OT: Caribbean Vacation

[SHUSource]

Interesting how lots of folks enjoy vacationing to the certain destinations again and again...30 years in a row per the post above is an impressively long streak.

In my observation, Aruba seems to inspire that kind of loyalty more than any other destination I've heard of. I know so many people who go every single year over a long period of time.

I was excited to go in April. We spent a week on Eagle Beach (supposedly a top-five beach in the world), at Bucuti & Tara, which is, by reputation, one of the finer resorts on the island. Everything was great. We had a very fun time everywhere we went on the island. Totally safe everywhere, and everyone is friendly. There wasn't anything not to love.

And yet, I don't care if I ever go back there. I would, gladly, but I'll never lobby for it. If my wife wanted to return, I'd happily go, but she seems to feel the same way. There are just too many places still to see for that kind of effort and price, though I have returned to other places that captured my affection.

 

[RutgersLifeR]

People who have been to carribean islands and also to Cancun/ DR- how do they compare?

If you enjoy large resorts, staying on property only, having the hospitality of what grand resorts provide and being around a lot of people then Cancun/DR will be ideal for you.

The beauty of the other Caribbean islands is that there's something for every family. There are other islands similar to Cancun/DR but then there are others that are the complete opposite being more undeveloped, quite, and just as beautiful.

 

[T2Kplus20]

If you enjoy large resorts, staying on property only, having the hospitality of what grand resorts provide and being around a lot of people then Cancun/DR will be ideal for you.

The beauty of the other Caribbean islands is that there's something for every family. There are other islands similar to Cancun/DR but then there are others that are the complete opposite being more undeveloped, quite, and just as beautiful.

+1
I think those places are for resort vacations. Likely not good for exploring the island or surrounding area.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Again- I don't want to sound to "wrong" when I say this but almost everyone I know that have been to mult islands have told me that DR just has more of a budget vibe. But, if you are really just looking for an all inclusive fun week on an island and have limited funds- then DR is great. The food is geared for American tourists though.

 

[Scarlet4Shore]

I went to Curacao in November and absolutely loved it. Not a whole lot to do, but that was what I wanted to do -- pretty much nothing. People were great. Food was good. No one hounding you on the beach. I felt safe when I ventured out.

 

[yesrutgers01]

here is the question I have for our Island travelers that go to the all inclusive- when eating, are you a buffet get the eggs bacon, omlette etc and a burger/pizza or something similar at lunch and then maybe go to the Japanese/Steak/Italian restaurant for dinner or do you look for the resort that features much of the local foods and gravitate toward that?

 

[NotInRHouse]

Again- I don't want to sound to "wrong" when I say this but almost everyone I know that have been to mult islands have told me that DR just has more of a budget vibe. But, if you are really just looking for an all inclusive fun week on an island and have limited funds- then DR is great. The food is geared for American tourists though.

The water quality is really high versus other places in the Caribbean I have been to- Jamaica, PR, Cancun, PDC and Tulum. Not sure versus other islands, hoping to try more.

 

[NotInRHouse]

here is the question I have for our Island travelers that go to the all inclusive- when eating, are you a buffet get the eggs bacon, omlette etc and a burger/pizza or something similar at lunch and then maybe go to the Japanese/Steak/Italian restaurant for dinner or do you look for the resort that features much of the local foods and gravitate toward that?

I think any resort worth it's salt is going to have local food. In DR had yucca, Jamaica had ackee and meat patties (really liked chicken liver at breakfast) and Mexico had chilaquiles. Didn't see mangu in DR in the resort unfortunately.

Generally if you go somewhere not saturated with Americans the resort will have a decent mix. Especially if somewhere where locals go to.

 

[Wagram97]

In my observation, Aruba seems to inspire that kind of loyalty more than any other destination I've heard of. I know so many people who go every single year over a long period of time.

I was excited to go in April. We spent a week on Eagle Beach (supposedly a top-five beach in the world), at Bucuti & Tara, which is, by reputation, one of the finer resorts on the island. Everything was great. We had a very fun time everywhere we went on the island. Totally safe everywhere, and everyone is friendly. There wasn't anything not to love.

And yet, I don't care if I ever go back there. I would, gladly, but I'll never lobby for it. If my wife wanted to return, I'd happily go, but she seems to feel the same way. There are just too many places still to see for that kind of effort and price, though I have returned to other places that captured my affection.

This, 100%. We're a group of four families and we pick somewhere to go each summer. We all went to Aruba, liked it, stayed at the very nice Marriott on Palm beach, yet none of us have any desire to go back even though as you say it checks a lot of boxes. None of us can give a legit reason, just weirdly not somewhere we want to repeat (even with that bar in town that has a big block R behind it).

 

[yesrutgers01]

I think any resort worth it's salt is going to have local food. In DR had yucca, Jamaica had ackee and meat patties (really liked chicken liver at breakfast) and Mexico had chilaquiles. Didn't see mangu in DR in the resort unfortunately.

Generally if you go somewhere not saturated with Americans the resort will have a decent mix. Especially if somewhere where locals go to.

my wife will do liver or kidney and heart for breakfast at home here quite often. when it is cooked right, it is so good. Still, nothing beats ackie and saltfish with festival...
I dont mind at the resorts to grab myself an omlette and bacon but will always get one of the local dishes as well...And lunch will be the jerk shack unless we are off site. And no doubt the oxtail, goat, etc for dinner.

And we watch so many others skip all this good stuff with a plate full of sliced ham, pizza, hamburger etc. lol maybe daring enough to try some jerk chicken but always looking for the breast...

 

[yesrutgers01]

This, 100%. We're a group of four families and we pick somewhere to go each summer. We all went to Aruba, liked it, stayed at the very nice Marriott on Palm beach, yet none of us have any desire to go back even though as you say it checks a lot of boxes. None of us can give a legit reason, just weirdly not somewhere we want to repeat (even with that bar in town that has a big block R behind it).

I still have not gotten to Aruba and would love to. My brother was just down there and loved it. And he doesnt drink or gamble. Go figure

 

[RUTGERS95]

Tortola is an island in the US Virgin Islands that is also beautiful- the only issue at some of these islands are the lack of enough resorts.

Tortola is great!

Palm Island or Hammock Cove Antigua for couples
Turks, Cayman, Antigua, St Lucia with kids

been to them all and I like them all. You can go snorkeling, diving, fishing, all kinds of things that are great for families. St Lucia has a great ATV tour for half the day that is both beautiful and educational for the kids.

Truth is, they all cater to families so there is plenty to do at every location you are probably looking at. That said, you get what you pay for and that includes clientele.

 

[RUTGERS95]

Do Hawaii. For $20K you can do Hawaii and it be...3-4x what a carribean vacation is

agree with this but I'd do the cruise through the islands as you'll see all you want, can do all the same activities but have a clean room, food, etc etc plus you see more vs island hopping

 

[NotInRHouse]

my wife will do liver or kidney and heart for breakfast at home here quite often. when it is cooked right, it is so good. Still, nothing beats ackie and saltfish with festival...
I dont mind at the resorts to grab myself an omlette and bacon but will always get one of the local dishes as well...And lunch will be the jerk shack unless we are off site. And no doubt the oxtail, goat, etc for dinner.

And we watch so many others skip all this good stuff with a plate full of sliced ham, pizza, hamburger etc. lol maybe daring enough to try some jerk chicken but always looking for the breast...

LOL same! Idk how people don't at least try it. Worst case you don't like it, and considering it's all inclusive you're not out anything.

 

[SHUSource]

This, 100%. We're a group of four families and we pick somewhere to go each summer. We all went to Aruba, liked it, stayed at the very nice Marriott on Palm beach, yet none of us have any desire to go back even though as you say it checks a lot of boxes. None of us can give a legit reason, just weirdly not somewhere we want to repeat (even with that bar in town that has a big block R behind it).

You can imagine that this is even less of an enticement to me! (Although my lovely wife is a Rutgers alumna.)

 

[RedTeamUpstream94]

In my observation, Aruba seems to inspire that kind of loyalty more than any other destination I've heard of. I know so many people who go every single year over a long period of time.

I was excited to go in April. We spent a week on Eagle Beach (supposedly a top-five beach in the world), at Bucuti & Tara, which is, by reputation, one of the finer resorts on the island. Everything was great. We had a very fun time everywhere we went on the island. Totally safe everywhere, and everyone is friendly. There wasn't anything not to love.

And yet, I don't care if I ever go back there. I would, gladly, but I'll never lobby for it. If my wife wanted to return, I'd happily go, but she seems to feel the same way. There are just too many places still to see for that kind of effort and price, though I have returned to other places that captured my affection.

we went to Aruba in the spring . It was good but didn’t blow my mind.

recently went to a decent all inclusive in DR on a guys weekend and I thought it was every bit as nice as aruba (even if we stayed on the resort). The food was decent enough for a bunch of guys. If I went with the wife we’d have to go to a place with upgraded food/booze.

by far best Caribbean vacation I’ve ever done was St. John’s about 20 years ago . Think it was the Weston (think it got destroyed by a hurricane?)

 

[yesrutgers01]

we went to Aruba in the spring . It was good but didn’t blow my mind.

recently went to a decent all inclusive in DR on a guys weekend and I thought it was every bit as nice as aruba (even if we stayed on the resort). The food was decent enough for a bunch of guys. If I went with the wife we’d have to go to a place with upgraded food/booze.

by far best Caribbean vacation I’ve ever done was St. John’s about 20 years ago . Think it was the Weston (think it got destroyed by a hurricane?)

I think your description of DR is fairly accurate. “The food was decent enough for a bunch of guys”

and nothing wrong with that? But that is the draw of DR - beautiful beach, usually great pools , affordable and “decent enough”

 

[yesrutgers01]

Maybe having grown up "on the beach," the Caribbean does not hold appeal to me. Put me in a combination of mountains, forest and red rocks, and that is a slice of heaven.

It's funny- At that time and I still think a rafting/camping trip on one of the more famous rivers would have just been a lifelong memory. And my kids at the time did love everything outdoors. I do think they had a great time on the island. At that time, I was divorced from their mom so it was a true "guys" vacation. This was also the trip where they got to have the most unique experience on the way home with Patrick Ewing, who spent a good 45 minutes with them at the airport.

But on the island- They had their first experience in Caribbean water. And just even being in the water up to their wastes, the amount of fish swinning around them was amazing. They had this huge blowup bouncy float about 50 feet in the water too.
I took them both on a jet ski on that trip- we did the para sailing behind a boat, I did book a river raft tour where there was a pool in the river where we stopped where you did the rope swings, had a jerk chicken lunch cooked on the side of the river, and the young man guiding our raft even offered them some medicine. lol The experience was great.
They were also just getting into golf- so we played 18 holes twice. They thought it was so cool because you get a caddy along with the green fees. They felt like they were pros.
They also had a swim up bar that may have had a list of 50 or so frozen drinks available...my kids had a goal to have the virgin drink of each of these before the trip was over.
And they pretty much tried every local food that was served. And this was just before meeting my better half. So, they had no prior experience with Jamaican food.

So- in all- just one of the best vacations I have ever had.

 

[RedTeamUpstream94]

I think your description of DR is fairly accurate. “The food was decent enough for a bunch of guys”

and nothing wrong with that? But that is the draw of DR - beautiful beach, usually great pools , affordable and “decent enough”

To be fair - the vacation was really great in all aspects - beautiful resort, clean and well maintained, friendly staff, etc etc etc

when I say “decent” - really the only reason I said that was that when vacationing with my wife we like to go to places with really good food and good drinks with quality alcohol. This resort didn’t have that. There wasn’t even an option to pay more for top shelf - it just wasn’t there. But I am sure other DR resorts have that option - they have to.

but in all other ways the DR was great …. and VERY affordable!!!!

and the buffet (which we ate breakfast lunch and dinner) was actually quite good. Me and guys really liked it . But it wouldn’t cut it for the wife - I don’t blame her . When in vacation she likes to enjoy good meals and buffet after buffet … nah

 

[rutgersal_rivals139582]

In my observation, Aruba seems to inspire that kind of loyalty more than any other destination I've heard of. I know so many people who go every single year over a long period of time.

I was excited to go in April. We spent a week on Eagle Beach (supposedly a top-five beach in the world), at Bucuti & Tara, which is, by reputation, one of the finer resorts on the island. Everything was great. We had a very fun time everywhere we went on the island. Totally safe everywhere, and everyone is friendly. There wasn't anything not to love.

And yet, I don't care if I ever go back there. I would, gladly, but I'll never lobby for it. If my wife wanted to return, I'd happily go, but she seems to feel the same way. There are just too many places still to see for that kind of effort and price, though I have returned to other places that captured my affection.

Aruba and Turks are default places to go, if you don’t know where else to go. But I think everyone should go at least once to the Maldives and places like Mallorca.

 

[wheezer]

I still have not gotten to Aruba and would love to. My brother was just down there and loved it. And he doesnt drink or gamble. Go figure

The big resorts have casinos, but they are tiny and not a big deal for most tourists
A gambling friend went there one,year, and, as a lover of Las Vegas, was disappointed

 

[wheezer]

agree with this but I'd do the cruise through the islands as you'll see all you want, can do all the same activities but have a clean room, food, etc etc plus you see more vs island hopping

Went on a Hawaii cruise once..... We wound up only spending a couple of hours on a beach overall, which should be a main draw
Got sucked into too many tours and activities

 

[yesrutgers01]

The big resorts have casinos, but they are tiny and not a big deal for most tourists
A gambling friend went there one,year, and, as a lover of Las Vegas, was disappointed

On the other hand - the Casino at the Atlantis in the Bahama's stands up to the best out there. We went there with the kids in 2005 and i was playing blackjack next to Chuncy Billups and Teri Hatcher was on the table next to us.

The Atlantis has become like Disney Worl now- you have to mortgage the house to go.

 

[Wagram97]

On the other hand - the Casino at the Atlantis in the Bahama's stands up to the best out there. We went there with the kids in 2005 and i was playing blackjack next to Chuncy Billups and Teri Hatcher was on the table next to us.

The Atlantis has become like Disney Worl now- you have to mortgage the house to go.

Same with Baha Mar resort, which is on Nassau island and across the water to the west from Atlantis. Great casino, one of the best we've been to in the islands, great food, lots of bars, plus it has that water park that comes "free" with staying at Baha Mar. Was one of our favorites but like Atlantis, it is not cheap.

 

[T2Kplus20]

Went on a Hawaii cruise once..... We wound up only spending a couple of hours on a beach overall, which should be a main draw
Got sucked into too many tours and activities

Never been on a cruise and never will, especially in a place like Hawaii.

 

[RUTGERS95]

Never been on a cruise and never will, especially in a place like Hawaii.

a lot depends on the line and the room. We are not cruise people either but we get the class/suites like admiral club/yacht club suites etc and you have your own 'butler' private pools, restaurant, bar, on off first etc etc etc....I would never do a cruise any other way

I'd also shoot myself before setting foot on a carnival line.

For Hawaii, it's actually ideal if you want to visit other islands. If you're good on one island, then would agree

 

[T2Kplus20]

a lot depends on the line and the room. We are not cruise people either but we get the class/suites like admiral club/yacht club suites etc and you have your own 'butler' private pools, restaurant, bar, on off first etc etc etc....I would never do a cruise any other way

I'd also shoot myself before setting foot on a carnival line.

For Hawaii, it's actually ideal if you want to visit other islands. If you're good on one island, then would agree

Don't want to be stuck on a large boat regardless of accommodations. They pack in too many people and we have no control if things turn bad (which happens quite often). Maybe we try one of those luxury yachts eventually, but who knows?

We love Hawaii, but meh with island hopping. We prefer one island per trip so we can settle in and enjoy the culture/sights.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Don't want to be stuck on a large boat regardless of accommodations. They pack in too many people and we have no control if things turn bad (which happens quite often). Maybe we try one of those luxury yachts eventually, but who knows?

We love Hawaii, but meh with island hopping. We prefer one island per trip so we can settle in and enjoy the culture/sights.

I used to enjoy the thought of a cruise- it would have fit more into the lifestyle I had with my first wife. We were typical young family working toward stability of middle class.
We enjoyed traveling but, just as happy with a basic buffet as we would be a fine dining. Applebees, Outback etc where our go to when going out. Outback was for the special occasions.
So- a cruise would be perfect.
Once I established myself and expanded my tastes, the thought of just a lot of decent food didn’t excite me as much.
Or did being on a ship with thousands of others. And funny enough, an all inclusive is not all that different when you think about it.
but an ocean cruise just isn’t going to happen- my wife is a 100% no way.

Now- a river cruise in Europe, that may be a different story.