything).

- Hike to Salt Pond Bay and Rams Head

- Rent a dinghy and hit all the north shore beaches (can drive them all too)

- Check out Joe's BBQ in Cruz Bay

- Check out Larry's Landing in Cruz Bay (a "pour your own" establishment)

- Check out the Tourist Trap on the Coral Bay end

- Charter a boat and hit Jost Van Dyke, the Baths, the Caves, Sandy Spit and the rest of the world class drink and dive places.

 
####, just deleted a long reply. Here is a list (I had links and everything).

- Hike to Salt Pond Bay and Rams Head

- Rent a dinghy and hit all the north shore beaches (can drive them all too)

- Check out Joe's BBQ in Cruz Bay

- Check out Larry's Landing in Cruz Bay (a "pour your own" establishment)

- Check out the Tourist Trap on the Coral Bay end

- Charter a boat and hit Jost Van Dyke, the Baths, the Caves, Sandy Spit and the rest of the world class drink and dive places.
Add The Willy T to the last line. Check that out if this is an adult trip imo.
 
Ive been to Bahamas, St Marten, Aruba, and Antigua, but the nicest imo is Turks and Caicos.

Stunning beaches, crystal clear water, great service everywhere you go. Very tranquil. Although its been about 5 yrs and in that time it has been very built up, so it might be more crowded now.
Going there in June, glad to hear this :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=497563St John threadI love st John because it's small, 2/3rds of it are national park and there are many many fantastic places to visit on other islands as well as on st John
da raiders knows stuffgave you your propers above ;)
:banned: Let me know if you want a baby sitter. I might be able to get my sisters sitter for you.
thanks mang. That would be awesome but I doubt I can convince the Mrs. to leave him with someone, but def appreciate it and will let you know.Will have more questions as we get closer. will PM or post in the STJ thread. :hifive:
 
Too many to count. I lived on one of Chet's islands, so if you want to call that a vacation, that was the best one.

 

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