Help! Need *New* Caribbean Vacation Destination

On Fri, 2 Mar 2007 17:01:55 -0500, "CapeGuy" <CapeGuy.TakeThisOut@devnull.com>
wrote:
>Easy one - either Virgin Gorda in the BVI or Bequia
>in the Grenadines should work for both of you.

We'll check out both! Thanks for your input!

Chuck
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Chuck & Chris <ChasKMneverspam RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote:

>On Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:10:50 GMT, Rosalie B.
><gmbeasley RemoveThis @mindspring.com> wrote:
>>I would suggest St. Kitts except I don't think they have white sand
>>beaches. It was partly settled by the French, but I haven't eaten
>>ashore.
>>St. John has beautiful beaches and nice restaurants, but is pretty
>>expensive unless you camp at the National Park, and that may not be
>>your thing.
>>You might consider some of the places in Belize (like Caye Caulker, or
>>Ambergris) except that the beaches are very narrow.
>
>Thanks for your input. Narrow beaches are not really our thing. Been
>there, done that. And Chris would kill me if I ever made her camp
>out. No gourmet-quality food either... right?
>
No there are restaurants which have QUITE good food. It is only the
lodging that is camping. I would say the food was better than in
Barbados.

The narrow beaches are because of the coral reef offshore of Belize.
But as a compensation, there are very few people on them.
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In article <m18hu2hqr7cp3e2ehq8622pbgkhthsttjl RemoveThis @4ax.com>,
Rosalie B. <gmbeasley RemoveThis @mindspring.com> wrote:

>
> I would suggest St. Kitts except I don't think they have white sand
> beaches. It was partly settled by the French, but I haven't eaten
> ashore.
>
That's what Nevis is for. Just go to St.K and hang a right. (g).
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On Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:55:59 GMT, Rosalie B.
<gmbeasley.RemoveThis@mindspring.com> wrote:
>No there are restaurants which have QUITE good food. It is only the
>lodging that is camping. I would say the food was better than in
>Barbados.

Yeah, I can see that. The strong English influence probably doesn't
help unless you like Fish & Chips!

>The narrow beaches are because of the coral reef offshore of Belize.
>But as a compensation, there are very few people on them.

Even still, that is not our vision of Caribbean paradise... especially
when so many other beaches are so l-o-n-g and w-i-d-e.

Again, thanks for your input!

Chuck
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Chuck,

Did your friend go to Ambergris Caye? If not, then we are talking
apples and oranges. Google the island and check out the restaurants
and you may be surprised with what you find. The only thing missing
from our diet was beef. I don't remember if it was even on the menus
because I opted more for lobster and chicken dishes. I am not trying
to talk you into this, I am just rather surprised that more people
don't pick Ambergris because it has everything. I am returning in
January and on that trip I plan to take some rubs and jerk sauces with
me. I experimented with what I had there, but I never knew how it
would turn out and I was trying to impress the recipients so I would
have been more comfident knowing what I was dealing with. The outcome
blew the crew away and there were no complaints and it was fun.

Being able to snorkel off your own dock or swim in your own pool were
a big plus for us.

Janice
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On 2 Mar 2007 20:31:40 -0800, jmorngstar.TakeThisOut@aol.com wrote:
>Have you ever rented a private house and private beach? I just got
>back from a month in Belize on Ambergris Caye. My friend rents out
>her house and if you want to write me off list I will be happy to send
>you a link to her site.
>
>No rental cars, but you can rent a golf cart or take a boat to explore
>and go to town. She has a private beach. The caretaker will cook for
>you if your SO really doesn't want to do cooking. There are excellent
>restaurants within walking distance. Four villas have their own pool
>and private beach, so you won't be swarmed by outsiders. The island
>only has 2500 people so that is no problem. There an entire month and
>didn't put my shoes on at all. I have been all over Mexico and
>limited to the Caribbean, but Belize is going to be my next five
>destinations.
>
>Janice

Hi Janice - Interesting idea. The concept of a private house with
private beach is extremely attractive of course, but I'm not sure
Belize is our best choice for this particular vacation. A former
coworker went there often, mainly for the fishing, and it was clear
from his descriptions and photos that while extremely beautiful and
uncrowded, this was not an ideal vacation place for everyone. In
fact, he could not even get his girlfriend to go down there with him.

While Chris probably couldn't care less, my particular desire for
especially fine foods while vacationing would likely be a problem
there. The odds of us finding a caretaker and a variety of
ingredients of the culinary caliber that would keep me happy are
likely quite low. I'd end up doing most of the cooking, I'm sure. At
least that's my experience from similar situations in past worldwide
business travel. Bottom line is that half the fun of a vacation...
for me, at least... is the quest for truly unique and memorable
gourmet meals. It's the curse of coming from a family of top-shelf
restaurateurs.

Chuck
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Head straight to Curacao -- take the new Continental flight out of
Newark. It has everything you want PLUS Dutch colonial architecture
along the waterfront in the capital. Don't do all-inclusive. The
restaurants are great.

Also, any of the British Virgin Islands -- fly to St. Thomas, then fly
(American Eagle) or ferry to Tortola or Virgin Gorda. This is more
beach-bum territory than Curacao, but clean, safe and affordable.
St. John (ferry from St. Thomas) and St. Croix (Delta out of Atlanta)
are nice choices in the US Virgin Islands and you DO NOT need a
passport. St. Thomas has more crime and congestion, but great
shopping.

Consider, also, the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe -- I
think Delta flies non-stop out of Atlanta. If you like French St.
Martin, you'll love these islands -- but research before you go, they
are really geared to please the European visitor.

Have fun ... Lynne
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"lynnesullivan@gmail.com" <lynnesullivan.DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:

>Head straight to Curacao -- take the new Continental flight out of
>Newark. It has everything you want PLUS Dutch colonial architecture
>along the waterfront in the capital. Don't do all-inclusive. The
>restaurants are great.
>
>Also, any of the British Virgin Islands -- fly to St. Thomas, then fly
>(American Eagle) or ferry to Tortola or Virgin Gorda. This is more
>beach-bum territory than Curacao, but clean, safe and affordable.
>St. John (ferry from St. Thomas) and St. Croix (Delta out of Atlanta)
>are nice choices in the US Virgin Islands and you DO NOT need a
>passport. St. Thomas has more crime and congestion, but great
>shopping.

I am not sure that is true - at least you need one to fly home.
>
>Consider, also, the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe -- I
>think Delta flies non-stop out of Atlanta. If you like French St.
>Martin, you'll love these islands -- but research before you go, they
>are really geared to please the European visitor.
>
>Have fun ... Lynne
>
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In article <1173066595.221673.125860.TakeThisOut@n33g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
"lynnesullivan@gmail.com" <lynnesullivan.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> writes
>Head straight to Curacao -- take the new Continental flight out of
>Newark. It has everything you want PLUS Dutch colonial architecture
>along the waterfront in the capital. Don't do all-inclusive. The
>restaurants are great.
>
>Also, any of the British Virgin Islands -- fly to St. Thomas, then fly
>(American Eagle) or ferry to Tortola or Virgin Gorda. This is more
>beach-bum territory than Curacao, but clean, safe and affordable.
>St. John (ferry from St. Thomas) and St. Croix (Delta out of Atlanta)
>are nice choices in the US Virgin Islands and you DO NOT need a
>passport. St. Thomas has more crime and congestion, but great
>shopping.
>
>Consider, also, the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe -- I
>think Delta flies non-stop out of Atlanta. If you like French St.
>Martin, you'll love these islands -- but research before you go, they
>are really geared to please the European visitor.
>
>Have fun ... Lynne
>
>
I agree about the BVI (but not on Curacao). For the BVI - if you want to
fly American Eagle you would travel via SJU. They do not fly between
USVI and BVI. That is undertaken by Cape Air (or, as Lynne suggests, by
ferry). BVI much better destination than USVI - much greater choice of
islands and resorts and ability to get right away from hassle. St.
Martin/Maarten ....hmmmm.... jury's out in my case. And I enjoy both
France and Holland. I find them overpriced for what you get.

TomW.
--
Tom Withycombe
Dorset/UK
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On 3 Mar 2007 09:06:02 -0800, jmorngstar.RemoveThis@aol.com wrote:
>Chuck,
>Did your friend go to Ambergris Caye? If not, then we are talking
>apples and oranges. Google the island and check out the restaurants
>and you may be surprised with what you find. The only thing missing
>from our diet was beef. I don't remember if it was even on the menus
>because I opted more for lobster and chicken dishes.

To be honest, I'm not sure exactly where in Belize he goes. I'll have
to contact him to find out... but I know he's on vacation as we speak!
No warm Caribbean sun for him this time... just a ski trip to Vermont
I believe!

Trust me... I am not ruling out Belize at all. We downloaded a bunch
of photos and the place is absolutely beautiful! All I'm saying is
that I don't think it's the best choice for this particular trip.
Right now we need something fast and simple with that dual personality
I've been talking about: a total, no-nonsense veg out spot for her...
but with enough mobility, interesting diversions and gourmet food
choices for moi!

Chuck
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In article <87jou2pkskmhbtutemhbnu5f9vfddsubet RemoveThis @4ax.com>,
Chuck & Chris <ChasKMneverspam RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote:


> You raise a great point about the cruise we took. We took it
> specifically to see and experience a wide variety of Caribbean islands
> in the hope of finding a "new" place that would be all ours... in the
> sense of no carryover memories/baggage from past trips and/or past
> relationships. Unfortunately, the quick stopovers made by the cruise
> ship did very little to give us any real flavor of the islands we had
> never visited before. In fact, most of the "flavor" was that induced
> by the cruise ship's own info and agenda. Rarely did we get to see an
> actual tourist beach or the inside of any quality resort. It's very
> sad but all we remember today about St. Lucia are the tales of ugly
> crimes and the dangers to cruise ship crew members and passengers.
>
> Chuck

The other thing I got from our cruise to St. Lucia is that I don't
ever want to fly in there. The runways are SHORT and you have to
basically get to the edge of the runway and drop straight down to miss
something (IIRC). The thing that stuck in my mind was more the takeoffs.
The airport had a little ski jump at the end of the runway, sorta like
the British Aircraft carriers..
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On 4 Mar 2007 19:49:55 -0800, "lynnesullivan@gmail.com"
<lynnesullivan DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
>Head straight to Curacao -- take the new Continental flight out of
>Newark. It has everything you want PLUS Dutch colonial architecture
>along the waterfront in the capital. Don't do all-inclusive. The
>restaurants are great.
>
>Also, any of the British Virgin Islands -- fly to St. Thomas, then fly
>(American Eagle) or ferry to Tortola or Virgin Gorda. This is more
>beach-bum territory than Curacao, but clean, safe and affordable.
>St. John (ferry from St. Thomas) and St. Croix (Delta out of Atlanta)
>are nice choices in the US Virgin Islands and you DO NOT need a
>passport. St. Thomas has more crime and congestion, but great
>shopping.
>
>Consider, also, the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe -- I
>think Delta flies non-stop out of Atlanta. If you like French St.
>Martin, you'll love these islands -- but research before you go, they
>are really geared to please the European visitor.
>
>Have fun ... Lynne

Thanks Lynne... some good thoughts and places to consider. I think we
have ruled out the American Virgins based on relatively high crime,
the camping thing (for St. John) and other considerations I won't get
into. Plus the shopping thing is not really a big priority for either
of us. The British Virgins are still in the running, although I still
associate them more with sailing and drinking (and more drinking) than
anything else!

Curacao is probably worth researching more... and we will do so. I'm
sure I would love Guadeloupe or Martinique (despite some serious
complaints on the latter from a family friend)... but you are right:
They cater to the European visitor to the extent that good deals are
very hard to find from the states. I am not sure Chris would mesh
well with the more serious language barrier and culture.

Chuck
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On Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:35:34 GMT, Kurt Ullman <kurtullman RemoveThis @yahoo.com>
wrote:
>The other thing I got from our cruise to St. Lucia is that I don't
>ever want to fly in there. The runways are SHORT and you have to
>basically get to the edge of the runway and drop straight down to miss
>something (IIRC). The thing that stuck in my mind was more the takeoffs.
>The airport had a little ski jump at the end of the runway, sorta like
>the British Aircraft carriers.

I think a lot of the Caribbean islands have this same problem. My
theory is that the ones that had decent land for landing strips were
developed first for commercial jets. Sadly, this also means that they
are now the most overcrowded.

While certainly not a deciding factor, the ability to fly in a jet
directly to an island from a location in the USA or Puerto Rico is a
very nice feature on our "no hassle" scale.

Chuck
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