Caribbean (Plus) Corner

This fabled sea, covering more than a million square miles and 7,000 islands with diverse languages, cultures, and ecosystems, has become probably the planet's premier vacation playground. Here it's all about its regional issues and allures. And yes, the (Plus) means we're including the Bahamas and Bermuda!

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A quick peek at the best of Bonaire

Matt KiefferOne of the “ABC” islands* of the Dutch Antilles, just 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela, this 111-square-mile island is a welcoming and tranquil trove of eco-adventure (which they play up with the tourism tagline “It´s in Our Nature”), and it´s known especially for its diving and snorkeling. For a nice, laid-back slice of the old Caribbean (albeit a pretty arid one, so please don´t go expecting luxuriant greenery), many travelers in the know very much appreciate this…

Started by Jordan Simon

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11 of the best experiences in Haiti

SPC Gibran Torres Haiti, really? You´re no doubt wondering. Well, yes, the Americas´ most impoverished country has been an abject basket case for many years, and its current tragic vicissitudes with violence and instability make it seem unlikely to recover any time soon. But here´s a reminder of what a fundamentally beautiful country this is, how rich is its history, how vibrant its culture, and how friendly its people – as I can attest when I visited way back in 26 years ago. This, then, is…

Started by David Paul Appell

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St. John, the USA´s dreamiest Caribbean island paradise

Josh Duncan The smallest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands – just seven miles long and three miles wide (roughly 11 by five kilometers) and with a permanent population just under 99,000 – is the favorite of some because it´s less developed and more pristine-feeling than St. Croix and St. Thomas. Some of its highlights include...read post

Started by Jordan Simon

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The jewel in Puerto Rico's eco crown: El Yunque rainforest

Javier_Art_Photography The "Isle of Enchantment" offers an amazingly diverse menu of options to visitors, in capital San Juan and well beyond - history and culture, for sure, but also tasty eating, drinking, and beaching, along with memorable partying and much much more. But one side of Puerto Rico you should definitely not miss is its wealth of eco opportunities, from glowing "bioluminescent" bays to spectacular waterfalls, and most especially a large swath about an hour's drive from San Juan:…

Started by Iberia Airlines

1 Reply · Reply by José Balido Feb 5

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Tripatini November 1, 2010 at 9:59pm

PLEASE CLICK HERE to help another member with suggestions on the best islands for snorkeling and eco. Thanks much!
David Lawrence October 17, 2010 at 11:34pm

Barbados says they want to improve infrastructure, like water storage and maybe that means roads too. But I was down there a few months ago, on the east coast and not the west coast, where everybody else goes, because I wanted to do some surfing. I had no problem with water or roads or other infrastrusture things. Have you?
Tripatini October 4, 2010 at 11:52pm

OK, technically the Bahamas are not exactly in the Caribbean. Whatever. Tripatini's current Read of the Week is The Bahamas: A Great Destination, by member Chelle Koster Walton.
Tony King September 8, 2010 at 1:16am

Not too many Road Warriors in the Caribbean, I used to be one years ago and it was arguably the cushiest job in the Ford Motor Company ; I don't think anyone in Detroit even knew that the job existed - would have probably been fired instantly.... !! Incidentally, I was never restricted as to the use of US hotels as opposed to non-US. ones.
Anil September 4, 2010 at 8:30am

David,Tony,Patricia,Julie et. al. People do stay in Hyatt,JWM,Hilton when travelling internationally. That is the distinct segment known as road-warriors, business traveller and governmental types who have to use US carriers and US hotels. Discussing the nuances of this group is a topic in itself. The right question should be, what security blanket kind of a purpose do the American chains serve that other hotels might not ? Many frequent flyers who do international travel very often say - A Hyatt/Marriott/Starwood removes anxiety and allows them to focus on their business. Now, a leisure resort or island is another story.
BTW: Not all Caribbean islands have a distinct local cusine. In fact some of the islands import everything from US as nothing of substance grows locally.
David Lawrence September 3, 2010 at 1:08am

Shoutout to Tony for the best solution.
Northeast News September 3, 2010 at 12:11am

"It probably depends on the person" is right. When it comes to travel preferences (and culture, and religion, and politics, and spending power) there are no typical Americans. The marketing and branding pros must be walking on eggshells these days.
Tony King September 2, 2010 at 10:21pm

Best solution, close all the hotels, charter a yacht, call me...!!
Julie September 2, 2010 at 9:52pm

It probably depends on the person. My personal preference is definitely small, independent hotels. But I also enjoy eating local cuisine and experiencing the local culture when I travel. However, I also have friends who prefer American chain hotels even when they travel internationally.
Patricia Borns September 2, 2010 at 9:21pm

David raises an important question. How many Americans share or don't share his travel preference? For many years, the Caribbean was on an all-inclusive corporate hotel binge that erased its cultural distinctiveness, because that's what governments believed Americans wanted. Now, the talk is of small footprint boutique hotels and local rentals. To paraphrase Freud, what do Americans really want?