Less Expensive Islands
Sep 30th, 2002, 01:36 PM
#7
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Geography lesson - Punta Cana is NOT an island...Punta Cana is a specific location in the COUNTRY of the Dominican Republic, which shares the ISLAND of Hispanola with Haiti.<BR><BR>Also...just curious, what is an AL? (or do you perhaps mean AI...as in All-Inclusive?)<BR><BR>Not trying to pick on you, because your advice was well-intentioned, and you are right that DR vacations are often much cheaper than other destinations. But really, do you know where you vacationed?
Sep 30th, 2002, 02:03 PM
#8
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Vieques or Culebra in Puerto Rico. Isla Mujeres in Mexico. Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Tobacco Caye in Belize. Inexpensive islands can also be some of the best if you don't require luxury. Just depends on your definition of 'nice'. You aren't likely to find any AI's on these islands which to me is a plus.
Sep 30th, 2002, 05:56 PM
#12
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I don't know if I would count Vieques or the islands of Central America as cheap destinations. True, the food and accomodations can be very inexpensive. But transportation costs will get you. I have been to Vieques and the transportation and lodging was not what I would call budget. I could get around Europe cheaper than I can Puerto Rico.<BR><BR>Same for the islands off the Central American coast. Because this area is just beginning to attract tourists, there are not that many cheap flights to these islands and accomodations, tours and getting around can be quite expensive.<BR><BR>As far as overall budget - cheap but nice accomodations, availability of relatively inexpensive food, relatively cheap transportation (cheap taxis or one can easily share taxis), and availability of cheap flights from the US, the cheapest and nicest Caribbean destination (in my experience) is the US Virgin Islands. Jamaica can also be considered a budget destination as well as the Dominican Republic. <BR><BR>As far as the DR, people who are used to a more resort destination will be unsettled by the poverty of the DR.
Oct 1st, 2002, 04:11 PM
#15
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budget,<BR>I guess it really depends on where you're flying from... from the west coast, I seldomly find flights for much less than $600 rt to STT. Flying to BZE, SJU, or CUN is almost always cheaper. I was also speaking in terms of lodging, dining, activities, etc. To compare total costs including air, we would need to know where Jen lives. <BR><BR>And while the USVI are certainly very nice, I'm not sure I would put 'USVI' and the words 'cheap' or 'budget' in the same sentence. Accomodations on the inexpensive end can run close to $100 a night unless you want to camp, whereas on the Belizean islands or Isla Mujeres, inexpensive lodging starts at $30-40 a night - these are places with private bath, A/C, etc. The islands of PR do appear to be slightly more expensive. And I agree Jamaica can be an inexpensive destination depending on where you choose to stay.
Oct 1st, 2002, 04:21 PM
#16
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budget, you need to compare apples to apples. When I travel in Europe I stay at mostly 2-star hotels and pensiones, with an occasional stay at a nicer 1-star hotel or an affordable 3-star hotel. They are usually small rooms, with cramped bathrooms. How many of us are willing to stay at a 2-star hotel in the Caribbean? If you want five-star in Europe, you WILL pay an amount comparable to a five-star in the Caribbean.
Oct 1st, 2002, 04:46 PM
#17
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A couple of years ago, I spent time on St. Thomas and stayed at a small hotel i Charlotte Amalie called the Galleon House. I had a room with a great view of the bay, A/C, ceiling fan, 60 channel cable, private bath, and homemade breakfast for $48/night. Granted, it was low season. But if you want the best prices for the Caribbean, that is when you will travel. I remeber picking this hotel from several others in the price range. St. Croix also had some nice hotels that had reasonable prices.<BR><BR>While in St. Thomas, you can get dinner for the same price you could in the states, or you can eat at KFC, McDonalds, etc if you REALLY want to save money. There are also vendors who sell Johnny cakes and rice and peas real cheap.<BR><BR>In Charlotte Amalie, you can share a taxi and get around very cheaply. To go to Magen's bay costs $6, even if you are the only one in the cab.Ferry to St. John only $7. Have gotten airfare for $300 from the east coast.<BR><BR>I was cheated on Vieques and paid $20 for a cab ride since I was the only one in the cab. I told the cab driver I would wait to share the taxi. He didn't want to wait. The driver was in no hurry. Cost of meals expensive in Vieques.<BR><BR>I have not been to Belize, but I have heard they have very reasonable accomodations and food. The expense comes about with transportation and activities. If you choose to stay on the reef, accomodations can be very expensive. My nephew went to Belize and that was his experience. <BR><BR>If you know of cheap ways to get around Belize, please let me know. I am interested in seeing the country.
Oct 2nd, 2002, 10:43 AM
#18
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budget,<BR>It can very expensive to stay at some of resorts in the outer cayes (Lighthouse Reef, Blackbird Caye, etc.) as they are so isolated that getting there is a big expense (not to mention the costs of bringing in food & supplies for the resort). But these places represent only a small portion of what is available in Belize. The cayes with the easiest access would be Ambergris or Caulker where the reef is about a 15 minute boat ride offshore. The least expensive way to get there is by ferry from Belize City which runs approx. $7.50-$12.50 each way. Ferries also run between Ambergris and Caulker. Or you can fly from Belize city municipal airport for about $50 roundtrip - the international airport is more expensive, but most travellers like to take in some of the inland areas before proceeding to the cayes so flying from municipal is just as easy. We paid $50 a night for an oceanfront room on Ambergris (this was also low season), but there are other places available for less, especially if you go back a block from the oceanfront. While there aren't any McDonald's or KFC's, inexpensive local food can cost $5-6 for a plate of grilled conch, rice, & beans. A local snorkeling trip runs about $15-20pp and in the low season, your party will often be the only ones occupying the boat. An all day boat trip to snorkel with manatees, rays, & sharks with lunch on an uninhabited caye cost us about $55pp. A 2 tank dive including all equipment cost us about the same. In the low season, the asking price is somewhat flexible and you're able to negotiate on tours and activities especially if there are competing vendors. I always advise not to prebook any dives or activities, so you can check around when you arrive. Many other travelers also advise the same with regards to accomodations if you are traveling in the low season. If you're headed inland, I've heard (although we did not utilize them) that the buses are very comfortable and cost only a few dollars for even the farthest destination (Belize is a small country). One of the least expensive cayes that is right on the reef is Tobacco Caye. Accomodations lncluding 3 meals a day costs less than $100 a night for 2 people. You can snorkel right from shore. To get there you can take a bus or fly to Dangriga from Belize city (flights are around $60 roundtrip from municipal airport). From Dangriga it's about a half hour boat ride out to the caye (not sure what the going rate is currently). There's no A/C on Tobacco caye but for the most part it's not necessary on the cayes or in the higher elevation inland areas as long as there are fans. The one thing you're likely to find to be expensive is the cost of groceries if you're planning to cook a few meals. Belize is a beautiful country and while it's not as cheap as some parts of Mexico, it's also not difficult to put together an inexpensive trip as long as you don't have your heart set on staying at places like Lighthouse Reef.
Oct 2nd, 2002, 11:18 AM
#19
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generally I think of the usvi as a more moderate destination but most islands can be done on the cheap by choosing inexpensive lodging, eating at local spots and watching your spending. I would pick DR, Mexico and Aruba as the inexpensive destinations overall. nice would be different for different people because no matter how inexpensive or expensive some islands are some would never choose to return for many reasons.
Oct 2nd, 2002, 04:04 PM
#20
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Of course some islands are less expensive! My husband and I have decided that next time we just want to lie on the beach for a couple of days, that we will go to the Dominican Republic because - are some cheap packages going there.<BR><BR>We have also done other Caribbean destinations very inexpensively. One of my favorite "bang-for-the-buck" destinations was Cozumel. We stayed at a (non-beachfront) bed-and-breakfast called Hacienda San Miguel for only $40/night (low season). The room was clean and decorated with Mexican talavera motif and had a kitchenette. Restaurants all around the island were reasonably priced - a nice meal for 2 people with 2 rounds of drinks would be around $40-60.<BR><BR>And unlike the previous poster (Budget), we stayed in Vieques very cheaply. Again, by staying at non-beachfront bed-and-breakfast, we saved money. We went with another couple and rented the entire top floor (two one-bedrooms) of "Sea Gate" B&B. It was only $45 per couple (low season) and included PICK-UP at the ferry and a great breakfast of pancakes, juice and coffee. Each one-bedroom suite had a kitchenette, a little living area and we share a big balcony with two hammocks and picnic tables. We had a nice view as we were on the mountain at the center of the island. The only thing is that the places where we ate in Vieques were pretty non-memorable and definitely a couple of notches below the great food that can be found in the mainland of Puerto Rico.
