Help! Need *New* Caribbean Vacation Destination

On 2 Mar 2007 20:31:40 -0800, jmorngstar@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

On 3 Mar 2007 09:06:02 -0800, jmorngstar@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

On Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:35:34 GMT, Kurt Ullman <kurtullman@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

>
> St. Lucia was not one of our favorite stops. It was in the midst of a
> serious crime wave at the time... or so they told us... and we were
> warned to be extremely careful. In view of that, it's probably not our
> best choice even if the resort itself is quite fine.
>
> Chuck

Been to St Lucia three times now and would not hesitate to go back - I dont
think the 'crime' is any worse than anywhere else - just be careful!
Antigua is supposed to have some of the best beaches but cant make a
recommendation re a hotel. Other than the beaches, its not very scenic tho.


--
Rita Daggett

>
> 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..
If you docked at Castries, you saw the 'small' airport; there is a much
bigger one with long runways down in the south where the big aircraft go.
Its then a longish bumpy ride to most of the hotels which are in the north
(unless you go to Anse Chastenet, Jalousie or one or two of the others which
also have the advantage of being near The Pitons) but you get to see some of
the island that way! There is also the option of helicopter transfer from
Hewonawarra (or some such name of airport in south) to the one near
Castries.
Have you considered Grenada? That did suffer badly from hurricane damage in
2005 but is probably mostly repaired now. We stayed at the all-incl La
Source (which is just about to re-open I think) which again had really good
wines and generally good food too (as well as included spa treatments and
other activities) but you might prefer something closer to the capital.

--
Rita Daggett

> Sorry .... have to disagree a bit on ANU. The south western quarter of
> Antigua is very beautiful indeed. English Harbour, Freemans Bay, Shirley
> Heights etc. are extremely attractive both scenically and historically.
>
Yes, I suppose so, but I was (mentally) comparing them with St
Lucia/Dominica type of scenery.
(Half Moon Bay is also a wonderful beach, which used to have a really good
hotel!)


--
Rita Daggett

On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:22:32 GMT, Rosalie B.
<gmbeasley@mindspring.com> wrote:

>If you wanted white sand beaches, the Gulf Coast of FL around Ft.
>Walton Beach would be perfect, especially as March would be off season
>and there wouldn't be a lot of people around. Of course it wouldn't
>be as warm as the Caribbean.

We've both done Florida many times... both coasts and the Keys... and
I'm sure we will do them again! Chris was thinking Key West at one
point for this vacation, but I talked her out of it. For this
particular vacation, some nice, wide, white sandy *Caribbean* beaches
are the order of the day.

Chuck

On the other hand, there are dozens of great
> Caribbean islands and locations offering friendly, safe vacationing...
> so why not choose one with a good reputation for safety?
>
> Chuck
I think all that people here are trying to say is that perceptions vary.
You appear to be writing St Lucia off because of what you were told on your
cruise; various people here have maintained that what you were told was an
exaggeration (in their opinion).
I suspect that all the islands are much the same regarding safety etc.
(there's been a huge fuss on a Bonaire forum about whether Bonaire is 'safe'
or not for example).
What do you think about Jamaica? (my perception is that Jamaica is less
'safe' than St Lucia, for example, but I've never been to Jamaica.
The only crime I have personal knowledge about was a camera stolen fron a
person's room in Dominica...


--
Rita Daggett

On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:01:27 GMT, "Skip Elliott Bowman"
<skipster@teleport.com> wrote:

>Chuck, take a look at Curaçao. It's Aruba's sister island and they're doing
>a major tourism push these days, so good deals can be had.
>
>I loved Curaçao with a passion I'd not felt in years. Very rich in culture,
>excellent food both homestyle and gourmet, varied ecosystem, and a diverse
>population in terms of nationalities. The view of Willemstad's waterfront
>alone is worth a visit.

Curaçao made our short list... mainly due to the last minute
availability of a very nice charter package out of Boston. In the
end, however, we chose the Mayan Riviera. This was tough for me
personally because I had previously worked in that area and was less
than thrilled with certain aspects of visiting there. But there was
no denying that it was the best bang for the buck (US$) and made the
most sense for this particular conflicted, "short notice" vacation.
Also, several of Chris' friends regularly vacation there and strongly
encouraged me to put my work-related feelings aside and us to go
there.

Sadly, with everything decided and our vacation set to book the very
next morning, we experienced an untimely, unexpected death in the
family. All vacation plans are now on hold while we grieve. Still,
I'd like to thank everyone for their very helpful ideas, thoughts and
suggestions. It was not a wasted effort. We now have lots to
consider for a future vacation... possibly later this year... even if
this one was not meant to be.

Chuck