reclaimlife

I know that the Caribbean is not particularly gay friendly, but are there any destinations that would be safe for a gay couple? We have a female same-sex couple that travels with us often and we would like to plan a trip to the Caribbean. I know that Jamaica is out of the picture, but I was told that some of the French/Dutch/Spanish islands might be ok for us….and to basically stay away from any British colonized islands.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Also, I know that Mexico would be fine but we aren’t interested in Mexico unfortunately…

We are particularly interested in St. Maarten and Barbados. I know that Barbados is a British colonized island and has anti-gay laws on the books but would a female same-sex couple generate as much attention? A coworker is from Barbados and said that our friends would be fine…. We just don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable…

Thanks for any advice.

doug_stallings

I think it's hard to generalize. All the islands are "safe" if you are discreet, but only a scant few islands are welcoming in the sense that people won't be bothered by public displays of affection.

You'll probably find a more welcoming atmosphere on islands like St. Barth, Aruba, and Curacao. Certainly Saba, but there's very little to do there except for diving. You could also look at Martinique, but it's difficult to get to.

I wouldn't even count out Jamaica. Your friends would be safe at any major resort, and there's even a lovely hotel in Port Antonio that's owned by a lesbian couple, but it's hard to get to Port Antonio without renting a car, and I wouldn't recommend driving in Jamaica.

Your friends will likely find more harassment in the D.R. or Puerto Rico just because they are women (at least from the locals), irrespective of their couples status. But in general, Caribbean people are very conservative and very religious, and even on an island like Aruba, there's been difficulty expanding marriage laws to include same-sex couples. Saba is the only island in the entire Caribbean region where gay marriage is legal.

reclaimlife

Ah, I didn't even think of the female "harrasment" aspect of the DR. That even annoys me so I can imagine they would find it more annoying...

We just got back from Barbados and would love to go there with them but not sure if it is a good destination yet. We aren't expecting to find anywhere that accepts PDAS (hell, it's not even accepted where we live in the states). We just want to go somewhere that will be "friendly". I don't want them to be uncomfortable if they say, go out to dinner together, go horse riding together, lay out on the beach together, etc.

Bassguy66

If you are planning on being discreet about public displays of affection, I wouldn't even worry about it. Just go and enjoy. As you said, there are places in the US where this ignorance & non-acceptance happens....so just use the same judgement that you would here to avoid any issues. It sucks that you have to worry about this....but unfortunately, ignorance can't be cured with some people. Sad.

doug_stallings

I've seen gay couples at virtually every resort I've ever been to in the Caribbean. While they might get some funny looks if they insist on sleeping together in a double bed, it's just not going to be an issue if they aren't holding hands and kissing in most places. No one is likely to ask unless they insist on telling.

I forgot to mention Sandcastle on the Beach in St. Croix. It's a great little hotel that is now lesbian-owned and draws a mixed (though mostly gay) crowd, and they have a beautiful beach there. And it's not expensive (nor is it luxurious). St. Croix isn't any different than most Caribbean islands in that the locals aren't open to public displays of any kind, but it's a friendly place.

suze

Yes, it is unfortunate you aren't interested in Mexico. The 'mayan riviera' Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Tulum, Isla Mujeres) is what I was coming to suggest.

And yes you are absolutely correct about Jamaica.

virginia

i think st. maarten would be a very good choice. i searched "gay st. maarten" & found a slew of sites. one mentions that there are over 100 gay friendly hotels/rests on island. i think it's ok for me to say the french seem a bit more accepting.

also, i'm not gay but usually travel with my best girlfriend. we've been numerous islands & no one seemed interested in whether we were or not.

Caribzack

My nephew and his partner have been to Turks & Caicos many times per my suggestion. NO PROBLEMS at all. In fact the reason they went there was because I told them we had met many gay couples there and they were not uncomfortable at all.

MP07950

A close friend and his husband have been to St. John several times and thought it was great, and without any issues. One trip they stayed at Caneel Bay and the second they rented a villa.

dontcallmecass

Not the Caribbean but Bermuda may be an option. We went to a bar in Hamilton and there was a female same-sex couple being affectionate/dancing together and no one even blinked an eye. I think generally, female same sex couples dont draw as much attention.

Also, I am actually going to Barbados in a couple of weeks with 3 couples and one of them is a same sex couple. I will let you know how it goes.

StMartin

St Martin is a great option indeed, one of the most gay-friendly island in the Caribbean in fact, which also celebrated a few weeks ago his first gay wedding (as part of France).
You have a very opend-minded culture due to the 100 nationalities living here, plus the French and Dutch culture influences, the friendly and welcoming locals, many artists, great food and wine, wonderful beache and natural sights. Also, there is a gay beach, a nude beach, an exclusively gay guesthouse, and also a gay club!

ejcrowe

We encountered a number of lesbian couples on Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico. And there's a gay-friendly, small, beachfront guest house on Puerto Rico called Number Uno, where I've spent some time when I've had LONG layovers at the airport--it's on a beautiful, wide section of beach.

tom42

Unless your friends have a need to hold hands and/or kiss in public, I think any of the Caribbean islands would be "safe." I wouldn't even rule out Jamaica.

ejcrowe

yes, tom42, but what's the fun in planning a couples getaway if the only place you can show affection for your sweetie is in your hotel room? I'm not personally into major shows of PDA, but if I couldn't hold hands with my sweetie walking on the beach, or wrap my arms around him while watching the sun go down, my caribbean vacations would be a lot less fun.

tom42

Everyone is different. That's not really important to me. But that being said I think you could do that at any resort whether it be Puerto Rico or Aruba or Jamaica.

JeffGeorge

We just returned from a trip to the USVI. While we loved our day trips to St John more than anything else we ended up staying at Point Pleasant Resort in a villa. It is a great place with incredibly romantic views and accommodations.

stcroixboix

Being a big fan of St.Croix, I can say that in approx. 20 visits we've seen many same sex couples. As mentioned in a previous post ,Sand Castles is gay friendly. We always stay at The Buccaneer and have probably seen same sex couples there on all of our trips. The Buccaneer is usually referred to as a family resort but you'll find a mix of all type travelers. Young, old , middle aged .kids or whatever. I wouldn't hesitate to recomend STX or The Buccaneer as places that you'd be comfortable. STX is easy to get to, has good food choices,nice beaches and is very affordable as compared to lots of the other islands we've stayed at.