I want recommendations from travelers or Caribbeans

Hello,

Would anyone care to recommend any good places to go in the Caribbean
THAT ARE AFFORDABLE for a couple on a budget? All the other things
apply: beahces, romantic, safe, etc. But the first criterion here is
affordability. I'm told that some of the "lesser known islands" offer
such opportunities.

And no, I do *NOT* want any sales pitches from travel agencies. I want
to hear from travelers, or better, people who live in the Caribbean.

Thanks to all who respond.

Ted Shoemaker

wrote:
Hello,

Would anyone care to recommend any good places to go in the Caribbean
THAT ARE AFFORDABLE for a couple on a budget? All the other things
apply: beahces, romantic, safe, etc. But the first criterion here is
affordability. I'm told that some of the "lesser known islands" offer
such opportunities.

And no, I do *NOT* want any sales pitches from travel agencies. I want
to hear from travelers, or better, people who live in the Caribbean.

Thanks to all who respond.

Ted Shoemaker

ted? what's "affordable" mean to you? for 7 day?

blue wrote:

ted? what's "affordable" mean to you?

Hmmmmm. Well, I realize that a trip like this isn't going to be free,
or even cheap. So let's say "as close to cheap as is reasonably
possible, while still having a decent time". The first part (as close
to cheap as possible) eliminates a lot, of course. The second part (a
decent time) says that my wife won't want to go to someplace that's all
mud. If that isn't clear enough, ask and I'll try again.

Ted Shoemaker

On 12 Dec 2005, " wrote:

Hmmmmm. Well, I realize that a trip like this isn't going to be free,
or even cheap. So let's say "as close to cheap as is reasonably
possible, while still having a decent time". The first part (as close
to cheap as possible) eliminates a lot, of course. The second part (a
decent time) says that my wife won't want to go to someplace that's all
mud. If that isn't clear enough, ask and I'll try again.

Okay Ted. So far all I know is you want beaches and you don't want mud.
I'll propose one trip following, though it includes a car rental which
could make it too expensive.

- fly to St. Martin
- take buses to Marigot
- ferry to Anguilla
- rent car
- either stay at Lloyds or Casa Nadine. As the latter is only $20/night for
the two of you, that should save you enough so you can have a rental car
the entire time.

There are other islands where you could rely on buses.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

wrote in message
oups.com...

blue wrote:

ted? what's "affordable" mean to you?

Hmmmmm. Well, I realize that a trip like this isn't going to be free,
or even cheap. So let's say "as close to cheap as is reasonably
possible, while still having a decent time". The first part (as close
to cheap as possible) eliminates a lot, of course. The second part (a
decent time) says that my wife won't want to go to someplace that's all
mud. If that isn't clear enough, ask and I'll try again.

Ted Shoemaker

Due to the closeness to the U.S., I think that the Bahamas are probably the
cheapest to fly to, but you can drive to the Florida Keys and still
technically be in the Caribbean.

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005, Vic Vega wrote:

you can drive to the Florida Keys and still
technically be in the Caribbean.

(1) Could be a long drive. What if the OP is from Wisconsin?
(2) The Florida Keys are in the Gulf of Mexico. So technically not the
Caribbean.
(3) Key West is no longer cheap.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Don Wiss wrote:

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005, Vic Vega wrote:

you can drive to the Florida Keys and still
technically be in the Caribbean.

(1) Could be a long drive. What if the OP is from Wisconsin?
(2) The Florida Keys are in the Gulf of Mexico. So technically not the
Caribbean.
(3) Key West is no longer cheap.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

And neither are the Bahamas

grandma Rosalie

On 12/12/2005 7:39 PM Don Wiss conferred with the ghost of Faye Wray
and said:
On 12 Dec 2005, " wrote:


Hmmmmm. Well, I realize that a trip like this isn't going to be free,
or even cheap. So let's say "as close to cheap as is reasonably
possible, while still having a decent time". The first part (as close
to cheap as possible) eliminates a lot, of course. The second part (a
decent time) says that my wife won't want to go to someplace that's all
mud. If that isn't clear enough, ask and I'll try again.


Okay Ted. So far all I know is you want beaches and you don't want mud.
I'll propose one trip following, though it includes a car rental which
could make it too expensive.

- fly to St. Martin
- take buses to Marigot
- ferry to Anguilla
- rent car
- either stay at Lloyds or Casa Nadine. As the latter is only $20/night for
the two of you, that should save you enough so you can have a rental car
the entire time.

There are other islands where you could rely on buses.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Alternatively, you might want to consider the Yucatan in Mexico. It has
coastal beach towns that are on the Caribbean. I would exclude Cancun
and probably Playacar with all it's high end All Inclusive resorts. If
you do a search on Riviera Maya and Cabaña you can probably pull up some
basic to moderate lodging that is fairly inexpensive. While it is less
than 10 pesos to the US Dollar the exchange in Mexico still gives you
plenty of bang for the buck. If you opt for a Cabaña, they are usually
located away from towns and villages. A rental car may be a must if you
want to come and go as you please when you explore the area. The locals
use air conditioned vans that travel up and down the highway mainly to
take them to work at the hotels. These are called Collectivos and are
very, very cheep. It's around .80 cents usd, but the driver only takes
pesos. A little knowledge of Spanish helps as the driver usually
doesn't tell you when your stop is up. If you don't mind roughing it
like that, you can save a lot of money.

If your budget allows there are lots of towns from Puerto Morales and
Playa del Carmen all the way down to Tulum that have affordable no
frills small hotels right on the beach, some even offer a free
breakfast. You can check out http://losthotels.com for a listing of
smaller non-chain hotels in the Caribbean or around the world. Cabañas
Copal is located near Tulum. http://www.cabanascopal.com/ You can get a
king or queen Seaview for $95.00. These are basic cabañas, you have a
pvt bath but no electricity. Light is provided so as not to disturb
nesting turtles or other sea creatures that come ashore at night. The
place does have a pool, restaurant and holistic spa. I have several
friends who have stayed there. They are ready to go after Wilma as
cabañas are fairly easy to rebuild. They or many other hotels along the
Mayan Riviera may be offering post Wilma specials. So you might want to
shop around for the best deal.



--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

Forget the Caribbean. Got to the west Coast of Costa Rica. Clean.
Inexpensive and beautiful.
G
"Don Wiss" wrote in message
resend...
On Mon, 12 Dec 2005, Vic Vega wrote:

you can drive to the Florida Keys and still
technically be in the Caribbean.

(1) Could be a long drive. What if the OP is from Wisconsin?
(2) The Florida Keys are in the Gulf of Mexico. So technically not the
Caribbean.
(3) Key West is no longer cheap.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

"Don Wiss" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 12 Dec 2005, Vic Vega wrote:

you can drive to the Florida Keys and still
technically be in the Caribbean.

(1) Could be a long drive. What if the OP is from Wisconsin?
(2) The Florida Keys are in the Gulf of Mexico. So technically not the
Caribbean.
(3) Key West is no longer cheap.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Your points are true. I am driving to the Keys from Virginia after the 1st
of January and they aren't that cheap, but you can be selective. Were I to
go during the last week of Decmeber the cost would be double. Also, if
there is more than one person travelling, a car is usually cheaper than a
plane. But if it takes several days to get there, you do spend more on food
and lodging on your route. I was just suggesting an alternative to flying
to get to a warm tropical destination. My personal preference for driving
there is that I like to take my dog with me on vacation. While you say that
they Keys are in the Gulf, they are still farther south than some of the
Bahamas, aren't they?