Hawaii vs. the Caribbean

[DavidnRobin]

We love both places, we try to escape the winter here in Chicago and travel in January. Hawaii flights and time change are an issue. Airfare to St. John is pricey, as is the food, but with good schedules. We have tried Mexico last year (Cancun and Rivera Maya), cheap convenient airfare, lower prices than either St. John or Hawaii. Lets face it we are lucky to have such nice choices, take your pick, just kick back and enjoy your holiday!

Flights to St Thomas (STT) are relatively low right now (Carib tourism is down - Zika?). Food costs are certainly high.
A flight to St John would certainly be costly.

 

[JoeD8521]

Not sure I understand. Not all flights to the Caribbean go through Miami. Many go through JFK, Atlanta even Charlotte. Also, depending on where one is flying from, they can be direct.

True. We live in Charlotte and fly direct to St. Martin every year. That flight leaves at 9:30 AM. For us it's great, but someone connecting thru CLT would have to catch a very early flight to get there in time to board.

 

[dioxide45]

Flights to St Thomas (STT) are relatively low right now (Carib tourism is down - Zika?). Food costs are certainly high.
A flight to St John would certainly be costly.

We would like to try St John in 2018, that is if we can somehow snag a VSN SO reservation. I know it is hard. We would likely match it up with a stay at Frenchman's Cove as well. I am interested about flight prices but hadn't started looking in to them since plans are so far off.

 

[LisaRex]

We would like to try St John in 2018, that is if we can somehow snag a VSN SO reservation. I know it is hard. We would likely match it up with a stay at Frenchman's Cove as well. I am interested about flight prices but hadn't started looking in to them since plans are so far off.

I exchanged successfully 3x into WSJ in platinum season using SOs. Be ready to look at exactly 8 months out. In my experience, the easiest platinum season weeks to book are the first 2 weeks in January and after Easter, if it falls early. Also IME, 2 bdrms are the easiest to book, probably because there are more of them.

Good luck!

 

[deslagle]

I own on Kauai, Maui, Grand Cayman, and St Lucia.
Since I live in the state of Washington, Hawaii is much easier to get to and having an Alaska Airlines Bank of America Visa card my companion flies for $99. Reasonable flights that way are possible.

Many caribbean islands have too much crime, more hurricane potential and flights are more expensive.
St Lucia uses a currency that matches the US Dollar. My resort with AIC takes payment in US Dollars.
Grand Cayman however I lose 20% on the US Dollar versus their Caymanian dollar.
Grand Cayman is pretty much crime free. Roads are fine. We visit the east end which is quiet and nice.
So I would vote Caribbean over Hawaii.
I don't mind the long flights now that I am retired.

St Lucia has more poverty and it is common to encounter foot traffic on the roads.
We stay at our timeshare and usually venture out for the zip-line or horse back riding and/or a catamaran ride.
Car rentals in St Lucia are exceedingly expensive. We have the resort pick us up using trusted Taxi drivers. Have
never had a problem.

We feel at home on Kauai and Maui and avoid Oahu at all cost.
Traffic is a nightmare.

For Food every Hawaiian and Caribbean island is more expensive than the mainland.
Food prices is not a legit complaint when one goes to an island.

I would like to try St John but had a chance to buy at St Lucia at a reasonable price (re-sale) at a resort we already liked and
had traded to in the past.

I would avoid at all costs the Caribbean island of Guadalupe unless you are fluent in French. It is very hard to get around just speaking English.

 

[easyrider]

I didn't see any homeless people while we were on Cayman Island. I didn't see any homeless people in Playa del Carmen or Cancun. In Playa del Carmen and Cancun I did notice people cleaning the beaches daily. I mean really raking the sand and picking up all of the natural and anthropogenic debris.

My recent trip to Kauai I noticed plenty of debris and homeless people at the beach.

My resorts in Mexico are far more opulent than any in Hawaii. My preference undoubtedly is the Yucatan, but I do enjoy slumming in Hawaii every year.

Bill

 

[Egret1986]

Grand Cayman however I lose 20% on the US Dollar versus their Caymanian dollar.
Grand Cayman is pretty much crime free. Roads are fine. We visit the east end which is quiet and nice.

I would avoid at all costs the Caribbean island of Guadalupe unless you are fluent in French. It is very hard to get around just speaking English.

Thank you for sharing this info. We're headed to Grand Cayman, East End in April.

I have often wondered about Guadalupe. Now I know. I know no French.

 

[clotheshorse]

Interesting. To us, Oahu was more or less Kansas City with a beach......or maybe Tokyo with a beach. We enjoyed Kauai but thought it a little like a tropical Oklahoma with all the red dirt. We really enjoy Maui but it is a little touristy. Next up for us is the Big Island. Should be interesting.

It seems as if people either love the Big Island or hate it without much in between. What we liked about Kauai was how laid back we felt. It was a relaxing vacation. Maui is a little more activity intense. Oahu more cosmopolitan with all the shopping and restaurants. Our anticipation for the Big Island is something more akin to Kauai with a few tourist activities along the way.

Similar to us, we like the Big Island, then Oahu - both Maui and Kauai are toss ups for us.

 

[LisaRex]

Thank you for sharing this info. We're headed to Grand Cayman, East End in April.

Hey, we're headed to Grand Cayman (East End) in April, too! 4/8-4/15.

Maybe we'll see you there!

 

[LisaRex]

For Food every Hawaiian and Caribbean island is more expensive than the mainland.
Food prices is not a legit complaint when one goes to an island.

I know what you're saying, but not sure I agree entirely. I think that as long as the information is accurate, it's "legitimate" because data leads to action. When I go to an island, I'm expecting to pay maybe 30-50% more than the mainland, perhaps more so for Hawaii because it's 2000 miles from anywhere. But there are places that rip your eyeballs out (usually because you're a captive tourist), and I think it's legit to "complain" about this, for no other reason than so that folks can either budget more money towards food, or make alternate arrangements, if they so desire.

For instance, if the Piggly Wiggly on Hilton Head Island charges $12 for a pound of lunchmeat, while the Piggly Wiggly just off island charges $8 per pound, that's good information to know. I'll happily bring food from home and/or make a stop off island in order to mitigate those costs.

Similarly, if St. John grocery stores charge $8 for a bottle of salad dressing (seriously) or a bag of tortilla chips (seriously), and the Save A Lot on St. Thomas charges $4 for each, then I might choose to rent a car on St. Thomas, stop at the Save A lot, then take the car ferry over to St. John, in order to save a few hundred bucks. Or I might pack a few frozen steaks in my luggage and commit the extra dollars I saved towards a private snorkeling charter.

 

[shorts]

Hey, we're headed to Grand Cayman (East End) in April, too! 4/8-4/15.

Maybe we'll see you there!

We'll also be in Grand Cayman in April, including that week. If you're staying at Morritts perhaps we should have a small TUG get-together.

 

[Egret1986]

Hey, we're headed to Grand Cayman (East End) in April, too! 4/8-4/15.

Maybe we'll see you there!

Darn! We're arriving as you're leaving. Enjoy!

 

[Egret1986]

We'll also be in Grand Cayman in April, including that week. If you're staying at Morritts perhaps we should have a small TUG get-together.

We'll be at Morritt's (first time in the Caymans). I bet you know a lot about that area.....9 weeks, whoa! Traveling full-time......whoa, again!

 

[vacationhopeful]

Just let me go south ... to Ft Lauderdale. 2.25 hour nonstop flight. No change of planes. $10-15 cab fare from airport OR $3 bus fare with 1 change. No rental car needed. No currency exchange. Medical insurance with no travel policy needed. Same general language. Even have the local corner sports bar .. carrying all my local sports teams & brews.

If it is so similar, why travel? It is WARMER, sunnier, walk to bars, heated pool & hot tub and IT IS NOT MY HOUSE ... the views are different.

 

[Egret1986]

Just let me go south ... to Ft Lauderdale. 2.25 hour nonstop flight. No change of planes. $10-15 cab fare from airport OR $3 bus fare with 1 change. No rental car needed. No currency exchange. Medical insurance with no travel policy needed. Same general language. Even have the local corner sports bar .. carrying all my local sports teams & brews.

If it is so similar, why travel? It is WARMER, sunnier, walk to bars, heated pool & hot tub and IT IS NOT MY HOUSE ... the views are different.

That's my opinion of the Florida Keys, when we go; why do you even need to leave the good ol' mainland USA? That opinion has some real merit....and maybe one day I'll be ready to do that. Just now, I want to see and go to other places where we've never been. We had to take a break this year from Florida in order to do that. Hitting three "never-visited" places this year!

 

[shorts]

We'll be at Morritt's (first time in the Caymans). I bet you know a lot about that area.....9 weeks, whoa! Traveling full-time......whoa, again!

I hope you enjoy your stay at Morritts! Unfortunately it sounds like you arrive the week we leave. We have been owners since 1994. It's our favorite timeshare (obviously with 9 weeks lol). If I can provide any info or tips just let me know.

Most of our fulltime travel is by RV except for our annual Cayman trip. We use our Wyndham points to take the kids and grandkids on trips and for 2 or 3 day stays here and there. Next week we are going to San Antonio and staying at Wyndham for 3 days to check out the area while we are RVing in the South Padre Island area. Best of both worlds!!

 

[Egret1986]

I hope you enjoy your stay at Morritts! Unfortunately it sounds like you arrive the week we leave. We have been owners since 1994. It's our favorite timeshare (obviously with 9 weeks lol). If I can provide any info or tips just let me know.

Most of our fulltime travel is by RV except for our annual Cayman trip. We use our Wyndham points to take the kids and grandkids on trips and for 2 or 3 day stays here and there. Next week we are going to San Antonio and staying at Wyndham for 3 days to check out the area while we are RVing in the South Padre Island area. Best of both worlds!!

Awww, sorry I'll miss you in Grand Cayman.

 

[LisaRex]

We'll also be in Grand Cayman in April, including that week. If you're staying at Morritts perhaps we should have a small TUG get-together.

I'm actually staying in a private condo (VRBO) in between Morritt's and Rum Point. It's actually considered North Point and not East End as I indicated earlier.

 

[falmouth3]

Being on the east coast, Hawaii is a very long flight. After two trips, DH says he's not traveling there anymore. We've been to Aruba twice and Grand Cayman. Felt completely safe in both places and I didn't see poverty, but I'm sure there are pockets. We traveled both islands extensively. I think these islands have a high standard of living for their people and it shows in the locals' welcoming nature.

 

[dioxide45]

Being on the east coast, Hawaii is a very long flight. After two trips, DH says he's not traveling there anymore. We've been to Aruba twice and Grand Cayman. Felt completely safe in both places and I didn't see poverty, but I'm sure there are pockets. We traveled both islands extensively. I think these islands have a high standard of living for their people and it shows in the locals' welcoming nature.

There are certainly islands in the Caribbean where there is little to no poverty. I would say that Aruba and Grand Cayman are two of them. Both are rather wealthy countries. All of the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonair, Curacao, St Maarten) don't really have poverty. Barbados and St Kitts would be about the same. However, Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, Dominica among many other have visible poverty. You just happened to go to two islands where it really doesn't exist.

 

[falmouth3]

I didn't "happen" to visit those countries. I selected vacation spots where I would feel safe. There are indeed Caribbean island countries where I won't visit.

 

[dsmrp]

Here's a twist on the Hawaii vs caribbean comparison.
My 88 yo mother has lived in Hawaii all her life, and wants to go on a Caribbean cruise, for example to St Thomas, St Maarten, Aruba, Curacao etc. My brother thinks she's influenced by seeing people win Caribbean trips on Wheel of Fortune .

We'll go wherever she wants to go, but thinking about it, most of things that draw people to the caribbean are not the things my mother likes to do or already has at home. I think these are: sun/warmth, beaches, water sports (scuba, snorkeling, sailing etc), outdoor nature and wildlife viewing activities, jazz/reggae music, drinking(rum)???

She's been to Aruba on a cruise and liked the Dutch influence and town. Other than European architecture on caribbean islands and some shopping, I can't think of much else that she would enjoy,
except for some (non-spicy) seafood.

This will be her last trip, and I don't want her to be too disappointed. What else do you think is interesting and distinct in the Caribbean (e.g. Aruba and Curaco) than in Hawaii? Thanks!

 

[LisaRex]

Here's a twist on the Hawaii vs caribbean comparison.
My 88 yo mother has lived in Hawaii all her life, and wants to go on a Caribbean cruise, for example to St Thomas, St Maarten, Aruba, Curacao etc. My brother thinks she's influenced by seeing people win Caribbean trips on Wheel of Fortune .

She's 88 and has lived in Hawaii all her life. Maybe she just wants a change of scenery!

Personally, I'd head the other direction to Australia/New Zealand. Non-stop flights from HNL are only 9-11 hours. Travel time to Miami or San Juan for a Caribbean cruise will probably take longer than that unless you can find a direct from HNL to MIA or SJU.

Or, if she loves Europe, why not take a Mediterranean cruise? It's a lot longer time wise, but she could presumably break it up by flying to the states and staying with you for a few days. There are some spectacular land/sea excursions through Europe, some which cater to senior citizens.

 

[dsmrp]

She's 88 and has lived in Hawaii all her life. Maybe she just wants a change of scenery!

Personally, I'd head the other direction to Australia/New Zealand. Non-stop flights from HNL are only 9-11 hours. Travel time to Miami or San Juan for a Caribbean cruise will probably take longer than that unless you can find a direct from HNL to MIA or SJU.

Thanks for the suggestions. She did finally decide to go to the southern Caribbean and was willing to endure the flights there, breaking it up with staying at my place. I've been suggesting breaking up the flights for several months, but she kept saying no, (florida) was too far

Australia/New Zealand sound great, but my mom and retired brother don't want to fly...they want to go via cruise ship from Hawaii. DH and I just don't have the time it would take.

My advice to everyone: travel with your parents or older family members when they still have good mobility. Wish there were more cruise ships going back and forth to Hawaii from west coast. Those were the ole' days when most Hawaii visitors came by ship

 

[BocaBoy]

.....she could presumably break it up by flying to the states and staying with you for a few days. There are some spectacular land/sea excursions through Europe, some which cater to senior citizens.

Last time I looked, Hawaii is also a state. Better to say mainland or continental U.S.