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Virgin Gorda has the most amazing beach but it's not for people that can't do some work to get there. You have to squeeze through a small opening in a very large bolder to start your journey. The Baths has a collection of large boulders and you navigate them with ladders to scale the boulders and walk through caverns. It's quite beautiful and Devil's Bay is at the end of the journey.
We loved St. John but I think the hurricane did some extensive damage. I hope some of the wild donkeys survived. They come up to your car and beg for food. The beaches were also amazing.
My wife's father's entire side of the family is from Puerto Rico, so that factor is there, plus it does seem to offer a good amount more (food, history, hiking, etc.). Of course, a visit is probably unlikely for the next year or so with the current situation there just starting to return to normal.
Thanks for information re: Trinidad and Tobago. It does strike me as being harder to get to but in some way that is part of the appeal. It also seems to have some unique offerings.
Cruising: I totally agree it's not enough to get a full feel for a place, but with that being said, it would give me a sample size to see if there is somewhere I really want to go back to for longer.
Haiti: Definitely a place not in great shape, for sure. Very likely in much worse shape than Tehran, which seems to have been making positive moves lately in terms of standard of living compared to other places around it. From seeing pictures, parts almost look first world. Not so in Haiti. My interest is in helping out there in any way possible. People there are in need of resources/assistance, and I think it would be rewarding/eye opening to be able to make a difference for people there.
Costa Rica: That is a good recommendation, and it looks gorgeous, however I may ask around, but it doesn't really seem to have much of a base town that is walkable, caters to tourists etc., at least that I have found. As far as eco-tourism cities are concerned, Granada, Nicaragua looks like a pretty cool spot to me, but I'm not completely sure.
I wouldn't disagree about many places in the Caribbean not directly suiting my interests, as for why I'm looking there, it's because I'm in Florida, and while it's located further in the US from places that most directly match my tastes, I am in close proximity time-wise, cruise-wise, and flight-wise to many places in the Caribbean that would perhaps fit my interests. I don't want to assume just based on reputation alone that a place doesn't have something that would match my interests, and so I figured I would ask those hopefully that were quite familiar with the region to see for any other recommended options.
I have looked in a number of places that you've mentioned. I'm heading to Mexico City for spring break, and this summer we are going to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing. However, at some point we are starting a family, which means costs and length of trips might come down. A place like Havana or Cartagena (or Mexico City) would seem to fit the needs of an exotic 3-4 day escape close to home, but I'm always looking for varied/additional options. For instance, the Galapagos Islands obviously holds immense appeal, but that's harder/expensive to get to.
Actually, I think a cruise would be perfect for the OP. It lets you have a small sample of several different islands -- just enough of a taste to decide which ones warrant further exploration on a future trip, and which ones aren't worth returning to.
Not that I've been to all that many Caribbean islands, but my favorites would be Cozumel (for the food and cheerful atmosphere), Grand Cayman (for the friendliness and non-pushiness of the people), and St. Maarten (for the uniqueness of a small island being shared by two different countries).
Bermuda beats all of these places, hands down. But it's not in the Caribbean. Ditto for any of the main Hawaiian islands, again on both counts.
I would agree with Bermuda and St. Maarten being two of the better options in that part of the world.
Costa Rica: That is a good recommendation, and it looks gorgeous, however I may ask around, but it doesn't really seem to have much of a base town that is walkable, caters to tourists etc., at least that I have found. As far as eco-tourism cities are concerned, Granada, Nicaragua looks like a pretty cool spot to me, but I'm not completely sure.
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Check into Tamarindo... Its small, but has everything you would need. We stayed in a condo were we could walk to town in less than 10 minutes, it was great!
Costa Rica: That is a good recommendation, and it looks gorgeous, however I may ask around, but it doesn't really seem to have much of a base town that is walkable, caters to tourists etc., at least that I have found.
La Fortuna in Costa Rica is exactly that - a really cool town that is centrally located to many, many of the attractions surrounding Arenal Volcano, and not too bad of a drive to either coast or San Jose. It is VERY walkable and just really neat!
I would agree with Bermuda and St. Maarten being two of the better options in that part of the world.
How on earth does Bermuda fit the OP's interests and preferences????
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However, if I'm being honest, I'm not that big of a beach person. I don't mind the beach, and if there is a particularly beautiful one, I'm happy to stroll alongside it for a couple hours, but the "resort" type travel just doesn't really do it for me. I prefer to have unique experiences/attend festivals, hike in mountains and to see natural wonders, walk around a historic old town or modern city, visit archaeological sites, eat distinctive food etc.
How on earth does Bermuda fit the OP's interests and preferences????
Quote:
Originally Posted by cavsfan137
I don't mind the beach, and if there is a particularly beautiful one, I'm happy to stroll alongside it for a couple hours, but the "resort" type travel just doesn't really do it for me. I prefer to have unique experiences/attend festivals, hike in mountains and to see natural wonders, walk around a historic old town or modern city, visit archaeological sites, eat distinctive food etc.
Bermuda has all of the things that the OP mentioned. Well, except for mountains. They don't have any of those. But they do have hills, and hiking trails. (I'm not sure about archeological sites, but they certainly do have historical sites.)
I'm not saying that Bermuda is the best possible place on earth for the OP to visit. But what I am saying is that it checks off his boxes better than any place in the Caribbean that I'm aware of (which, admittedly, is not that many places). And it's no farther from Florida than some of the Caribbean islands are.
Bermuda does interest me. I don't need to literally have everything in a place to see, but ideally would like a good mix of things. Bermuda does have a decent amount of varied scenery, plus history (places like Saint George's would seem to match my fancy). In addition, weather is a big factor. I'm not a huge fan of excessive heat/humidity (which is why it's great I'm in Florida right now, right? LOL). Bermuda's climate would seem to be more agreeable than any place in the Caribbean (hottest month of 86, and 9 of 12 months below 81 (kinda a coastal California climate, but perhaps modestly warmer, in any case, very nice/ideal)), that isn't mountainous, like for example, Aibonito, Puerto Rico (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aibonito,_Puerto_Rico). I think Havana (during cooler weather months, of course), is at the very top of my list, on places I will go in the next year or two if I have 3-5 days with which to take a vacation, but I like visiting a variety of places, and I have always had a curiosity about Bermuda given it's remote location and standing as the oldest continuously settled English speaking place in the new world, so it is quite up there, also.
If you find yourself changing planes in Port of Spain, Trinidad, there is the best, cheapest airport food Ive ever seen at the place with an Arabic sign, across the courtyard from the exit leading to the car rentals. Definitely in the most worth it category.
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