Need help on island recommendation for my son & girlfrie

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:32 pm

Our oldest son and girlfriend are looking for a quick get away......listed requests:

Budget for 2 people, roughly $3.5k maximum including air fare.
Go in Dec or Jan.
Want a resort where they just veg on the beach and never leave it.
Doesn't have to be STJ level beaches, but want a nice Caribbean beach.
Prefer island with airport so they don't have to deal with ferries.
Preferred direct flights from Boston, though not required.
They have a lot of Wyndham points if that's a possibility to save.

We're thinking Bahama's or Dominican Republic would be good for them, but we don't know the options at either. Probably a resort would work..... What can you experts recommend?

PS ....they get to join us in STJ in March.....tough life, ehh....I used to be happy going to the jersey shore when I was a kid!

Kealani · Post by **Kealani** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:23 pm

DR may work for them if they are looking to stay on a resort. It's an easy flight from Bos. The beaches are nice and I felt safe at the resorts. I wouldn't have left the resort and we were advised not to leave. The beach's are nice. The people watching includes a lot of skin mostly women but we did see a man wearing his speedo around his neck

For a quick budget getaway I think it would work. As a disclaimer it in no way compares to STJ.

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:48 am

Kealani wrote:DR may work for them if they are looking to stay on a resort. It's an easy flight from Bos. The beaches are nice and I felt safe at the resorts. I wouldn't have left the resort and we were advised not to leave. The beach's are nice. The people watching includes a lot of skin mostly women but we did see a man wearing his speedo around his neck For a quick budget getaway I think it would work. As a disclaimer it in no way compares to STJ.

Which resort were you in there?

Kealani · Post by **Kealani** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 8:14 am

Surf we stayed at the Iberostar Bavaro it was several years ago - AI aren't so much my cup of tea. However they do offer a cheaper getaway. My suggestion is that if they decide on the DR that they pick a higher end resort. We also booked the trip trough an agent- I found this to be easier as we were on a non-stop chartered flight and our transfers were taken care of. I wouldn't have felt safe making my own way from the airport to the resort.

GotToGetAway · Post by **GotToGetAway** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:06 pm

I have never been to Bermuda, but it's on my to do list, so that's my recommendation. It's beautiful (from the pics I've seen) and I believe they could get a direct flight from BOS (3 hour flight). It's relatively safe compared to other islands and I think the public transportation is pretty cheap and accessible, which may help them save money on a car rental so they can stay under budget.

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:22 pm

Thanks for advice on DR, we'll tell them to check the options there....

Yep, we've been to Bermuda three times, love it there! We advised them to try that, but said don't go if you won't explore.....the mopeds are the only way to travel there. They really just want a place to hang. Plus they want to travel Dec / Jan, so a little cool there then.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:04 pm

Our first trip to Provo, T & C was in January and it was nice, we had one cool, windy day but otherwise we were on the beach and in the water every day. There are lots of beachfront accomodations ranging from simple cottage style rentals to resorts. I can recommend a few to you if they are interested. It is very easy to get to. From luggage claim to the beachtime is 30 minutes.

We did an AI in Punta Cana are of DR a couple of years back. AIs are not my choice of vacation but it was very reasonable. (the quality of the rooms and food reflected the price) My biggest didn't-love-it thing with that trip was the food. I don't like buffets, the sit-down restaurants had the same food just served by a waiter, and I got tired of the same selections day in and day out.

My mom just returned from Punta Cana and they enjoyed it. They stayed at the Occidental Grand, in the Royal Club section. As a family, we stayed at an Occidential resort in Mexico last November and we enjoyed it. It was very different from our previous AI experience. My mom said DR was comparable to our Mexico experience.

cocosmom · Post by **cocosmom** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:54 pm

We had a nice trip to Our Lucaya Westin Bermuda property one Xmas. A great place to just go and chill. Good restaurants within the 3 hotel compound but many more right across the street at the marketplace. 3 pools and casino. The marketplace had so entertainment some nights around the bar area. We all enjoyed going there. The only negative is the weather is like Fla so it may not be warm. Our 5 days ranged from 60 to 85.

cool breeze · Post by **cool breeze** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 3:01 pm

Jim & Laurie, how are you? Have them check out www.paradiseislandbahama.com
Has everything they are looking for.

Take Care

John

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:37 pm

cool breeze wrote:Jim & Laurie, how are you? Have them check out www.paradiseislandbahama.com
Has everything they are looking for.

Take Care

John

Hey John, summer's going great, we've been out surfing four times in the past week.....we like sticking around NH in summers, it's like vacation here to us!

Bet you're getting psyched for your next trip??

Thanks all for the ideas, I'm forwarding them to the kids....

conchman · Post by **conchman** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:57 pm

The only other island my wife and I would go back to would be the out islands of the Bahamas. We stayed n Lubbers Cay but would go back and stay on Elbow Key. Short hop from Florida...Landed at Treasure Key International Airport...(small garage with roll up door)

rented 20 foot boat...great diving etc.

Conchman.

cocosmom · Post by **cocosmom** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 11:08 am

Oops, my post should say Our Lucaya Bahamas !

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