OT- Christmas Vacation Destinations
I need some input and haven't been satisfied with the digging I've done online. I am looking to book a 5 day vacation for the Christmas holidays with my gf. I want to go somewhere warm and tropical, and am between Belize, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Jamaica.
I think we'd ideally like to stay somewhere with clear beaches at a good resort. If possible, I'd like to stay someplace where there is something to do for a day trip around the resort/town. Of the spots above, has anyone ever been? Anyone know what's the best bargain? I have tried a travel agent but she wasn't really much help.
I haven't ever visited anywhere in the area, so all tips are appreciated.
Any Christian holidays will make every resort, shop, excursion, restaurant etc. crazy busy with the locals joining you on vacation. Many government offices will be closed. If you're looking to just hang out by the pool in a resort, might not be terrible, but if you're planning to go into town, stay in a VRBO, be prepared. It will cost more too.
We spent Spring Break in Costa Rica which happened to coincide with Easter and the locals were out in force the week they all had off. The second week we were there it was dead. Both had their unique advantages. Just be prepared and enjoy!
On a side note, we enjoyed Negril in Jamaica. If you don't have to have sandy beaches, or can tolerate a resort shuttle to them, I would recommend it for a more laid back vacation. Love the cliffs there.
+1 for Swept Away. Had a great time there.
Puerto Rico could use your tourist dollars.
This. It's a good time to go. You can get a bargain and you're helping out.
Big Sky...Shred some gnar!
I've trekked 100+ countries. I'll suggest additional destinations: Bora Bora for sea life (huge manta rays and sharks in shallow water but scuba required) and Fiji for similar, Seychelles for ease of access to funky fish, Kauai for its North Shore surf, local sea life and hiking Hanakapiai Falls and Napoli Coast (permit required for the latter), St. Croix USVI for its underwater wall if you want to see big fish via scuba and also Buck's Island reef is convenient for snorkeling colorful tropical fish, Galapagos Islands diving for sea turtles the size of golf carts and 15ft white tip reef sharks nestled in caves as well as amazing hikes relating to volcanoes and Darwin, Barbados for a beautiful low-key ocean background with some of the nicest folks on earth, Australia's Gold Coast up through Lady Elliott Island (whales and other marine life) to Cairns diving the Great Barrier Reef, Eilat Israel for scuba diving and kite surfing, and St. Martin for kite surfing and high brow social life/parties.
You might obtain a cheaper overall deal or a superior experience with these.
Belize, Dominican Repubic, Cuba and Jamaica are as you know very poor. The Dominican has some all-inclusive resorts which are pretty cheap but attract loud and obnoxious people. Cuba is not ready for prime time, although it's fascinating and worthwhile. The poverty in Jamaica and class differences are painful to experience firsthand.
Here's an outlier. Consider the French island of Guadaloupe -- almost nobody goes there. It's shaped like a butterfly with French people and their culture on the Pointe a Pitre side and jungle backpacking/seaside/rural/adventure culture on the Basse Terre side. Moreover, Basse Terre has La Soufriere, a very active volcano with boiling pits of sulfur etc. on top and with beautiful views and it's often hikeable, athough you should check local conditions first because it blows up sometimes.
Hope this helps, and have fun.
+1 for Bora Bora. Incredible place! Almost too beautiful to be real!
This does help, a lot. Thank you.
By divorcing parents of epic self-centeredness, I am freakishly fortunate to have fulfilled amost all of my wanderlust. Yet I crave more. I work to travel, explore and capture images. I've been doxed here and was unhappy with that but you are free to contact me directly in respect of travel plans at [email protected]. I'll do my best to provide global travel suggestions and links to resources while appreciating not everybody has yet obtained the means of exploring the globe at this point in time without sacrifice. Just get your butt out there and look around. Then share your information with others when you can.
....bet you have never been to Chciago!
mentioned on this thread that Thailand didn't come up. I haven't been to many of the places you mention (I'm more of an urban/cultural/food traveler), but compared to the carribean, central american and mexican beach towns I've been to, the Andaman sea was far, FAR better (I haven't been to the Gulf of Thailand side but there are some good islands there).
Unparralleled mix of resort life, adventure (hiking, snorkeling, deep-water soloing, etc), culture, nightlife, $10 massages on the beach, nature, and FOOD. People are really friendly. Service is great. Anything you want is pretty much just a long tail boat ride away.
I second the recommendations for Aruba. Great island. Constant trade winds, so you don't get swarmed by mosquitos. Clean, safe drinking water (desalinated right there on the island). It's outside the hurricane belt so it's great for summer travel as well. Safe to walk around town. Absolutely beautiful beaches and ocean.
It's pretty Americanized, which some may appreciate for ease of travel, getting around, dining etc. but others may not like since it does not seem exotic.
Also, you go through US customs at the Aruba airport -- so you don't spend 2-3 hours doing it when you land in the US. Extremely helpful if you have a connecting flight to catch.
Turks & Caicos is also gorgeous. Highly recommend.
You can check some travel websites like Cheap Caribbean, Apple Vacations, Expedia/Orbitz etc. for deals on travel packages. You can also use the various airline websites - they sell vacation packages that can often result in really good deals.
to islands to enjoy warm weather, water and beaches.
Some top places I would suggest over your list would be:
Turks and Caicos
Aruba
St. Lucia
You live in Texas. How much warmer do you need it? Tropical, well, the valley is, uh, well, they have a lot of grapefruit and watermelons. Those are tropical.
already but I did enjoy the Virgin Islands. Stayed on the UCVIs but took a day trip to JVD and the soggy dollar was happening.
"You know that metal plate in my head? I had to have it replaced, cause every time Catherine revved up the microwave I'd piss my pants and forget who I was for a half hour or so. So over at the VA they had to replace it with plastic."
we go to Las Vegas for the xmas holidays. We don't have kids, so we aren't missing any "family" stuff. In LV everything is open, there is a lot to do/see (and I don't mean gambling, unless you are into that), it is fairly nearby, and the weather, while chilly, is not frigid. Plus there usually are pretty good deals on the hotels, etc.
Before the hurricane last fall I would have also recommended the Florida Keys.
Went to Aruba last December just before Christmas. It was beautiful. We did find that the cost practically tripled if we had gone between Christmas and New Year. We did an all inclusive with flight for $1400 per person.
Beiize: Pretty quiet but you go for the diving/snorkeling
Jamaica: I like Negril the best but it's too warm for me. Pretty cool nightlife (Rick's Cafe, any local dive playing reggae).
Cuba: Never been
Dominican Republic: Not for me
The best of the rest
Cabo: Pretty good for all-around. Nice town.
Turks & Caicos: Pretty good for all-around. Pretty beachs.
Aruba: Pretty good for all-around. Good for exploring with a jeep.
St Johns: Pretty good for all-around. Beautiful! Charter a sailboat and see BVI.
St. John is amazing. I would highly recommend it. My only word of caution: any idea how infrastructure and beaches have rebounded after the horrible hurricane season? I saw major damage pictures from the Coral Bay side that showed major devastation. I assume reconstruction will be slow since everything is slower down there.
and will be for some time yet.
Thanks for the update. That was my fear. The aftermath pictures were horrific. I can't imagine the logistics involved just cleaning up (hauling waste materials off the island must be a complicated process), much less rebuilding.
Skip the North Pole and hit the South Pole. Great ocean views. Bring a swimsuit!
If you're just going to sit in an all inclusive, it hardly matters.
The easiest, most affordable way to go is Playa Del Carmen just south of Cancun.
Someone mentions Playa del Carmen. We've gone there the last 5 Christmas weeks, rented a beautiful condo, my wife, two adult daughters and a miniature poodle. This year my daughter's fiance and my niece and her husband joined us. It's a great town, with nice beaches and great restaurants, including one of my favorite restaurants anywhere (Ooh La La, better make your reservation about three months in advance). Also, Mayan ruins nearby, along with other interesting places for an excursion.
as like you said, there's affordable condos, it's a pleasant walkable town with good restaurant options and nightlife, and it offers great day excursions (cenotes, Mayan ruins, etc), and I like to travel that way - with a bit more adventure - but...
...it's not a good choice if the goal is a romantic getaway at a resort in a quiet setting with pristine beaches. I'm not sure if that's what the OP is seeking, but just claryfying that you won't find any of that in Playa del Carmen.
Of the list you provided, I have been to DR and Jamaica. After going to both, I never realized how unsafe I felt in Jamaica compared to Punta Cana. Punta Cana is a 100% resort town with very little actual city to it, so you don't have much of crime, slums, etc. I would recommend it #1 of all the places i have been to, (Bahamas, Jamaica, Pretty much all of Mexico) though I haven't been to Belize, which is also on my list.
You have been to "pretty much all of Mexico"? Please tell me that you are from Mexico, or spent 10+ years just traveling there; otherwise, this is a typical gringo perspective. If that's untrue, I apologize for my rant to follow: I know people who lived in Mexico for 30+ years and would not dare say that they have been to "pretty much all of Mexico." Just visiting the 10 (mas o menos) resort towns does not even scratch the surface of what there is to see in Mexico, vacation-wise. For example, google La Huasteca Potosina or Cuatrocienegas. Or the many Pueblos magicos. There is sooooo much.
Among the soooooo much. Beautiful town in central Mexico, halfway between Mexico City and Guadalajara. One of my favorite places anywhere.
This is a thread about vacationing. So yes, visiting the 10 resort towns scratches the surface because that is where he is going to go. Context man, context.
Let's not work so hard to get offended.
my experiences in both:
The hotels and resorts in Jamaica seemed a bit more integrated with the country. We could walk out to the street and buy jerk chicken from street vendors or walk to a Reggae bar along the street or walk down the beach freely. But this is why you have to be extremely cautious.
Two people in my group were robbed at knife and gun point on the beach while walking at night (yes, not the smartest thing to do but TWO different incidents), and there are constantly people walking past beach chairs trying to sell people drugs.
In the DR, we were in an all-inclusive compound which was fenced in and surrounded by armed guards. As you mentioned the resorts are not integrated with a town or anything in PC. So it's just a lot more closed off which helps keep people safer/gives the impression of safety because they keep druf dealers from interacting with tourists. But when there are armed guards with semi-automatic rifles around your resort, it's probably for a reason.
And nearly half of the parties in our group (we were there for a wedding) had something stolen from their rooms at some point during the trip. Cameras, cell phones, jeans, you name it. It was a sprawling resort and the "rooms" were individual huts. Management wasn't sure if it was the cleaning staff or intruders but despite all their security efforts, it was rampant. When we checked out, the lobby was full of people filing reports and this was one of the "nicest", most expensive places on the island. Also, almost everyone got sick for at least a day from the water/food.
Needless to say, I have no desire to ever go back to Jamaica or DR. Seems the only draw is that they're relatively inexpensive, but, as with most things, you get what you pay for.
I've always wanted to do Christmas in the Caribbean - I hope you go!
