Originally Posted by Rain Man:
I've made day stops over the years in Grenada, St. Kitts, Antigua, Barbados, and Bonaire. I guess Bermuda too, though it's not really a Caribbean island. The one I would be most interested in going back to is Barbados. But then again I'm not a beach person at all, so I was more interested in walking around in town and doing tourist stuff.
I enjoyed your freightliner cruise to Vietnam. Maybe that would be an option. [Reply]
Barbados is nice and has a lot of wind surfing and other beach related activities but it's one of the farthest flights from the US along with Aruba, Curacao, and Trinidad / Tobago. [Reply]
Originally Posted by scho63:
Barbados is nice and has a lot of wind surfing and other beach related activities but it's one of the farthest flights from the US along with Aruba, Curacao, and Trinidad / Tobago.
That’s why when we go for Carnival we are gonna do a week at Carnival where we stay at a hotel, then after the madness of Carnival is over we’re gonna do a week at all inclusive to relax and be pampered.
Foreday morning is the final night of Carnival. The parade starts at 1 am. We go parading through town jammin Soca music, and getting wild. It stops at sunup at the soccer stadium. The stadium is full of people, and we all dance and party in celebration of Crop Over. Man I cannot fucking wait. Color war, fette, mas, I’m stoked! [Reply]
Originally Posted by TinyEvel:
Better for college kids and young adult partiers, IMO unless you're staying at a resort in San Jose Del Cabo.
Downtown Cabo is a waste. Busy, commercial, dirty. And on the Pacific side the beaches are so rough you can't really swim. Not a fan.
Zihuatanejo is my favorite Pacific Coast town in Mexico.
Yeah, I would say the one thing I liked about Cabo was where I stayed, outside of town a bit... Cabo Bello. There's a quiet public beach used by a resort and the residents (and several AirBnb choices). Never saw more than ~10 people at a time.
It wasn't pristine crystal clear beach by any means, but it was quiet and relaxing.
Cabo itself was... meh. Only went into town once though.
Originally Posted by Bearcat:
Yeah, I would say the one thing I liked about Cabo was where I stayed, outside of town a bit... Cabo Bello. There's a quiet public beach used by a resort and the residents (and several AirBnb choices). Never saw more than ~10 people at a time.
It wasn't pristine crystal clear beach by any means, but it was quiet and relaxing.
Cabo itself was... meh. Only went into town once though.
We did Cancun 2 NYE ago, it was ok but not great. The resort was too far from town. This past year we did Playa Del Carmen. Had a much better time. The resort was right in downtown. We partied in the very crowded streets of PDC all NYE night and had a blast. Biggest party I’d been part of in years. Can’t wait to do it again! [Reply]
Originally Posted by scho63:
Barbados is nice and has a lot of wind surfing and other beach related activities but it's one of the farthest flights from the US along with Aruba, Curacao, and Trinidad / Tobago.
I'll admit I didn't realize Aruba is like less than 100 miles from Venezuela. The kid said she wasn't looking for an all day flight to get there, which might end up limiting the choices. [Reply]
Been to Aruba twice. Had a great time both times. The last time I was there (2005) they had moved US customs to Aruba. Which was great because you weren’t stopped and strip searched when you got home. I bought a box of Cuban cigars back both times I went.
Also, if you like to golf get an early tee time because by mid day it’s like somebody opened the oven door.
FYI I went in the winter time both times because I can go to a beach anytime I want in the summertime here. [Reply]
Only places I've been in that region is Cancun, Cozumel and Turks and Caicos.
My wife loved Turks and Caicos, I didn't as much. To me it's a flat, dry island made mostly of coral and no hills/jungles. Yes the water is clear and sands white but I like snorkeling reefs and there was only one accessible from our hotel, a tiny one.
We did take a day boat trip out to the sea shelf and another kayak trip through mangrove shallows, which now that I think of it was pretty cool.
But overall in terms of things to do -- adventures outside of our Condo property -- it wasn't as much to do as other places I've been.
Big point is, what kind of vacation are you looking for? laying on the beach drinking most of the time? Nice restaurants, outdoor adventures? On/under the ocean adventures? Mixing with local population/interesting local lifestyle excursions? What one CPer liked vs. what you're looking for can be really different, obviously.
If your kid is young teen or younger, a sandals/Beaches place might be best due to the canned activities they have on those properties. [Reply]
Not the Caribbean but I like off the beaten path type places. I spent two weeks in Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca, Mexico last month. Tiny ass airport but a cheap round trip flight from Mexico City. It was hot as balls and a little bit rustic with no high rise beach resorts but I enjoyed it. I always enjoy talking with the retired expats when I’m in Mexico. [Reply]
If not already mentioned, Roatán, Honduras. I even have my dream beach bar I can direct you to for your evenings (or days, I ain’t judging how you spend your time in tropical paradise). I seriously almost did not get back on the cruise ship that day. [Reply]