Thanks: 
Likes: 
Dislikes: 
Suggestions for a "plan B"?
Folks,
My wife and I are considering a second trip to the Caribbean (the first one was our honeymoon in Aruba, in May 2012). But things have changed a little since 2012.
First, the overall economic situation here. We booked our trip in August 2011 with the American dollar worth 1.55 Brazilian reais. We traveled in 2012 with a USD 1 = BRL 2.10 rate (even then the Radisson was still affordable to us). Right now the rate is USD 1 = BRL 3.95, and it's about to get worse: This afternoon, Fitch Ratings downgraded Brazil and we lost the investment grade (Standard and Poor's had done so last September).
Which leads to the second issue: the trip would have to be as cheap as possible. First, we considered a "non-dollarized" destination like Cartagena de Indias or San Andrés Island in Colombia, but these aren't exactly our idea of Caribbean vacations. Mexico is cheap (the cheapest place I've visited so far) but Cancún and the Mayan Riviera seem to be a bit overpriced and many trips/excursions are priced in dollars anyway. So it looks like our choices are narrowed down to "dollarized" destinations. I have miles I can use to get tickets to make the trip cheaper, but they are split between two different companies, so I can't book the whole trip with only one airline. We would love to return to Aruba (adding a few days in Bonaire for snorkeling), but maybe it won't be possible (so far I haven't found a good deal involving mileage), which means we are considering other Caribbean destinations.
The problem is that Aruba spoiled usWhat we are looking for is a place with hotels close or on the beach (a beautiful one just like Palm and Eagle), so it will require little effort in case we just want to spend the day on the beach. But we would like a nice range of trips/excursions/activities available (snorkeling, windsurfing, kayaking etc) as well. All of this with a reasonable price so we won't go bankrupt.
Friends have told me about Barbados, the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos. I've also discovered I can go to St. Maarten using mileage of one airline and return with the mileage of the other one. My 2012 edition of Lonely Planet Caribbean Islands put Barbados at $$$ (iirc), while Aruba, Bahamas, St. Maarten and T&C are $$. I've done some research on the Bahamas and found cheaper prices in Grand Bahama than in Nassau. And Grace Bay in T&C is always ranked among the best beaches in the world. Haven't read much on St. Maarten yet. But where else should I look for? You have far more experience than me and my friends, so any suggestions are welcome!
All the best from Brazil
Marcio
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by act1966
The opposite (going to Aruba first and returning from Bonaire) doesn't work as well.
And there were a ton of beach vendors walking around that were extremely rude. I was pretending to be asleep to avoid them, and one had the nerve to kick my chair to "wake" me up to try and sell me something. 
