First time to Carribean

[AliasGraced]

Thinking of a winter holiday in the Caribbean. No idea where to start , when to go and where. I don’t fancy Jamaica or Barbados, would prefer a smaller less commercialised island with low crime. Could anyone advise on how to find good deals, which island to choose etc? Thinking post or pre Xmas .

Mosquitos love me. Greneda, like most of the Caribbean has quite a few mosquitoes! I took all the precautions advised , so deet and loose fitting sleeved clothing. In addition I took garlic and vitamin b for three months before travelling ( I know there is no scientific evidence this works but I think it helped), in addition I added a couple of drops citronella oil to shampoo, conditioner, body wash, sun lotion etc. I also sprayed the bedroom with insect repellent 30 mins before going to bed. I’m not going to say I didn’t get bitten but only the odd few and an anti histamine kept the itching at bay. Unfortunately, mosquitoes are one of the few negatives I’ve encountered in the Caribbean.

@AliasGraced I was bitten to death in Antigua - I spent the week in leggings and legs covered in aloe Vera gel - I’m going to be honest - I love a good Greek island a lot more and for a lot less money and without the bites !! I’m glad I went but I wouldn’t rush back -

Snap.
both are stunning. St Lucia is very poor though.

I’m not sure what you mean by commercialised. Do you mean “touristy”? They all are. Some are more catered towards the cruise ship masses though

St Lucia fits the bill . We went there in February and it's beautiful

St Lucia is amazing. Windjammer is a wonder hotel with great restaurants. We loved Barbados but St Lucia is so unspoiled and naturally beautiful with the Pitons etc.

Grenada - very safe, hire a car and drive everywhere (they drive on the left), locals are all very friendly and accommodating.
Rainforest, lovely waterfalls to swim in, lovely sand beaches, diving, snorkelling, very un-touristy compared to the rest of the Caribbean, only a few hotels. Lots of history and culture, rafting, hot springs, lots to do. Cheap to eat out, or just go to the nearest supermarket. We flew direct with BA.
alternative is one of the Bahamas Out Islands (so not Nassau), such as Exuma, Cat Island etc. Again, hire a car, rent a villa, get out and about, amazing deserted beaches, turtles, the locals again all very used to pointing where you’re wanting to go before you even wind your car window down!
Jamaica has nice areas, although I always used a car/driver to go out and about, I wouldn’t personally rent a car there as it can be dodgy. Mexico is also good if you’re wanting lots of adventurous stuff to do, underground rivers, cenotes, zip lining, jungle walks etc.

Does it need to be am island. What about Belize, Mexico or Costa Rica?

Guadeloupe is lovely. Went for two weeks a few years ago

Another vote for St Lucia, been a few times and love it. Wonderful people and a beautiful island.

Of the islands I know a little I'd suggest Grenada, Dominica, St Lucia. Don't rule out Barbados though. It has more developed parts but is quite a varied island with things to do and see. Avoid the ABC islands - too arid.

A Caribbean cruise would give you a flavour of many different islands and once you're aboard the world comes to you and you are taken care of so don't be daunted by that. Plenty of cruises go in & out of Barbados, don't go from Miami. Get a cabin with a balcony. Not everyone's cup of tea, I know and perhaps you prefer to concentrate on one place.

Have you tried Trailfinders?

I’ve not been for a few years, but Dominica in the east Caribbean (not to be confused with Dominican Republic!) would probably tick a lot of your boxes. It’s known as the nature island and it is just stunning. You could probably day trip to neighbouring islands.

I would like to do a cruise actually but don’t want it to be too American.

What do you base this insight on? Have you actually been there? Are one of those people who feels "unsafe" if they leave their hotel?

I would like to do a cruise actually but don’t want it to be too American.

Some cruise companies will be more American dominated than others and I'd suggest avoiding the mega cruise ships. Less upmarket but perfectly acceptable are Marella cruises by Tui, mainly Brits aboard. Fly to Barbados, transfer to ship and off you go.

I live on a French Caribbean island and the mosquito question is really hard to answer. It depends on the weather, where you are, the time of day (dawn and dusk are the worst).

Last year we had a 3 month drought from the end of March. No mosquitoes. This year we had tonnes of rain in the same period, and unfortunately as its when all the leaves fall of the trees we had loads of blocked guttering that promptly filled with water which is perfect for mosquitoes!

We have friends who hardly have any mosquitoes. We have a ravine at the end of our garden which is a perfect habitat for mosquitoes.

Both Guadeloupe and Martinique are absolutely beautiful: rainforests, a volcano to climb, waterfalls, gorgeous beaches ranging from black volcanic sand to white. Little creeks, larger palm tree lined beaches. Beautiful clear water.

They are all beyond much the same, some lovely hotels surrounded by squalor.. lovely sea and beaches though!

Rain forests - St Lucia

I went to St Lucia in April and it was beautiful - wonderful beaches, we visited waterfalls, went snorkeling and saw Pilot whales swimming alongside the boat. Took lots of mozzie repellent as I react badly (was in pain with so many bites on past holidays in Greece and Croatia) but didn’t get bitten once. Couldn’t believe it. It was quite windy when we were there though so think that helped keep the little blighters away from me

Im a flight attendant and have been there many many times! The flights are horrible, Jamaican's have a very well earned reputation of being rude and aggressive. The hotel staff don’t want to to know unless you are American ( and tip ridiculously high amounts). The amount of robberies and things being stolen from other crew members is ridiculous and the police don’t want to know unless they are being bribed! The country itself is stunning but the people not so much!

Grenada!! It’s amazing and safe and super friendly and stunning. There’s a rainforest too and more
remote areas in the north if you feel like exploring.
Radisson hotel on grande anse beach was perfect.

I think it's sad when people call an entire country "vile" or "a shit hole". I've travelled quite a lot and, although there are places I probably wouldn't want to revisit, I wouldn't generalise with such a negative term.

Personally, I have been to Jamaica 8-9 times and never once felt unsafe, not did I stick to the big resorts and not leave them. I found the people to be some of the loveliest, most generous people I have ever met. I know that there are some very predatory and nasty people there but thankfully everyone I met (including the police who did a stop and search on my taxi!) were very friendly.

Mexico does sound like it may fit your criteria, it has some spectacular jungles, the cenotes are amazing especially if you like diving, the people IME are very friendly and welcoming.

Mosquitoes like biting me in Europe but I have never had much if an issue with them in the Caribbean or Mexico strangely. Maybe I drink too much rum and tequila to taste good! 😁

Well as someone who was raised by a Jamaican mum, and has a huge Jamaican family, I beg to differ...
Maybe change "the people" to "some of the people". Pretty much like every other country in the world?

Try reading my op! I’ve been all over Jamaica and met literally hundreds of Jamaicans!

Tobago/Grenada/St Lucia (Barbados not so bad), have some “interesting” roads. DH quite enjoys driving up steep hills etc, but I just thought I’d flag it in case you aren’t confident drivers. Taxis aren’t too hard to find.

In this internet age I tend to narrow down choices with a “big airline” package, so you can see how prices vary from day to day (try BA or Virgin after checking who flies direct), then look at operators like Best at Travel or Tropical Places to see whether they have better prices.

With this sort of holiday at that time of year, I do think it is worth considering a package. The year we went to Barbados in early December we were “snowed in” at Gatwick (and BA rebooked us a week later), and then we were “snowed out of the UK” on our return date and the hotel desk just told us to stay put an extra day until the airline confirmed we might be able to fly home.

As a rule of thumb (though we were last able to do this 15 years ago!) the last week of November/1st week of December used to be very good value.

DH and I did our PADI in Tobago in case that sort of thing is of interest.

Granada