Caribbean Islands Have Plenty Of Sunny Deals In Low Season

Today's travel non-news: Luxury is out; cheap destinations are in vogue. We all know why, and Caribbean outposts like the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico - with their abundant good deals and all-inclusive options - deserve this moment in the sun.

[Vishnu Warheer]

Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic as well as Cabarete have a lot of deals now too. Everyone goes to Punta Cana now, so the other resort areas in the DR have to be more competitive.

[Reaganomics]

Vishnu Warheer wrote:

Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic as well as Cabarete have a lot of deals now too. Everyone goes to Punta Cana now, so the other resort areas in the DR have to be more competitive.

The north shore is beautiful but it's poorer than the south (Punta Cana) and undeveloped. Don't go near Puerto Plata. Lots of international fugitives there including MUCHO pedophiles & child prostitution rings. And with the recent crackdown on sex tourism in the ex-pat community of Sosua, many of the pervs have shifted to Cabarete.

http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2008/8...

[Richard]

May 30 will begin the fifth year since an American girl named Natalee Holloway was taken from an Aruban bar by three locals. She has never been seen since then, and it is clear that elements of Aruba's government and law enforcement are continuing the cover-up to protect certain locals from prosecution.

Our government should be concerned about the safety of Americans abroad, but has been and is silent in Natalee's case. BOYCOTT ARUBA.

Also keep in mind the case of Amy Bradley, who vanished from a cruise ship in March 1998 as it was docking in Curacao ... one day after the ship stopped in Aruba, and crew members wanted to take her to Carlos 'n' Charlies, the same bar from which Natalee Holloway vanished.

There is good reason to believe that Amy Bradley, at least, is still alive and in a situation of duress.

Unfortunately, you won't hear about this sort of thing by those with vested interests in having you go to the Caribbean. You're the one who takes the risk. Be cautious.

[Vishnu Warhere]

Richard wrote:

May 30 will begin the fifth year since an American girl named Natalee Holloway was taken from an Aruban bar by three locals. She has never been seen since then, and it is clear that elements of Aruba's government and law enforcement are continuing the cover-up to protect certain locals from prosecution.
Our government should be concerned about the safety of Americans abroad, but has been and is silent in Natalee's case. BOYCOTT ARUBA.
Also keep in mind the case of Amy Bradley, who vanished from a cruise ship in March 1998 as it was docking in Curacao ... one day after the ship stopped in Aruba, and crew members wanted to take her to Carlos 'n' Charlies, the same bar from which Natalee Holloway vanished.
There is good reason to believe that Amy Bradley, at least, is still alive and in a situation of duress.
Unfortunately, you won't hear about this sort of thing by those with vested interests in having you go to the Caribbean. You're the one who takes the risk. Be cautious.

Richard you watch FOX News too much. What happened to Natalee Holloway is sad and tragic for her family and I hope we find the truth about what happened, but the truth is it could have happened just about any where. and Aruba is probabaly safer than a lot of other tropical destinations.

[Oh my]

Reaganomics wrote:

<quoted text>
The north shore is beautiful but it's poorer than the south (Punta Cana) and undeveloped. Don't go near Puerto Plata. Lots of international fugitives there including MUCHO pedophiles & child prostitution rings. And with the recent crackdown on sex tourism in the ex-pat community of Sosua, many of the pervs have shifted to Cabarete.
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2008/8...

I think you are offering up a very narrow view of the DR. I have been to Puerto Plata and Punta Cana and did not even notice any of this kind of activity. I mostly found the people to be friendly, the resorts to be clean and safe.
It's unfair to brand a location that relies on tourism with such braod negative strokes.
It's like all the hysteria about crime in Mexico. We were in Puerto Vallarta last fall and felt completely safe, yet hotel bookings wer down because of fear and the economy.

[Oh My]

Oh my wrote:

<quoted text>
I think you are offering up a very narrow view of the DR. I have been to Puerto Plata and Punta Cana and did not even notice any of this kind of activity. I mostly found the people to be friendly, the resorts to be clean and safe.
It's unfair to brand a location that relies on tourism with such braod negative strokes.
It's like all the hysteria about crime in Mexico. We were in Puerto Vallarta last fall and felt completely safe, yet hotel bookings wer down because of fear and the economy.

We were in the DOminican Republic for 10 days last July. It's "off season" for a good reason. We had torrential rain every day, and although the temperature never exceded 90 degrees, it was very muggy. Wait unitl November if you want to go to the Islands. Summer in the tropics can be quite unpleasant. We did enjoy the 3 days we spent in Santo Domingo. There were enough indoor activities to fill three days and the restaurant options in the capital were far better than all-inclusive resort food. Santo Domingo is worth checking out for history buffs.