starfish1

Hi all,

Our family of six, soon to be seven, is looking at a warm holiday destination next spring. Our daughter who will have a newborn would like to have somewhere that offers good medical care should it become necessary. We are looking for an all inclusive with a direct flight from Toronto - we're considering Barbados but also wonder about the Dominican Republic, specifically Samana area (Cayo Levantado), and Costa Rica. Any comments would be appreciated from folks who have some experience in any of these locations. Greatly appreciate any input. Cheers!

RoamsAround

First off, any of the major islands will have hospitals and doctors where you can get good medical care should the need arise, however, you should know that many ex-pats living in the Caribbean go "off-island" if they need extreme care or if they have unusual medical conditions. Suffice to say, that for normal everyday health care and minor medical emergencies your daughter and her newborn should be just fine on just about every island - after all the locals there have babies all the time and they've managed to survive for hundreds of years.

Now, you mentioned getting a "direct flight" from Toronto - did you really mean "direct" which in airline parlance means a flight that makes one or more intermediate stops before reaching it's final destination or did you mean "non-stop" which is just that, the plane does not make any intermediate stops??? For what it is worth, any island you can reach non-stop from Toronto will have more that adequate medical facilities as will most of the islands you can reach "direct". It's when you venture to the smaller islands that require you to take smaller "island hopper" planes or ferry rides where you might encounter less than adequate medical care.

Lastly, you mentioned going All Inclusive - well, the Dominican Republic and the Mayan Riviera area of Mexico are the All Inclusive capitals of the Caribbean. I'm not sure you'll find an abundance of AI's on Barbados and I'm not too sure there are many in Costa Rica 9but I've only been there once so I'm not an expert on that area).

It would help if you gave us some idea of your budget as it will make it easier to steer you in the right direction. No sense telling you about a 5-star, very expensive AI resort if it doesn't fit your budget. Please give a specific dollar range - terms like "affordable", "not too expensive", "won't break the bank" are meaningless without a real point of reference - what'a "affordable" for some may not be affordable for you and your party.

qwovadis

The CIMA Hospital: best hospital in Costa Rica; opened in San Jose in the year 2000; offers world class medical treatment
www.cimahospital.com

Best of all for me.

www.hotelvillacaletas.com less than 1 hour away

a wonderful place to stay for me...

starfish1

Thanks so much RoamsAround and Quo for your replies. I do need to clarify that I meant non-stop as opposed to direct, thanks for pointing that out. As far as budget goes, we'd be willing to go between $2000 and $2500/person AI including airfare. Have been to Costa Rica this year, Cuba last year and Barbados for the past 8 years and enjoyed each a lot. Just want to make sure we choose with baby in mind this time and thought we'd like to try a different destination ie Dominican. Thanks again for your comments.

shirleyk

Aruba has a first class hospital right near the tourist hotels. No problem with illness from water or food. I think Air Canada has nonstop flights.

schmerl

I agree with Aruba if you are concened about the welfare of an infant. Great hospital...clean island. People don't seem to get the stomach distress there that a lot get in the DR.