Topic Wiki

IslandsKosherPoints Hotels?Notes
Anguilla   ??               
Antigua   ??               
Aruba   Chabad   Marriott, Ritz Carlton,...etc            
Bahamas  Chabad  Atlantis-Marriott, Baha Mar-Hyatt  Weather forcast always says rain but in reality mostly nice weather 
Barbados    Chabad              
Bermuda    Colder, and Bermuda Triangle....
Cuba    ??              
Curaçao   Chabad          Hyatt     
Cancun   Kosher Restaurants, Chabad   St Regis, Hyatt, Westin...etc            Not Carribean but close enough
Cozumel   Chabad +         Not Carribean but close enough
Dominican Republic    Chabad + Year Round Kosher Hotel  Westin            
Grand Cayman    Kosher Frozen Food at the Ritz and Chabad Ritz, Westin..           
Jamaica    Chabad   Hyatt, Hilton            
Martinique    Chabad             
Puerto Rico    ChabadSt Regis x2, Ritz Carlton, W...etc            80% of the Island doen't have power All restored now
St Barts   Chabad              
St Kitts    Supermarket Carries many marked itemsPH            
St Lucia   Chabad              
St Martin   Chabad            
St Thomas    Chabad   Ritz Carlton, Wyndham, Westin on ST John            
Turk & CaicosChabad              
* Zika Status - I think its fair to say they all have it today most islands just stop reporting it.


HT: Davidmal

Feel Free to edit the wiki
« Last edited by mendelk on August 08, 2021, 09:13:33 PM »

Author Topic: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread  (Read 161016 times)

Offline Donasten

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #200 on: May 04, 2015, 12:05:33 PM »
Same question!

Offline Buruch

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #201 on: May 04, 2015, 12:19:43 PM »
I hear you should go to Barbuda.

Offline E-MAN

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #202 on: May 04, 2015, 01:29:45 PM »
Change of plans. Looks like St Kitts/Nevis instead of Antigua.
Anyone been and can recommend anything to do other than relax?

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #203 on: May 04, 2015, 04:15:51 PM »
I believe there is scenic train ride. Never been there, but did a bit of research.

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #204 on: May 04, 2015, 11:58:04 PM »
I'm just wondering why st criox was never mentioned... I rented a house there a year ago and had an amazing time... No minyan.. no people... even non-jews...

Offline yos9694

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #205 on: May 05, 2015, 01:23:55 PM »
I'm just wondering why st criox was never mentioned... I rented a house there a year ago and had an amazing time... No minyan.. no people... even non-jews...


Because St. Croix has nothing, unless you are for some reason interested in quasi Danish culture. Beaches are sub par, snorkeling is sub par, no land attractions. Total deadsville. I went on a day trip and was bored after lunch.

Offline yos9694

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #206 on: May 05, 2015, 02:02:27 PM »
Change of plans. Looks like St Kitts/Nevis instead of Antigua.
Anyone been and can recommend anything to do other than relax?

Nevis - Relaxing is really what this place is for. Other than that, I would recommend: 1) climb the mountain. It's adventurous but not difficult. You should use a guide, I went with the guy from Peak Heaven can't remember his name. 2) Visit the jewish cemetery (if you can find it - not easy) 3) Visit Alexander Hamilton's house while you walk through Charlestown (the whole town takes about 15 minutes to explore, lol).

St Kitts - has much more life (day and night) and much more to do (including all the usual outdoorsy stuff you could do much closer to home, e.g. horseback, zip lining, sailing cruises, etc). Visit the fort, climb the mountain (much harder than Mt Nevis), take the train (if that's your thing). Very easy to find activities.

Offline E-MAN

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #207 on: May 05, 2015, 02:26:45 PM »
Nevis - Relaxing is really what this place is for. Other than that, I would recommend: 1) climb the mountain. It's adventurous but not difficult. You should use a guide, I went with the guy from Peak Heaven can't remember his name. 2) Visit the jewish cemetery (if you can find it - not easy) 3) Visit Alexander Hamilton's house while you walk through Charlestown (the whole town takes about 15 minutes to explore, lol).

St Kitts - has much more life (day and night) and much more to do (including all the usual outdoorsy stuff you could do much closer to home, e.g. horseback, zip lining, sailing cruises, etc). Visit the fort, climb the mountain (much harder than Mt Nevis), take the train (if that's your thing). Very easy to find activities.

Thanks! Where did you stay when you went?

Offline yos9694

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #208 on: May 05, 2015, 06:09:48 PM »

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #209 on: May 10, 2015, 01:52:18 PM »
I'm a total Caribbean noob... Any suggestions? Looking to go for three nights in August, either Sun-Wed or Mon-Thu.

Requirements:
1. Unreal snorkeling (as in, Hawaii or better)
2. The possibility to find empty or nearly empty beaches
3. Direct flight from NY with Avios or under $300 RT

Pluses:
4. Great hiking or interesting history
5. Good SCUBA with an outfitter where I could get PADI certified in two days or less (with e-learning, obviously)
6. Early flights in and late flights out to maximize the short time we have
7. Selection of vacation villas at a good price
8. The further from hurricane alley the better

Hotels or kosher food are not a deciding factor at all.

So far St. John seems to fit pretty much everything. There are no late flights out of St Thomas, and it's smack dab in hurricane alley, but other than that it seems right. And your money and phone working properly is a bonus as well.

Is there another island I should consider?
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Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #210 on: May 10, 2015, 04:10:55 PM »
If you're willing to connect in mia you should have lots more avios options, I went to the caymans & the scuba is supposed to be great there

Offline yos9694

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #211 on: May 10, 2015, 04:17:34 PM »
August is not a great time (sweltering), but St. John is a great choice. The area in the Southeast that has no road access is fantastic for snorkeling. Hike or bike to those beaches and you're right by the reef.

Pretty much none of the uncrowded islands (ie not PR, DR, Bahamas, Caymans) have varied flight time choices. It's early afternoon in, late afternoon out, airport more or less closed the rest of the day.

I'm trying to think of where your photog skills could be put to use, but nothing impressive comes to mind. Oh, you'll find the occasional scenery or culture shot but you can probably leave your really good camera behind.

I think it's a good choice and I'm not going to recommend other islands. The USVI are a great gateway to the Caribbean. Once you've been there you'll have a sense for what parts are attractive and you can pick a different island off those criteria (eg privacy, culture, beaches, snorkeling, serene beauty, no distractions, vs organized activities, water sports, exploring) that stands out for those qualities. Of course you might hate it all and yearn for activity packed Hawaii :)

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #212 on: May 11, 2015, 12:12:09 AM »
If you're willing to connect in mia you should have lots more avios options, I went to the caymans & the scuba is supposed to be great there

Right, but with such a limited time available I'm specifically trying to avoid that. The only stopover I could consider is in PR - something like an early afternoon flight STT-SJU, spend a couple of hours in SJU, and then continue on to NY.

Does that even make sense? Is there anything worth doing in SJU for a couple of hours?
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Online Something Fishy

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #213 on: May 11, 2015, 12:16:14 AM »
August is not a great time (sweltering), but St. John is a great choice. The area in the Southeast that has no road access is fantastic for snorkeling. Hike or bike to those beaches and you're right by the reef.

Pretty much none of the uncrowded islands (ie not PR, DR, Bahamas, Caymans) have varied flight time choices. It's early afternoon in, late afternoon out, airport more or less closed the rest of the day.

I'm trying to think of where your photog skills could be put to use, but nothing impressive comes to mind. Oh, you'll find the occasional scenery or culture shot but you can probably leave your really good camera behind.

I think it's a good choice and I'm not going to recommend other islands. The USVI are a great gateway to the Caribbean. Once you've been there you'll have a sense for what parts are attractive and you can pick a different island off those criteria (eg privacy, culture, beaches, snorkeling, serene beauty, no distractions, vs organized activities, water sports, exploring) that stands out for those qualities. Of course you might hate it all and yearn for activity packed Hawaii :)

Thanks, this is similar to my original line of thought.

There's no question that I'll miss Hawaii; essentially I'm trying to get the closest thing to it in the Caribbean. STJ, with its lush mountains and phenomenal snorkeling, seemed to be the best idea.

As far as photography, from the bit of research I've done STJ sounds like a great place. Mountains, islands, charming towns...
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Offline yellowj

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #214 on: May 11, 2015, 12:39:02 AM »
I'm a total Caribbean noob... Any suggestions? Looking to go for three nights in August, either Sun-Wed or Mon-Thu.

Requirements:
1. Unreal snorkeling (as in, Hawaii or better)
2. The possibility to find empty or nearly empty beaches
3. Direct flight from NY with Avios or under $300 RT

Pluses:
4. Great hiking or interesting history
5. Good SCUBA with an outfitter where I could get PADI certified in two days or less (with e-learning, obviously)
6. Early flights in and late flights out to maximize the short time we have
7. Selection of vacation villas at a good price
8. The further from hurricane alley the better

Hotels or kosher food are not a deciding factor at all.

So far St. John seems to fit pretty much everything. There are no late flights out of St Thomas, and it's smack dab in hurricane alley, but other than that it seems right. And your money and phone working properly is a bonus as well.

Is there another island I should consider?

Bahamas.

Meets all your requirements and the last flight to the US is at 8pm on American to Miami.

Offline benjie1305

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #215 on: June 04, 2015, 02:53:03 PM »
Hey Guys -

Am looking to possibly go in July on a short (Wednesday-Monday) trip to the Caribbean. Looking to fly using miles (any works) and great hotel that works points-wise as well.

Any specific Island to recommend? Any decent all inclusive options (drink wise)? Any kosher options at all? Is this a good time of year to go? (Seems from prior comments that August isn't. Does the same apply to July?)
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Offline E-MAN

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #216 on: June 17, 2015, 03:32:32 PM »
Nevis - Relaxing is really what this place is for. Other than that, I would recommend: 1) climb the mountain. It's adventurous but not difficult. You should use a guide, I went with the guy from Peak Heaven can't remember his name. 2) Visit the jewish cemetery (if you can find it - not easy) 3) Visit Alexander Hamilton's house while you walk through Charlestown (the whole town takes about 15 minutes to explore, lol).

St Kitts - has much more life (day and night) and much more to do (including all the usual outdoorsy stuff you could do much closer to home, e.g. horseback, zip lining, sailing cruises, etc). Visit the fort, climb the mountain (much harder than Mt Nevis), take the train (if that's your thing). Very easy to find activities.

What did you do for food? Are there any supermarkets to buy snacks and drinks?

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #217 on: June 17, 2015, 03:35:06 PM »
Hey Guys -

Am looking to possibly go in July on a short (Wednesday-Monday) trip to the Caribbean. Looking to fly using miles (any works) and great hotel that works points-wise as well.

Any specific Island to recommend? Any decent all inclusive options (drink wise)? Any kosher options at all? Is this a good time of year to go? (Seems from prior comments that August isn't. Does the same apply to July?)
i thought there was a specific place you went to every year

Offline benjie1305

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #218 on: June 17, 2015, 03:36:50 PM »
i thought there was a specific place you went to every year

Wanted to venture out into the world for once and see something else :P
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Offline Mordyk

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Re: Carribean Islands (Which One?) Master Thread
« Reply #219 on: June 17, 2015, 04:52:56 PM »
Wanted to venture out into the world for once and see something else :P
3 hour flight from nyc (not sure where you are lcoated), puerto rico can have beach and nice activities as well. there is also a few options for food.
#TYH