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My husband and I are trying to plan a caribbean vacation in early December. Any advice on islands you enjoyed or good places to visit? We want relaxing, beaches, and some things to do but not too touristy. So a combo of stuff to do, but not ridiculously remote.
Thanks!
Hi, swgrl!
Just the sort of planning I love best, vacation planning!! (In fact I get really OCD about it, BUT, having said that, I always get us amazing deals!) ... Have you ever considered a cruise? Please don't think that it's anything at all like being on "a boat", i.e. rocking and pitching and nothing but heaving waves to look at. The ships are absolutely huge and beautiful, and most of the time you forget your 5 star resort is at sea, lol! The meals are great, there's tons of entertainment, and there are indoor pools and seating areas as well as outdoor. They're air conditioned inside, the rooms are lovely, and the staff is the best you'll ever experience! Since you are already in the U.S. you could fly to Florida and board a ship in Fort Lauderdale or Port Everglades and set sail ... for anywhere from 4 nights to 12 nights!
The line we like best even has Caribbean in it's name :winks: Prices vary by room type, the inside cabins are just as nice as outside cabins which are more expensive, only because of the window/balcony. You are really only in your room to sleep and maybe for your first coffee in the morning, the rest of the time you are enjoying the rest of the ship and the islands you stop at. You can book excursions through the ship if you want to take tours, or just take a taxi from the dock to the nearest beach. I have to admit it, my favorite islands are the U.S. Virgin Islands, (St Thomas, St Croix) they're clean, you can always find a place to eat if you're onshore for lunch, and you don't get mobbed by vendors. Aruba is beautiful once you get away from the crush at the dock, and the downtown is really pretty, great for photos. Same with Curacao. We did a dolphin swim there and the facility is tops! (Dolphins are actually free to come and go, but they choose to stay there, they are that good to them.) Grand Cayman Island is fabulous. We swam with the stingrays there, and on subsequent visits have enjoyed just hanging out on the amazing beaches. St. Maarten and St Lucia are very pretty, but very touristy and the vendors do not leave you alone for a minute (although nothing compares to the vendors in Jamaica for that). If you want to be left in peace to doze in the sun or swim, take a ship-recommended excursion, there's always some reasonably-priced ones that will put you on a beach that's less crowded with a place to buy drinks. Some excursions include lunch. Or split a taxi with folks that want to do the same. You'll get chummy with fellow travellers, especially the folks you sit with regularly in the dining room (tables for two are available ... but part of the fun is having dinner with vacationing couples like yourselves, and comparing notes at the end of the day!)
Most ports of call have the docks situated close to the towns, and if you want to come back to the ship to eat lunch you easily can. We've done that, gone exploring and shopping in the morning, gone back onboard to visit the buffet, put our bags in our room and grab our swim things and towels and taken a taxi or bus or walked to the beach for the time remaining for that day. Perfect day, in my books! Most 4 or 5 day cruises tend to stick to the Florida Keys, but I've seen itineraries that include Cozumel, Mexico with sailing days out and back. Most itineraries for 7 days include St Thomas, St Maarten and Nassau, Bahamas.
To be honest, we used to say we were taking a cruise to familiarize ourselves with the different islands so we'd know where we'd want to go to for a land-based vacation. But we love the experience of the ship and all that it offers, and waking up in a new place to explore every other day, and tend to look forward to our cruises more than our resort vacations. More to do, more to see. Safer, and the food is always reliably delicious and of course no problems with the water.
But if you really are not interested in trying a cruise, then I recommend the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. Puerto Aventuras and Tuluum are quieter and in Tuluum you can visit the ruins, which are really worth seeing, make sure you get a Mayan guide. Beaches there are gorgeous too, lots of snorkeling and you can go to freshwater cenotes as well. Lots of history and the people are happy and proud to share it with you. In Puerto Aventures there is a dock cafe called Gringo Dave's with the best lobster we have ever had.
Bon voyage! :yahoo: ... Sigh ...
Marie xx
Thanks for the wonderful advice, Marie!! You always go above and beyond :)
You know, we are thinking about a cruise. I have been on one to Bermuda but my husband has not. We also used the cruise line you referenced ;) and it was lovely. It's tough because I was looking at the options online yesterday and there are sooooo many to choose from in that area!
I think I am leaning more towards a cruise because they make it so easy ... but my husband kind of wants to stay in one place and really explore it for the whole time. I would love to see the ruins in Mexico too, that sounds amazing.
We're thinking of going in November or December, once hurricane season is over and I have been working long enough to use my vacation days. I want to go now! lol
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Have you been to St John? A coworker recommended it to my husband and said they loved it there too. I've also heard great things about Aruba, like you mentioned.
I want to go now too, lol!!
... Haven't been to St John, the third of the U.S. Virgin Islands, I'm afraid. We saw it from the beach we visited in St Thomas though, lol! Only a short ferry ride away, but we had made our plan and it was the "beach afternoon" part of our day there. Can't have it all, right?
So glad you enjoyed your cruise to Bermuda! For our 10th anniversary we cruised to Bermuda from Newark, it was amazing! Loved Bermuda, full of surprises. Like how some residents are still so upset how the KFC slipped through a loophole on an island otherwise devoid of fast-food chains! A young guide on a sunset sail we took said that when she was growing up she and her friends always wanted a McDonald's there, ha ha! But now she appreciates Bermuda for what it is, and is glad that there are no other chain-style places. (p.s., as soon as the contract runs out on the KFC, it's gone! They found the loophole and closed it, lol!) Also, it has 4 seasons, just like the mainland U.S. and Canada! It was wet and windy in May when we were on our rented scooter (driving on the "wrong side" of the road), and we were glad to get back onboard and have a hot dinner!
Yes, with a cruise there's no worries. No need to rent a car or a taxi and try to find a restaurant every night. Dress up for the dining room, or dress down for the huge buffets, it's your choice. And lots of bang for your buck, when you consider it's "all inclusive", except for alcohol. Which is not true for any resorts in the U.S. (or Canada for that matter). And with the access you have to airlines and competitive fares you can fly really reasonably to departure points. Of course, that does allow you to fly much cheaper than we can to most any island you like, too, or the Mayan Riviera. Fun no matter how you look at it, lol!
Marie xx
We also did the cruise out of Newark! I went in July maybe five years ago now?? It was so beautiful. I still can't get over how amazing those beaches were. It makes my New England beaches feel ugly, ahaha! That's so funny about a KFC slipping in. I can imagine being a kid and wishing for McDonalds or something, but now that I'm an adult I wouldn't mind not having fast food.
I know, hey? Me too, now. Bermudans (Bermudians?) are really protective of their beautiful island, as they should be. Love the slow way of life and the British feel combined. Cool. July would be perfect! Did you get to the glass-blowing place in the harbor? I bought some Bermuda Blue perfume too, which they make in their own perfumerie. We did the caves, too. My hubby could not get used to driving on the left, and nearly splattered us onto one of those pretty pink buses they have :scared15: Wow!
Yes, love the glass-blowing place and the caves! They were unbelievable. He was brave to drive, we just took cabs and the bus! The roads are so small and I remember being freaked out going around the tight turns. Now I want to go back :)
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