Caribbean/West Indies - Recommendations & Raves

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OK I have to say that my favorite place out of the three or four places I have visted down there is Barbados. I love the people, the culture and the food. The beaches are wonderful and the clubs and cafes are great. I hope toget back there soon myself for just a short trek and re-experience it all again. I never had a bad experience there.

We've been to St. Martin, Grenada (great rain forest hiking), Aruba (yuck! It's like New Jersey plunked down onto into the Caribbean)), Saba (very strange, very cool, great diving), Vieques (highly recommend - but go soon as it's changing), and Virgin Gorda. We're leaving in a month on a RTW for which we'll begin in the Caribbean (Cuba, Dominica, Curacao, Trinidad/Tobago, then on to South America. We're very lucky and very excited.

If you're ever in Jamaica in May, check out the Calabash Literary Festival, held in Treasure Beach. It's a nice, small town, not very touristy, but with great food (i.e. fresh-caught fish), two nice beaches (one with real waves and one with gentle waves), and the festival itself is quite lively. Craft vendors set up stalls for shopping, or you can listen to the poetry/fiction readings. Quite nice, indeed.

This is islandmon wanting to check in and give some information. For information on St. Thomas go to this site.

These are some of my best islands but still don't forget Barbados, Puerto Rico,St. Martin. and this is only the beginning. I live in St. Thomas and I just love exploring the Caribbean

The islandmon
travel safe

Thanks for sharing this useful information; I have also lots of information about Caribbean.

I must rave about the Junkanoo Festival in Nassau, Bahamas. Anytime during the year, every Friday night there is a fair that includes local food, music, and adult drinks (It's the home of Bacardi!). They also have a tent so you can see the costumes and take pictures wearing Junkanoo headwear!

Boxing Day and New Year's Day there is a parade of these costumes, all made from "junk" - i.e. paper, cardboard, plastic bags, no fabric or permanent structure. The parades are incredible with color and it is such a great time

There is a great deal going on right now for Bermuda hotels. They are offering $400 credits for stays of 4 nights or more in celebration of their 400th anniversary. If you are looking for an inexpensive getaway it is worth checking out.

For years, Negril's beach has been rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the world by many travel magazines. The north end of the beach is home to the large all-inclusive resorts, and to the south are the smaller, family-run hotels. This combination gives the Negril area a large variety of rooms, services and prices. South of downtown Negril is West End Road, known as the cliff area, which is lined with resorts that offer more privacy. These areas offer easy access to waters good for snorkeling and diving, with jumping points reaching more than 40 feet (12 m) high.

Yes! I remember this beach and Rick's cafe overlooking the cliffs!!!

I heard from a friend that Rick's was trashed by a storm in 2003 and they rebuilt it? It would be cool to go back for sure.

For more information on St. John, US Virgin Islands, see http://www.stjohnguidebook.com/st-john-guidebook/

Trinidad & Tobago (TnT) was totally amazing. Trinidad has it's own unique feel since they have natural resources and a real downtown, and don't cater to tourists as much. It's a good feeling, IMHO. I stayed at Le Grande Almandier and couldn't have had a better experience! Rainforest treks, leatherback turtles laying their eggs, fresh shark prepared by a professionally trained chef (their son JJ) and a completely laid back, sleepy little fishing town. Also, they have a monstrous Carnivale celebration, and Trinidad is the origin of the steel-drum. Lots of interesting things there!

Tobago is much more typical Carribean - tourism is the main business, lots of soft and sandy beaches with pretty people on them, etc. From what I hear, great scuba diving and bird watching. I didn't do any of these though - I just hung out and took it easy as a giant wave kinda kicked my butt while I was on Trinidad. Stayed at Footprints Eco Resort on Tobago - a bit of a splurge but a great place to recoup. Very cool place, and great to unwind there. Looks like the prices went up a bit since I was there...

All in all, had a great time on the islands and now I know how to make a mean rum-punch!