My husband and I are planning our first ever long-stay travel this winter. We want to be away from the cold Canadian winter for the month of February, 2018, possibly into the middle of March. We are looking for a safe, affordable community in which to live. We are both artists: I am a painter/writer, my husband is a percussionist and sound healer. We want a place with a good local music scene that we could include ourselves in, places for yoga, cafes, good beaches, affordable housing and restaurants. I love beautiful places, so some beauty in terms of colour, architecture, flowers, landscape, etc. We would love to be able to travel by bicycle to get around . Can anyone recommend a place like this? My husband is not a seasoned traveller, and I have only ever been to Caribbean all-inclusives. Thanks for your feedback and travel wisdom. Tammy and Craig.
My husband is not a seasoned traveller, and I have only ever been to Caribbean all-inclusives
Cuba is not really for beginners. Food and lodging are often not up to the standards even budget travelers might expect, which makes things a bit more difficult. If Cuba, maybe Matanzas or Santiago for music/African culture.
Were I in your position, I'd try elsewhere though, maybe Mexico or, for music, maybe one of the Garifuna communities in Honduras.
Cuba can be unexpectedly expensive and is not cheap for tourists and you can't always get what you want whenever you want it unlike many other places in the Caribbean.
Thank you so much. I have been to Cuba 5 times, but only ever as all-inclusive, and never in the more expensive resorts. I go for the beaches and I like the simple food and coffee. Really appreciate the input regarding Matanzas or Santiago. Our first thought is Mexico. Have never heard of the Garifuna communities in Honduras...that piques our interest. Cheers, T.
No nice beaches near Santiago; taxi or rental car required to get to the nearest ones. Ditto Matanzas (although the beaches are closer than the ones in Santiago. But music scene? Yoga? Good restaurants? In Matanzas? I know just about every beach town in Cuba, and have covered a lot of the island by bicycle. Yet in this instance, given your desires, I tend to think AnaGarcia and TheChief are probably right.
There are Garifuna communities in Belize, too. Try googling Belize Garifunda, Dangaria, Stan Creek. Haven't been there in decades myself, though, so all I can swear to is the nice beach, lots of percussion, and plenty of colour. It might be too primitive for your taste, though, and my recollection of Belizian accommodations is that they are not for the fussy.
I have only biked through the town of La Boca a couple of times while staying at Club Ancon outside of Trinidad but it is gorgeous. I've also read a few articles on it. La Boca might be just the place you are looking for. Here is one article I found just now that talks about it. https://indianajo.com/2014/07/la-boca-best-beaches-in-cuba.html I see there are also casa particulars on Airbnb if you are American but other casa booking sites should have the same ones listed. Trinidad, with all of its music and beauty, is only 5 K away.
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