Caribbean

I found the North of the Dominic Republic very quiet, there are other people around but quiet beach, fab staff in the hotels and a lovely holiday!

Ellie x

I highly recommend Tobago, it has the rain forest which you can explore, and an abundance of beautiful, brightly coloured birds, including the Mot Mot. The beaches are sandy and sensational, the sea is warm. The fruits taste and smell incredible. The food is good. If you hire a vehicle to get around, petrol is incredibly cheap as Trinidad has its own supplies of oil.

It is quieter than its nearest neighbour Trinidad. It is also very lively if you go to "Sunday School" which is a weekly street party with a soca music being played. (Soca, or soul calypso, is a dance music that originated in Trinidad from calypso. It combines the melodic lilting sound of calypso with percussion. - this music can be heard throughout the other Caribbean islands as well) and it grows on you I love it and love Tobago - can't wait to go back there.

Luv Binah
x

Thanks to both of you. It all sounds good. There's no hurry as it won't be happening in 2007. I just like planning ahead. And to be honest, I myself could put up with a medium tourist scene. But I know she can't. It's pretty darned important to her as she can only get away from her farm about twice a decade!

The music angle I hadn't thought of, but she would love that as she's a superb musician - I don't know how she does it, but she can just pick up an instrument she has never seen in her life before, and play it on the instant. So that's a new angle to keep in mind, thanks a lot.

V

I went to Barbados in 1995, wonderful place. The caribbean side is all palm trees and sandy beaches. If you want scenery and quiet go to the east coast. Spectacular scenery, you are advised not to go swimming on that side because of the great atlantic rollars, but if I went to the island again I would stay on that side and visit the caribbean side. You can hire a car and tour the island in one day.
The yacht cruise was wonderful and so relaxing. Bridgetown is busy, of course as its the main town. The locals are so friendly and chilled out. The crime rate is low there and I felt totally safe wondering about on my mine at times.

For someone who wants to recuperate I dont think you can beat Barbados. I would go there again tomorrow If I could afford it. Beaches were never crowded.

with that tempting desctiption of tobago I think venetian and his friend may find themselves bumping into hordes of healthypagers!!!!

tigress

My dad lives out there so I've been to alot of the windward islands, the last time I went out there was 13 years ago so it has most likely changed a little but my favorite islands was Grenada, it wasn't very touristy at all, apart from at St Georgous for brief moments when holiday cruise ships stopped & the holiday makers had a small amount of time to explore before off on their next jaunt of their Caribbean cruise, there's a lovely rainforest to go & explore there, Carriacou is beautiful too and not touristy at all when I was there & Bequia is another lovely place but I recall it to be very busy with holiday makers, why not charter a ship & go for a cruise at your own pace or do some Island hoping:):)..

Love
Amy

Caribbean beach paradise

Hi,
I have traveled to quite a few of the islands in the Caribbean, for quiet pristine white sandy beaches, clear safe swimming in crystal warm waters and so peaceful the Turks and Caicos islands has to be the winner here, they are a group of little islands owned by the U.K. We stayed in a little villa near the Leeward marina, I would strongly suggest this area if you hire are going to hire a car.
The islands are surrounded by the 3rd largest barrier reef making swimming very safe.
There is nr no crime there and just one british policeman to the whole island as so safe. For total peace North Caicos is perfect.
For more info or to look at some wonderful pics visit:
Fly B.A as this is by far the best best route.

Best wishes,

Thanks for that, Giada.

The situation now is that my friend didn't get the money in time to take a hol, and I now can't get away through the Christmas period (I think) due to work. But we are both so very keen and she insists on the Carib. So I suppose as soon as we can, we might go there, but it'll be 2008 now. I presume it is hot any time of year???

Not being able to get away (I think, again) with holidays looks like I might even have to spend Christmas in England, which is a real downer for me. I was hoping to get to Scandinavia which is magical, with real snow, lots of wild life, and a whole different way of seeing in the season. But it looks as if I will have to miss out.

V

So I suppose as soon as we can, we might go there, but it'll be 2008 now. I presume it is hot any time of year???

You might prefer to avoid the rainy season, June - November, a fair few tropical storms happen then too, personally I quite like that, I think the hurricane season there starts about September...I'm not 100% sure but any travel agent would be able to tell you about the weather I'd of thought
Love
Amy
xx

June to November is the hurricane season though fortunately Turks and Caicos is one of the few islands that don't really get hit by hurricanes, it is though very hot in between August and October, best times to visit I are late November - Mid May.
The islands are not for people who want to hike through eco jungles as it rarely rains here so the magnificent beaches are the main attraction point.
We are trying St Lucia next March so will keep you posted on this one, have 3 kids so T&C are a bit "boring" for them.

Thanks again, folks. There won't be any problem with us going latish such as June or after I think. The whole point and impetus is that my friend (have I explained we are kind of surrogate brother-sister?) was hospitalised and going half-crazy with pain and morphine for so long this year, she just wants a break to get over it ASAP. It was hoped to have been even before now, but neither of us could quite make it. So no way will she wait long in 2008. And yes, I was just being lazy tbh in asking - of course I can find out the annual climate for myself.

It's her own dream to go to the Carib, so that's where it will be I guess. But I'd be happy to go to lots of other places - even a cheap quick package to the Canaries. Holidays these days can be quite cheap, but I've got to add on, in terms of about £150 for travel, and also 2-3 days extra holiday, that I have to fly first to Denmark to pick up with her there, then return to DK too. As a package - basically the first package hol in my whole life - I'll have to do it from and back to Denmark, for her. And probably have to travel from Copenhagen to spend 1-2 nights south at her place. So there'll be a lot of travel involved for me, alas. What would be swell, when we finally book something, would be if there's some flight leaving Copenhagen that I could fly in for from Birmingham, and just wait a few hours, not leaving Copenhagen at all. We'll see.

V

I would like to say a big thanks to all of you on this thread, and I will certainly read it over carefully before deciding. But the reason I opened the subject in the first place is that I have never taken package holidays, and my Danish g/f seemed too weak after her illness to do anything else.

I am so happy to say that we just spoke and she is full of beans and health. And she can't stand the idea of a package. So we'll just get a flight, and of course I know that might take half a day to find our own place and to check an island out we have never been to. I'll update you all and tell you how we get on! But it looks months away now. It's Scandinavia and she needs every penny (or kroner) to upgrade her heating system.

But we both have a big adversion to the idea of touristy hotels, so we'll simply fly in, now she is fit again, and find our own place. The idea of ending up in a tourist complex sucks. She is an immensely talented musician so would like to go native and live with real people.

V