Which destination has a good mix of tourism plus local culture?
Dec 1st, 2007, 03:50 PM
#1
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Which destination has a good mix of tourism plus local culture?
My family has been planning a ski trip for over a year w/in the U.S. but my grandparents just bailed b/c it would be "too cold" (read: too old 
) so we are trying to find another destination. My parents immediately thought Mexico, I was thinking Caribbean. My family tends to lean more towards your standard Western tourist-type stuff while I am much more off-the-beaten path. Is there a good destination where we could meet halfway? I.e. a place with restaurants etc. to please the folks, but also with a vibrant local culture to explore. By that I mean a place where you won't only encounter locals when they work in your hotel.
I was thinking maybe Jamaica? But we're very open to suggestion. It would be great to find a place where we could rent a house with a kitchen, but again we're flexible.
I would love any suggestions!
mp413
) so we are trying to find another destination. My parents immediately thought Mexico, I was thinking Caribbean. My family tends to lean more towards your standard Western tourist-type stuff while I am much more off-the-beaten path. Is there a good destination where we could meet halfway? I.e. a place with restaurants etc. to please the folks, but also with a vibrant local culture to explore. By that I mean a place where you won't only encounter locals when they work in your hotel.I was thinking maybe Jamaica? But we're very open to suggestion. It would be great to find a place where we could rent a house with a kitchen, but again we're flexible.
I would love any suggestions!
mp413
Dec 1st, 2007, 04:01 PM
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Barbados has everything! See www.barbados.org
Dec 1st, 2007, 04:40 PM
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jamaica is a good idea. lots of vills to choose from and most come with full staff so nobody has to cook if they don't want to, clean etc.
http://www.visitjamaica.com/home/Default.aspx
near the top on the right is a small gray map of jamaica. click on it to learn about virtually everything to do.
http://www.visitjamaica.com/home/Default.aspx
near the top on the right is a small gray map of jamaica. click on it to learn about virtually everything to do.
Dec 1st, 2007, 04:53 PM
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Thanks xkenx, definitely looking for more specifics! I am sure every destination in the Carib. could be argued to have "everything" but where exactly? When I hear Barbados I think big resorts, I am sure there are exceptions but have no idea how to find them.
I also should have mentioned, we aren't even close to filthy rich so any information on how much it costs for a decent 3BR house wherever you're suggesting we go would be great!
I also should have mentioned, we aren't even close to filthy rich so any information on how much it costs for a decent 3BR house wherever you're suggesting we go would be great!
Dec 1st, 2007, 05:47 PM
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Parts of Mexico could actually be great. Playa del Carmen is a great spot to mix. Plenty of restaurants, neat village area, close to ruins, cenotes, etc. Isla Mujeres has more mexican flair, but a ferry ride from ruins, etc.
Dec 2nd, 2007, 06:01 AM
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Well, just about any island will offer what you're looking for if you make enough of an effort to leave the resort. (And I'm with your grandparents, btw. Ski vacation sounds much too cold for me! I'll take Caribbean over snow any day.)
It takes a little more time to get there, but Grenada is a wonderful mix of everything you're looking for. Fewer Americans travel there than Brits, Canadians and Germans, so even the tourist class feels more international than on many islands. Grenada offers a very strong tourist infrastructure with great hotels, restaurants, good health care (there's a med school on the island), good roads, but relatively few international corporations and chains. And it maintains a very strong West Indian flavour. www.grenadatravelforum.com and www.grenadaexplorer.com are excellent places to start looking for more information.
Walking up and down the beach on weekends or after work hours during the week, stopping by the rum shacks and food vendors that dot the sides of the road will provide lots of local interaction. You can also hire a driver to act as an island tour guide. You can go to the open air market in St. George's and bargain for spices, produce, fresh bread, fresh eggs, etc. You can hire a guide and hike the Seven Sisters waterfalls. Or you can rent a car on your own and poke around the island at your own speed. Best of all is Fish Friday in the village of Gouyave, about a 90 minute drive from the St. George's. The fishing village closes off a street or two every Friday night and serves up more kinds of fish than you can imagine--fish pizza, fish kebabs, stir fried noodles & shrimp, tritterie fritters, lobster roti, fish heads--just booth after booth of seafood. Then you walk the streets with your plates of food and your drinks and you chat with everybody there--lots of locals and increasingly more tourists as they realize what a great thing Fish Friday is. It's been a real word of mouth thing on the island. Sometimes there's live music, sometimes it's just recordings playing on huge speakers. But it's lively and fun and a slice of real island living. I just love Fish Friday.
For mainstream resorts in the tourist area, check out Grenada Grand and Coyaba in the mid-range. Flamboyant for the lower to mid range. Jenny's Place is a smaller, more of a B&B type of place with a stronger local flavour. If you don't mind being off the beaten path, www.lasagesse.com is an outstanding small hotel on a beautiful beach with a good restaurant, but it really is quite isolated. And if you think a villa might be the way to go so that you can prepare some of your own meals and just have a bit more space to spread out, you can't do better than working with Nick Hughes at www.spiceislevillas.com. I've rented from him twice in the past and he is excellent at giving advice for what's best for your particular group. He has villas in various sizes and price ranges.
It takes a little more time to get there, but Grenada is a wonderful mix of everything you're looking for. Fewer Americans travel there than Brits, Canadians and Germans, so even the tourist class feels more international than on many islands. Grenada offers a very strong tourist infrastructure with great hotels, restaurants, good health care (there's a med school on the island), good roads, but relatively few international corporations and chains. And it maintains a very strong West Indian flavour. www.grenadatravelforum.com and www.grenadaexplorer.com are excellent places to start looking for more information.
Walking up and down the beach on weekends or after work hours during the week, stopping by the rum shacks and food vendors that dot the sides of the road will provide lots of local interaction. You can also hire a driver to act as an island tour guide. You can go to the open air market in St. George's and bargain for spices, produce, fresh bread, fresh eggs, etc. You can hire a guide and hike the Seven Sisters waterfalls. Or you can rent a car on your own and poke around the island at your own speed. Best of all is Fish Friday in the village of Gouyave, about a 90 minute drive from the St. George's. The fishing village closes off a street or two every Friday night and serves up more kinds of fish than you can imagine--fish pizza, fish kebabs, stir fried noodles & shrimp, tritterie fritters, lobster roti, fish heads--just booth after booth of seafood. Then you walk the streets with your plates of food and your drinks and you chat with everybody there--lots of locals and increasingly more tourists as they realize what a great thing Fish Friday is. It's been a real word of mouth thing on the island. Sometimes there's live music, sometimes it's just recordings playing on huge speakers. But it's lively and fun and a slice of real island living. I just love Fish Friday.
For mainstream resorts in the tourist area, check out Grenada Grand and Coyaba in the mid-range. Flamboyant for the lower to mid range. Jenny's Place is a smaller, more of a B&B type of place with a stronger local flavour. If you don't mind being off the beaten path, www.lasagesse.com is an outstanding small hotel on a beautiful beach with a good restaurant, but it really is quite isolated. And if you think a villa might be the way to go so that you can prepare some of your own meals and just have a bit more space to spread out, you can't do better than working with Nick Hughes at www.spiceislevillas.com. I've rented from him twice in the past and he is excellent at giving advice for what's best for your particular group. He has villas in various sizes and price ranges.
Dec 2nd, 2007, 06:17 AM
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if you are interested in mexixo and the playa del carman area take a look at www.locogringo.com
pdc area is wonderful. gorgeous beaches and more activities than you could do in 2 weeks. on the lg site prices are listed for all resorts & villas, and are in every price range.
isla mujares is extremely small & quiet. you use golf carts to get around the island. snorkeling is the main activity.
re barbados. there is a lady named lois swanson (a regular poster on fodors) who has compiled a 30+ page review of EveryThing about the island. if you email her she will forward it to you right away: [email protected]
i agree that this is an island that is easy to negotiate and has something to offer everyone. the only specific hotel i can recommend is a medium priced resort.
http://www.bougainvillearesort.com/index.html
if you want specific advice on jamaica post a question to 'tiverton' or post with jamiaca in the title - i think he lives on island.
pdc area is wonderful. gorgeous beaches and more activities than you could do in 2 weeks. on the lg site prices are listed for all resorts & villas, and are in every price range.
isla mujares is extremely small & quiet. you use golf carts to get around the island. snorkeling is the main activity.
re barbados. there is a lady named lois swanson (a regular poster on fodors) who has compiled a 30+ page review of EveryThing about the island. if you email her she will forward it to you right away: [email protected]
i agree that this is an island that is easy to negotiate and has something to offer everyone. the only specific hotel i can recommend is a medium priced resort.
http://www.bougainvillearesort.com/index.html
if you want specific advice on jamaica post a question to 'tiverton' or post with jamiaca in the title - i think he lives on island.
Dec 3rd, 2007, 04:43 AM
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Yes, Mexico and Caribbean. Playa del Carmen seems to be the right place to make everybody happy.
You also find a great infrastructure here and you can get hotels with very nice Caribbean flair. Check e.g. Las Palapas hotel http://www.divemex.net/html/palapaen.html at the end of the famous 5th avenue. Close to the center and still very nice garden and amazing beach just in front of the hotel.
You also find a great infrastructure here and you can get hotels with very nice Caribbean flair. Check e.g. Las Palapas hotel http://www.divemex.net/html/palapaen.html at the end of the famous 5th avenue. Close to the center and still very nice garden and amazing beach just in front of the hotel.
Dec 3rd, 2007, 02:40 PM
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I second (or third) Playa del Carmen. It's a great town with plenty of local flavor. You can choose to stay right in town and a smaller hotel (this is my preference to get more local flavor - we loved Hotel La Turtoga right off 5th avenue) or an all inclusive in Playa Maya which is a gated resort community in easy walk of town. The beaches are amazing- there are plenty of beach clubs where you can rent and umbrella and chair and eat and order drinks in town if you don't stay at an AI right on the beach- many hotels like La Turtoga include beach club tickets. The restaurants in town are great. There is also in the area the Mayan ruins to see, great snorkeling, and lots of atmosphere.
Dec 3rd, 2007, 07:13 PM
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Thanks so much for all these recs.! I think my parents went to Playa Carmen last year, I bet they are going to want to go somewhere else. Grenada sounds intriguing, I never would have thought of that so thanks for that suggestion!
Dec 3rd, 2007, 11:18 PM
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If you speak a little French, Martinique and Guadeloupe would be a good choice but many feel out of their comfort zone with these islands, a pity as they offer something different to the others, with the French culture.
They don't have many high end luxury resorts, most accommodation is a bungalow with kitchen (usually outdoors), modest hotels and some boutique style hotels. There are lots of restaurants, some simple setups on the beach for lunch, others are more sophisticated. There are markets and French supermarkets and bakeries.
The infrastructure is very good and the standard of living high in Caribbean terms.
They don't have many high end luxury resorts, most accommodation is a bungalow with kitchen (usually outdoors), modest hotels and some boutique style hotels. There are lots of restaurants, some simple setups on the beach for lunch, others are more sophisticated. There are markets and French supermarkets and bakeries.
The infrastructure is very good and the standard of living high in Caribbean terms.
