Aruba, Curacao, Hawaii, St. Lucia... battle of the islands?

Cuda1447

Lifer
Jul 26, 2002
11,757
0
71
It's that time of year again. Planning the next vacation with the wife. Last year we went to Vancouver. Excellent city. Snowboarding, white water rafting, hiking. Very interesting city. Tons of fun.


This time we have set our sights on a more tropical location. Initially we were eyeballing Hawaii. Still are, but we aren't entirely sold on it. The fact that it's still part of the U.S. has us put off a little bit, as we are a bit adventurous and like visiting other countries. On the plus side though the price isn't horrible. It has volcanoes, rain forrest, hiking, waterfalls, watersports and diving. Basically everything we could want.


Other options right now are Aruba, Caracao, St. Lucia. We've considered Tahiti and Bora Bora, but the prices seem to be more than what we want to spend. We've been to the Bahamas so that's out. Not particularly interested in Jamaica. I've heard good things about Costa Rico?


Anyone have some thoughts/inputs into the more adventurous type vacations to a tropical location (while still being a safe location).
 

Lounatik

Golden Member
Oct 10, 1999
1,845
1
0
Been to Costa Rica twice. They call it the poor man's Hawaii because it has volcanoes all over the country, black sand beaches, tropical rainforests etc. Get to the west coast and stay away from San Jose, the capital. Far enough away from the US, plus the locals are friendly and many speak English, if that is a concern.


Peace


Lounatik
 

CraKaJaX

Lifer
Dec 26, 2004
11,905
148
101
I'm sort of in the same boat right now... the GF is graduating in December and I'm looking to take her and myself on a vacation in January at some point. We are also looking for a tropical location...On the list right now is St. Lucia, Aruba, Antigua, and Barbados. I'll have to keep my eye on this thread...

Op, what time of year are you looking to go?
 

TheSlamma

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
7,625
5
81
If you are looking for some of the things you listed for Hawaii your closest bet in the Caribbean is Dominica (don't confuse that with Dominican republic)

St Lucia, it's nice and the people are ultra friendly, but there is more to do for the eco tourist in Dominica.
 

Kanalua

Diamond Member
Jun 14, 2001
4,860
2
81
Come here to Hawaii. It's like being in a foreign country without all the hassle of being in a foreign country.
 

Fingolfin269

Lifer
Feb 28, 2003
17,948
31
91
Maui. You will visit once and then want to go every year.

I've been to the Caribbean and hate the humid heat. Hawaiian heat is perfect. Granted there may be some Caribbean islands with a similar climate but I doubt they have as much stuff to do as Maui.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
I've been to Aruba, Curacao and St. Lucia.

St. Lucia is really like every other island in the eastward chain. Grimy towns, lots of banana trees, green, golf, not much else. It's a great place if you never plan to leave the resort.

Aruba is a desert island. A bit too windy but very developed. Sort of a cross between Americanized and Dutch. Tons of shopping and night life. Fantastic beaches. I rank it pretty high on the places I've been to.

Curacao is a lot like Aruba, though arguably more "authentically" Dutch. I was a young teenager when I went. Incidentally, this is also where I saw my first pair of bare jugs outside of porno mags. Nice ones too. Beaches are topless. Ah, memories. :)

If you want the best of both words, I'd highly suggest St. Martin. The island is half French, half Dutch. Though there's no border separating the two countries. Nice place, friendly people, well developed. Great beaches and shopping. It's home to the famed Orient Beach.
 

Jodell88

Diamond Member
Jan 29, 2007
8,762
30
91
Tobago! Rainforest, white sandy beaches, the Buccoo Reef / Nylon Pool, a number of different forts from our colonial past. Even if you stay here for a week you can stay on a different beach everyday. :)
 

Jodell88

Diamond Member
Jan 29, 2007
8,762
30
91
St. Lucia is really like every other island in the eastward chain. Grimy towns, lots of banana trees, green, golf, not much else. It's a great place if you never plan to leave the resort.
I'll disagree with you there.
 

CottonRabbit

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2005
1,026
0
0
Aruba is a desert island. A bit too windy but very developed. Sort of a cross between Americanized and Dutch. Tons of shopping and night life. Fantastic beaches. I rank it pretty high on the places I've been to.

Curacao is a lot like Aruba, though arguably more "authentically" Dutch. I was a young teenager when I went. Incidentally, this is also where I saw my first pair of bare jugs outside of porno mags. Nice ones too. Beaches are topless. Ah, memories. :)

If you want the best of both words, I'd highly suggest St. Martin. The island is half French, half Dutch. Though there's no border separating the two countries. Nice place, friendly people, well developed. Great beaches and shopping. It's home to the famed Orient Beach.

As someone who has been to Aruba, Curacao, Hawaii, and St. Maarten, I pretty much agree with the above. Aruba seemed very generic to me and is my least favorite tropical island I've visited.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,855
355
136
If you want the best of both words, I'd highly suggest St. Martin. The island is half French, half Dutch. Though there's no border separating the two countries. Nice place, friendly people, well developed. Great beaches and shopping. It's home to the famed Orient Beach.

Another vote for St. Martin.
 

Aharami

Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
21,205
165
106
Come here to Hawaii. It's like being in a foreign country without all the hassle of being in a foreign country.

yes. go to Hawaii, but don't just stay in Oahu. Check out Kauai or Maui. I've been to a bunch of Caribbean islands from Aruba, Bahamas, St. Martin, Saba, etc. But they have nothing on Hawaii. Just a completely different experience, IMO. But if you want Caribbean, I had the most fun in St. Martin. Aruba is nice too, but it is too Americanized. Actually, just got back from a week long trip to Aruba.
 

Gibson486

Lifer
Aug 9, 2000
18,378
1
0
Wait...so how is the water in the Caribbean? When you watch Pirates of the Car. you see lots of waves when you hit the shore, but when you see pics, the water is so calm...almost as if there is no waves at all....
 

shelaby

Golden Member
Dec 29, 2002
1,467
0
76
subscribed, looking to do our first carribean vacation this year, this thread will be helpful =)
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
Wait...so how is the water in the Caribbean? When you watch Pirates of the Car. you see lots of waves when you hit the shore, but when you see pics, the water is so calm...almost as if there is no waves at all....

depends on where you are but the sea is pretty calm. eastern sides of islands will have larger waves because of the wind direction. if the island has a barrier reef also plays into it
 

JJ650

Golden Member
Apr 16, 2000
1,959
0
76
For our honeymoon, we went to one of the Sandals resorts at St. Lucia (Halcyon resort I think). We loved it. We did tours, snorkeling and all sorts of activities. I would go again.
 

NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
27,103
597
126
Your Hawaiian experience completely depends on which island you visit. Outer islands are great because their slow-paced and not nearly as touristy as Oahu. Wife and I are probably going to Maui this summer. We'll also spend a few days in Honolulu to visit friends.

Our first trip was a week on Kauai which was awesome. Very laid back place that was VERY relaxing. Lots of outdoor activities too. Honolulu is a bit like being in LA...and Waikiki is like Vegas without the gambling. But the local cuisine is awesome if you're just a little adventurous food wise.
 

OutHouse

Lifer
Jun 5, 2000
36,410
616
126
a co-worker has a time share in St. Lucia. it sounded fun until she told me the prices for food. $25 bucks for a burger, no thanks.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,349
6,177
126
i just got back from Aruba 2 saturdays ago ... 2nd time there, i love that fucking island, so much fun and you feel so safe there. we drove all over the island and everywhere is just beautiful.

additionally i've been to Maui, and I have the same feelings about Maui. Maui probably has better scenery than Aruba and is an amazing place. i would go back to either of them in a heartbeat, but hawaii is 11 hours away and aruba is only 4, so it's easier to get to aruba

both of them have a special charm about them though. and they both have that feeling that you can go out and explore on your own, with Maui having more of that IMO.

i have tons and tons of pics of both if interested.