BKenny

My family and I have recently been "hooked on" the Caribbean. However, I've been somewhat discouraged by conversations with people about islands you can visit but cannot tour around safely. I want to go somewhere with beautiful beaches, snorkeling or other active pursuits, and also get a taste for local life. We've been to Puerto Rico, USVI, BVI, and St. Kitts. Any recommendations?

virginia

obviously i don't know who you've talked to or why they feel as they do. i would say haiti and the dominican republic are not safe for independenet touring. all other islands are as safe as where you live now. some a good deal more safe.
provo in turks & caicos and grand cayman both have excellent snorkeling and gorgeous beaches.
barbados is lovely - lush, nice beaches, limited snorkeling.
maya riveria coast south of cancun has more to do/see than you could ever manage in 2 weeks.
which usvi and bvi did you visit? st. john has outstanding beaches, snorkeling and some good hiking. same for virgin gorda.
st. lucia might suit you. good hiking, drive through volcano. soso snorkleing. driving is a bit difficult as it's a big island and the roads are quite hilly.
bonnaiare is difficult to get to but is supposed to have some of the best snorkeling in the islands.

could you be more specific on what you want in the way of active pursuits. are we talking golf and tennis or ziplines?

cdw

For the most beautiful beaches and good food, try Anguilla and/or St. Barts.

Curacao is also nice, but it is a different kind of beautiful with its arid and rugged landscape. It has really pretty beaches.

xkenx

Barbados is a wonderfully varied island--lovely people, wide range of hotals, beaches, restaurants, sightseeing. No problem going around on your own.

doug_stallings

The Dominican Republic is perfect safe for independent touring, and the tourist looking for a non-beach experience will find much to like about the DR, especially in the southwest (Barahona area) and the central mountains.

As other posters have said, don't listen to the nay-sayers. Even Jamaica is safe to explore off the beaten path, and that's the island most often identifed as being unsafe to travelers.

That's not to say that crime isn't on the upswing in much of the Caribbean, and I'm sure the slackening economic situation will make crime worse. But if you use reasonable precautions, there are very few places in the Caribbean that are truly unsafe.

BKenny

Hi Virginia:
I am looking for ziplines as opposed to tennis or golf. I love rainforests, hiking, and caving. I really enjoyed the USVI -St. Thomas and St. John, as well as Tortola and Virgin Gorda. We visited Puerto Rico for the rainforest and Old San Juan and St. Kitts to climb Mt. Liamuiga (sp?) and to visit Nevis. I'm looking for a new experience. People have told me to stay on resort in Jamaica. I had a friend who's daughter was assaulted in the room next to hers in Barbados. Other friends have told me Curacao is dicey. Now I know from checking here and TripAdvisor that everyone has their comfort level. I was just thinking with all of the seasoned travelers on this website that I would receive some decent recommendations. So I really appreciate your feedback.

BKenny

Doug, I think you and Virginia summed the situation up very well. Thank you!

cdw

We went to Curacao 2 or 3 years ago with two young teenage daughters. We had also heard things about their crime rate. However, after much research, most crimes against tourists seem to occur when they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. It usually sounds like the crimes involve tourists trying to score drugs or being out too late partying in the wrong part of town. We split time between Kura Hulanda and the Marriot. We rented a car and drove all over the island checking out different beaches each day. At night we stayed in the more touristy areas. We walked across the floating bridge which is beautiful at night and most nights ate at or near Kura Hulanda. When we stayed at the Marriot, we walked past the Hilton to a little restaurant on the beach (can't remember the name??) (maybe Hook's Hut?) for dinner. Our table was in the sand right on the water's edge. It was awesome. Just to be on the safe side, we took a cab back but I do not think that was really necessary. This island is still one of our favorites of 20 or so visited.

We also went to Jamaica and while we were offered everything under the sun, a polite no thank you with a friendly smile always did the trick. I never felt unsafe there and thought the people were a lot more warm and friendly than the folks in the USVI. I still love STJ the most, though. This old hippie on a dive boat even lit up while on the dive boat.

Another awesome vacation spot is the Mayan Riviera and as one of the other posters said there is so much to do and see in that area, it would be hard to cover it all in even 2 weeks. I think that Mexicans are the most warm, friendly, and welcoming of all people.

For another option, if you loved St. Kitts, which we did too, try St. Lucia. Stay somewhere near Souffrie around the Pitons. That is an awesome hike, and the scenery there makes St. Kitts almost look ugly!! St. Lucia is unmatched for stunning looks!! We stayed at the Jalousie Plantation, but if I went back I would probably rent a villa because of the price. At least look into the Jalousie because the setting cannot be matched.

schmerl

BKenny,
For rain forests, zip lining, hiking, etc., look into Costa Rico. It has everything you just mentioned in addition to nice beaches.

virginia

agree with schmerl costa rica might be a nice choice. if this is a possiblity for you go on the latin america board and type shillmac in the search box and scroll to cr. she (shillmac) has been many times and knows a lot about the country. if any of you surf the west coast is famous for it.

maya riviera coast of mex has caves and cenotes, snorkeling/diving, ziplines, ruins, etc. no rainforest. see www.locogringo.com for lots of info.

other zips on jamaica, antigua, st. lucia, puerto rico plus belize.

i have not been on dominican republic but this is a link to US state dept statement regarding travel there: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1103.html

doug_stallings

Yes, I think schmerl is right on the money with a Costa Rica recommendation, and there are pretty decent beaches (though not great ones) on the Caribbean side as well as zip lines.

St. Lucia would probably be my second choice. Jamaica (especially Negril) the third, though the only zip line that I know of is close to Ocho Rios.

BlueSwimmer

For natural beauty, friendly people, adventure, great hiking, scenery, rain forests, waterfalls, etc.- Dominica is a great island.

The scuba diving is first rate, too.

They don't have sandy beaches, upscale shopping, restaurants, etc. It is much more of a roughing it type vacation but with incredible natural beauty, good fresh local produce if you cook, and excellent outdoor adventures. There is little tourist infrastructure but people are generally friendly and helpful.