Need help deciding my next trip

Costa Rica is a very nice country and offers inexpensive places to stay all the way up to luxury accommodations. We road horses, did the zip line, went scuba diving, went to a bull fight and enjoyed the monkey's hanging out in the trees at our hotel. It is the most developed of the Central American countries and is tourists friendly. You will find many parts of the country not feeling touristy. It will offer you a wide variety of choices.

Dominica is the Garden Isle of the Caribbean and I would give it some serious consideration. This an island has it all-- hiking, biking, amazing waterfalls, we went canoeing. Lovely mountain lakes and streams. It offers good scuba diving, black sand beaches, lovely flowers and a lush rain forest.

One of our favorite islands is Barbados. It caters to budget travelers as well as the rich and famous. We can recommend a couple of inexpensive places to stay in St. Lawrence Gap. There is a nice downtown area if you want to do some shopping. You can go to the caverns and this island offers lots of hiking. If you want a couple of days with more people around you can find scuba diving and party boats. Fun, fun, fun, We have been to this island 4 times. Lots of good music on this island. Send us a private message and we will recommend a place to stay.

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Caribbean Islands -- from our perspective

As you can imagine each Caribbean island has its own personality and flavor so they are each different in their own way. We love the Caribbean because of the friendly people and the great music.

We have not been to St. Lucia but have friends who have and we understand it is one of the more lush and lovely islands. The volcanic islands for the most part don't have the long white beaches that many people are looking for but they have a great deal to offer.

Here is our perception of a few of the islands we have been to: keep in mind some of our visits were a few years ago. We have found that on each island all budgets can be accommodated.

Bahamas- a group of many islands with distinct personalities. Most people are familiar with Nassau because it is the capital, the largest and visited by many on cruise ships. The smaller islands are quiet, quaint and unpopulated. The large island is a tourist mecca where locals tout their wares with smiling faces. Lots of development. Low end and high end hotels and restaurants. Rather flat topography with nice beaches.
Diving: very good-- we are hoping to go to San Salvador in the near future- one of the better islands for diving. The waters in this area are an amazing clear green blue.

Barbados- one of our favorites (we have visited 4 times) It is a large island with an abundance of sugar cane fields, rolling hills and beautiful beaches. The place we stay is very simple and inexpensive but waterfront. Barbados offers lots of hiking, caving, diving, fine dining and road side roti stands. The water is an amazing blue. Bridgetown is full of trinket and jewelry shops. Many extremely good restaurants on this island. There are several private and high end resorts but plenty for the normal budget also.
Diving: not bad

Bonaire- It is a relatively flat desert island with parts of it looking like Arizona. It is a diverse paradise. Many shore dives are a few feet off shore. Boat dives are ten minutes out. You can spend your time diving rather than on the boat. Very good restaurants on this island! If you go to Bonaire please eat dinner at the Mona Lisa. It is our favorite.
Diving: excellent

Curacao- is the island right next to Bonaire (one of the ABC islands) A beautiful downtown area and some amazing beaches. This island has a lot to offer and we think it is often over looked. The good thing about Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba is they are south of the hurricane path so they are safe from storms year around. This is one of the reasons their reefs are in such good shape. Very good food and again beautiful beaches.
Diving: very good

Grand Cayman- a banking and scuba diving mecca. A fairly flat island but lovely. World famous for its seven mile beach. Because of the banking laws this brings in a variety of businessmen. If you are looking to hide some money in an off shore account this is the place. Many high rise hotels and condos lining the beach. Some of the areas of the island are very pricey but budget accommodations can be found. There is a town called Hell where you can visit and have your photo to send to friends. Very good food. The downside is that it is frequented by many cruise ships. There is a town called Hell so it is fun to have your photo taken in Hell.
Diving; excellent

Cayman Brac- not much going on this island except some diving. Small and quiet. Don't go to this island if you can't entertain yourself with walks on the beach, laying in the hammock, sitting and the bar sharing dive stories and adding a few more dives to your log. Nice accommodations.
Diving: excellent- Bloody Bay wall is amazing


Dominica- called the Garden Isle. It is beautiful, lush and green. Extremely narrow windy roads curving up through the mountains and hills. Be careful if you rent a car you could end up in a fairly deep ditch. Black sand beaches because it is volcanic. A million things to do if you love the outdoors- gardens, canoeing, some amazing hiking, waterfalls and diving. Not built up much yet so still feels off the beaten path.
Diving: very good

Jamaica- it is a very large island with a variety of topography. It is green and lush with hills and mountains. Beautiful botanical gardens, famous waterfalls, hiking and a water sport paradise. This island offers many all inclusive resorts and high end to low end accommodations. Depending on where you are some of the locals can be assertive in trying to sell their wares but we are good at saying no. Very good food available and you could go to Bob Marley's house if you wanted to take the time.


Turks and Caicos- Is a group of islands each with their own personality.Amazing color of water. We've been to Grand Turk and Salt Caye. We didn't go to Providenciales because it is built up and has casinos.
Grand Turk is stepping back in time. Many people rent golf carts to explore the island as It is small. A few nice beaches and some very good diving. Also known for whale watching in the winter. Salt Caye is tiny- don't go unless you like the quiet.
Diving: very good


St. Lucia is on our short list but I suspect our next couple of islands will be Bequia and Montserrat.


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I've heard great things about Costa Rica- which is actually why I'm on my way there now for a 10-day backpacking adventure! If you're interested, you can check my blog posts, or give me a shout to ask direct questions!

i also plan to visit Guatemala in January and I'll be doing research on the country before then...let me know if I can be of any assistance! Reply to this

We have to give our vote for Costa Rica as well. Definitely one of our favorite places in all of our travels. Bocas del Toro in Panama is also a very beautiful cluster of islands off the Carribean coast. Bocas town definitely has a backpacker feel to it and Zapatilla still ranks as one of the most beautiful beaches we have seen.

Belize could be another good option if you are looking for a relazing little island. Caye caulker was one of Jessie's favorites when she was there a few years ago. We have it on the list for the second part of our RTW trip.

Keep us updated on where you go, we'll be interested to hear.

Nate and Jessie Reply to this

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It's also on www.facebook.com/guatemalatoday Reply to this

We did a mix of all this in a few weeks time in July
-4 days in Harbour Island...simply wow place, pink sands beach
-Nassau, as a transit point...2 nights one day...that's really not a nice place...
-But from Nassau we took a flight to Havana...great place for 4 days.
-flight to Cancun, we took a bus straight to Tulum where we stay 2 nights.
-little transit stop in Chetumal before jumping on a but to Flores to visit Tikal..pretty amazing.
-we finished by a week in Belize diving on a yacht, but you could relax on Amberis Cayes.

For all of the above, we have blogs in July. Reply to this

In response to: Msg #141545 hola??? Reply to this