Sammie

Hello All -

I'm having trouble knowing where to start or if I'm even on the right track. We are a family of 5 (us old folks in late 50s - the kids in their late 20s) looking for a vacation this summer and thinking of the Caribbean but wondering if there's enough to explore on the islands that's not all "resort" planned activities. Want a little relaxation but also want a bit of go and see and do. Open to more than one island, we have 2 weeks. Not interested in the big cruise ships (been there, done that) but small is okay.

I know I may not be giving enough info here, but I'm really at a loss to know what to say to get this started. We've traveled a fair bit, but usually to destinations with, at least for me, better known what we will see and do and easier to plan.

Any help to get started would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Sammie

qwovadis

www.rockhousehotel.com or www.roundhill.com Jamaica

bookit.com if you want AI... luxurylink.com other options

Great beaches adventureclimb falls raft ricers etc

good price points on airfor me with spirit.com

Negril/MoBay best area... avoid late summer too many storms.

Happy Hunting!

JeanH

Grenada is a great isalnd for exploring. Grand Anse is a lovely beach. There's a lot of history, some great hiking, a fun downtown to explore, a great market.

We're currently enjoying a two week trip split between Bonaire and Curacao. We spent four nights on Curacao, are now here on Bonaire for five nights, will return to Curacao for four more. It was cost prohibitive to simply fly into one island and home from the other.

We are truly loving Bonaire. The walk in snorkeling is absolutely amazing. Love seeing the flamingos. I'm also very pleasantly surprised at the number of really good restaurants in Kralendijk.

When we return to Curacao, we'll be exploring the west end. Then a couple of nights in Willemstad to end our trip.

I've never been to Aruba, sounds too Americanized for my tastes, but it might be another possibility to spend some time at.

A bonus is these islands are considered below the 'hurricane belt'. Not that they never occur, but, much less likely than the rest of the Caribbean.

wliwl

St John, USVI - You have great snorkeling, you can take dive lessons, good hiking (there's big National Park), you can rent a dinghy for a day and go out and explore lots of little beaches, you can rent a day charter and go all over the BVIs and USVIs hitting beach bars, snorkeling, exploring... The only thing is that it really is a drive-around island so you'd need to rent a jeep or two.

wliwl

^ Oh, and I forgot to mention you can rent a fabulous villa with a pool and a hot tub and chill at "home." There are only a couple of "hotels" on the island - nearly everyone rents villas. And did I mention it's a super casual island with great (CASUAL) restaurants and fun bars???

virginia

you might consider maya riviera coast south of cancun. options for to do/sees: ruins (coba, tulum or chichen itza), ziplines, snorkel/scuba in ocean or cenotes, atv jungle rides, horseback on the beach, duty free shopping in playa del carmen, 2 eco marine parks (xcaret.com & xel-ha.com), fishing deepsea or bonefishing, tour of sian ka'an biosphere. as you have 2 weeks you could spend part of your time on either isla holbox or isla mujeras so you could go out on their boat tours to see whale sharks.
locogringo.com has a plethora of info on the area including ideas on where to stay whether in all inclusive, hotel, condo or villa. the area around playa del carmen or akumal would give you good central location.
you probably should have trip insurance for a summer trip no matter where you decide to go.

suze

Any of the islands have what you want. You just need to carefully choose your accomodations and activities to fit what you seek.

I'll throw Jamaica into the mix. I like Negril.

One 'problem' is you said a summer vacation? That's hot and sometimes rainy season on many of the islands. The earlier month you can travel the better (june instead of august).

atravelynn

"as you have 2 weeks you could spend part of your time on either isla holbox or isla mujeras so you could go out on their boat tours to see whale sharks." -Virginia

I agree! A great, safe, adventure! Check out Captain Willy's fleet of 2-8 passenger boats in Holbox. I used him and a Nat Geo mag I was looking at mentioned their staff did too.

Have fun!

schmerl

I too think Mexico's Riviera Maya would suit your needs with ruins to explore, Zip lines, fishing, great beaches, etc.
You may also want to look into Costa Rica.

KVR

My first thought is he Riviera Maya also. We are very active on vacation and love that this area of Mexico since it has tons of things to see and do off the resorts. One of the many reasons why we keep going back.

We have been looking into Costa Rica, but to really get out and explore means to move around about every 3 days to different areas.

I think we've decided on Barbados for our summer vacation this year. I finding lots of things to see and do off property and some good nightlife options. From Barbados there are opportunities to take a flight over to Grenada or to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. There are 1 day tours or 3 to 5 day stop overs.