Caribbean Locations for a Vacation

[redo75]

Our family group consists of rwo kids 5 and 10 yrs old, three adults in mid 30's, and two pairs of seniors.
Haven't travelled south, so need info on resorts that are safe fun and good value, etc for earlyMay.
Thanks.

[bluetoy]

Cuba, Cayo Coco. Not alot of activities other than beach. They do rent ATV's and wave runners though.

[Redfire427]

Anywhere along the Mayan Riviera ( Cancun area ) of Mexico. Great resorts, food, entertainment, beaches etc. We started taking our kids down there when they were your kids ages and they had a blast. I think we have returned 11 times now.

Carmen

[mavrrrick]

Mexico sounds a little scary lately though. Cozumel is very nice and is an island, safer. Cuba, food is meh, everything else is amazing. Dominican is nice as well. As long as its hot and beer is cold I'm happy!!!

[Boomer]

Make sure its a 5 star resort. Been to Veradero Cuba, Mayan Riviera Mexico and Punta Cana...all nice beaches.

[Zutz2v]

Our family group consists of rwo kids 5 and 10 yrs old, three adults in mid 30's, and two pairs of seniors.
Haven't travelled south, so need info on resorts that are safe fun and good value, etc for earlyMay.
Thanks.

I just got back from Cuba, I was in Cayo coco. Beaches were amazing but the resort was nothing special.

Mexico I’ve been 3 times, your not going to leave the resort so your fine in Mexico they don’t bother you.

But make sure you do your research about Dominican and Mexico cause certain places have a breakout of hand foot and mouth disease. My aunts just got back from the royalton riviera and both her infant and toddler got it BAD! So make sure you do your research and read reviews. Also YouTube gives you great info on the resort, so check it out


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[redo75]

Will pass info onto the lady with the purse strings.
Thanks.

[Cloud nine]

Playa del Carmen Mexico. Going soon for a week, been there many times and love it. Went to Cuba in November and the food was horrible. Never again first and last.

[paradigm]

Went to Varadero Cuba, and in general its a dump. Originally stayed at the Grand Memories which was total trash, and told Sunwing to move us to the neigboring Iberostar (supposed to be 5 star) and it was still bad. I would never do a resort in Cuba again.
Stayed in Punta Cana a bunch of times (Bahia Principe, Melia, and another resort that I forgot), and overall it's been a good relaxing experience. The beach there is really really good. I have heard issues however with people getting poisoned in Punta Cana, and so until that issue settles, I will not be going back.
Stayed in the Maya Riveria (Riu) and it was good.
Going to Negril Jamacia at the end of this month (Royalton) and I am looking forward to it.

[92redragtop]

Been to Cuba and Mexico - not going back on either quality or principle. Jamaica - not that safe off resort. Grenada for something smaller, less developed, and safe (and formerly British) but price point higher than Cuba but comparable to Jamaica and quality DR resorts....you won't find the really large resorts like DR though.

I've always liked St. Maarten if you don't like being a prisoner on the resort since most of the large islands are not that safe off the resort. The island is small, lots to do including local restaurants, duty free shopping (stay out of shops on days cruise ships arrive for the day as prices go up), easy to drive and get around the island, and nice day trips on sailboat or power cats to nearby islands (St Barts, Saba, Anguilla) where you can rent a Mini Moke for the day to explore. Only issue is the hurricane that hit in 2-3 years ago - I heard they have rebuilt most of what was damaged/destroyed but you'll want to verify if you consider this destination. I know people who rented great AirBnB condos there is you don't want all inclusive.

[SlipperyVic]

I'm an avid cruiser so I can offer some advise on islands, but can't help you with resorts. If you want to talk ships I'm your man.

Islands to check out in no particular order. These are all places that were beautiful, nice beaches and friendly people. Always felt safe in all of these places.

Tortola (BVI)
St. Marrten
Antigua
St. Kitts
St. Thomas (USVI)

Honorable mentions to

Roatan Honduras, Aruba.

Islands to avoid

Bahamas - Over priced, over run with tourists. Does not feel as safe as other places. Nassau in particular is a sketchy place. Lots of pushy vendors.
St. Lucia - Beautiful island, great beaches. If your going to a place and staying on the resort then St Lucia is fine. If you want to go and explore around it I would not recommend it. Lots of pushy vendors

[rioredsvt]

Travelled for 30 + years and my favourite place is cabo San Lucas Mexico, we stayed at the Riu palace, really great food, spectacular views of the sea of Cortez, walk into town ,lots to do and see.
The other place is the Riu santa fe which is a little more kid friendly

[Boomer]

Travelled for 30 + years and my favourite place is cabo San Lucas Mexico, we stayed at the Riu palace, really great food, spectacular views of the sea of Cortez, walk into town ,lots to do and see.
The other place is the Riu santa fe which is a little more kid friendly

Been looking at this place.

[Gr8Stang]

Been to the Bahia Principe in Punta Cana, DR twice and really enjoyed it. Good food, beautiful beach and nightly entertainment, including a Michael Jackson show that was really well done.

The DR had some bad press recently re: reported attacks on single females and also poisoning cases. Just do your research before you decide to book and you should be good. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

[92redragtop]

Travelled for 30 + years and my favourite place is cabo San Lucas Mexico, we stayed at the Riu palace, really great food, spectacular views of the sea of Cortez, walk into town ,lots to do and see.
The other place is the Riu santa fe which is a little more kid friendly

What's the beaches of the Pacific like down there? I think the beaches are rougher/colder water (more under-tow) than you would find in the Caribbean Sea but I could be wrong as I've never been there specifically - did find that in California a little further north.

[92redragtop]

I'm an avid cruiser so I can offer some advise on islands, but can't help you with resorts. If you want to talk ships I'm your man.

Islands to check out in no particular order. These are all places that were beautiful, nice beaches and friendly people. Always felt safe in all of these places.

Tortola (BVI)
St. Marrten
Antigua
St. Kitts
St. Thomas (USVI)

Honorable mentions to

Roatan Honduras, Aruba.

Islands to avoid

Bahamas - Over priced, over run with tourists. Does not feel as safe as other places. Nassau in particular is a sketchy place. Lots of pushy vendors.
St. Lucia - Beautiful island, great beaches. If your going to a place and staying on the resort then St Lucia is fine. If you want to go and explore around it I would not recommend it. Lots of pushy vendors

I like the BVI but I find that it's best done on a yacht with all the small islands that comprise it. Bahamas is nice but only for the outer islands like Exuma and Abacos, etc but I think they're less kid friendly.

[92redragtop]

not a cruise ship

I assume it's a regular cruise ship being referred to but not sure what size ship Tortola or the Bahamian Outer Islands can take (definitely not the large ship; maybe Windjammer on the larger size).

[hsousa88]

Have only ever been to the DR. Stayed at bahia principe.. the resort itself was nice, clean rooms, decent beaches and what felt like a bar at ever intersection. I’m not a picky eater at all but the food was mediocre. If I were to do it again I’d book a a la cart restaurant for every dinner.

I’m not a resort guy, don’t really care for the beach. Would love to do Jamaica tho.. just really expensive for a week at a 5 star. Ever thought about Europe? Nothing beats it.

[92redragtop]

Another one in DR - adding up to Mexico's on-resort numbers. Could be alcohol related per police statement (or not).

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/nova-scotia-man-dies-at-all-inclusive-resort-in-dominican-republic/ar-BBZGNSv?ocid=ientp