BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi everyone,

I started to do some research about moving to the caribbeans for a couple of months (november, december) as I am getting sick and tired of the cold weather in Sweden (where I a from) and UK (where I currently live).

Been reading a bit about a few islands, but mostly looking up prices. What brought me to this website though is the people, who have the experience, you just don't get that from an information page or a travel agent.

The problem I am facing though is, the place gotta have internet connection as I need it for my work. I bet that can break the whole idea of moving there, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone here can tell me different.

So, i'm looking for tips of islands which are not madly expensive, hotels that have internet connections, nice calm areas (no need for all the tourist stuff, as i will be working).

So what is your favorite island and why? i would love to hear from people who have the experience!

ok thats all, now im gonna go dig through this forum and eat all information out of it
/modano

I lived in Guadeloupe for the last six months. There are several big and even more small hotels on the island. I worked at Club Med, but it would not be considered a cheap hotel by any means. I couldn't really give you any info on the other ones because I never stayed there.

I lived on Grande Terre, (the right wing of the butterfly) which has amazing beaches, but I preferred Basse Terre (the left wing) because the rainforest is gorgeous.

As far as internet goes, it does exist in Guadeloupe. High speed, in fact. In the city of Sainte Anne (with the nicest beach in Guadeloupe) there is a pizza place called l'Americano that has free wifi. If you have a laptop you can do all of your internetting there for free. If not there are always internet cafes. Expect to pay about 6€ per hour.

thank Gehrisch!

Margarita Island in Venezuela is pretty cheap and safe.

I loved Aruba. It just seemed quiet and not too touristy. I don't remember it being too expensive either.

My choice is St. Kitts and Nevis.

www.stkitts-tourism.com

The locals are very friendly.

Oh man, if you can speak French go for Guadeloupe! Great nature, great food, and big enough to have a variety of places to go and things to do. I lived next door (Antigua) for two years and only visited when I could drag a French speaking friend along. One of my most favorite places in the world.

Otherwise, Puerto Rico? The one caveat I'd have about smaller islands, like Antigua or any of the Lesser Antilles, is that the cost of living and housing can be pricey because of dependence on tourism and having to import in things like food.

quote:

Originally posted by Gehrisch:
I lived in Guadeloupe for the last six months. I worked at Club Med,

Dude (or lady)! What'd you do Club Med. Im dying to visit Guadeloupe.

I worked at the reception desk at Club Med. I was the go-to guy and the face of the resort. It was a great gig, which I would recommend to anyone who can act professional but who enjoys making a total fool of yourself in the the name of good fun. Getting them to send you to Guadeloupe if you don't speak French would be very difficult.

Sadly I never made it to any of the other islands around me. I heard that the beaches in Martinique were even better, but I never saw it for myself.

Try St. John US Virgin Islands. For more information, VI NOW

This is the website for job postings in the VI. Careers VI

Im going to apply to some openings on St. Croix and Key West. Im just waiting to see if my Florida state licensure comes through, if it does I want to apply for a position at U of Miami.

On the VI career site, they actually posted a statistic saying "34 job openings, 350 applications sent" or soemthing like that. lol

I also wanted to wait until I get down there, and get a residence. If they see a local address, that person will get called first, Im sure. Its not an inconvenience, because I plan on going to live in the islands for a couple of months anyways.

Well it's a little late for you but I just got back from a trip to Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire. I am seriously considering going back to Curacao for a month or two to live and work. I can work remotely at my job as long as I have an internet connection. You can get reliable internet there and the place is not yet very touristy like Aruba (2 or 3 cruise ships stop there every day). Bonaire is definitely not touristy yet but it's not much more then a collection of dive shops and some wild donkeys. It's a great place for a couple weeks of diving but I couldn't see living there for very long. Curacao is a very livable island and the diving is just as good as Bonaire. It has night life and restaurants other then fast food and expensive touristy type places that are all over Aruba. I think Curacao is the cheapest of those islands to live on since it's a major shipping port and not a huge tourist trap.

^^Interesting! If I take a job one of the islands, I would have to stay for at least a year, because Im a healthcare worker. And I wouldnt wanna accept something, then jump ship after theyve invested time in me. It sounds like you could go for four months, six months, however long you wish since you work from your laptop. Definitley go for it.

Do they have a hurricane season down there?? Isnt it July-November....