Comments on Vacation Spots

GUEST REVIEW ARTICLE:

By Justin Burch

Though most travelers escape to the Caribbean during the winter months, the summer travel season can offer families with tighter budgets a chance to experience the most exciting islands. While many people assume that the Caribbean is too hot and humid to be enjoyed in the summer, the truth is that temperatures are consistent year-round throughout much of the region because of the prevailing trade winds. Instead of high temperatures, visitors can expect an incredible array of festivals and local celebrations wherever they travel. Most importantly for many families, room rates and recreation fees are typically much lower during the summer months, allowing conscientious travelers to plan an exciting and affordable Caribbean vacation.

GUEST REVIEW ARTICLE:

By Jason Law

A Bahamas Honeymoon sounds like a great idea, but an even better idea would be to also have your wedding there. The beautiful beaches of Andros, and the wonderful Kamaleme Cay could be the perfect double destination for both your wedding and your romantic honeymoon. It was recently described as a small slice of heaven on earth, and as such is a great choice for any romantic vacation.

Taking a cruise on Carnival can be an exciting adventure for you and your family. Since every cruise sports different ports of call, I won’t discuss the itinerary here but rather will discuss the ship and leaving from Tampa Bay, Florida.

There may be great advantages to leaving from Tampa Bay rather than the more traditional Miami, Florida. The most likely advantage is cost. Since Tampa Bay is farther north on the Florida peninsula, logic dictates that your cost to get to this port should be lower. Unfortunately, logic never seems to be a driving factor with airline prices!

Aruba has spent a lot of time in the news for an unfortunate event regarding a young lady. This has taken the luster off of this island paradise and it is a shame since the island is beautiful and the weather is fantastic.

There are quite a few places to stay on Aruba but the best place by far is the Marriott. This hotel is small by Marriott resort standards but it is still a great place to stay for a quiet, relaxing vacation on a peaceful island. The Marriott is at the end of a long series of hotels that dot the beach on the West side of the island. It comes complete with its own casino so there really isn’t a need to leave the resort.

The best part of the Marriott has got to be the beach and the pool. The pool is beautiful with a swim-up bar that has very friendly and personable barstaff. Just outside the pool is a beautiful beach with plenty of staff to set up your chair, provide you with towels and bring you food and refreshments. Due to the man-made reef, the water is quite calm and it is easy to float for hours in the ocean.

Aruba is blessed with great weather. Due to its very southern location, it rarely gets hit by hurricanes so it is one of the few islands where you can safely vacation in September and October with little fear of the massive storms. There is some industry on the island but for the most part the island depends on tourism. Make sure you help the local economy by buying a few souvenirs to take home and please tip generously.

What a beautiful and quaint location. This condominium is located on the beach of the small bay called Secret Harbour.

There are actually two places in this small resort - the one is up the hill and the other is directly on the beach. The beach is not overly large and is covered with palm trees to hide under in the intense heat of the Caribbean sun. The waters off the beach are almost always flat and calm due to the geography of this small bay. This allows for easy and relaxing swimming in the water. You can easily snorkel right off of the beach but you will need to swim out a fair distance to really see a great deal of fish. The reefs that protect this part of St. Thomas are very far out and that is where the prettiest fish are hanging out.

There is a small and romantic restaurant on the grounds with very friendly staff and good food. The prices are reasonable for the island and you will have a relaxing evening watching the sunset and listening to the waves. Occasionally, a local artist will entertain you with a soft melody - tip generously to your artist and your wait staff as the island depends on tourist dollars to survive.

St. Thomas is the stop for many cruise ships and therefore the island is abuzz with tourists during the day. The Secret Harbour can be a quiet escape in this small Virgin Island chain.