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 »

Puerto Rico-real budget accommodations?

I will be in Puerto Rico for the first time in November. There will be 4 of us traveling together. So far I have not been finding any hotels for under $80 and no hostels for under about $20 per person. Is it possible to find anything cheaper in Puerto Rico? I will def stay in San Juan for a night or two, we are renting a car and are open to all areas of the island, prefer non touristy. Thanks!

cost of living ,tax and housing-puertorico

HI Friends,

My brother got an offer from a company . and they are offering between 5-6K USD per month.

i want to know few things

:-can you tell me what will be total tax he has to pay for an year.

:-and incase if he is out of country for whole year but drawing salary from company based in puerto rico. then in that case, what will be the total tax , he has to pay.

:- what is average cost of renting a 1BHK apartment in san juan furnished with minimum basic necessities.

and along with other daily cost like electricity, water

please share if you have any other suggestion or information,

thanks in advance

Hotels in Perto Rico

I'm travelling in puerto rico in late June / early July. I have accommodation booked for most of the journey, but am planning on travelling El Yunque and surrounding areas for a few days and dont have accommodation booked yet. Does anyone know if its easy to find accommodation as you go in that area, or is it wise to book in advance?
Thanks

looking for an affordable remote all inclusive honeymoon destination

hello,
my partner and I are looking for a honeymoon destination. we are really flexible as to where to go: costa rica, mexico, dominican republic etc etc etc....
we are tempted by the idea of having all meals provided, or an affordable restaurant really close (given breakfast is provided) and therefore all-inclusive fits the purpose of this trip (we really only want to be together, not worry about food etc).
We do not like really touristy places and big resorts.
We are rather in nature in a remote place (at least not crowded).
and yes...we are on a budget....meaning those really fancy resorts that are completely in nature but where you pay hundreds of $ a night are out of our league.
basic-nice-nature-all meals provided- affordable. any hints????
thank you soo much
tina

Safety and annoyance

Just got back from Haiti. Although I found it very interesting and culturally eye-opening it was a pretty hostile place. I thought us Americans were racists and bigots, but the Haitians take it to a whole new level. There is a lot of hostility towards whites. On quite a few occasions I had people yelling and screaming and being very hostile as I simply just walked on main streets in various neighborhoods. I highly recommend going to Haiti if you can tolerate these annoyances. But it really put a damper on my trip. Also if you have a driver and car and stay out of the neighborhoods you probably won't run into this. But that makes Haiti very boring.

Public bus in San Juan to main airport (SJU) from Isla Verde

I will need to return a rental car in Isla Verde and then get to the airport to catch a flight. I refuse to pay the fixed $10 rate for this 1 mile taxi ride, so am looking for options.

Does anyone know how to get there on a bus? In addition to finding out the the SJU airport website has no ground transportation section (or even an English language version) there are no online bus schedules or maps for the San Juan transit system. Nor does any of the hotels appear to offer a free shuttle service to cover this short distance.

Also, is it possible to walk? I won't have luggage.

Late Arrival in Mo Bay, Cell Phone SIM Cards

Hey Folks,

I will be arriving late in Mo Bay (7 pm). My plans are to head out towards St.Anne's Bay/ Ochi area. My question is: should I get a hotel in Mo Bay that first night and then head out the next morning, or try to go half way that night?
This leads to a couple more questions:
1) If I stay in Mo Bay, can anyone recommend a chill, budget ($40- 50) place to stay where I could walk to a couple bars/restaurants that night and check out a couple local things? Hopefully not too far from the airport.
I'll need to get to the bus station too. I have read Mikey Mike's suggestions of Carter Guest House (MIkey they should be paying you a commission for all the good words you put out for them ;) !) This seems like a good place, but, far from the airport? Far from anything in the centre of town?

2) If I go half way (duncan's bay or falmouth) then where would be a good place to... more »