Thorn Tree travel forum

Welcome to the Thorn Tree's Caribbean branch!

Welcome to the Thorn Tree's Caribbean branch.

We hope you find plenty of useful information about travelling to the Caribbean here. It is highly recommended that new users do a search of the Thorn Tree before posting a new thread, as you may find many of the answers you seek that way.

Choosing a country to post to:

When you make a post and choose a country from the drop down menu, your post will be added to that country but will also display in the general Caribbean branch. If your post covers more than one country, please only add it to the country it is mostly about, not to all the countries - it won't increase the number of replies you get and will mean your post will appear multiple times in theCaribbean branch.

Comments about Lonely Planet Guidebooks:

If you used an LP guidebook on your trip and want to share your take on things with other users, we'd be thr... more »

Venezuela to Curacao.

Hola amigos,

Nobody has given an answer in the Venezuela group, so I post it here.

I will be in Venezuela in forthcoming February and I would like to visit Curacao for the carnival. Does anybody know how much a return flight costs?

Can I buy the ticket on the net or better and cheaper in a travel agency in Caracas or it would be late when I will be in Caracas? Any recommendation on both (internet and travel agency)?

Gracias!

Dance teachers in Santo Domingo?

Hello,
I was wondering if anybody knows any good dance teachers in Santo Domingo that I could contact. I am hoping to travel to the DR next year and would like to spend some time in dance classes. I attend dance classes here in the UK, mainly cuban salsa (and have visited cuba twice), but would like to try something different. I would probably spend a good week in Santo Domingo. I speak Spanish so if the dance teacher does not speak English that is no problem.
I know some of you may be thinking, "why don't you just turn up at one of the merengue bars / clubs and learn to dance from willing partners there," but I would be travelling on my own so just turning up at the local nightlife is not a comfortable option! I've always enjoyed classes. Because I am a single girl I would need to know that the dance teacher is reputable.
If anybody has any information and/or contacts regarding go... more »

Romantic Getaway

Hi everyone,

My wife and I have been researching for weeks now to find the perfect Caribbean Island for a romantic getaway, and we haven't gotten any closer to selecting a destination! We're suffering from information overload. We're desperate for some advice.

We're both in our late 20's, and we have a pretty good idea about what we're looking for (in order of priority):

1. Beautiful white sand beaches (a resort or villa on the beach)
2. Safe
3. Relatively affordable (not cheap, but not super-expensive)
4. Romantic
5. Quiet / Relatively secluded (we don't mind taking a bus and/or boat to get there)
6. Good food (unique local cuisine, good seafood)
7. Cool places to explore (rainforests, mountains, etc.)
8. Good snorkeling

We also know what we're NOT looking for (in order of priority):

1. Popular spring-break / party / all-inclusive destinations
2. Super-exlu... more »

Trip report from Nov 2009 Haiti

The fact that Haiti has an image problem, I am compelled to share my travel experiences there. I was in Haiti for 2 weeks in Nov 09, arriving and leaving overland from the DR, travelling around like a backpacker, taking public transport everywhere, staying in budget accomodation, and eating on the cheap. I had no guide, no guard, no translators, no drivers ... just me.

Safety: This is the most asked question on the thorn tree and one I have a clear answer for. Right now, Haiti is completely fine for safety, and, based on my travel experiences, I would say it is overall safer than Venezuela, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, and probably some others. I was on the street day and night in Port-au-Prince, Jakmel, Cap Haitian, Les Cayes, and Port Salut, and I had little or no problems. Outside of Port-au-Prince I would say that Haiti is as safe as small town America, and it seem... more »

Cruise from San Juan - shared cabin - Celebrity Summit - 27.3.2010

Is anybody (preferably female) interested in sharing a cabin in above cruise to
St. Thomas, St. Croix, Basseterre, St. Johns, Pointe-a-Pitre -? Departure 27.03.2010

International Cruise Center charges 749 USD per person right now so I would be happy to share the cabin with someone! This is full board and does not include excursions.

After driving around Puerto Rico with my husband for 2 weeks, I have another week to spend there and rather than staying in a condo at the beach in San Juan I think that this is the more interesting option. However, paying the full price is definitely too much for me!

ANYONE INTERESTED?

Seven Miles beach at night?

Can anybody tell us how safe it is to walk on Seven Miles beach (Negril) in the evening/at night?
Or do most people prefer to stay within the gates of their all-inclusive resort?

Thanx for any info.

Peter

HELP - where is the weather good right now?

A friend called and said she has 6 vacation days to burn and wants to go someplace warm...

I guess priority is to go to good weather and where we would not encounter the rain season or any extremes...

So where is a good place to go right now from NYC?

Caribbean? Where exactly?

Mexico is good? where (it's BIG)

Central or South America? Where?

Ohh and we want just nice easy laid back all inclusive resort...

Thank you...