Caribbean? Worth visiting or boring and tacky?

[Nivvers2001]

Planning a trip with family or either February half term or Easter holidays and really want to go somewhere properly hot and exotic and relax, swim, see wildlife etc. I'm a very nervous flier but accept I'm going to need to travel at least 8/9 hours for proper heat. My shortlist is currently Barbados or St Lucia but not sure if there's that much to do. Other options would be Mexico or Thailand (DH ie less keen and both require a longer flight which isn't ideal).

hard agree

Seconding that.

We loved Puerto Rico too.

Barbados is far from tacky @Nivvers2001. But judging from your very rude comments on this thread, please leave the beautiful Bajan people alone. Go somewhere else.

Barbados? Tacky? What?! Have you even googled all the different islands?

And a third here who agrees. So rude. And also - I can't stand people who double down when they are clearly in the wrong. Just own your mistake.

I know! Such a silly and misinformed thing to say when quite clearly the Caribbean is a dream destination.

The Bajans have my heart. ❤️

There are few threads which leave me lost for words, but this is one of them.

Been to St Lucia, absolutely stunning. We hired a boat with a driver for the day to see as much of the coast and Island as we could with a jeep trip inland.

Cannot recommend enough but I did stay at a hig level end AI resort on the beach which was fabulous.

I didn't mind Barbados. But they don't have Jumby Bay

I live in the US where Caribbean holidays are very popular. I can see why OP rubbed the wrong way because it was asking about the entire region. There are specific places that are, if not tacky, very built up and touristy like Punta Cana and Cancún. Lots of North Americans looking for sun at not too high a price and at some of them, to party.

but it’s a big region. Some islands are small and quiet so you would consider them dull. I would never describe an entire island as tacky though.

Barbados is the opposite of tacky, it has always focused on a more upmarket crowd without large resorts (the only one I can think of is The Crane, and it’s still upscale). I would also recommend the west coast. The South is fun to visit for restaurants but it’s busier. Do be aware that by law all beaches are public. You can stroll right onto Sandy Lane beach.

the island I don’t recommend is Aruba. They’ll tell you it’s a breeze. It’s not, it’s a full on wind! Plus while the water is gorgeous the island is a near-desert and not particularly attractive.

Thailand isn't in the Caribbean.

Blimey, who has said it's boring and tacky? Are they getting it mixed up with Rhyl? 😆

It’s easy to see where you’re coming from about the boring/tacky, and it does depend where you go! Turks/Bahamas are SO Americanised with huge resorts, they aren’t great for those looking for experiences outside of that, unless you do some island hopping and stay in smaller accommodations etc.

Grenada is fabulous, amazing beaches, food, hotels, smaller and less commercial.

Saint Lucia is great for nature, exploration, and varied landscapes, Hotel Chocolat plantation is also worth a day trip!

Barbados is somewhere we spent time every December, so I love it. Great food, great beaches and amazing people and nightlife. Is more commercial but so fun and vibrant, staying on the west coast is best for getting out locally.

Deleted for not be in line with talk guidelines. Aggressive and offensive, personal attacks etc. Maybe read the talk guidelines?

@knitnerd90I really enjoyed Aruba! Didn’t find the wind bad at all & the beaches were stunning.

Careful now, you are lumping the Caribbean as one place. Didn't you just attack me for doing the same?

I can't stand people who come on a thread purely to attack and criticise with ZERO constructive feedback. It's actually against the guidelines which is why these posts are getting deleted. Just to remind you, you are not the police. I am allowed to frame my question how I like. If you don't like it then don't click on the thread. Now off you go.

Hey, can you see that it was framed as a QUESTIOn? Feel free to just say, no, it's not tacky, rather than expressing such outrage. How do you cope in the real world if the words "tacky" and "boring" offend you so much? Jesus.

Would you go for Bahamas or St Lucia?

No?

The Caribbean is beautiful OP with so much culture and beautiful, lovely people. However, it is also huge and different resorts tend to different people depending what you want. For a good mix and to get out and see man places I think Jamaica is fantastic, safe and well organised trips in abundance. For me I wasn't overly keen on Cancun, gorgeous beaches but just a little too "commercial" for my liking plus we had been to Puerto Vallarta (Mexico Pacific Coast) the year before and I fell in love with it so for me it wasn't going to top it. One of the Dutch Antilles islands might be a good option too I have only been to Aruba, it's expensive there but its lovely. There are so many places to consider, I have travelled to around 7 Caribbean islands and still not close to seeing it all. I have also always travelled with the DC so we have been quite limited sometimes with travelling around as many are deemed unsafe off resort and alone :( However tacky is certainly not a word I would ever use to describe it so fear not.
Thailand is on my bucket list I would love to travel/island hop with DH & DC when they are all old enough to appreciate it Do some research as there are many hidden gems to the Caribbean that arn't the "usual" tourist spots worth visiting. Or alternatively look at a Cruise and you could maybe see which islands you would like to see more of from your day stops and book again later.

Oh girl the Caribbean is my dream destination, just think of all the dark sexy hunks waiting to sweep you off your feet and show you a world you've never experienced before! 😍

Me and the girlie's are planning a trip soon and we have all made a pact to not come back until we each have a new man to bring home with us and kick out our husbands! 😝

You are going to have soooooo much fun I am sooo jealous ❤️

Oh but you did. You specifically came here to do just that.

Saint Lucia every time. Bahamas is undeniably very beautiful, and you CAN find lovely pockets, but it is enormously Americanised and has huge resorts - dare I say it, it potentially feeds into the ‘tacky’ aspect you were originally asking about.

Saint Lucia is so special and wonderful, massively recommend!

Thank you, this is super helpful and great to hear how much you enjoyed it. Which island would you recommend? They all look beautiful but quite different.