Where in the Caribbean?

[monarch64]

Rosebud, DH and I have been all over Jamaica but loved the northern side of the island and we did the climb up the waterfalls, it''s called Dunns River Falls. You just have to avoid the maze of vendors the guide purposely leads you through when you''re finished or you''ll get stuck there forever. We gave some kid $10 to get us the heck out of there fast.

Also in Jamaica, between Montego and Ocho Rios is a place called Glistening Waters. It is one of the eight places in the world where there is a phenomenon involving microorganisms which glow in the water at night (think fireflies underwater) caused when brackish water meets salt water. (Don''t quote me on all of that, I may not have my scientific facts exactly correct but I think I''m pretty close.) It really is amazing. You eat at the restaurant first and then take a nice boat ride in the lagoon and if you churn the water with your hand it glows.

We also took a guided tour of the Martha Brae river on a bamboo raft, which was beautiful. There is also plenty of snorkeling and other sightseeing.

 

[akw94]

Thanks Babysteps for suggesting Anguilla and the resort. It''s definitely on my list!

Monarch, climbing the waterfalls and taking a tour on a bamboo raft sound wonderful. I will have to look more into Jamaica, thanks!

Ok, now I have to really make a list b/c there are tooooo many great choices!

How in the world did everyone choose where they went?

 

[monarch64]

Dixie, to answer you question of how people decided where to vacation...in our case: DH had a customer who had a plant in Kingston and a vacation home in a gated community between Mo Bay and Trelawny. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the town in which we stayed, but it was beautiful. I would say, though, if you are a first-timer visiting jamaica, stay in an all-inclusive resort. We got the total tour, we had a driver, a cook, etc. for ten days simply because we had a great connection. I don''t know that I''d recommend just choosing a random rental and doing things on your own, better to go through a resort and let them guide you. The attractions I named in my previous post are definitely still accessible to any tourist. Oh, and one other thing you can get in Jamaica and not in the States is Red Stripe Lite!

 

[sap483]

Have you looked into Vieques? It''s a small island, like Culebra, off the coast of mainland Puerto Rico. It was used by the military for training until about 5 or 6 years ago. FI and I visited about 3 years ago and fell in love. It was pristine, with breathtakingly clear water and some white sand beaches. There''s a bioluminescent bay that you can kayak in at night, you can rent a jeep and go offroading to many out of the way beaches, you can explore the town which is very small and quaint. The hotel we stayed at (the only one at the time) was recently bought out by Starwood and is being turned into a Whotel. I would recommend going before that happens, as that''ll put it on the map for a lot more people.

 

[akw94]

Monarch, sounds like a wonderful trip! I will check out some of the resorts and activities you mentioned.

Sap, I haven''t looked into Vieques yet... but I will! I wasn''t sure if there was much more than beach there so I hadn''t done research on it. Thanks!