mommyoffive Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) I am maybe thinking of travel there and wanted to find a good place for a big family 7 people to stay. Not crazy expensive, but nice. If you have ever been to any of these places let me know where you stayed. Top places that I am thinking about Costa Rica Belize Aruba Bahamas Cayman Islands Dominican Republic Puerto Rico Cuba Would these places be dumb to go visit over spring break? Crazy crowded? Edited January 17, 2019 by mommyoffive 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Well I've never been to any of them yet, but the Cayman Islands is my fav out of the ones we're hitting for our upcoming cruise. (Belize, Cayman islands, Cozumel, Roatan) It has botanical gardens, beaches, good restaurants. Well this is Grand Cayman. But anyways, some of the places aren't as family friendly. So what kinds of things do you like to do? Like Belize, I don't remember what all we could have done, but I think we ended up with an excursion to an iguana farm and a mangrove boat ride. It will be fine, but a week would really wear on that. I looked into a place in the Bahamas, and VRBO/Airbnb had TONS of options, even within walking distance of the beach. The flights were pretty cheap directly there too. Do you have to go over spring break? Seems like almost anything would be crowded that month. I guess make your plan, work the plan. We have friends who've done Puerto Rico multiple ways and love it. But really, I think it's more about what you like to do. (soak up sun, kayak, history stuff, etc.) Maybe you'll luck out on VRBO or something. These places are so expensive, they make Disney seem CHEAP. I can stay in Orlando for $85 a night at a Hyatt Place with amazing breakfast included and only need to pay one meal a day and do snacks. We're doing a cruise, but Disney would have been cheaper. For real. And way more fun. I LOVE Disney. Yes, I'm whining about a cruise. I've never been, and I just don't think it will be as good. We'll see. I love Epcot at night with gelato, little moments by myself, and that ds' autism seems to disappear for a while and I'm just surrounded by beauty. Ramble ramble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 3 minutes ago, PeterPan said: Well I've never been to any of them yet, but the Cayman Islands is my fav out of the ones we're hitting for our upcoming cruise. (Belize, Cayman islands, Cozumel, Roatan) It has botanical gardens, beaches, good restaurants. Well this is Grand Cayman. But anyways, some of the places aren't as family friendly. So what kinds of things do you like to do? Like Belize, I don't remember what all we could have done, but I think we ended up with an excursion to an iguana farm and a mangrove boat ride. It will be fine, but a week would really wear on that. I looked into a place in the Bahamas, and VRBO/Airbnb had TONS of options, even within walking distance of the beach. The flights were pretty cheap directly there too. Do you have to go over spring break? Seems like almost anything would be crowded that month. I guess make your plan, work the plan. We have friends who've done Puerto Rico multiple ways and love it. But really, I think it's more about what you like to do. (soak up sun, kayak, history stuff, etc.) Maybe you'll luck out on VRBO or something. These places are so expensive, they make Disney seem CHEAP. I can stay in Orlando for $85 a night at a Hyatt Place with amazing breakfast included and only need to pay one meal a day and do snacks. We're doing a cruise, but Disney would have been cheaper. For real. And way more fun. I LOVE Disney. Yes, I'm whining about a cruise. I've never been, and I just don't think it will be as good. We'll see. I love Epcot at night with gelato, little moments by myself, and that ds' autism seems to disappear for a while and I'm just surrounded by beauty. Ramble ramble. We don't have to go on spring break, but I want too. My kids all attend a really expensive ballet school and I want to go over their spring break so we don't miss tons of classes that we can't make up. Virtual school I think will work with us on missing a week. I am not a huge fan of Disney. I mean for a day or two it is sort of fun to see the kids have fun. But that isn't where I want to be really for longer than that. And that is only every few years. We like to go to other countries for a long time and don't really need tons of things to do. We like to be out in nature and can do the beach for days. Or just have fun slowing down and experiencing another culture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I went to a lovely family-owned nature tourist resort in Costa Rica called Bosque de Paz. Very peaceful and beautiful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) Spring Break is one of the worst times to travel, but, if it is the only time you can travel, go for it. Costa Rica NO... Many people in the past have considered that little country to be a "safe" place. We live in Colombia. We believe it is safer here than in Costa Rica. You can Google for information about recent heinous crimes against various U.S. Citizens (Rapes, Murders, etc.). However, my guess is that the majority of the tourists who go there enjoy their trips. Lots of Drugs, etc. Mostly Central America is VERY "hot" at this time. Belize MAYBE . My understanding, many years ago, on very frequent trips to Cancun, was that Belize City was very dangerous. that's not unusual. Some other places are probably fine. Aruba Would probably be good for beaches. I was on a flight that was scheduled to land there once (from Houston to Caracas) but the weather was bad and we went nonstop to Caracas, with the Aruba-bound passengers. I would check that one out and look into renting a TimeShare there! On the flight back to Houston we were able to land. I seem to remember that it is very dry/barren but that's just observation landing and taking off. Bahamas could be good, but for Spring Break would be crowded like Florida. Cayman Islands Sounds good for beaches and Snorkeling Dominican Republic This is a really top destination. My favorite singer/band live there. One of the singers lives in Punta Cana. There are MANY flights to Punta Cana. Scheduled and Charter flights. Puerto Rico I have memories of the warm water at the beach in front of my hotel, just North of the airport in San Juan. Old San Juan is very historic. The Rain Forest. Luquillo Beach East of San Juan. It has been quite a while since the hurricane(s) and I suspect the recovery has made a lot of progress and that you would enjoy your trip there. The Radio telescope. Many things to see. Cuba: If you are U.S. Citizens: We cannot go there, without special permission. However, there are a number of categories of travel that are permitted. Edited January 17, 2019 by Lanny Add 3 words about Costa Rica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) The Fiesta Americana in Cozumel was amazing. I had an absolutely wonderful time there and saw many happy families enjoying themselves. Affordable and not a huge scary complex either. And literally right on the ocean. All inclusive. Food was amazing, especially the fish tacos at the beach cafe. No reservations required for meals was very nice. Service was wonderful. Lots of activities on site or off. ETA: spring break is a nightmare time to travel. And it really ups the cost too. If you can adjust by just 3 weeks, it’ll be a way better and more affordable trip. Edited January 17, 2019 by Murphy101 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetoread Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Depends on what you mean by nice. Costa Rico is nice, and their crime is still low even though it has gone up. Away from San Jose is nicer and safer. We were there about a year ago and did all sorts of adventure stuff plus chilled at a beach. Grand Caymen is nice and more expensive. Belize City is not nice and I wouldn’t go back to Belize unless I was diving. Bahamas vary. Nassau isn’t nice, but some of the islands besides the big one are lovely-just harder to get to. Cuba is fascinating, and Havana is cool, but I wouldn’t call Cuba nice. There is a lot of poverty, but people keep things neat and tidy. I spent a week there a couple of years ago and would enjoy going back. Haven’t been to Aruba, but have been to the sister islands, and they were nice. Went to Bonaire for diving and there’s not much there to do besides dive. Curaçao is more developed and is lovely. I’ve heard Aruba is even nicer. Have only been to a Old San Juan in Puerto Rico which was fun, so can’t say more about there. Never been to Dominican Republic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 9 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said: I went to a lovely family-owned nature tourist resort in Costa Rica called Bosque de Paz. Very peaceful and beautiful. Oh that looks lovely... (about ready for a chance in weather and scenery, sigh) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 8 hours ago, Pam in CT said: Oh that looks lovely... (about ready for a chance in weather and scenery, sigh) And the food- which is included in the room price- was wonderful!!! (This was 15 years ago...) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 OP for a party of your size, I strongly suggest that you try to stay in a Timeshare. Preferably a big one with 3 bedrooms. And, with a Full Kitchen. that will lower your total cost considerably. Even if you only cook Breakfast or make Snacks there. Or, rent a house. Our next door neighbors have children and grandchildren in Florida. For Thanksgiving 2017, they were in the USA, visiting them. They rented a big house in Hilton Head Island (?) for the Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend. There were a bunch of them (10 or 12?). It wasn't cheap, but it was excellent. Some of the stories about crime in AirBNB (rape and murder of a Florida woman in Costa Rica is the most recent incident I remember reading about and that was by an employee of the AirBNB) are rather disturbing. Surveillance cameras in the bedroom or bathroom are one thing, but rape and murder are in quite a different league. If you MUST travel during Spring Break, I would book before the end of January if at all possible. You are very close to Spring Break 2019. Also, for the airline reservations. Here in Colombia (and throughout Latin America) "Semana Santa" (Easter Week) is a peak-peak season. In most countries South of the border, there will be a lot of domestic travelers, along with the international visitors. Enjoy your trip! Read the most recent reviews of any property you contemplate staying in, on TripAdvisor. The most recent reviews are the most important reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.