Looking for Hurricane Safe Caribean Vacation
 

I'm planning a honeymoon for August of next year and am wondering which islands are "protected" from the path of hurricanes. I'v read about some being protected, such as Aruba but I've also heard others are too even when they appear more east than others that are not. Front-runner right now is Cook Island off of St. Vincent, would love some advice here.

The ones that I know of are Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao ad Barbados.

I honeymooned in Aruba in Sept 2001 and then returned there in July 2003. We both loved it b/c it is a very safe island with beautiful beaches and lots to see and do. In addition the people on the island are very friendly.

We are going to Curacao next month and I've read it is very similar to Aruba, but not quite as Americanized.

If you have any specific questions that I can answer, feel free to email me.

Congrats and good luck!

Nancy

Contrary to what you may read in some promotional materials or other unreliable sources, there are no Caribbean islands which are completely immune from hurricane activity.
However, there are some islands which are low risk, to the point that odds are less than 1% per week that you'll be affected during the main season.

Check this map to see seasonal risk in various parts of the Caribbean:
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/G12.html

The Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao islands are lowest on the risk scale.

Without question, Aruba is the safest island. Most refences state that it is outside of the Hurricane Belt. It has better statistics than Curacao and Bonaire. I think that St. Vincent is susceptible to hurricanes. Aruba is the least lush of the islands because of the low rainfall.So the drawback is that it is less scenic. I have been there 2 times; the beaches are just fine and the island is very safe and friendly. Americans feel very at home here.

Personally I think the omnipresence of media these days, including sensationalistic weather reporting....has a lot to answer for, particulary a drop in tourism to the Caribbean in the fall over the past few years.

The bottom line is that the risk is low for all islands, but some are less risky than others.

Hurricane season is 7 months long (Jun-Nov) and a bad year will have 6-8 Hurricanes in that 7 month period, each one impacting any affected islands for no more than a week.

Statistically the chances of a Hurricane impacting your vacation are therefore very low.

Taking the Cayman Islands, we are tucked in the North West corner of the Caribbean and have suffered no Hurricanes since records began prior to September in any year.....and even in the Sep-Nov period, the last time we had a direct hit was 1932.

But Cayman is in the Hurricane belt...so there is a risk...it is just a small one.

My message to visitors....go ahead and book your summer/fall vacation, deals are great all over in the summer, and even more so in the fall.

If on the other hand you want the absolute best weather, visit the Caribbean in Feb or Mar, but be prepared to pay as much as double for your accommodations.....the choice is yours

From the perspective of most vacationers, whether or not an island is direcly hit or 'brushed' is not really the issue. The heavy clouds, rain and rough water will ruin most people's Caribbean trip even if the hurricane doesn't hit directly.

I think that's why most of the data lumps direct hits with substantial impact and edge effects.
I think it's misleading to cite only direct hit data. It's useful for the insurance industry but less so for vacationers.

Contrary to Mapman47, St. Vincent is one of the least susceptible countries for a direct hurricane hit. So are all the Grenadines and Grenada.

I agree with TedTurner that hurricanes can go anywhere and that the aftermath, even of islands that are not 'hit', can be unpleasant but this is not always the case.

For example, Hurricane Lenny (Wrong-Way Lenny) did not not hit St. Vincent but the aftermath was felt on Bequia in the form of sea surges.

The Caribbean side of the island was awash while, on the Atlantic side of the island, everything was calm and tranquil. It was quite eerie, actually.

BTW, jdykes8, what is Cook Island off of St. Vincent - I've been going to SVG for years and never heard of it ???

I meant Young Island, thanks for the posts.

Two other islands that are outside the hurricane belt are Trinidad and Tobago. Tobago is a beautiful, friendly island, not overrun with tourists. However, it is very quiet, compared to many other Caribbean islands. So if you need shopping and nightlife, Tobago wouldn't be for you. If I recall correctly, the last time Tobago had a hurricane was more than 40 years ago.

Aruba - very predictable temps, few clouds and winds (get used to it). The Hyatt is lovely; beach is great, pool is great. Only place we've ever visited where chairs in the shade are taken before those in the sun!

oonarose, I remember a hurricane hitting Trinidad (I assume Tobago as well) in 1985(I think). I was visiting family the summer I was going into 7th grade. It was on of the scarest things I have ever been through as My aunts house sits on the side of a hill, we were worried about mud slides. The next morning we went for a ride and saw a lot of houses missing there roofs. I dont know if they have been hit since.
But that one was not fun. That said I have been there since during hurricane season and had no problems.

Just because an island does not suffer a "direct" hit by a hurricane, many hurricanes are large enough to cause severe climate changes and rough water conditions throughout the Caribbean. Aruba just a few years ago had horrid flooding from a storm (and it wasn't related to Lenny despite what was said) in early December and many people came home early. I believe it was just last year they had a close encounter with the hurricane downsizing just as it came close to Aruba. August is fairly safe and the chances of being hit by one are relatively slim - but it can happen. The peak of the Cape Verde Season is the end of Sept/beginning of October and that's historically when things really get popping. No place is "protected" in the Caribbean but the further south you go the less likely you are to encounter a hurricane (anything sorth of 12 degrees is hurricane proof and Aruba is not!). but protect your plans with travel insurance!

Be exotic. Go to Trinidad, where hurricanes are even less likely to hit than Aruba. It is a fantastic and mystical island.