View Full Version : Best Caribbean Island?
Steve Dalkowski
02-05-09, 11:13 PM
So Spring Break is coming up and my friends and I are telling ourselves we deserve a beach vacation. JetBlue/some other airlines have some great deals to the Caribbean - Aruba, DR, PR, etc. (~$100 each way from JFK). I am leaning towards Aruba, but have never been to the Caribbean. So where do you guys recommend?
Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic is nice because the beaches are beautiful but there is also some local culture and flavor. It is surrounded by an actual community rather than being a pre-packaged resort.
People normally have fun in Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Barbados. The Bahamas are usually nice as long as your stay away from the Nassau-Paradise Island complex.
The best diving in the whole region is on Bonaire but it doesn't have much of a party atmosphere and is a bit tricky to get to.
Steve Dalkowski
02-05-09, 11:21 PM
Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic is nice because the beaches are beautiful but there is also some local culture and flavor. It is surrounded by an actual community rather than being a pre-packaged resort.
People normally have fun in Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Barbados. The Bahamas are usually nice as long as your stay away from the Nassau-Paradise Island complex.
The best diving in the whole region is on Bonaire but it doesn't have much of a party atmosphere and is a bit tricky to get to.Some great info, thanks. I've heard good things about the DR, but also that you need to be conscious about avoiding the bad parts. Same of parts of PR. True of Puerto Plata?
We're all mid/late 20's grad students, so we can make our own fun as long as there's a bar and maybe a nice hotel pool... we aren't really looking for the college spring break experience, just a place to relax during the day and have a good time at night. Sounds like a place like Bonaire could work if it were easier to get to.
Some great info, thanks. I've heard good things about the DR, but also that you need to be conscious about avoiding the bad parts. Same of parts of PR. True of Puerto Plata?
We're all mid/late 20's grad students, so we can make our own fun as long as there's a bar and maybe a nice hotel pool... we aren't really looking for the college spring break experience, just a place to relax during the day and have a good time at night. Sounds like a place like Bonaire could work if it were easier to get to.
The city of Puerto Plata definitely had a third world vibe to it but I never really felt scared. You can really say the same about any of the communities adjacent to the resorts in Jamaica and Mexico. The old city center really isn't a main attraction but it is worth a visit if you want some authentic food.
I had a totally chill time in the D.R. but a friend's aunt worked for one of the resorts so we really didn't have to pay for much. That can alter your perspective a bit.
If you are just looking for some nice beaches and a few bars, you can find those almost anywhere in the Caribbean. I would see what the best deal is and whether or not you can fly there directly. If your expectations aren't too high, you can have fun anywhere.
Bonaire usually requires connecting through Puerto Rico but if you want someplace idyllic with world-class diving and snorkeling, it probably can't be beat.
The only places I would suggest you stay away from are Nassau-Paradise Island in the Bahamas and maybe some of the all-inclusive Spring Break resorts in Mexico and Jamaica. Those turn into massive hassles with hundreds of wasted 19 year olds destroying the place.
MassNYYfan
02-05-09, 11:39 PM
Some great info, thanks. I've heard good things about the DR, but also that you need to be conscious about avoiding the bad parts. Same of parts of PR. True of Puerto Plata?
At my last job a couple of the guys got to go to Puerto Plata to audit one of our client's facilities (yeah tough gig, huh?) and they were basically told not to wander outside the resort area and to just travel to the plant and back.
Didn't experience it myself so can't say what it's actually like there - just passing it along as you gather info.
All that said, they said it was a great time and one has plans to go back outside of work as soon as possible.
JeterForPresident
02-05-09, 11:48 PM
I've done all inclusives in DR and Jamaica. Jamaica was a lot of fun but a cheaper place so I got what I paid for. The place in DR was paid for by the family so it was a nicer place and I had an amazing time and never needed to leave the resort except for a couple hours we went shopping in a marketplace which was about 3 mins from the resort entrance.
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