Need suggestions for vacation destination. Help!

[Hawkwood]

Go with Gary Ward at Deefer Diving in Hillsborough.

 

[mikeycanuk]

Go with Gary Ward at Deefer Diving in Hillsborough.

Ditto that too. Without him I would not have know how to get to Carriacou (within reason). Air Canada doesn't start service until after Christmas and even then it's too late of an arrival to fly to Carriacou, necessitating an overnight stay (ugh). Chartering is $$$$$$$$$. We fly Toronto to Barbados (AC flies there 7 days a week!), BGI to a Union island via SVG air and then Gary picks us up in a boat and takes us to Carriacou arriving at 6:30pm. Earlier than our arrival on the Brac! The SVG flight is $300 each return, not bad. Something new eh?

We looked at Dominica but LIAT!?!? NO WAY! Btw they got nailed along with St Lucia by heavy rains over Christmas. St Lucia gets beaten up again.
Something needs to be done about LIAT. No way will I risk that nightmare. Someone on TA had a horrendous dealing with them. Losing luggage on a direct flight?


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[Hawkwood]

We simply used Caribbean Airlines from Toronto with an overnight in Genada.

 

[mikeycanuk]

We've Aeroplan points up the wazoo, so I need to work around AC's schedule. Plus we take our own meat down with us so an overnight is going to be an issue. Crazy I know....




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[Gary_Ward]

I can concur with this -Carriacou is certainly off the beaten track as far as tourism is concerned! If you're looking for an authentically welcoming island, where tourism is something that just happens as opposed to there being a mass marketing machine trying to drink cash from you. Then this could be a place to consider. As you walk down the street in the ain town Hillsborough you will be greeted with a 'Good Morning' as strangers pass you buy, and a 'night night, as you totter back home after dinner.

The island name is Arawak for 'Isle of Reefs' and we certainly have our fair share of great reef diving. All the diving is from a boat and there are three dive centres on the island to give you plenty of choice (one British, one German and one French). I think the diving is amongst the best I've encountered in the Eastern Caribbean and has a healthy mixture of gentle reefs dives, wrecks and exhilarating drifts, with the ability to tailor a package suitable for you.

Topside, the island is sparsely populated and there are some great hikes into the volcanic hills, pristine white and black sand beaches where you will probably be the only person on them, and more than 100 little rum shops on the 13sq miles of island...

I am biased towards my little corner of paradise! I came here two years ago to try the diving and haven't left since. I invested in a dive shop and get out there most days and stilllove it. Check us out at Dive Carriacou with Deefer Diving PADI 5 Star Centre

Gary

If you really want somewhere off the beaten path that is not "touristy" try Carriacou. No tourism influence at all.

 

[LarryHinDC]

You should check out Dominica. I'm not sure how "beachy" it is, but there are lots of beautiful undeveloped areas of the island where you can hike, and the diving is pretty good, at least it was when I was there 10 years ago. And not particularly touristy at all.

 

[mikeycanuk]

Planning on Dominica for March break 2015. Finally figured out how to get there without using LIAT. Just have to charter via SVG Air from St Lucia. $2400 total but LIAT from Barbados is $1200 for the 3 of us, $1000 extra to guarantee on/our time, no lay-over and all our luggage! Not bad as we'll save that easy given how cheap housing rental is in Dominica. Planning on 8-9 days in Rosseau diving and 4-5 days in the interior hiking "Tolkein's middle earth"


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[Bryan Cunningham]

Everyone always say they want to go to the ideal vacation destination, but do not want it to be touristic. Really . If this is really what you want, you need to get OFF the beaten track. This may involve more complex flight schedules than a direct flight. You may not get the massive all inclusive hotels with everything available on property. And you may actually have to get out and explore a new culture. Cost, flights may cost you, but you'll be surprised at how reasonable accommodation can be.

Suggestions: Carriacou, Dominica (NOT DR), St Lucia, Grenadines, Parts of Belize, Montserrat. There are actually quite a few.

Cheers

 

[navi_jen]

I love Placencia....I spent two weeks there getting certified and it was one of the best vacations of my life. The diving is a bit far (45 minutes) but you are diving near these tiny deserted islands, just lovely. There are jungles to hike in, Mayan ruins to explore, Garifuna music to discover, and the tiny fishing village to love (with really fabulous local food joints). Go before the now paved road (from Belize City) enables rampant development.

The Brac, at least to me, is 95% a dive destination, 5% hiking/birding/rockclimbing. GC, besides SMB and Rum Point (read: East End, West End or Northside) is a good 'starter taste' of the Caymans.

But it's good to know about Dominica. Will have to try that out at some point!!!

 

[mikeycanuk]

I agree on the Brac. We had a great villa and a great dive op (Brac Scuba Shack) so the lack of other things to do wasn't an issue (we went twice). The only issue is the layover. We first took the jet so it ended up being a 8hr layover (the jet left late). So the next year took the twin otter on a mid afternoon flight. We had to get off the twin otter as there were braking brake issues, we finally arrived on the Brac 45minutes before the jet landed (which had our luggage), just great.....

Funny that our trip to Carriacou this Dec will arrive earlier than our Brac adventures. This considering a longer flight to Barbados, a layover until our SVG flight to Union, and then a boat ride from Union to Carriacou.