Haiti / Port au Prince questions
 

I am considering (and likely will ticket) a short trip to Port au Prince in October -- there are attractive fares on DL, which flies direct from JFK. Aside from planning to stay at the Oloffson Hotel, I haven't done much research, and was wondering if any one has visited recently. How easy is it walk around Port au Prince? I assume there will be some hassle and that I'll need to hire a minder to warn off other touts/self-styled guides/etc. Also, has anyone made the day trip to Jacamel?

Michael

Michael,

I just returned from a trip to Haiti. I stayed at St. Joseph's Home for Boys - not a luxury spot by U.S. standards but a truly fabulous experience ($40 night includes family-style breakfast and dinner) and an oasis in Haiti.

I didn't wander around PAP much and would have felt uncomfortable but I met a guy that was traveling around alone and seemed fine.

The trip to Jacmel is long, and I was happy that we spent the night there. Aside from a short stretch immediately outside of Cap Lamandou, I felt fine walking around Jacmel. I didn't make it to the nice beach in Jacmel, but I heard that it is beautiful and there are some very nice hotels.

I would recommend hiring someone if you want to get up to Jacmel via public transportation - it is very confusing and a bit overwhelming. Also, you'll likely get charged more for things if you don't have someone with you.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I made contact with Loumiere, which seems to be one of the best local agencies, and while they seem a bit pricey, I'm not sure I'll have much of a choice. They also offer a day trip to Jacmel, and since I hope to be traveling with two friends, we can split the price and it will be around $40 each to Jacmel.

The St. Joseph's Home looks wonderful -- I have my heart set on the Oloffson, but I may look into having dinner at St. Joseph's.

As someone who was born there, i will tell u there is not much to do in Port-AU-prince after the earthquake. I will tell u to go outside of port-au-prince like JACMEL,Cap-Haitien,LABADEE, u can fly with American Airlines, or DELta from JFK. and take this lil plane at the airport to JACMEL AND OTHERS.

"<i> i will tell u there is not much to do in Port-AU-prince after the earthquake.</i>"

Well, lucky for the OP then, since her trip was more than 6 months ago (the thread is from July <u>2009</u>)