Has anyone spent Christmas in the Caribbean?

[WildFlowerBees]

Just musing at this point and won't be for a couple of years maybe more depending on what happens in the world!

If you've spent Christmas in the Caribbean where did you go and did you enjoy it?

I love Christmas, as we get older it's more of a faff so we'd like to escape. I love the Caribbean and I love Christmas so wondering how well the two combine.

I haven’t but I’d love to.

The very first year DS says he’s not spending Christmas with us, DH and I will be off to spend it in Barbados.

Yes in Jamaica, it was lovely but didn't feel like Christmas to me.
I think it depends what Christmas means to you as to whether you'd like it.

As you've said you'd like to escape the faff I'd say do it. I think I had unrealistic expectations and thought I could replicate our home Christmas there but it didn't happen.

We love Jamaica and my children's family live there but I wouldn't go for Christmas again personally, I wouldn't go anywhere abroad for Christmas again to be honest.

We spent Xmas in Barbados a few years ago. It was lovely, there were little gifts left in our room daily in the lead up, a local school came and sang carols one morning over breakfast, and bizzarly Santa turned up on a jet ski on the day itself and gave everyone sweeties, they even put a little tree in our room.

It’s not quite the same though as Xmas at home, spending the day in your swimmers in sweltering heat, feels a bit odd,but it was lovely.

We brought one gift for our daughter in our luggage, and told her Santa had left the rest at home on Xmas day, so when we got back my husband had to keep her in the car whilst I ran in and shoved the presents under the tree 😂

I’m planning to fly to Barbados on Xmas eve. So excited for some winter sun!
No kids and we’ll have another dog next year so it won’t be likely to be possible then………

I spent Christmas and New Year in the Seychelles for a couple of years running but that was work related and was awful. They have no clue about Christmas we were serenaded by panpipes and awful synthesiser music played by their local band. If I'd have paid to be there I'd have been really unhappy.

Nothing is the same as Christmas at home but dh isn't a huge fan and I'm so bored of the yearly faff. No kids so easy to nip off.

We did a Caribbean cruise in late Dec years ago.
We stopped at Cozumel, Cayman Islands, Haiti and Jamaica.

As a teenager we did Christmas and New Year in Gran Canaria and I hated it. I love Christmas and being in the heat, no traditional Christmas food and no friends or family made me a bit miserable. (Also it snowed back home so I was extra upset!)

I think it really depends how much the traditions and meeting up with people mean to you personally. If you love that part of Christmas, I’d advise against it. If your like my DF who just hates the cold weather and all the fuss, it might be a good idea.

The Caribbean islands we visited had things like decorated palm trees, bus drivers in red shorts and T-Shirts with Santa hats etc. If you go to a tourist area they’ll be more geared up for Christmas and you might get more of a balance.

Years ago spent Xmas in Tobago with a group of friends. We stayed in a house in a regular street. On Xmas eve (or could have been Xmas day morning), a line of jazz musicians with Santa hats on knocked on doors and played Xmas tunes (plus the Pink Panther theme tune, which has stuck in my mind). I suppose a tradition in that part of Tobago. It was lovely. We spent the day on the beach; it was brilliant but not Xmas UK style obviously.

I wouldn’t do it without spending time in the Caribbean first.
It’s very relaxed. If you like Dubai you are not going to like it - service levels are not the same at all (I won’t go to the ME).
The islands are very different too. I absolutely love it - for me perfect temperatures, beaches, people and it’s not fake.

@underneaththeash

I wouldn’t do it without spending time in the Caribbean first. It’s very relaxed. If you like Dubai you are not going to like it - service levels are not the same at all (I won’t go to the ME). The islands are very different too. I absolutely love it - for me perfect temperatures, beaches, people and it’s not fake.

I've spent lots of time on many of the islands, just not at Christmas.

Dh will be really pleased it's nothing like Christmas!

We flew on Boxing day to Costa Rica a few years ago. That was fantastic as we had a proper scaled down cold Christmas but then knew we were hitting the sun the next day. I think spending New Year's somewhere hot is a great idea. We now live overseas but are heading back to the UK today as no-one does Christmas like the uk.

I wish!
I have spent Christmas in the Alps. It was magical and so Christmassy it hurt

I’ve spent Christmas in Indonesia there was a bunch of us, we were young, loved it being different and no Christmassy stuff.

Dh loves being round family and would be miserable not to be with them. Thinking of leaving him to it and going somewhere non Christmas with snorkelling next year…

Yes I went with DDto the Dominican Republic Christmas 2019. The hotel made it really special and we had a good time.
Just heard from a family member that they have booked a late deal and are flying there today and am very envious

I was fortunate to spend a few Christmas’s as a kid in the Caribbean in Antigua. As an adult in Jamaica. Loved it, sun, sea, swimming, seafood and Carnival in January. Sri Lanka was amazing at Christmas too. No faff, contemplating it for us all in the coming years.

I went to Jamaica several times for Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t like the faff over Christmas like the way the UK does so it was lovely. I am itching to go away for Christmas again next year.