I went on a 7 day trip. Was $505 after taxes and stuff ($349 before) for the cruize. Did excursions in Cozumel, Belize, Hondorous, and Caymen Island. Total'd out to about $850. Carnival Cruize. Was awesome.

[Edited on April 12, 2014 at 2:39 AM. Reason : .]

4/12/2014 2:39:32 AM

Anybody got opinions on Barbados?

Looking to go somewhere in the Caribbean next July for our anniversary and I keep coming back to Barbados for some reason. We went to Jamaica for our honeymoon and I want to go somewhere different.

7/24/2014 9:44:08 AM

I've been to Barbados twice, enjoyed it both times. Their carnival lasts for a long time (maybe all summer or something) and the entire island parties together. We took a tour of Mount Gay Rum and it was awesome, they give you a ton of alcohol (and it's cool to taste the different types of rum).

It wouldn't be my first place to go back to, but I certainly enjoyed it.

My first option would be to do a cruise. Nothing better than a cruise.

7/24/2014 9:54:33 AM

Just want to throw out Belize and Ambergris Caye (if I haven't already, I know I've done it in other threads). Went there for the honeymoon and it was awesome. Half day trip, so you can leave early in the morning and get there by lunch time (and leave Belize at lunch and not get back too late either).

Awesome scuba and snorkeling, delicious food, and cool local atmosphere. Fairly affordable as well. We balled out for a week and still went way under budget.

[Edited on July 24, 2014 at 10:32 AM. Reason : .]

7/24/2014 10:09:51 AM

I like Cozumel. May go there again.

7/24/2014 10:13:21 AM

Cozumel is a bit of a dump IMO.

If you're looking for mostly beach activities, water sports and drinking, then Barbados is amazing! If you want a mix of beach and more adventurous activities, I prefer Costa Rica or Belize.

7/24/2014 10:35:38 PM

Yeah, Cozumel was touristy as fuck
Four cruises and that was probably the worst as far as authenticity.

7/24/2014 10:58:14 PM

But it's still famous.

7/24/2014 11:18:51 PM

Virgin Islands.

7/25/2014 3:01:01 PM

Went to Puerto Rico 2 weeks ago, 5 nights 6 days. Fairly reasonable over there. We rent from Airbnb comes to about $800. So four of us about $40/person/night. Food is cheap if you know where to look. The beaches are beautiful! went to "Flamenco Beach" absolutely gorgeous! Driving however was a little bit scary. Over all I didn't feel "rip-off" or "taken advantage of" and people don't care that you're a tourist. However we end up on a beach on the west side of the island which I think no tourist ever venture to, one lady saw us and goes "Ohhh...Chino" in amazement.




http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g580453-d147939-Reviews-Flamenco_Beach_Playa_Flamenco-Culebra_Puerto_Rico.html

[Edited on July 25, 2014 at 3:13 PM. Reason : ..]

7/25/2014 3:12:23 PM

Cartegena is at the top of my travel list. Maybe a thanksgiving destination. Anybody been?

7/26/2014 8:15:54 AM

Quote :

"19-Oct Philipsburg, St. Maarten 9:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked"

I live in St. Maarten btw. if you have any questions

7/26/2014 2:21:22 PM

Recommendations?

7/26/2014 5:21:15 PM

I'd like to visit one of the following (restricted by where Southwest flies):
Bahamas
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic
Aruba

Plz to recommend your favorites.

I could easily be swayed by a place to stay that isn't $texas but also isn't a shithole.

Thx people.

5/18/2015 10:12:12 AM

I flew Southwest (AirTran) to Cancun last year; that would open up everywhere on the Yucatan if you're interested.

5/18/2015 10:29:48 AM

I find Aruba kind of boring. I've now been twice with the in-laws (my wife's family has a time share and has gone every year for over 30 years). It's a desert island, so not a lot of adventures. The snorkeling is kind of "meh". I find the dining very commercialized (lot of expensive places, but the food doesn't match the price). The beaches, however, are very nice. Soft sand and clear blue waters. The weather is hot...but perfect for the beach. So if you just want to lie out on the beach all day and drink and go out at night...then it's kind of perfect. They also have a ton of casinos, if that's your thing.

Define "The Bahamas"? Nassau and Freeport are shit holes...but I've been to the Abacos and it was very nice. You definitely need a boat to do some island hopping as most islands are very small and you will get bored on just one. I hear Atlantis is okay...but extremely touristy and its starting to get worse.

5/18/2015 11:50:27 AM

Of those choices, I'd only go to DR/PR. The rest kinda suck.

5/18/2015 11:58:53 AM

Between cruises and sailing I've been almost everywhere in the Caribbean.

Bahamas - I've been several times and have always enjoyed it, both Nassau and Paradise Island.
Jamaica - Murder capital of the Caribbean. If you're at a resort it's nice but I wouldn't be hanging out in downtown Kingston at night. They just legalized pot officially though iirc if that's your thing..
Puerto Rico - I like San Juan and Old San Juan especially. There is a lot more things to do and it isn't as overtly touristy as some of the smaller islands. I've always had a good time there (been several times).
Dominican Republic - haven't been to this one unfortunately but my friend lived there a year and couldn't get enough of it.
Aruba - Aruba is a filthy, boring, shit hole of an island. This is my least favorite of all the islands I have ever been to.

I'd go to the Bahamas out of places I've visited on that list but I've heard great things about the DR.

I'm not sure if you've considered Bermuda but that place is awesome. Also a big fan of Curacao, St. Thomas, and the British Virgin Islands but I'm guessing you listed all of your possibilities.

Another thing that would be really cool is to fly into the Bahamas with your sky miles or whatever and then take a flight/boat out of there to Cuba before the US totally opens up and it becomes a tourist trap like many of the other islands.

[Edited on May 18, 2015 at 1:08 PM. Reason : .]

5/18/2015 1:05:46 PM

Quote :

"I flew Southwest (AirTran) to Cancun last year; that would open up everywhere on the Yucatan if you're interested."

Yeah I guess I should include that to the list...GF isn't crazy about it though.

Quote :

"Another thing that would be really cool is to fly into the Bahamas with your sky miles or whatever and then take a flight/boat out of there to Cuba before the US totally opens up and it becomes a tourist trap like many of the other islands."

Tourism is still banned by the embargo...I've considered it though

5/18/2015 2:02:15 PM

Virgin Islands

/thread

5/18/2015 2:07:36 PM

What are you wanting to do there? Probably will get different recommendations if you want to hang out at a resort the whole time vs. doing more traveling around the island(s). For the latter, Puerto Rico > Dominican Republic, in my experience. I took a lot of recommendations/advice from this thread message_topic.aspx?topic=622611

5/18/2015 3:08:41 PM

Wife and I are looking to do something carribian-y this summer before she gets too pregnant (shes 9wks now). We've done Bahamas (fuck that noise), Cozumel (fuck that noise), Cayman Island (loved it) and Belize (best place I've been by far IMO).

We are thinking Virgin Islands or Bermuda. Probably going in July or Aug (sucks its during Hurricane Season).

5/18/2015 4:07:35 PM

Bermuda is awesome, can't recommend it enough. The BVIs are also very nice but I sailed through them so I had a much richer experience than just hanging out on Tortola.

5/18/2015 4:24:19 PM

Quote :

" if you want to hang out at a resort the whole time vs. doing more traveling around the island(s)"

Beach time for the lady and some other compelling shit to do for me...travelling, water sports etc

5/18/2015 4:55:41 PM

Cozumel is, indeed, a complete and utter shithole. i hope everyone heeds this warning.

5/18/2015 5:31:49 PM

Heh, good ole southwest 50k
I've been to all five although didn't get a chance to explore PR or Bahamas much since they were cruises.
Would probably lean toward PR though. Friend is from there and speaks highly of it.
Wasn't a huge fan of Jamaica or Dominican Republic.
Actually really enjoyed Aruba, but probably helped I had a bunch of stuff scheduled, four wheeler tour of the island, pub crawl, catamaran, luau, and plenty of drinking and gambling.

[Edited on May 18, 2015 at 11:02 PM. Reason : oh, and Cozumel sucks dick]

5/18/2015 11:01:41 PM

Quote :

"Heh, good ole southwest 50k"

Yup. Me and the lady still have 200k miles between us (+ CP)

Quote :

"Would probably lean toward PR though."

That's actually where I'm leaning atm. I've been there once but was without a car. Or maybe an all inclusive somewhere. Never done that.

5/19/2015 9:50:38 AM

I went on a southern caribbean cruise on Celebrity Summit a couple years ago. It was my favorite of the 5 I have been on because of the islands: Grenada, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Marteen, St. Thomas.

Dominica and St Thomas are probably my two favorite places right now. Dominica has some great hikes, cliff jumping available. Get levi (bumpiingtours.com) to show you around for a few days or recommend a good cliff jumping adventure

5/20/2015 1:08:39 PM

I saw some chatter about Aruba, but what are everyone's experiences with these places:

Quote :

"Aruba, Saint Maarten, Curaçao or Bonaire"

10/28/2016 12:49:55 PM

My family loves cruises so I've been to a lot of islands. I wasn't impressed with Aruba so much. Curaçao is one of my favorites and the best on the list. St. Martaen isn't that pretty but it's great for shopping. Never been to Bonaire. Not on your list but st Thomas is great. Also a huge fan of Bermuda

10/28/2016 12:58:15 PM

The first two are played out...

I highly recommend the virgin islands. US has done a lot of conservation and tried to keep it from being so...commercial.

10/28/2016 1:04:39 PM

Aruba is a lamer version of Cabo imo. US/BVIs are where it's at tbh. I enjoyed the Caymans too.

10/28/2016 1:27:09 PM

+1 USVI. Barbados would be second on my list.

10/28/2016 1:47:32 PM

yeah BVI USVI are great

10/28/2016 6:06:47 PM

If you cruise, you'll find yourself at commercialized, touristy ports and will need to venture out further. My preference is take it 1 island at a time, no cruiseships. If you want to see multiple islands and have a little adventure, you should look into sailing charters like http://www.sunsail.com

Aruba - cool desert island, really only the main strip of high-rise hotels is "super-commercialized", food options are decent

Saint Maarten - touristy area is really just the boardwalk around where the cruise ships come in, by far the best food you will find in the Caribbean - French side has awesome restaurants, mix it up with the Dutch side now and again, fun time to go is during the Heineken Regatta - lots of fun people around, Dutch side beaches can get pretty windy, hop over to St Bart's while you're there

St. Thomas - great beaches, food options are a little plain, some say convenient as a USVI but does it really matter...

Barbados - cleanest beaches, pretty good food, cool things to see/do

Grand Cayman - Myrtle Beach of the Caribbean, fun stuff to do with better infrastructure for an island but really not my thing

11/3/2016 8:07:39 AM