Board 8 > Who here has vacationed in the Caribbean?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Last Christmas, I traveled abroad for the first time since childhood. We went to the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana), and I loved it so much that I'm thinking of doing another Caribbean vacation this December.

The big question is whether we go to the exact same resort or try something new. So to anyone else here who has gone to the Caribbean for leisure: which city/country, and did you enjoy it? Any recommendations? Thanks much.
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Barbados like 4x, Jamaica back in '15 for Cousin's wedding pre-Christmas.

Both are equally nice.

Place I wanna go is the Bahamas but unless I turn over a bank or hock a kidney, it's not happening any time soon.
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Me. I went to Jamaica .

Jamaica was great, but I'd suggest somewhere more classical like in Europe.
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^ He asked for the Carribean, tbf.
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Went on a cruise, that stopped in Jamaica, Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Tortola

Tortola and Puerto Rico were my favorite. Puerto Rico had the best city stuff, but Tortola's beaches were incredible

Though we only spent a day in each place, so my experience was limited.
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Live in Puerto Rico. There's plenty of stuff to see and do, but living here all my life it's hard to think of too much touristy stuff aside from beaches and important landmarks.

Would love to go to the Bahamas though. Punta Cana is legit, glad you could experience it.
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I just did a cruise in January. I don't know what it would be like to spend a week in any of our ports, but I loved my time in Belize.

@Uglyface2

Oh wow, I'm actually going to Belize next month! Did you port in Belize City? I'll be there for a few days and haven't made any plans, so I'd love to hear about your time there.
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I've been to Aruba and Riviera Maya. Loved Aruba...it was safe enough to venture around the island, and people aren't trying to sell you shit. And the beaches are beautiful and white, made of coral so the sand doesn't get hot.
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I also live in Puerto Rico. It's beautiful, has a good amount going for it.

As I asked my wifes students for ideas on touristy things, one said "go to the Cheesecake Factory."

So come here and do that.
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Heh, I already live right next to one. I wonder if their menu is just as huge in PR. WORTH A TRIP TO FIND OUT
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i went to st. croix once, and trinidad & tobago once, both as a student

they were awesome, but it was really because of the people that were showing me around the weather is insanely amazing, though. sorry i don't have anything more useful
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No need to be sorry, I'm enjoying every post!

And yeah, the weather in the Caribbean blew me away. It wasn't always perfect, but that honestly made it even better (if that makes sense). One morning in Punta Cana, my gf, an in-law, and I walked to the beach expecting to take an exercise class in the sun. All of a sudden, it started raining like crazy, and everyone went scampering under the beach umbrellas. We stayed there for about 15 minutes, just chatting, and just as suddenly as the rain started, it ended to reveal more beautiful sunshine. That was probably one of my favorite moments of the trip.
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Randomly looked at street view in the Caribbean on Google Maps
Found a guy with Las Vegas apparel first try

I think it's a sign to go to Martinique
I know nothing about Martinique
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Been to Aruba, it was pretty cool. Probably the nicest beaches I've been on.
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CaptainOfCrush posted...

Oh wow, I'm actually going to Belize next month! Did you port in Belize City? I'll be there for a few days and haven't made any plans, so I'd love to hear about your time there.

You know, I'm not one hundred percent sure which city we were in. It might have been Belize City.

I took an excursion to the Lamanai ruins. If you're into that sort of thing then I'll just tell you it's a magnificent area, it's worth hiking to the top of the high temple, and there are monkeys in the jungle. The only real downside is that the trip took up most of the shore time.

What else... I don't remember the brand, but there seems to be one national beer that Belizeans are proud of. It's perfectly ok, nothing to write home about but it's not deadly poison, either.

If you take a guided tour then you might be invited to eat one of their national dishes: rice and beans. I know, it doesn't sound like much but I actually liked what they did with it.

There was a fancy chocolate place in the tourist area. It's not the best chocolate I've had, and it cost a lot of money. Maybe worth it to try chocolate with the hot peppers, if you can't find anything like that locally.

I went on a cruise the Bahamas a few years ago. Had a good time except for the Straw Market in Nassau. They have some interesting stuff, but the sellers are pushy and sometimes nasty. A little ways from there, however, is a fantastic restaurant called Senor Frogs. I highly recommend it. And the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort is quite a sight to see. They have a marine habitat and aquariums you can tour.
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Uglyface2 posted...

I took an excursion to the Lamanai ruins. If you're into that sort of thing then I'll just tell you it's a magnificent area, it's worth hiking to the top of the high temple, and there are monkeys in the jungle. The only real downside is that the trip took up most of the shore time.

That sounds amazing. One of the things we want to do in Belize is catch a ride to the Mayan ruins in Tikal (Guatemala), but that would be a full two day excursion and leave us with little time to do things in Belize itself. If the country has similar ruins, then we might do that instead. Looks like it's a coupe hours away from Belize City, but that's still a lot closer than Guatemala.

Anyway, the travel agent I booked Punta Cana with last Christmas contacted me. He gave me a great deal on a new, upgraded resort that's right next to the one we stayed in last year. For nights for two people for $1,339 ($670 a person). This is one of those all-inclusive places, so that includes the room, all the food we can eat, all the booze we can drink, and all the room service we can call. I might jump on this deal - it's better than the one I got last year.
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Also looking into Aruba since that seems to be highly recommended.
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Which resort in Punta Cana? I also went to one last year which was really fun haha
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Last year, we stayed at the Majestic Colonial. The beaches and drinks were incredible, the place was kept clean and the guests were surprisingly orderly (with infinite free drinks, I thought drunk douchebags would be everywhere, but everyone was really chill). The only thing that wasn't quite up to par was the food. It was hit or miss, but again it's unlimited and free, so I kept experimenting until I found the best stuff.

This year, I'm looking at the new Majestic Mirage.

Which one did you stay in? Also, did you do any stuff outside the resort?

My gf and I went to Scape Park, which was absolutely beautiful.
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CaptainOfCrush posted...

Last year, we stayed at the Majestic Colonial. The beaches and drinks were incredible, the place was kept clean and the guests were surprisingly orderly (with infinite free drinks, I thought drunk douchebags would be everywhere, but everyone was really chill). The only thing that wasn't quite up to par was the food. It was hit or miss, but again it's unlimited and free, so I kept experimenting until I found the best stuff.

This year, I'm looking at the new Majestic Mirage.

Which one did you stay in? Also, did you do any stuff outside the resort?

My gf and I went to Scape Park, which was absolutely beautiful.

Wow, I actually went to the same one haha!

My experience is relatively similar. The food and drinks were decent, but not spectacular. But the people (both those visiting and the workers) were all remarkably friendly and the beach and pools were all clean and looked fantastic. The nightclub was ok the first time though I didn't go again afterwards.

I went on one excursion to a reef that was cool. You could snorkel with stingrays and get a free massage. You could also kayak a little bit too. It was more laid back then I expected. Reminded me a bit of Sea Base when I was a Boy Scout.
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VeryInsane posted...

I went on one excursion to a reef that was cool. You could snorkel with stingrays and get a free massage. You could also kayak a little bit too. It was more laid back then I expected. Reminded me a bit of Sea Base when I was a Boy Scout.

Nice, that sounds like something I'd check out if I do go back. We went and saw the Hoyo Azul, which was one of the most picturesque places I've ever seen. Looked like something out of a fantasy game:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VXb_W-4OMcs/maxresdefault.jpg

I'm glad you had a good time, and yeah my trip converted me into a fan of these all-inclusive resorts (I didn't know about them beforehand). For for the full experience you get, it really is one hell of a deal.
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Does Key West count?
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Not sure about that one.
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Huff n puff 20 posted...

Does Key West count?

I vote that if The Bahama's and Turks and Caicos count, the Key Islands count as well.
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Key West is part of Florida and you can drive there from the main land
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EndOfDiscOne posted...

Key West is part of Florida and you can drive there from the main land

Why would roads matter?
The Bahamas are about 60 miles off of Florida and Key West is about 60 miles off of Florida
If one counts the other should count!
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