Some advice on visiting the carribean please?

[Amyrlin]

I know everyone on here is friendly so though you might be able to help with this.

Although we would like to go to Disney next year, we feel we ought to try somewhere else. We have fancied the Carribean and the look of Sandals resorts with all inclusive.

So I have two questions,

1. Which is the best island to go to, we like beaches for a day or two, but then like to get you and see things, historical sights, local attractions, boat trips etc.

2. If we want to use sandals, where is the best place to book it, are there any routes to getting a discounted price as they do seem very expensive if you book direct with them.

Any advice would be appriciated.

 

[natalielongstaff]

i went to barbados last year and it was lovely, ive also been to jamaica and i thought that was better but that may have been because we had no kids when we went there ! dunns river falls is amazing
we also were due to go to grand bahama but that got cancelled due to weather ( we were due to swim with dolphins there)
good luck with your decision

 

[gilld]

We've been to many of the Caribbean islands and for us the nicest by far is Grenada. Unfortunately there is no Sandals resort there.

If you're set on Sandals then I would recommend Antigua - a much nicer island than Jamaica and St Lucia. It won't be easy to get it cheap though.

If you're prepared to go somewhere with children, then Beaches ( the family side of Sandals) at the Turks and Caicos is lovely.

 

[carolfoy]

I worked at the Sandals resorts in St Lucia last year (there are 3 of them) and you can't fault them for their quality of service, amenities, food and accommodation standards, They have one the best in their class awards for 10 consecutive years and thoroughly deserve it. Personally I loved St Lucia but it is a biased opinion and as I've only briefly visited a couple of the other islands I can't really give an informed opinion, although after 6 years of doing this job there is one hotel and resort that stands out far and away as the best rating from many many repeat clients and that is the Coco Reef in Tobago, its not a sandals but is highly rated by EVERYONE who has been there!

 

[Amyrlin]

That does look nice as well!

 

[gilld]

The very best holiday we've had in our lives - ever, was at la Source in Grenada. Sadly it was destroyed by hurricane Ivan last year. We were due to go back next March but it was cancelled and won't be open until the end of next year at the earliest.

 

[Miffy2003]

I'm very interested to see your thoughts on this.

I have a friend who goes to Jamaica every year and stays in a Sandals resort and swears by it (he also loves WDW so I respect his opinion)

Another of my friends went there last year though and was quite disappointed - NOT at a Sandals resort though. She found Jamaica very run down and "like a third world country" (her words, not mine).

What do you all think? This thread is very interesting to me as I would love to go the Caribbean one day. Jon, if you're reading this, our 10 year wedding anniversary is not that far away

 

[carolfoy]

Haven't been to Jamaica Karen but I can give you an opinion of the 100+ passengers that I send to the carribean every year, as I mentioned the Coco Beach outweighs all the others but some other ones that are regular haunts are - Couples Negril (have never had the same good reports from Sandals Ochos Rios) but the rest of Jamaica IS pretty run down and can be a bit scary, also La source in Grenada (but as Gill mentioned is still out of action) The wyndham rose hall in jamaica is a good family hotel, the sandy bay club in barbados is excellent for its standard and Barbados is beautiful. (the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados is one of the best in the world if you want to up the budget considerably) Galley Bay or Blue waters in Antigua (definately NOT a Rex hotel) and the hilton Jalousie in St Lucia or St James for a family holiday.
HTH

 

[jen_uk]

Ive been to Cancun in Mexico and thats really really nice, beautiful Caribbean beaches and loads to do. The hotel I stayed at wasnt in the main hotel zone and had its own private beach and it was amazing. The hotels which are in the zone look quite crowded so you need to be careful where you stay.
Also as Carol said Tobago is meant to be fantastic, my dad went there last year and absolutely loved it.

 

[Funniebunny]

Hi, On Monday my Fiance and I will be travelling to Sandals in the Bahamas. I have read really good reports about it. I booked my flights and hotel separately and got a better deal. I found Sandals on a website www.hotel-caribbean.com it was much cheaper than booking direct with Sandals. I have also been to Cancun and must say it is beautiful. I stayed at an adult only all inclusive resort in the Riviera Maya called Eldorado Royale. The only problem is that there isn't very good snorkelling or water sports but there are other areas that you can visit, like Xcaret, that has water sport facilities. Cancun also has the added bonus of historical places to visit and fantastic nightlife. Senior Frogs and Coco Bongos is a must.
There are so many great islands in the Caribbean to choose from that I'm sure you will find the perfect place to stay. Good luck