Need Advice for Caribbean Vacation

In My Humble Opinion
1

So my buddy and I are planning a vacation to somewhere in the Caribbean. I am open to just about any ideas, so let 'em rip, but first a few preferences that might help you guys filter your suggestions.

So basically we’re in our late 20’s / early 30’s but still like to have fun. We also do like a bit of adventure. We also both speak Spanish. I have a pretty high level and don’t have many troubles to speak of and he is from Spain. I had originally wondered if it’d be cool to do a road-trip type thing through Mexico, but he mentioned that it can be a little dangerous for foreign-types to be driving around Mexico all willy-nilly. That obviously doesn’t rule out other areas of Mexico though.

But an ideal vacation spot would be relatively cheap, and hopefully with a good bit of backpacker-type culture. We definitely DO want to avoid the Cancun type places, but also wouldn’t mind having a place with a larger expat / backpacker / non-retarded tourist vibe, along with cool locals. What we were originally envisioning would be a trip to Costa Rica. I’ve seen in many places that it is highly recommended. I’d like for there to be some kind of nightlife too. Doesn’t have to be really crazy, but something to do at night would be nice. I guess I need to reiterate that being around other tourists isn’t a problem, but we would definitely like to avoid Spring Break-type places. I think we have our hearts set on the Caribbean because we just want to hang out at the beach and relax. So really at the present time we’re leaning heavily towards Costa Rica.

But on the other hand, I don’t want to make the choice without discussing it with the dope first. Are there other places I should be considering? I could obviously just pick places and google them, but I figure I’d ask here first. The ideal vacation would consist of:
hanging out on the beach
going out most every night
meeting locals
meeting tourists
sight-seeing

The only problem with the other places I can think of (various islands etc) are that they’d be a little bit too expensive. It’d be cool to be able to eat out frequently without breaking the bank as well. We’re not poor, but I’d prefer not to be poor when I got back. The main emphasis would be the types of people around us. We are both outgoing people and like to mingle with new crowds in such situations. That is probably the most crucial aspect. It’s why I don’t want to go to Cancun because it’s simply too much. Although we want to avoid the other end of the spectrum as well. We do plan on taking advantage of the environment (sightseeing etc) wherever we go, but really we just want to relax and have a good time. So I hope I’ve made myself pretty clear. I feel it’s slightly convoluted, but really I just need a few suggestions and I’ll be able to further investigate.

2

After reading your criteria, I thought immediately of Costa Rica.

3

We love Aruba- fantastically friendly & well-educated locals (most speak English, Spanish, Dutch, German & Papiemento), great food, good beaches, plenty of watersports, lots of bars if you’re into that, nice places to stay (and cheap ones, too). A small island but the people make it exceptional.

Al the other islands I’ve been to (and it’s been a while) were too touristy- St. Thomas, St. Maartin, Martinique, etc. Barbados was nice enough but I barely remember it. :eek:

4

My boyfriend and I just came back from Belize yesterday. It has everything you’re looking for in your OP. That said, it wasn’t super cheap (the opposite) but we’re both kind of at a point in our lives where neither of us are willing to hack it on a budget and he’s downright picky about places he’ll stay, etc… We fished and ate our catch on a deserted beach in a world heritage protected marine reserve, snorkeled at the 2nd biggest barrier reef in the world, went swimming with rays and sharks, cave tubed on underground rivers, kayaked and flew on really really tiny planes. Most people do a combo of staying on the beach/mainland so they can get in a lot of the Mayan ruins/land adventures. We stayed on Ambergris the whole time and flew back one day for the cavetubing. My boyfriend really needs to stay connected to work and the mainland is still kind of rustic. It was the right decision for us. Staying on Caye Caulker would cut your costs by quite a bit.

If you decide to go to Belize let me know, I’ll do a big writeup.

I don’t have many pictures up yet but I’ll be adding them to my Flickr Account.

The country is very multicultural but English is the national language on account of the British influence. It is very easy to get around and people are very friendly.

5

Incidentally, we were originally going to do Costa Rica but the very reason we changed our vacation to Belize is because my boyfriend had requested a more Caribbean beachey scene and after some research I decided that Belize had more of it. The beaches in Costa Rica really didn’t have that very blue water we wanted and I thought the cooler activities were all sort of related to the volcano and cloud forests.

All that said, you can’t swim directly off the beaches in Ambergris except right around San Pedro (and Caye Caulker only has a beach at the split of the island) because the island is surrounded by protected sea grass beds. The hotels build long piers into the sea. If you’re looking for super amazing beaches you might try other locations in the Caribbean (Jamaica, maybe?). We thought Belize had enough character and adventure activities to make up for the fact that we couldn’t wade right off the beach. And wow, the snorkeling/scuba is amazing. Did I mention the fact that three days ago I watched 2 turtles do a little water ballet that looked like something out of a Disney movie?

6

I’ve never heard anything bad about Costa Rica, But the Dominican Rebublic would be a good bet too. It is big enough you can roam around a bit and they speak Spanish there too of course. Santo Domingo is full of history and a “real” city, unlike, say Cancun. I think the costs are pretty good too.

I think all the small islands are pretty expensive. I’ve been to the Bahamas, Anguilla, and both sides of Saint Martin, and they are all fairly unfriendly to budgets.

7

Both the Yucatan and Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast were lots of fun. Cozumel is great when there are no cruise ships in, and Tulum is also worth a visit. I would avoid Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel when there are cruise ships in as too crowded and touristy.

In Costa Rica, Cauhita is really nice and a little off the beaten path, but it’s been a few years since I went there so I don’t remember it very well.

8

We went to Costa Rica about three years ago through a travel agency called AdventureLife.com. We would definitely use them again. This is similar to the trip we took. Our trip had the stay at Selva Bananito and the Pacuare River Rafting and a beach stay in Port Limon. I loved the whitewater raftings and Selva Bananito and would go back in a heartbeat. The lodge is very cozy; you get to know the other tourists, because a) there are very few of them there, and b) you eat meals communally.

9

It may be a bit smaller than you’re thinking of, but I had a nice two days in Grenada a couple years ago. There’s some hiking/backpacking, a few beaches, and supposed to be great diving and snorkeling. Couldn’t tell you about the nightlife, though.

10

I live in Antigua - we have endless beautiful beaches, there’s nightlife in English Harbour up until April with lots of crew from the big yachts hanging out.

http://www.caribbean-hostels.com/ This place is right next to my office!

There are lots of activities: www.antiguanice.com but it’s also quiet and relaxing.

11

Grenada: Ten years on Grenada passed in a flurry of Steel Band music, Mr.Gairy’s scary behaviour, Revolution, US’s very ill-advised “attack” on the Island, the ridiculous medical school where some cracked Gray’s Anatomy, but most strummed guitars to the wee small hours. The new airport was armed-guarded day and night. My final escape during the revolution took the very bumpy road to the old one in Grenville. (after Sir Wilfred ?probably not.)
When it was good, it was very very good. When it was bad- - -
I’d love to go back but age and health won’t permit. Also, Google earth shows huge changes. I couldn’t find my house. I fear the mobs of tourists, who have undoubtedly messed up my beautiful Grand Anse.
Go inland and along the north shore’s beaches, small but quieter for the days. If the Red Crab and the Sugar-Mill are still operating, go there. The music is always too loud, but your young voices can compete. Have fun. I don’t know the cost, but imagine it has gone up- - -
like everyhere. Don’t ask about Taormina ! That’s another horror story. WHERE did all those people come from ? !

12

Costa Rica is very good (I chose it for my honeymoon). It is best if you really like nature. They take eco-tourism to a new level. It is very American friendly and the resort at the base of the Arenal volcano is one of my favorite place in the world with endless hot springs to swim in and monkeys all around. It is exotic in good ways but not THAT exotic in the bad ways. There are Americans all around, the water is clean, and the medical care is good if you need it. The locals try very hard to acommodate English speakers and you don’t need to know much Spanish. The country is small so you can move from the Caribbean to the Pacific coast in just a few hours by shuttle or taxi.

However, if you want crystal clear blue water, the islands near the U.S. Virgin Islands are a good bet. St. Thomas is overly touristy and St. John is seriously quiet but St. Croix is an actual working island and has beaches so pretty that it will make you cry and it isn’t hard to have a very large beach all to yourself. It does have nightlife but it certainly isn’t in your face. The U.S. Virgin Islands are more expensive than the mainland but not overly so and they are probably cheaper than some of the continental U.S.

13

Puerto Morelos is off the beaten track but a great place to visit - lots to do and is not quite the touristy place yet…also you might check out …Holbox as well however not too sure about the night life there.

Merida is nice although very busy little city.

All are in Mexico.

You may also want to try Puerto Escondido and Puerto Angel. Very out of the way but great places.

14

Go to Puerto Rico. Vieques is an island off the coast. It is small, you can hitchhike everywhere, the locals are mad friendly. The worlds largest bioluminescent bay, wild horses, and a standing stone stonehenge kind of thing. You can rent a jeep or motorcyles, and you can kayak or snorkel around unexploded ordnance. :wink: You can camp on the beach or stay at a resort. There are bars with parties every night, lots of secluded beaches.

It’s my favorite place in the Carribean but of course PR is the only place in the Carribean I have ever been.

Oh yeah, and it’s about a third the cost of everyone else’s suggestions. If you fly from San Juan to Vieques it’ll take you right over El Yunque rainforest and lots of reefs you can see from the plane.

15

I’ll second this review. Standy-by second would be St Croix. Loved both and they’ll have what you’re looking for.

16

If you can wait, booking the week after the Easter season will give you better deals and lower people issues.
Just my two bits.

17

If you go to Puerto Rico, and are good enough with Spanish (and crazy driving), you could rent a car and… get the hell out of Old San Juan!!!

I love my island, but I dislike that what most people associate it is Old San Juan. Homeland is much prettier than that. :slight_smile:

BTW, I don’t know how good or current the advice is, but at least once or twice a year there are threads about Caribbean vacations, check them out if you can.

18

I’ve been to a fair number of Caribbean destinations, and like anywhere in the world there is a large variety of experiences to be had.

The OP requirements of rugged-adventure plus night-life is a little difficult to obtain at a single location due to the tendency to either be more or less developed. Though I could be misinterpreting the requirements.

I’ve rated the places I’ve been against the following criteria (YMMV – I can almost guarantee that others may disagree with my opinions for very good reasons), where 1=excellent, 2=good to fair, 3=poor:
Beaches (the quality and size of the beach areas)
Reef (for snorkeling and diving)
Adventure (for non-beach activities)
Local Flavor (for sightseeing and/or culture)
Nightlife (evening activities)

Here is my list, in order based on my ratings (given parenthetically):
(1,1,1,1,2) Belize*
(2,1,2,2,2) Cozumel
(2,1,2,2,2) St Croix
(1,1,3,2,3) Turks and Caicos
(2,1,3,1,3) San Blas archipeligo (Panama)
(2,2,2,3,1) Jamaica
(2,2,2,2,2) St Maarten
(1,1,3,3,2) Grand Caymen
(3,3,1,1,2) Panama
(2,2,2,2,3) Grenada
(2,2,2,2,3) Grenadines (St Vincent, Bequia, Mayreau, Tobago)
(3,3,2,1,2) Puerto Rico
(3,2,2,2,3) St Lucia
(3,3,3,3,1) Cancun
(2,3,3,2,3) St Kitts / Nevis

  • for Belize, one should be aware that the adventure and sightseeing stuff is inland, while the beach and diving is coastal.
19

I should comment on this. I’ve heard very good things about Vieques too. My daughter has been there but I haven’t. I suspect it would rank high in my rankings (previous post).