Island vacation: Need advice and info

[prolesunited]

If you were planning an island vacation, which one would you go to? Which one(s) have you visited already? I like hiking and cycling and water sports are nice, too, so lots of scenic beauty and adventure would be high on my list.

Also, what do you think of all-inclusive resorts? Are they a good deal or are you better off on your own?

Last, when is the best time of year to go to get the most value for the money? I would avoid winter just so it wasn't too crowded, but what months have good weather? When are there lots of storms.

[rogerashton]

1. Orcas --

but you are not going to get much sun there.

[tcfrogs]

2. I've been to three in the Caribbean

Aruba, Dominican Republic, & Jamaica.

Aruba is peaceful, beautiful and awesome. Not a lot to do on the island, but of course, I was there on my honeymoon. Out of the hurricane belt. If it rains there, it goes away in minutes. Very windy, but always beautiful.

The Dominican Republic is an excellent vacation spot - particularly the Punta Cana area, which is booming. Not as scenic as Aruba, but I didn't tour much of the country.

Jamaica is cool, Duns River falls in Ocho Rios was a highlight. I wouldn't go back, though.

All-inclusive is the way to go. It's a very good deal. Most of the in-town restaurants & bars can get pricey, especially with the different currencies.

That is all - tcfrogs

[Poiuyt]

7. My sister is leaving for the Dominican Republic in 10 days

I don't know if there's anything left there after the hurricanes. Haiti was hit pretty hard, but she said that the two were quite different.

[XNASA]

3. Iceland

Personally, I can't see myself on a tropical island vacation.

I've been to a few islands in the Mediterranean. Palma was fun.

The most beautiful island vacation locale in the world is supposed to be Lord Howe Island off of the east coast of Australia, so I've been told.

[prolesunited]

6. That sounds a little too far

and beyond my budget right now. It may be trite, but I do like long walks on the beach.

[XNASA]

9. Then might I suggest Blue Island.

You can get there from your house in about 15 minutes.

There they have a plaque commemorating my birthplace. You can take a stroll along the Cal-Sag Canal. No beach, but you won't have to worry about shark attacks.

:silly:

[Mizmoon]

4. Do the Negril Chill

I love the Jamaican all-inclusive thing. There are more water sports than you can shake a stick at, plus nice sweet ganja.

Cheapest time to go is summer. It's hot there, but it's still gorgeous.

Oh, and only go to Negril. Ocho Rios and Montego Bay are not anywhere near as gorgeous as Negril.

Aside from that, I think Cozumel is fab too.

[LisaM]

5. San Juan or Gulf Islands (WA State and Canada.)

go in October or February, when the weather is usually beautiful and the crowds are gone. Try to visit more than one of them. Or, just go to Vancouver Island, also gorgeous and friendly.

[RebelOne]

8. St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands is a great place to visit.

[northzax]

10. Best Island Vacation in the world

hands down. Sure, there's nothing to do, but sit on the beach, snorkel, scuba, play on a bad mini golf course, and sit by the pool drinking beer; and the accomidations are closer to tents than luxury sweets, there are no bikes, telephones, email or ATMS, but the place is tiny (you can circumnavigate in an hour, totally on a beach, and it holds fewer than 150 people...

I heartily reccomend a visit to Lady Elliot Island, the southernmost island on the Great Barrier Reef...



did I mention you dive with Sea Turtles?

[yvr girl]

11. I should have been born in the tropics...

Do you have 1 week or 2? If you only have one, I would stick fairly close to home. (Hawaii or Caribbean)

Here are my thoughts on the places I've been.

Bali - really interesting culturally. Brutally hot (I was there in May) You will definitely feel like that you've gone to a foreign country. Bit of the danger element. (I was there when the government was overthrown.) Shopping was amazing, everything was incredibly inexpensive. The beaches were disappointing.

The Cook Islands - one of my favourite places. Incredibly beautiful. The best snorkeling I have ever done. The island is lush and beautiful and unspoiled. The people are very nice. I felt very safe there. When you picture a tropical paradise in your mind, you're thinking of the Cooks. Downside - if nightlife or shopping is your thing, this is not the place. It's pretty quiet. The buses don't even run on Sunday. Some things tend to be expensive on the island, but not out of the world. They use New Zealand currency, so the exchange rate is favourable.

Barbados - It's a pretty island, but not as lush as I expected. It is quite expensive. I would recommend renting a car for a few days to explore. You can drive to many of the attractions and save a tonne of money. The caves are pretty cool. Be warned though, they drive on the 'correct side' not the right side. The men are quite aggressive.

Oahu - the island is beautiful, and there is lots to see. Most people tend to stick in Waikiki, which is a mistake. I spend a month on the island when I was a kid, and I had a fabulous time. I went back last year and was surprised how old everything looked. It could use a face lift. Also, the traffic in Honolulu is hellish. Even though the island has many good points, it is too much like visiting a major American city for my tastes. (Nothing wrong with that, but if you're looking for 'tropical paradise' it's a bad move.)

Kauai - They don't call it the 'Garden Island' for nothing. It is so lush and green and tropical. The flora comes at a price - it rains. There are many opportunities for adventure. Lots of movies are shot there, so you will most likely recognize some sights.

Maui - I've been there three times, so obviously I like it. There is every water sport that you could want, biking, hiking etc. There's lots to do there - I've spent six weeks there, and I haven't completed my list yet. One side of the island is lush and tropical (and rainy) the other is drier.

I've never been to an all inclusive. I understand that they're great if you tend to stick to your resort and you eat three meals a day regularly. I've tended to go the condo route - I like the freedom.

The weather depends on what island you go to. I like to go to the tropics in springtime. It is shoulder season, so it tends to be a bit cheaper. More importantly, I like to come home to decent weather.

[marlakay]

12. I just got back from Oahu & Kauai agree with above

We hiked and love kauai our fav island in Hawaii, the rain actually feels good as weather is warm and it doesn't last long. I stayed up at Turtle Bay, most north part of Oahu away from Waikiki and it was quieter and beautiful and you could do all of your sports there. But I think and I have been to maui before that you would like that one best for the things you want to do. Kanipali Beach area.

I like to go places where I can travel around and eat at small cool local spots so thats why I don't do all inclusives. One day I will eat fish tacos and the next a 4 star place. My choice.

Forgot to add time of year. We just went in Sept because summer is busy with families and winter to get away from the cold. I ususally go in may and set up my time share to go then next time. Sept was still a bit to warm high 80's and May was lower 80's and easier to do sports and I wasn't already burnt out from long summer heat.

[pmbryant]

22. Kauai and the Big Island are the best of Hawaii

Oahu is also very nice outside of Honolulu. I lived there for over two years (1996-1998) so I am quite familiar with the place. :-)

If you choose Hawaii, definitely aim for Kauai and the Big Island. Plenty of outdoor adventure on both: Kauai for lush, tropical, mountainous, exotic paradise. Big Island for active volcanoes and varied landscapes.

I'm less familiar with Maui. I've never been to the resort area on Maui, but the eastern part of the island, down the famous Hana road, is another great place for tropical adventure. And much less crowded as well. (The negative is it's the rainy side of the island.)

The best hiking is probably on Kauai: Na Pali coast and Waimea canyon and the swampy rain forest high up in the mountains. The Hana area of Maui also has some good trails. Of course, Volcanoes N.P. on the Big Island also has great trails. Ok, on further thought, there's lots of great hiking all over. (Even Oahu, but if you don't live there you might as well go to the other islands first.)

As for snorkeling, the best spots for that are probably on the Kona (west) coast of the Big Island. There's also a small, sunken volanic island off the coast of Maui that is famous for snorkeling, but I can't recall the name of it. Alas, I never got there myself.

The weather in Hawaii is more dependent on what side of each island you are on than on the time of year. North/northeast sides (windward) get lots of rain generally, while the south and west sides can be quite dry (especially on the Big Island). That's why the big resort areas are on the western sides of both Maui and the Big Island, and on the south side of Oahu (Honolulu/Waikiki).

Kauai has less extreme variations for some reason. It tends to be moderately rainy all over (and extremely wet high in the mountains), and does not have any big resorts that I know of. (That is a good thing in my book.)

Those are the only islands/tropical places I'm familiar with, so that's all I can say.

Peter

[eyesroll]

13. I know zilch about islands....but stay away from Sandals if you go all-

inclusive. They have very discriminatory policies -- as in, not welcome -- against same-sex couples (which I know you're not a part of, but nonetheless).

[NewJeffCT]

14. 2 islands in the late 90s

I went to Aruba on my honeymoon with my ex-wife. It has the advantage of almost never raining and rarely getting bad weather - it's not in the normal hurricane path. It's not the lushest place - but, if you like more desert-like scenery, this could be the place. From what I've heard, it's one of the more "Americanized" places in the Caribbean in that it is easy to get American-style foods. Some good snorkeling, but I don't have much to compare it to... supposed to have some good places for windsurfing. A good amount of good hotels along the main strip - Marriott, Hyatt, Holiday Inn.

I also went to the Turks & Caicos with the ex and stayed at an all-inclusive. They always seemed to be running out of some sort of alcohol that I just had gotten a craving for. Restaurants were decent, but nothing spectacular. They supposedly have great snorkeling & scuba, but I didn't get much of a chance to go due to mediocre weather that May - the water was temporarily full of small jellyfish due to some recent storms.

My brother has gone to Cozumel (is that an island?), Curacao and the Dominican Republic and liked Cozumel the best for scuba.

I know people that have gone to Cuba and loved it as well.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. St Thomas is great but why an island?

You can go to Puerta Vallarta for a fraction of the price? The time to go is anytime between November and March for the best weather...great food...cheap...lots of sporting activities.

[prolesunited]

16. Actually, Mexico was mentioned as well

I was just thinking tropical and beaches. Any recommendations on Puerto Vallarta?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. Several

There are numerous great resorts there...all very reasonable

[Kathy in Cambridge]

25. Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Akumel

the Caribbean coast of Mexico is beautiful, has Mayan ruins, and there are some beautiful, unspoiled areas.

[matcom]

18. we go to mexico every January

and LOVE IT!!

we stay here:

http://www.palaceresorts.com/Resorts/AvenSpa/AvenSpaIntro.asp

adults only. 5 STAR. WONDERFUL in EVERY WAY!!

it is usually in the upper 80's

i have to tell you. FANTASTIC!!

a TON of things to do!!!

we just booked last night again! :bounce:

[prolesunited]

20. Wow!

That looks amazing and so luxurious. I thought for sure the price would be higher.

Is it pretty casual, though? One place we looked at said no shorts or sandals after 6. That seemed a little too pretentious for me.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

19. I've been to Puerto Rico and St Thomas

but wouldn't go again. I'm not really a tropical sort of girl. I'd rather go someplace "woodsy" like the San Juans in Wash St or maybe someplace off Maine or Canada. Or New Zealand.

[JanMichael]

21. Camping on St. John, US Virgin Islands

http://www.cinnamonbay.com/

If you want an all-inclusive place, I can try to tell you about some places in Jamaica, but I do not approve of them, or recommend them-

[pfitz59]

23. Beat me to the punch!

Swimming at midnight in phosphorescent waters! Lazing in the tent. Eating great and drinking cheap rum! All at a fraction of the cost of all-inclusive resorts! However, if you choose all inclusive, do Hedonism at Negril. (Naked snorkeling, ummmm......)

[Medium Baby Jesus]

24. St. Lucia

It's a beautiful island with mountains and beaches. The diving is not great so I would not go there if you're into that.

Cayman Islands are great for diving but I don't think there is much left there.

Bahamas has great night life and pretty good diving. If you enjoy herbs... :)

Turk Islands beautiful beaches and water. Great people not much to do except water activities.

St. Martin. Very interesting. Half Dutch and half French. Great food and great nude beaches :)

Aruba I didn't like to much. Not much to do and desert like.

In my experience, I spend much less at all inclusives (make sure you get a room with a bar)

Have fun!

edit: I usually go late April after prices drop and I have never had bad weather. You want to avoid hurricane season.