Tropical Vacation Destinations??

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Warm_in_NH

Minister of Fire
Dec 17, 2013
1,193
central NH or N.E. CT.
So, we finally said the "I do's", I got the ring to prove it. A bit unconventional since we're both in late 30's, own our own homes, live 2 hours apart, and have known each other 20 years, but thrilled to say I have the best wife (for me) in the world.

Anyway, looking for a place to go to this winter. Thinking 10-12 days, warm, clear water, resort. We like fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, and most importantly, laying on the beach with a cold cocktail in hand.

Looking for suggestions, input, etc... No preference to an all inclusive or not. Currently considering Mexico, Aruba, British Virgin Islands. ...also looking at Greece and Italy. No rush on our part.

Any suggestions/input appreciated.
 
Close by I prefer the U.S. Virgins. Europe is Italy all the way but not in the Winter. You couldn't get me to go into Mexico these days on a bet. Put Bermuda on the list. 60 to 65 degrees and no tourists but take a wet suit if going in the water.
 
BTW: Congrats on getting married. Why should you two be any happier than the rest of us. ;lol

BB - Who got married the first and last time at 30.
 
Congrats,
One of my favorite places is Cozumel, Mexico.
Been there a couple times. small island I think its 3 miles by 9 miles. 2nd greatest diving reef only second to the Great Barrier Reef.
I took a scuba course to get certified so I could dive there. Loved it.
One small town, great water & beaches. I do the all inclusive. The last one was the Iberostar.
Food is good, except the beef. Got to go to a restaurant in town for a good steak.
Everything else is awesome. Laid back, without the spring break atmosphere. Rooms are set up like huts. I forget now, but 2 to 4 rooms make up a hut(your room is one of the group). And ours was set in the garden area.
I also stayed at the El Cozumeleno, great place, a bit more set up like a hotel with rows of rooms.
You can't go wrong anywhere in the Caribbean.
Costa Rica, Belize, Grans Cayman, Aruba etc. etc. Seems the further south you go, the more expensive though.
 
I'm a bit partial to Caribbean islands that are a little less touristy . . . although that can be hard to find. St. Lucia and St. Kitts were among my favorite islands. Not sure how the snorkeling or fishing would be . . . but if you like hiking doing the Pitons would certainly make for a great day or afternoon.
 
Thanks!

Thinking Mexico, Cozumel or perhaps St. Lucia if we go that route.

I'm a little leery of Mexico, I'm adventurous and all, but being dragged into the jungle by a bunch of angry cartel members isn't my kind of fun. However I do have friends that vacation down there regularly, and off of the beaten path, and tell me that I've got nothing to worry about. My reply is "yep, nothing to worry about, until there is, then you're screwed"

I also stayed at the El Cozumeleno, great place, a bit more set up like a hotel with rows of rooms.
Looks like there's some places just north of town and then some more spread out a ways south of town. Did you see any benefits to staying near town vs. further away? How is "town" is it touristy as one would expect, or is it shady as one often finds one block in from the water front?
 
I was wrong on the size of the island, it is actually 29 miles long by just under 10 wide. Still fairly small.
The hotels line mostly one side of the island. More packed together on the northern area & central are(central is town area), more spread out south.
San Miguel is the name of town.

Town is not bad. I did venture around quite a bit (back then was searching for some smoke) but didn't go deep out of town. Felt safe wherever I went.
I think I may have scared some of the locals,as half thought I was a devil man due to the tattoos I have, with them saying Diablo, diablo as I walked by, and the ones I was trying to get smoke from thought I was a cop I think LOL.

Its kind of touristy, but not anywhere near as pressure driven as say Cancun. I felt it was a very laid back little town compared to Cancun.
There were little beggar kids here and there, other youngins trying to slip a handmade rope bracelet on your wrist, then ask for money, and others walking around with a broom stick with a mannequin head with Bo Derek braids on it, trying to get you to let them braid your hair for a fee. No big deal, just say no gracias.
Not like if you walk a block from the main strip that your in danger or anything. I walked quite a bit of that town.

I wish I could remember the restaurant we ate at in town. The owner was from Los Angeles and imported their beef in. Not sure it is even there anymore. Hell back in 97, a huge steak & lobster surf and turf dinner cost me $19.00, I was both full, and very happy.
I have not been back since 2000, so not sure how much has changed. Not sure how much has changed in 14 years. Can't imagine it has changed a super lot.
Cozumeleno is more north and closer to everything, Iberostar is the most southern resort, you can get anywhere for a reasonable taxi ride. Iberostar is about 11 miles south of town.
I think it was about 5 bucks taxi ride to town. The cost has most likely risen over the years. The locals love US currency, and you can negotiate some great deals using US dollars. Only exchange as much as you need in a day or so, as exchanging it back, you will take a loss, if you can exchange it back there at all. I used US dollar as much as I could, which was almost everywhere.
I preferred a more secluded resort, rather than town. Guess it depends on what you like. It is easy enough to get to town as the island is not huge to start with.

If your do go to Cozumel, most resorts offer a quickie course in scuba, and will take your out after for a shallow dive 30-40' deep. If you are interested, I suggest doing it.
It is truly beautiful down there. The diving is drift diving, meaning the slight current moves you along, minimal effort involved. Just try not to touch anything, coral, fish etc. Touching coral kills it. And as for the underwater life, if you don't bother it, it won't bother you. I had a 5' Barracuda come right up to my face checking me out, while I checked him out, we just looked at each other a few, then he went his way, I went mine.
I love diving, so peaceful and beautiful.

Also if you do go, check out Chakanaab Park, I snorkeled there and ended up swimming with a wild Manta Ray, had a wingspan wider than I am tall. One of my favorite highlights.
http://www.cozumelparks.com/eng/chankanaab.cfm

There are also jungle rides etc. Plenty to do, or plenty of relaxation.

I love the place and hope to get back there some year soon. I'll never consider Cancun again after having been to Cozumel.
You have no cartel worries on Cozumel. The islanders are super friendly, and very accommodating, as you are also their main source of income, and they unlike many elsewhere, are very appreciative of that, in a genuine way.
 
I was wrong on the size of the island, it is actually 29 miles long by just under 10 wide. Still fairly small.
The hotels line mostly one side of the island. More packed together on the northern area & central are(central is town area), more spread out south.
San Miguel is the name of town.

Town is not bad. I did venture around quite a bit (back then was searching for some smoke) but didn't go deep out of town. Felt safe wherever I went.
I think I may have scared some of the locals,as half thought I was a devil man due to the tattoos I have, with them saying Diablo, diablo as I walked by, and the ones I was trying to get smoke from thought I was a cop I think LOL.

Its kind of touristy, but not anywhere near as pressure driven as say Cancun. I felt it was a very laid back little town compared to Cancun.
There were little beggar kids here and there, other youngins trying to slip a handmade rope bracelet on your wrist, then ask for money, and others walking around with a broom stick with a mannequin head with Bo Derek braids on it, trying to get you to let them braid your hair for a fee. No big deal, just say no gracias.
Not like if you walk a block from the main strip that your in danger or anything. I walked quite a bit of that town.

I wish I could remember the restaurant we ate at in town. The owner was from Los Angeles and imported their beef in. Not sure it is even there anymore. Hell back in 97, a huge steak & lobster surf and turf dinner cost me $19.00, I was both full, and very happy.
I have not been back since 2000, so not sure how much has changed. Not sure how much has changed in 14 years. Can't imagine it has changed a super lot.
Cozumeleno is more north and closer to everything, Iberostar is the most southern resort, you can get anywhere for a reasonable taxi ride. Iberostar is about 11 miles south of town.
I think it was about 5 bucks taxi ride to town. The cost has most likely risen over the years. The locals love US currency, and you can negotiate some great deals using US dollars. Only exchange as much as you need in a day or so, as exchanging it back, you will take a loss, if you can exchange it back there at all. I used US dollar as much as I could, which was almost everywhere.
I preferred a more secluded resort, rather than town. Guess it depends on what you like. It is easy enough to get to town as the island is not huge to start with.

If your do go to Cozumel, most resorts offer a quickie course in scuba, and will take your out after for a shallow dive 30-40' deep. If you are interested, I suggest doing it.
It is truly beautiful down there. The diving is drift diving, meaning the slight current moves you along, minimal effort involved. Just try not to touch anything, coral, fish etc. Touching coral kills it. And as for the underwater life, if you don't bother it, it won't bother you. I had a 5' Barracuda come right up to my face checking me out, while I checked him out, we just looked at each other a few, then he went his way, I went mine.
I love diving, so peaceful and beautiful.

Also if you do go, check out Chakanaab Park, I snorkeled there and ended up swimming with a wild Manta Ray, had a wingspan wider than I am tall. One of my favorite highlights.
http://www.cozumelparks.com/eng/chankanaab.cfm

There are also jungle rides etc. Plenty to do, or plenty of relaxation.

I love the place and hope to get back there some year soon. I'll never consider Cancun again after having been to Cozumel.
You have no cartel worries on Cozumel. The islanders are super friendly, and very accommodating, as you are also their main source of income, and they unlike many elsewhere, are very appreciative of that, in a genuine way.


Hog, thanks for all the info, that's exactly what I was looking for. Not the Internet brochure, but the, I've been there and this is how it is, point of view.

Got it narrowed down to Cozumel, Aruba, and St. Lucia.
Another rain day tomorrow, going to check out the costs on each (air and hotel) and do a little more research on vehicle rentals for exploration purposes. (My buddy rents dual sport bikes on aruba) and go from there.

Thanks again.

Any volunteers to feed a stove in NH for a week or so in Jan or Feb this winter?
 
Philippines
 
No problemo.
You can't go wrong with any on your list.
I think you'll find Cozumel is the most economical.
I have not been to Aruba or St. Lucia, but have friends that have been to both, and were very happy with their visits to them.
My teenage best friend and his wife went to St. Lucia for their honeymoon, and loved it.
The first roofing company I worked for received free vacation package to Aruba for all purchased for roofing materials bought in a year back in the early 90's, and they loved it. Only the owner, the salesmen & their wives were privy to that trip, I was a gofer, so no trip for me.
Enjoy whichever you select, they are all beautiful places.
 
We took a cruise of the Caribbean and it was the best trip ever. No worries. No hassle.
 
We took a cruise of the Caribbean and it was the best trip ever. No worries. No hassle.

Down there we always headed to the other side of the island when a cruise ship was docking. ;lol
 
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Down there we always headed to the other side of the island when a cruise ship was docking. ;lol

Yeah, you need to keep away from baddies like me. ;)
 
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Looking more and more like we're zeroing in on Playa Del Carmen Mexico, just west of Cozumel, and south of Cancun. Maybe the Maroma beach area.

Was really liking the looks of Antigua, not really liking the price tag compared to the other options.

While I am occasionally tempted to do a cruise, I really just don't think I would like being "stuck" on the same ship for a week with the same people, same virus's, etc.....
 
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Down there we always headed to the other side of the island when a cruise ship was docking. ;lol

We've done a couple of cruises . . . the key for us is to not follow the crowds . . . don't go to the same beach as all the tours go, leave as early in the morning as possible with independent tour operators, etc. One of my best memories was getting a jitney ride on St. Thomas to a port where we took a water taxi to Water Island and had a small sand beach (Honeymoon Beach) almost to ourselves for most of the day (I think there may have been 6 or 10 other folks there -- at one point Blackbeard's pirate ship came in with a load of tourists . . . but they kept to themselves and were only there an hour.
 
Looking more and more like we're zeroing in on Playa Del Carmen Mexico, just west of Cozumel, and south of Cancun. Maybe the Maroma beach area.

Was really liking the looks of Antigua, not really liking the price tag compared to the other options.

While I am occasionally tempted to do a cruise, I really just don't think I would like being "stuck" on the same ship for a week with the same people, same virus's, etc.....

I wasn't sure about the whole being on board a ship the entire time either . . . so the two times we went we picked cruises where either every day or most days we were on a different island and not at sea. We left Puerto Rico in the evening . . . arrived at an island the next morning . . . spent the day on the island and came back to the ship for dinner and sleep . . . woke up on another island. We mixed our days up with "active" days on tours of some islands and other days were "down" days with a visit to the beach.
 
We're off to Puerto Rico for New Years- for almost free (my wife's miles). we have been a few times and loved it. It's another place with parts that are fantastic, and parts that are not.

My wife loves Old San Juan . . . thinking that is one place that is fantastic and not a part that is not . . .
 
One of my best memories was getting a jitney ride on St. Thomas to a port where we took a water taxi to Water Island


Love Water Island. Magen's Bay on the other side from Charlotte Amalie used to be a best kept secret years ago. Looking online now it looks like it has all be developed.
 
Love Water Island. Magen's Bay on the other side from Charlotte Amalie used to be a best kept secret years ago. Looking online now it looks like it has all be developed.

Yeah, Magen's Beach is one of those very popular beaches that most of the cruise ship folks go to . . . I would rather have a less than perfect beach with fewer crowds. On Antigua we were at a beach that was not one of the top ten beaches, but it was close, the water was great and my wife even got a massage from a Jamaican woman who was there . . . which is notable since she is not really into the whole massage thing.
 
I looked at a pic of it just now and was shocked. 35 years ago no houses, no shops, no boats. Just beach. Not now! I used to rent a motorcycle and when we went to Megan's we went straight up over the top of the island and down. At the top you looked down there and it was nothing but trees, beach and water. Might be five people on the whole bay beach.
 
So after about 40 hours of time, two travel agents and some great info here. Weighed the costs, amenities, travel time, etc...

Booked a week at an all inclusive in Long Bay Antigua.
Can't wait to go.....

however if anyone needs any info on Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen, Maroma beach, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Or St. Lucia just let me know, I'm just about an expert on all of them, and I know I know more than two travel agents (thought they'd help but they just push their one favorite and that's it).
 
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Truthfully ... I think any of those places would have provided a nice, warm break from the New England winter. Have a great time ... lots of beaches on Antigua.
 
Truthfully ... I think any of those places would have provided a nice, warm break from the New England winter. Have a great time ... lots of beaches on Antigua.

They're all awesome, that's what made the decision so tough. So when the wife Came up with this one. It was a Halloween sale, decision had to be made, quickly read reviews and studied the area, done.

Flyingcow, saw that forecast this morning. Ugh. 34 and rainy here glad we're not supposed to see any more than just a few flurries and some wind. Good luck.
 
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