Let's Talk About Caribbean Vacations

[Bowser]

So, the kid and I have decided to hit up a beach vacay next summer ('23). Beach getaways were a pretty regular thing while she was growing up, and it will have been five years since we've done one next summer. We had decided we were going to hit up an active retreat in Utah complete with spa treatments and all that stuff, right up until I went to Mexico a few months back and sent her pics of the beach I was at which brought her to the decision that Utah can wait because she missed the beach so much. With that agreement out of the way, we have to decide WHICH beach to go enjoy. We both want to discover somewhere new, so that rules out Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, and the Dominican. I was eyeballing Aruba, one of the Saint islands (Lucia, Kitt, Maarten, Thomas), the Caymans, or maybe the Virgin Islands. All of these sound pricey on the surface, so I would love to hear some advice and stories of where you've traveled to go with the good and bad of the places!

[Bearcat]

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.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pl...4d-109.8648644

[Coochie liquor]

Bowser, also check out JetBlueVacations.com

They have lots of good deals with airfare included. It’s where we usually book our Mexico NYE getaway.

[Coochie liquor]

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.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pl...4d-109.8648644

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!

[Bowser]

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.

[BossChief]

We stayed at the Barcelo Palace in Punta Cana 3 years ago and everything was amazing except the sushi at one of the dinners. Literally paradise.

[Coochie liquor]

Originally Posted by BossChief

We stayed at the Barcelo Palace in Punta Cana 3 years ago and everything was amazing except the sushi at one of the dinners. Literally paradise.

We’ve been thinking of DR. Was this resort all inclusive?

[Coochie liquor]

I’m curious, have any CP members been to Carnival in any country?

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by Coochie liquor

We’ve been thinking of DR. Was this resort all inclusive?

Yes. We had a mini suite and I highly recommend it. Hot tub on your personal balcony with privacy shade overlooking the ocean. It’s tough to beat that. I’d suggest reserving your dinners ahead of time. If you keep a bunch of 1 dollar bills on you at all times, you’ll feel like a damn king. We did the excursions on 4x4s while we were there, scuba and got to dive into a cenote that was phenomenal.

Watch your jewelry though. The animals they have you pose for pics with are trained thieves. I had to catch a monkey to get my wife’s 1/2ct diamond back cause that little ****er took it out of her ear in the blink of an eye, put it in his mouth and tried running off with it. His execution was flawless if I wasn’t paying attention.

Overall, the experience there was phenomenal.

[GloryDayz]

Carrib clearly has many great places, I pick mine based on the type of diving I want to do, and that can change. You can't go wrong with any of them really, but you have to decide if you're a resort type or VRBO type. You've heard all the popular ones mentioned, from the USVI, to Aruba, to Roatan, to the Caymens (try Cayman Brac, it's awesome...), to Utila (AWESOME!!!), and they are all really great IMO.

I'm partial to Bonaire, Cozumel, and Utila, each has things I like, but I think doing VRBOs really enhances the experience IMO; it adds a bit of the "living there" sort of feel to it all. And while we dine out plenty, I really enjoy shopping for food and cooking the occasional meal. Mix in the occasional excursion to see local sites and history, and everybody on the trip is happy.

After those out-of-water experiences, all that matters to me is getting in the water, sand and laying on the beach be damned... sand is highly overrated...

And once you're SCUBA certified I'd highly encourage you to try a liveaboard SCUBA vacation. From the luxury of the Aggressor or All Star Liveaboard fleets, to the fun of liveaboard sailing boats like the Cat Pplau or Sail Juliet; it's a week of diving great sites with few non-diving excursions/distractions. But get to your certifying agency's "Advanced Open Water" level to make the those trips all they can be. And certainly Nitrox/Enriched Air (pretty much a must), Peak Performance Bouyancy/Perfect Buoyancy, Navigation, Deep, and Night/Limited Visibility training will set you up for an amazing week at sea.

PM me if you want to chat.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by Coochie liquor

I’m curious, have any CP members been to Carnival in any country?

1987 Rio de Janiero - 2 weeks.

I stayed at an apartment:
R. Barata Ribeiro, 222 - CopacabanaRio de Janeiro - RJ, 22040-002, Brazil

The Cruzeiro was crashing while I was there and it made my stay so cheap. The money went from the Cruziero to the Cruzado at a rate of 1,000 to 1.

It made money exchange confusing as ****. I had to convert my dollars to Cruzieros, which were like CZ100,000 to $1 then take off 3 zeros.

I took a group of people out for dinner at a restaurant on the Copacabana Beach for steaks, wine, drinks, veal, veggies, dessert, shrimp, appetizers and for the 4 of us it came to less than $60 US. About $58 with tip.

It would have been $250 in most US cities.

I had a great time. Went to Corcovado, Tijuca Flores and other places. Beers on the beach about .60 a bottle.

I also caught the clap.

[Coochie liquor]

Originally Posted by scho63

1987 Rio de Janiero - 2 weeks.

I stayed at an apartment:
R. Barata Ribeiro, 222 - CopacabanaRio de Janeiro - RJ, 22040-002, Brazil

The Cruzeiro was crashing while I was there and it made my stay so cheap. The money went from the Cruziero to the Cruzado at a rate of 1,000 to 1.

It made money exchange confusing as ****. I had to convert my dollars to Cruzieros, which were like CZ100,000 to $1 then take off 3 zeros.

I took a group of people out for dinner at a restaurant on the Copacabana Beach for steaks, wine, drinks, veal, veggies, dessert, shrimp, appetizers and for the 4 of us it came to less than $60 US. About $58 with tip.

It would have been $250 in most US cities.

I had a great time. Went to Corcovado, Tijuca Flores and other places. Beers on the beach about .60 a bottle.

I also caught the clap.

That sounds awesome, except for the last sentence lmao. Hoping to avoid that at all costs. It’s still 2 years away, but I daydream about it every single day. Can’t wait to break my Carnival Cherry.

[Dull Tools]

Antigua and St Lucia are great.

If you fancy something different the Cartagena in Colombia is great.

[burt]

Save your money. The best beach in the US is Siesta key, just outside Sarasota. White sands, beautiful water, great restaurants. MAYBE there are 1 or 2 beaches more beautiful than Siesta Key, but not by much AND they will be much more expensive. I stay at Siesta Key Beach Resort and Suites. It's a 1/4 mile walk to the beach and 2 steps to the bars and restaurants. And inexpensive.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Si...2!4d-82.546344

[penguinz]

Check out Cayman Islands. Great beaches, food and drinks. Lots of shopping if that is important.

[burt]

Siesta Key has a total Island vibe, but a short drive the the next key north takes you to Lido Key. They have the infamous St. Armands Key. Soooo many restaurants and fine dining establishments. Also some High End shopping. I always say St. Armends out Johnson Counties, Johnson County.

They have a nice beach also, but traditional brown sand.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Si...2!4d-82.546344