justretired

My husband and I have traveled to the Caribbean, but not very recently or often. We have not cruised, and have stayed at both inclusive and non-inclusive hotels/resorts. We have stayed at Club Meds on Martinique and Guadeloupe ( years ago) as well as Turks and Cancun more recently. We like the social aspect of the Club, as well as the all inclusive. But we have also enjoyed other resorts, and are flexible. My husband wind-surfs and sails and we both snorkel, preferable off the beach at the hotel. We love learning about cultures. We prefer places that are more lush ecologically and ones that also have some touring options available. My husband speaks French, Spanish, and Italien, and loves the abilty to speak languages when we travel.

Two years ago, we stayed with our 2 grown children at 2 wonderful AI's in Belize and loved both- they were beautiful (one had gorgeous rooms, and the other was more spartan, but still nice) had interesting guests, wonderful food, activities, and excursions. They were also environmentally friendly. And expensive, I might add.

OK, fellow Fodorites- we'd love some help from those of you who travel to the Caribbean and/or Latin America regularly. We are looking to travel in January and wonder where you would go. Would you recommend an AI or some other resort? Are some hotels more "appropriate" for folks in our age bracket?

We have used the forum for our European travel and have been delighted by people's generous contributions. We'd love any help you could give us on this trip.

laurie_ann

IF you liked Belize you might look into Honduras or Nicaragua, as both have been appearing in travel magazines as "up and coming", but also likely less expensive. You might browse old issues of National Geographic Traveler or Frommers Budget Travel at your public library or online for more moderately priced ideas.

JeanH

We're heading to Panama for the first time in January. It looks awesome. Great birding and some really interesting looking islands. I'm sure it would be even better if my Spanish was more fluent. Jean

TioGringo

Ah, Jean, I wouldn't even worry about the Spanish in Panama. The folks there seem so used to gringos (after decades of U.S. administration over the Canal) that you can almost always find someone who speaks english --- ESPECIALLY around Panama City.

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

poss

Justretired: I'd be interested in hearing more abt the AI in Belize (name for instance). My husband and I are your age and much enjoy sailing and snorkeling (and hiking and biking). We went to club Med Martinique for our 1st anniversay 34 years ago-- and did Club Meds for a while abt every third year or so (until they got much less agreeable). We've been to all the good snorkeling islands in the Caribbean, and keep hoping to find somewhere new to go. We've avoided Belize because I had the impression that the beaches weren't very good and that there weren't really any terrific places to stay. I'd love to learn that I've been mistaken.

If snorkeling and sailing are your thing, have you been to the USVI's and BVI's? We've bareboat chartered there several times and loved it. Have also stayed at Caneel Bay and some condos on St John simply because the snorkeling is so spectacular. No AI's on St John that I know of.
Did you stay at the Club Med in Cancun? If you enjoyed it, you might like the one at Hualtulco. We thought it was the handsomest CM and went several times-- but not in the last 10 years or so. What abt chartering in the Grenadines? Great sailing and some very neat places (we chartered through Moorings for our 25th anniversary) Also enjoyed swept Away in Jamaica (an AI), but wouldn't go back becasue snorkeling in J isn't good. (snorkeling is our main thing) If you get interested in the Caribbean, I hope I'll be able to answer some of your questions. We know it pretty well-- and don't know central America at all! We'll be doing our first CR trip this January (more nervous than I've ever been abt travel for some reason)

justretired

Hi Poss:

When we were in Belize, we stayed at 2 different hotels. The first one was in the western part of the country, not far from the Gautamala border. It was called duPlooys Lodge ( www.duplooys.com). It was very beautiful, set in many acres of lush tropical forests and along a river. The hotel arranged to have us picked up at the airport and transferred us to our second hotel afterwards. It is not a hotel that offers water sports, since it is inland, but it had many excursions to Mayan ruin sites, caves, birding, etc. Our guide for the entire time, Philip, is a natuarist and birder and added greatly to our enjoyment.

The second hotel is Kanantik ( www.kanantik.com), a gorgeous resort set on the water about an hour south of Belize City in Hopkins. This is a new small resort, started by a pair of Italien men, and it is lovely. Each room is in a separate little cabin set along the water or in the forest. The beach is not the expansive white Caribbean sand, but it lovely it its own way and very private. We live in Boston, so are spoiled by New England beaches, and although we love the beach, it is, for us, only part of our love for the Caribbean and Latin America. Snorkeling and scuba are included at Kanantik, and you go by boat to the cayes, the string of islands off the coast. This reort also had many other lovely excursionsas well. The food is excellent. If you love snorkeling, the Cayes are considered the palce to go in Belize.

I laughed when I read your post. My husband and I went to CM for our honeymoon, almost 35 years ago. We also went to lots of CMs over the years, often with our children, and like Cancun the best becuse the snorkeling is on the gorunds.

We have also been thinking about CR. Both our children have been there and recommend it. There sounds like there are mnay wonderful areas to explore- I have researched the country and am aware of the different areas, particularly the could forests and the Pacific coast. We are nataurlists and love seeing native animals and birfing. Any suggestions to hotels Interestingly, before going to Belize, I was nervous as well. Even though it is different fro the Caribbean, it is in lots of ways similiar, and I would not be nervous about going to CR this time.

In some ways, we just want to "crash" this time. We had a busy trip to France this fall. While my husband loves the water sports (I just like snorkeling and being sailed about), we also like excursions. I love sitting under an umbrella reading and talking. We like AL because we love to meet new people and like the feeling of everything being included. On the other hand, we have also enjoyed our trips to other resotrs, including Jamaica.

Friends have mentioned CR as well as all the French islands, including St. Martin, as well as St. Barts and St. Lucia. I think my husband would prefer a Spanish or French destination, but could probably be talked into another if it had things he liked. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,

Margret

Ally

If you like sailing and snorkling, consider a sailing charter in Belize. What better way to see the many lovely islands around Belize? We did this in Jan. and loved it. Here is a great boat for you:

http://www.catchartersbelize.com/

We were unable to sail with them due to a schedule mishap, and went with someone else, but we met up with Cliff (the captain) of the Abisque and his group for dinner one night. They are a very nice couple in your age range and their boat is great.

They can get you to all the best snorkel sight before the rush comes so you're able to enjoy with very little crowds. Think about it!

milla

come to Argentina!

owa

Justretired, I am so glad you posted. I looked at Kanantik and it looks wonderful. I've been wanting to go to Belize for a number of years as we love to snorkel. If you had to pick one of the two, which would it be? Were bugs a problem? Did you snorkel at Kanantik and how was it? The price is going up next year!! Thanks so much, Owa

mikemo

If either of you is a USAA member, check out their two 'fers on The Clipper Cruise line to the USVI/BVI and Panama/Costa Rica.
M
The Colonial Cities of MX are wonderful also.
M

justretired

Hi, Owa.

Sorry for the delay in replying. My wife posted the original question 11/04. The answers died down after a couple of days, and we stopped checking.

We enjoyed Kanantik quite a bit, but bugs were a problem, specifically very small (nearly invisible) biting insects that here in New England are called "no-see-ums". Insect repellent helped. We were told that the bug problem depended on the wind - if it gets windy, they can be blown away. The club was considering various defensive measures. They were a problem largely on the beach, not at night.

We were taken to snorkel to an island, where we also had a picnic lunch. The snorkling was OK, but not the best. The scuba divers dove off the boat. There are various options for snorkling at Kanantik.

We were told that the best snorkling and diving in Belize is on the cayes (pronounced "keys&quot, but the trouble is that there is nothing much else to do there. Kanantik provides more options in addition to the snorkling.

When we left Kanantik, we were picked up at their private airstrip. The resort arranges it. There was a light crosswind, so the runway had no preferred direction. It was pretty amusing to wait at one end of the strip, have the plane land just for the four of us, pick us up, and then turn 180 degrees and take off in the opposite direction.

Of the two lodges we stayed at in Belize, I preferred duPlooys, for the greater variety of available nearby activities - jungle walks, Mayan ruins, shopping in town, and so on (but of course, no snorkeling in the jungle). One of my favorite activities was a night walk right on the duPlooys site, each person carrying his own flashlight. Bats zoomed by us at the start of the walk, eating the insects we were stirring up (the insects were not biting us, though). We saw parades of leafcutter ants, a tarantula coming out of its hole, and a fox and other assorted animals. If you held a flashlight up near your eyes, the jungle was dotted with bright green reflections. Walk up to any of them, and each proved to be a reflection from a spider's eyes.

- Larry

owa

Larry, Thanks for your reply. Bugs love me (not my husband) and bugs in Belize have been mentioned a lot in various posts. If you love snorkeling, Caneel on St. John is our favorite. You can get a full meal plan there, but the food isn't the best. Of course, there are many villas to rent if you don't want a resort. We were in the Turks in October and stayed at Coral Gardens which has the reef right in front. We went to Caneel in November and feel Turks doesn't come close although the beaches are gorgeous. Caneel has seven beaches on their property. If it is snorkeling from the beach you are seeking, St. John is the place. Thanks again for the information . Owa