Hi!
A friend and I are going on a trip to Central America and the Caribbean. We have never been in any of these areas before and are simply wondering if anyone out there has any strong opinions on what island in the Caribbean is the best (and the worst...).
We are very openminded when it comes to activities. We want some nice beaches, some culture, some partying (not too much though...no need for foam parties if ya know what i mean...). Most of all we just wanna have a great trip!! Not sure about the budget yet, but I guess we'll stay in like a mix of hostels and 1-2 star hotels...
Since we are two girls we would prefer a place that's not too unsafe.
Also, we will most likely be traveling last week of October - end of December. I have read lots of stuff about the weather, but you know, some places say GO!, other say AVOID!. The temperature will probably be fine anyways, it's more the showers I'm worried about. How bad is it, and is some places better than others? Also, I've heard that the showers make like a zillion bugs come out. Not a big cockroach fan... (Not a whimp, though - I can handle a few!)
What do you guys think? Would be great with some inside tips from you guys!
the places that come to mind for someone like you would be negril jamica. or st. maarten and st. martin, st. john, cozumel, grenada, barbados. those would be the best. i'd avoid ocho rios or montego bay jamaica, st. thomas, st. croix. cayman is too expensive and no culture... aruba's okay, dominica doesn't have much a party scene. if you speak french, st barts is awesome. but they really don't like to speak english.. same with guadaloupe and martinique, very nice, but not great if you don't speak french. that's the main ones i can think of.
I was also thinking of Negril. Barbados would also be good, although it can be a bit expensive.
Anne,
Welcome to Thorn Tree and congratulations on your upcoming trip. Late October - December is a fine time to go to the Caribbean weather wise. You're getting late into hurricane season so a hurricane is extremely unlikely. Also not very rainy. A couple of things to consider though: it's rainy season in much of Central America until mid to late November, depending on where you are going. Also, most of the islands kick into "high season" rates around mid-December so you will likely pay much more for lodging then, particularly around Christmas and New Year's when much of the Caribbean charges its highest rates of the year.
As for the best and worst islands, that is an extremely difficult question to answer given the criteria you've given (good beaches, some partying, reasonably safe, not sure about the budget). Dozens of islands meet this criteria. Also, what do you wind up doing with the responses you get, go to the one that the most people "voted" for or recommended? Keep in mind too that not that many people have been to all (or sometimes even most) of the islands so it's difficult to say what's best (although I know that jamdownron and IslandDiva have been to many/most ... but just keep that in mind when you ask such a broad question). I'm not trying to be critical, just cautioning you on using this technique.
I think that you may want to strongly factor cost into doing a little "prescreening" of the most viable options. For example, we may recommend an island but it might cost you a fortune to fly there from Central America (could easily be $500 - $800 depending on where to/from and when). We don't even know where you will be flying from.
I would suggest figuring out where you'll be coming from and approximately when and going to a site like kayak.com to play around with some airfare prices to see where it looks like you'll get the best deal (unless prices really don't matter much in your considerations). The major islands/airports that you would most likely get the best fares to would probably be: Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, Aruba. Start with those and rule out the ones that are outrageously expensive. If you have any left, research those more in-depth and ask for comparison between a smaller subset of islands. All of those islands will tend to have a little more night life as well and you can just quit partying anytime you feel like it is "too much".
As for bugs, it's just a fact of life in more tropical climates and I haven't really noticed one island being worse than others, although you'll fare no better in Central America.
One more thing that I think you should consider very seriously is just working in some Caribbean beach time while you are in Central America and foregoing a separate flight to a Caribbean island all together. Central America is cheaper than just about anywhere in the Caribbean and you have a whole lot more budget options. When you say you are thinking about a "one or two star hotel" in the Caribbean, that will usually run you about $100 or so on most islands. The same type of nice but basic hotel I pay $90- $100 a night for in the Caribbean, I can almost always get for $40 - $50 in Central America. Consider just going to the beaches along the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico or the east coast of Panama. Depending on where you are going in Central America you can probably get there easier and cheaper (and overland). The beaches are similar to and as nice as most beaches in the Caribbean islands and it is, after all, the Caribbean. No need to pay $500 or more to fly to a Caribbean island just to lay on a beach all week that was comparable to one you could have gotten to in Central America for the price of a bus ticket.
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