Punta Cana or Cancun | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Punta Cana or Cancun

If it’s just beach and drinks I suggest St Maarten. Mullet Bay is my favorite beach anywhere. Little beach shack with beers, ribs, and wings. There is a lot more there too if you get rambunctious.
 
I found both depressing. Live on the Golf of Mexico so why waste money flying to Mexico. DR was also depressing when the rains brought the flotilla of garbage past our beach. Seeing natives protecting their bananas with AK 47s didn’t relax us nor did the banditos we saw at the turn playing golf. The happy massage on the beach was interesting though
 
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Matt1010 said:
Europe makes zero sense if you're just looking to relax at the beach/pool in an all inclusive type atmosphere
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if one isnt leaving the grounds of the resort then FL makes more sense than mexico too. unless the exchange rate makes it more than worth the difference in flight cost.
 
husky429 said:
Anywhere else in the Carribbean
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I don't know where you stayed but the place where I was in Cancun was crystal clear turquoise water with nothing but soft sand /sandbars for hundreds of feet off the shoreline.

I'm not saying it's the best, but I have a hard time thinking it wasnt good.
 
UConnDad said:
If it’s just beach and drinks I suggest St Maarten. Mullet Bay is my favorite beach anywhere. Little beach shack with beers, ribs, and wings. There is a lot more there too if you get rambunctious.
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Agree on St Maarten but I did hear it’s a shell of itself right now after the hurricanes they were hammered with. In rebuilding mode but could be wrong.
 
it's all crapistan. for a puddle jumper, head down to PR.
big flight? Hawaii.
tweener? socal.
 
ConnHuskBask said:
I don't know where you stayed but the place where I was in Cancun was crystal clear turquoise water with nothing but soft sand /sandbars for hundreds of feet off the shoreline.

I'm not saying it's the best, but I have a hard time thinking it wasnt good.
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It’s not the same turquoise waters in the Caribbean (which is better) vs the gulf.

Best water I’ve ever seen is the exumas Bahamas followed by Anguilla
 
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If the only concern is sitting on a beach....

 
B1GEast said:
Late summer
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O.K. here's the thing about Punta Cana during that time, it's during their rainy/hurricane season. You're taking a chance late summer. I think that's the wet season for Cancun also. We found that out going to St. Lucia in late October. We happened to hit a good week but the week before we were there and the week after they said was very rainy. They said there were days where it rained all day.

Not a big fan of either Cancun or Punta Cana. If you want to go to the Caribbean during the late summer I suggest Aruba. There's a reason a lot of people go there during the summer. For one it doesn't rain there much so it's always sunny. And it always has a nice breeze from the trade winds so it's not too hot. I was asking someone who lives there and they said the temperature isn't much different between the winter and summer. During the winter the high temperature is 82-83 everyday. During the summer the high is 87 everyday.

Also, there are a lot of great restaurants in Aruba if you're a foodie. Best food I've had in the Caribbean.

The other thing that was nice about visiting Aruba is there really isn't much poverty. Mostly middle class because they make so much money on tourism (80% of their economy). So it's very safe to be out and about there. Nobody ever tried to sell me anything. I went to Jamaica once and I was hounded all vacation. So much so that it was unpleasant.

JetBlue has direct flights there all summer from Boston and JFK. So easy to get to. All the hotels are only about 15-20 minutes from the airport.

The beaches and resorts are great. The only negative is there is no forest or rainforest there because it's so dry. The Atlantic side of the island (east side) is a desert. All the resorts are on the Caribbean side (west side) because the ocean is very calm there.

Let me know if you're interested and I can suggest lots of restaurants and a few resorts to stay at.
 
upstater said:
I know Greece like the back of my hand, having spent a great deal of time there. I was curious about the comment regarding the ferry system. Most people I know take the hydrofoils/fast ferries. Not the shipping ferries carrying all the cars and bulk goods. Maybe you took a wrong ferry?

As for Santorini, the upper town is packed because cruise lines drop off their hordes 2x a day, but we rented a home for 2 weeks on the cliff below the main town of Oia, and it was quiet as could be. We avoid the cruise ship times which arrive the same time every single day. Otherwise, there're not many people.

Some of the most spectacular Greek islands are totally unknown to American and most worldwide tourists. For instance, Milos. It's an incredible place, and it's mostly full of Greeks and Italians. I still have no idea why people go to islands that don't have nearly the natural beauty of these places.
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Greek ferries are notoriously awful--including the ones for people. We took high-speed passenger ferries on every trip--2 out of the 3 were awful.
 
mauconnfan said:
Agree on St Maarten but I did hear it’s a shell of itself right now after the hurricanes they were hammered with. In rebuilding mode but could be wrong.
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100% right. I might have it mixed up the French side got support and has rebounded the Dutch side didn’t get any support from home and hasn’t completely recovered
 
huskiesNhoos said:
I'm not as internationally versed as you, but it just wasn't an appealing city to me (most aren't). Much preferred Tuscany region and the smaller towns.
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Benn to Italy a number of times. Florence is without question my favorite spot there but Rome has so much more to see. One (sad) truth is that I don't believe that there could ever be enough time to see everything there is to see in Italy.
 
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I’ve traveled all over Europe, and have to say the best food I have had was in Bavaria and Barcelona. The sights in Bavaria are awesome, driving south from Munich towards the Alps is a great trip to take yourselves, no expensive tour guide I mean. The trip is flat until you begin seeing what you think are clouds in the distance, then you realize they are not clouds.

As for a resort vacation, five years ago my wife and I spent two glorious weeks on the island of Moorea. Comparisons to the Caribbean and Mexico are not even close, in my opinion. Moorea and the other Society Islands are part of France. Only downside can be the weather as they do have a rainy season and the cost is higher but we’ll worth it if you can afford it. They also have cruises through those islands, Moorea, BoraBora, Tahiti, Huahine, the Marquess, the Tuamoto’s. IMO Moorea is the most affordable.
 
Tulum, imo, is better than cancun. Look into that if you've never been. Lots of history, nice beaches, cheaper and wonderful tours and daytrips that can be done and cenotes to see. Colombia and Honduras have incredible beaches. Small islands near San Andres are some of the best I've ever seen and Rotan or Utila Honduras have stunning beaches too. Off the beaten path Cuba is also phenomenal.

If Europe check some of the beaches off season in the Balkans. Budva Monterngro is super cute, Albania, especially in the south is a huge surprise too. Plus much cheaper than Croatia which at this point is really just over priced even in lesser known places like Rovinj. Bosnia only has 15 km of sea so mostly landlocked but something about that country I really liked. Off the beaten path Europe is awesome, Serbia has awesome roads, lots of highway and great nature, old ruins, some as old as 1st century and gorgeous monasteries.
 
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Travelman32 said:
Tulum, imo, is better than cancun. Look into that if you've never been. Lots of history, nice beaches, cheaper and wonderful tours and daytrips that can be done and cenotes to see. Colombia and Honduras have incredible beaches. Small islands near San Andres are some of the best I've ever seen and Rotan or Utila Honduras have stunning beaches too. Off the beaten path Cuba is also phenomenal.

If Europe check some of the beaches off season in the Balkans. Budva Monterngro is super cute, Albania, especially in the south is a huge surprise too. Plus much cheaper than Croatia which at this point is really just over priced even in lesser known places like Rovinj. Bosnia only has 15 km of sea so mostly landlocked but something about that country I really liked. Off the beaten path Europe is awesome, Serbia has awesome roads, lots of highway and great nature, old ruins, some as old as 1st century and gorgeous monasteries.
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If there is reincarnation, I want to come back as you.
 
B1GEast said:
Debating the two, might just go to Europe, any preferences?
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Go to Europe. If you are even thinking Cancun, go to Playa del Carmen instead. Safer. Nicer. But it's mostly stay in the resort, go to some ruins, and the eco water park places. It's fine as a break from winter, but there's no point at other times really.

European tourism is still below pre-pandemic levels, so it's a good time to go and see things with perhaps fewer crowds. I really enjoyed our last trip in France with a bit of Belgium. Scotland is good. Ireland is good.

Edit:
Now that I see relaxation is the goal, pretty sure you can do that just fine in Florida. Or Hilton Head. Another option, the cruise industry is dying to get people on boats. Prices are cheaper. Just pick a nice boat like Disney for a more relaxed pace.
 
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Travelman32 said:
Tulum, imo, is better than cancun. Look into that if you've never been. Lots of history, nice beaches, cheaper and wonderful tours and daytrips that can be done and cenotes to see. Colombia and Honduras have incredible beaches. Small islands near San Andres are some of the best I've ever seen and Rotan or Utila Honduras have stunning beaches too. Off the beaten path Cuba is also phenomenal.

If Europe check some of the beaches off season in the Balkans. Budva Monterngro is super cute, Albania, especially in the south is a huge surprise too. Plus much cheaper than Croatia which at this point is really just over priced even in lesser known places like Rovinj. Bosnia only has 15 km of sea so mostly landlocked but something about that country I really liked. Off the beaten path Europe is awesome, Serbia has awesome roads, lots of highway and great nature, old ruins, some as old as 1st century and gorgeous monasteries.
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Kotor Montenegro is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. We took a cruise that stopped there and went through a fjord to get to the city. Just awesome.
 
methodology said:
Water temps.

San Diego is 63 degrees

Caribbean is around 78-82 degrees
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the op sez triptime is
'late summer.'
uncle sam (noaa) tells us that water temps around San Diego then can be reasonably expected to be 'warm,' ie 70+.
ergo fail, in addition to selective nitpicking.
the other two at that time?
Puerto Rico -83.
Hawaii - 80.

of course, sum of us have already been in the water this year, in Maine.
katey used to hit the surf over in Saybrook starting in April. i guess that we have a different sense of what 'cold water' means.
CWTG - NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide - Pacific Coast: South table

and since it's also low to mid 70s water temp around here at that time, i would suggest to rent a home with white sand beach, and mebbe a pool, not too far from the casinos so you could have a quick trip to a fun place when the op needs to 'get out of the house' for a bit. here's how the logistics on that move could look:
walk out of house. turn key on the yugo. bust down the highway for a bit, park car in new drive. already in 'bathing suit,' exit car, walk down to surf, jump in.
no trains, planes, car service, papers, lugging, standing around, wondering if that airport terminal hotdog is really safe to eat, no cattle calls or seatback kickers, no need for pocket cash to tip people for whatever, no language issues, .... wait, whut? why can't that guy stop sneezing? none of it. i think they call it a 'vacation,' a term originating in America by the nyc doctor who first used it to describe the folks coming to his Adirondack health getaway from the city, as they 'vacated' it in pursuit of fresh air for the lung illness of that time.
bring sum cowboy ribeyes, leave the immodium and pepto at home.
 
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aburks41 said:
BVI is a bit more remote though. I did a BVI catamaran charter for a week so we sailed around and island hopped every day. Most of the islands only had 1 bar/restaurant. You could definitely spend a week on Virgin Gorda though and book some excursions through the Bitter End YC.

I think USVI is probably cheaper too. You could spend a week on St. Thomas or St. John and not get bored.
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You can fly direct to STT. BVI stops require a stop at SJU. St. John is considered the compromise but that requires a ferry ride and a jeep rental. You can do Tortola with just a couple cab rides.

As I said, it depends what he's looking for.

If you want the most Mainland USA experience, that is Aruba, hands down. I call it a less trashy version of FLL.
 
Luckyhusky81 said:
My wife and I just got back from vacation in Belize. It was amazing and the coolest thing is you can go from a tropical beach to the rainforest in about two hours. Everyone is super friendly it is safe and they speak English. They also just lifted some super strict Covid policies and everyone is in a celebratory mood.
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Belize is very nice, English speaking, and quite reasonable. One does need to choose one of the two tourist areas and possibly deal with a ferry ride. Excellent diving/snorkeling plus the jungle.
 
Travelman32 said:
Tulum, imo, is better than cancun. Look into that if you've never been. Lots of history, nice beaches, cheaper and wonderful tours and daytrips that can be done and cenotes to see. Colombia and Honduras have incredible beaches. Small islands near San Andres are some of the best I've ever seen and Rotan or Utila Honduras have stunning beaches too. Off the beaten path Cuba is also phenomenal.

If Europe check some of the beaches off season in the Balkans. Budva Monterngro is super cute, Albania, especially in the south is a huge surprise too. Plus much cheaper than Croatia which at this point is really just over priced even in lesser known places like Rovinj. Bosnia only has 15 km of sea so mostly landlocked but something about that country I really liked. Off the beaten path Europe is awesome, Serbia has awesome roads, lots of highway and great nature, old ruins, some as old as 1st century and gorgeous monasteries.
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When did you go to Tulum? The place has been absolutely BOMBARDED by insta-traveler hipsters in the past maybe 7-8 years. The ruins and cenotes are still cool, but boy golly do I hate that kind of crowd when I want to go to the beach.
 
husky429 said:
Greek ferries are notoriously awful--including the ones for people. We took high-speed passenger ferries on every trip--2 out of the 3 were awful.
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Huh, never had a problem. I've probably spent the equivalent of 3 or 4 years there. Admittedly, I haven't traveled there since the pandemic started
 
upstater said:
Huh, never had a problem. I've probably spent the equivalent of 3 or 4 years there. Admittedly, I haven't traveled there since the pandemic started
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They're known for being late, and the staff screaming a lot to make people move faster. That was definitely my experience, even on the newest flagships. Santorini to Naxos was one of the most horrendous travel experiences of my life lol
 
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