Trip in October
 

We will be celebrating our 20th anniversary in October and would like to go away for a few days. Budget is a big concern, but Carribean appeals to us. We live in Pennsylvania. I don't want to go somewhere where it is not safe to go outside the resort. I like to experience local culture when I travel. Looking for suggestions. Also, what do you think about waiting to the last minute to book something to try to grab a good last minute deal? Too risky, or OK since we're pretty flexible?
Thanks!

Bermuda, two hours direct flight from PHL on USAIRWAYS. Accomodations:
Surfside
www.bermudarentals.com
Salt Kettle b and b
Rosemont for a budget trip.
check www.bermudatourism.com for a complete listing of hotels and rates.
Happy anniversary.

Wow. That was quick. Thanks! Can you recommend a specific area of Bermuda?

Bermuda is pretty small and all of it is very nice. I like the Southhampton area.
I agree that it is a great place to go and you can definitely take public transport and see the entire island. (very safe). Not cheap though. None of the caribbean is.

Gillybrit, Bermuda is highly accessible from most parts of the island. There are two towns, Hamilton (capital, most of the shops/restaurants are there) and St. George (small, historical, charming, branches of some shops and a few restaurants). Both of these can be reached by ferry during October. I personally prefer to stay in areas which are served by the ferries as that is my favorite way to travel other than by motorbike. I rent a bike for day travel (never ride in the rain or at night or after drinking) and head for the beaches and general exploring.
What particular activities would you most enjoy while there? Perhaps that will help me make some suggestions.
I am topping a couple of Bermuda threads to give you some ideas about favorite activities of some regular posters.

i haven't been to Bermuda. But Bermuda is not in the carribbean. It's off the coast of North Carolina. About a 3 hour flight from Philly. If you want a safe caribbean island; try Grand caymen or Aruba. IMO, they are the safest..... I usually try to book, at least 2 months in advance on any trip....These islands are relatively expensive. but October is not "high season" ......ps.. I'm from PA also

have you considered the Riveria Maya, south of Cancun, around Playa Del Carmen? It is a great area, lots of lodging choices, friendly people, generally safe, and in my opinion very good value for your money. Check that out as well.

Pretty much anywhere you can go outside your resort and explore the local culture. They only place I would see not doing that is Punta Cana because there simply isnt much there but big resorts.

Barbados is great for exploring; so is the BVI (you can visit many diff. islands); Caymans; Aruba; etc.

October is slow season. The prices will start going down around Aug/Sept. If you waited until then, you might get a good deal. BUT, with the price of gasoline rising, flights are going to be a big chunk of your budget no matter where you go! If you see a good price--go for it!

Peace

Maybe it would be fair for those suggesting that it is a great time to visit since it is off-season to mention that October is a very popular hurricane month thus making the prices lower. You take your chances and even tho some recommend Aruba since it is just below the hurricane belt, it too can suffer some pretty inclimate weather and the "local culture" there is very Americanized. It is often worthwhile to include travel insurance in your budget if you travel in the Fall.

Bermuda is listed as part of the Caribbean in Fodors; not geographically accurate, but a convenient shorthand. October is not off season in Bermuda. Normally off season rates will not kick in for Bermuda resorts before November and in some cases not until December. While hurricanes are not unheard of in Bermuda in October, they are not common. Check http://www.weather.bm for the historical weather data.

USAIRWAYS website shows the PHL-BDA flight as 2 hrs and 19 minutes, the return is 2 hrs and 13 mins.

How is the weather in Bermuda in October?

go to www.bermuda-online.org/climateweather.htm

In respect to hurricanes the following places are generally thought of as safe in October:
Aruba
Barbados
Curaçao
Mexico

I hear that Aruba is great but supposedly it is "americanized"? Mexico is great but you have to be REALLY careful where you go because some of the beaches have eroded due to a past hurricane. So some of the resorts pictures appear to have a beautiful beach but in reality they have almost no beach and big sandbags on the beach in an attempt to prevent further erosion.

Curacao is supposed to be great in respect to culture and snorkeling. However, they have a limited choice with hotels.

Barbados is supposed to have great culture but it is on the expensive side. Getting there should be easy for you. If you want calm waters and soft sand - I think I saw it somewhere that you would want to be on the caribbean side. Good luck!!!!!!!

I would suggest one of three places.
- Bermuda. Life there is wonderful. We loved everything about it. We were very comfortable. It was like heaven. Cute shops.
- Curacao. The people are very generous and among some of the friendliest we have ever met. The food is wonderful and very diverse.
- Barbados. Many hotels to choose from. We stayed at the Hilton on an executive floor and our room offered us two balconies with spectacular views of the turquoise waters. Food is sumptuously elegant, and very warm people. The island is expensive, however.