SusGar

We are looking to go to one of the Islands,but have some health concerns. In case medical care is needed.Also,have heard different stories as to safety .Any thoughts or ideas . Where to go,to stay ,to be the most comfortable?

A_Traveller

The islands, like any place where there is more then two people, are not totally free from crime but if you use common sense you can feel and be pretty safe almost anywhere. There's no "rating sheet" listing which islands are safer than others. Just use common sense, don't go around flashing huge sums of money or expensive jewelry, don't go walking down dark alleys in the wee small hours of the morning, don't leave valuables unattended, and lock the door to your hotel room. In other words, take the same precautions that you would at home and you'll be just fine. Remember, a fellow tourist could be a criminal just as easily as a local so no matter where you go be aware of your surroundings.

As far as medical care goes that's all depends on what kind health care concerns you have. You can find medical care on most islands but in some cases it might be little more than a First Aid clinic. This is especially true on very small islands and less populated islands like some of the Grenadines, the lesser islands in the BVI's or some of the Bahamas Out-Islands. Other mid-size islands might have hospitals that can handle routine medical situations but people there often go "off-island" for major treatments. The larger islands like Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic will have fully staffed hospitals and capable doctors but here again the type of care you get may not be what you are used to getting "back home".

Without knowing they type of healt concerns you have it is difficult to give you a more definitive answer. If you have major health care issues you might want to discuss your travel plans with your primary care physicians to get his/her advice on where you might find the best type of treatment. You might also want to purchase Medical Evacuation Insurance which would cover the costs of transporting you back to the nearest medical facility that can treat you for your illness or under some policies to the hospital of your choice.

If you care to share some general information about yourselves, your particular medical concerns, what type of destination might interest you and what you'd like to do and see while there it would make it easier for contributors on this forum to make meaniful suggestions.

virginia

actually most of the islands are quite safe, excepting haiti and domimican republic, and that's because of the Extreme poverty. other than the news, i've never actually heard from anybody who was the victim of a crime on any of the islands. not saying there is no crime just saying i think there are more "stories" than crimes. plus if you really look into it most island crime is islander on islander.

st. thomas has a pretty good hospital as does cancun. i personally would not go to a hospital on dominican republic but i have no desire to see that island...

medi-vac insurance is very easy to get, however, one of more of the companies requires you to "join" i think 3 months prior to the trip. it is not terribly expensive. in an emergency these companies will arrange temp care on the island, then come get you and depending on which company will get you to miami or your home hospital in a private plane with med equip/care on board. sometimes they will bring out a member of your travel party as well. this can be a godsend, as in certain situations the airliens will refuse to carry you if they think anything could happen in flight.
so other than worrying about needing to leave suddenly what would you like to do on your island retreat?
just from your other posts i'm going to throw out provo in turks and caicos. the island is known in particular to be very safe - even walking at night. it has quite a few condo style resorts directly on 12 mile long powdery white oh so soft grace bay beach. good snorkeling, great diving, good bonefishing. excellent dining. very low key nightlife. minimal shopping. it's an island all about nature and the beach. usair has a decent (6 1/2 hr) flight thru charlotte from cleveland. provo does not have a hospital. miami is 90 min flight.

SusGar

Thank you for your help. The Travel insurance is helpful.There is concern of knowing about how to deal with dehadration and stomach issues . I have traveled mainly in the US or Canada ,also on 1 cruise,which was not a favorite but loved Italy and France..We are thinking of renting a Villa,condo or someplace where we can mainly be as close to the beach,enjoy the natural beauty and culture. Shopping for items true to the area, as art, crafted pieces et.Eating ,I always need to be careful and am smart enough not to go to some off the beaten place.Having a swinging night life is not us. Beaching, walking reading and then dinning a night is heaven.Im celebrating a major birthday and have had a few lousy years health wise. Feeling good now .We both need this ,jsut want to feel like I have covered all my bases the best way I can.

A_Traveller

Virginnia's suggestion of Provo in the T&C's makes very good sense. There are plenty of rental villas and condos (both beachfront and beach access), they have decent health care facilities, a major airport where you can easily fly non-stop to several US Gateway cities in case of emergency, good restaurants, some of the best beaches in the islands and some "light" shopping oportunities.

Another possible destination is St. Thomas - again plenty of rental villas, very nice beaches, an International airport with many daily flight back to the US, more restaurants than you can visit in a month, some of the best Duty Free shopping in the Caribbean plus you are only a short ferry ride from St. John with it's great beaches, scores of high end rental villas and national park.

Lastly, think about St. Martin. This is another island that has non-stop flights to/from the US, plenty of Duty Free shopping, hundreds of very good to excellent restaurants (some world class), lots of water sports, easy access to nearby islands for day trips and, of course, lots of condos and rental villas.

SusGar

Thank you!! St. Martin best time to go? Hopefully we are not to late to go before end of April. Any concerns about Spring Breakers from the States? Found a thread to" St. Martin Blue" information on villas,et and a place called the Wyndam Sapphire Beach Club. St. Thomas, isnt that more cruise line stop over ? or do you know any nice places to stay on either Island?Any other comments would be so appreciated, you sound so informed. I used this site for a trip this summer to Cape Cod& all information was fantastic.

virginia

on st. thomas look at www.secretharbourvi.com
on provo look at: http://www.northshorevillas.com/coriander_cottage/
both directly on beach.
or look at any of the numerous condos on provo. all are beachfront.

for dehydration - buy a case of water - not sports drinks. keep some cold all the time & drink between 3 & 4 quarts of water per day and you should be fine. restrict alcohol.

stomach issues: don't drink a lot of fruity cocktails or ones with mint like mojitoes. don't eat what you're not used to. take pepto, immodium etc with you.

late april should be fine. spring break will be over and the rates in many places will drop to low season!

wolfmisc

Hi,
in general the English, French or Dutch speaking islands are more or less safe. Only exception maybe Jamaica in certain areas.
Haiti should be avoided. I know personally people who get robbed there.
And in Boca Chica (Dominican Republic) a young guy robbed my golden necklace on a public road during plain sunshine.
But the islands you and the other Fodorites mentioned should be more or less fun and nothing to worry about.
And the bigger hotel and apartment complexes all have their doctors for stomach problems etc.
By the way, somebody mentioned Cancun. This is not an island, but on the mainland of Yucatan /Mexico.

girlonthego

Hi
I would recommend the Grand Cayman. It is a very nice quiet island with great snorkeling, lots of condos to rent, and very nice dining at night. We walked the beaches at night with our kids and so did other families and couples. We always felt safe and really enjoyed our trip there. We stayed at the marriott hotel, but I know lots of people here rent condos/villas to stay at there. People were very friendly and nice on GC.

Our friends went to the Wyndam sugar bay hotel on st. thomas and said they had fun, but did not care for st.thomas. They thought st.john was much more beautiful. They also found the people to be not very friendly on st thomas.

SusGar

Found out a friend is staying at rhe Ocean Club Beach Resort in T&C.Anyone have any information or stayed there? I had know idea this area has become so popular. Most of the posts speak very highly of the island, places to stay, food and the beaches look lovely. Im sure its pricey,but what do you think ?Looks perfect.

beachdreams3

It is called Ocean Club (no "Beach" in the name) Resorts, and actually consists of two properties, the original Ocean Club, and Ocean Club West (OCW). If you click on "Turks and Caicos" and enter "Ocean Club" and/or "OCW" into the search bar, you will find many posts that discuss these resorts. I haven't stayed there but have seen both properties last year. Thay are both solid mid-range resorts in Provo on beautiful Grace Bay Beach. OCW is a little newer and more centrally located to other resorts, restaurants, and shopping, but the two properties are only about a mile apart, and I believe that the resort provides a shuttle between them and allows you to use the facilities at either.

bnsilly

I feel your pain, literally..
Had dehydration/stomach issues on my last trip and it was definitely an experience..Ended up in the E.R.~not something I want to do again, especially in a foreign country!! Definitely buy lots of bottled water...Depending on what your stomach issues are Zantac 150 helped me through while the pharmacies were closed for New Year's...

diann24

bnsilly,

May I ask where you were at when you fell so ill?? My husband, son-inlaw, and daughter fell ill like that in DR.
Susgar, I liked the Frenchmans Reef in St. Thomas. There is a marriot but there are these quaint little houses or condos right on the beach. A nice beach as well. I like St. Thomas but mostly because St. Johns is so close and easy to travel to as well.

SusGar

Thanks. Beachdreams3 what do you mean by solid mid range resorts?Any other condo type ideas for T&C's

girlonthego

susgar:
here is a link to a recent post on hotels on turks caicos
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35103919
hopefully it comes up. If not, look up turks and caicos and click. you should get all the posts that mention that island.
good luck.

greenie

We stayed at Ocean Club a couple of years ago, and I would def. return. We loved the place. Very quiet with two pools. The food was very good and the beach was wonderful. It's on the quieter end of Grace Bay.

Peace, Greenie

beachdreams3

I just meant that they were mid-priced resorts for Provo, which has some very expensive resorts, so Ocean Club is by no means the most luxurious option. Also, Ocean Club, like the majority of the "resorts" on Provo, really is a condominium operated as a resort, so at this mid-range price point, you won't have some of the amenities that some travelers seek (e.g., room service, beach drink service). On the other hand, you do have a kitchen or kitchenette and washer/dryer in the room. I always stayed at traditional hotels before visiting Provo but actually have found that I really like staying at these condo resorts (I've been to Royal West Indies and the Alexandra, which are in the same price range as Ocean Club. Also, the Sands is another option. If you are looking for something more high end or for a tighter budget, there would be different places to consider. I'd suggest reading some other posts here and checking TripAdvisor reviews to get a better idea of some of the other accommodation choices on Provo and starting a new post if you have additional questions about Provo accommodations.

J_R_Hartley

"Just use common sense, don't go around flashing huge sums of money or expensive jewelry, don't go walking down dark alleys in the wee small hours of the morning"

Come to St Barts and do all of that with no fear.

Scoutwell

Hallo...I was surprised when I read that someone had not heard of crime on the "islands"....I do not know which island specifically you are talking about but I cannot in good conscience sit here and not post about it.

Over two and a half years ago an American teenager went missing off the island of Aruba and she has not been seen since nor has anyone been charged with her dissapearance. There have been three main suspects though but not enough evidence to get a solid conviction.

But my point being is yes there is crime on the islands....do beware for your own safety. If you visit a bar just please make sure you watch your drink at every moment. This teen had been in Carlos and Charlies bar the night she went missing...authorities don't know for sure if her drink was tampered with or not. Anyway....just please beware of your surrounding wherever you decide to visit as I don't wish anyone else to come up missing. Thanks for reading my post and have happy and SAFE travels...

virginia

scoutwell, welcome to fodors. no one here said they've never heard of island crime. actually natalie has been discussed extensively here. i see that you are new to fodors- if you type her name into the search box above you'll be able to read all the threads, if you would like.
my point was that most of the islands (excluding dom rep/haiti) are reasonably safe for tourists. no less safe than american cities.
unfortunately these days one must be diligent at all times in all places.

diann24. actually it's the morning star section of the marriott you liked. me too. frenchman's reef is the multi-story hotel up on the hill. they have a fabulous restaurant down by the beach too - havana blue. did you try it?? we had a most memorable meal there.

susgar - the ocean clubs are nice, attactive condo's. alternatives might include royal west indies, the alexandra or the sands. sibonne is a small boutique hotel that is not condo. ^all directly on the beach! it might be fun to stay at one of the other resorts, while your friends are at oc - so you'd have use of both resorts...