Can you go to the Caribbean in the July? Hurricane Season?

[Malibu Sky]

We go to Maui every summer and an between the cost of air/lodging for 4 (11 & 14 year old)it is getting up wards of $6000. For that cost, I figure we could maybe venture out somewhere different this year. I have been doing some research and the Caribbean keeps popping up but I thought July was hurricane season in the Caribbean, I am presuming it is not a good time to go. Then, as I looked I saw that the Caribbean is broken up between North, East and South...is any place safe to go in July?

We are generally beach people but my husband will not go to
Mexico...any other suggestions?

 

[ilisao]

The further south you go, the less likely a chance of hurricanes. Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire and Curacao are outside of the hurricane belt (I've also heard them referred to as on the fringes) and have almost no risk of hurricanes.

 

[djyamyam]

What about Jamaica in early August? Where does that fall?

 

[Malibu Sky]

Has anyone been to Coconut Court Beach Resort in Barbados? Is Barbados a good destination for kids?

Thanks

 

[Judy]

Hurricane season officially lasts from June 1 - November 30 in the Caribbean, Mexico, parts of Central America, Florida, the US East Coast and the Gulf Coast. I learned on the Hawaii board that it's also hurricane season there. But last year there were a couple of tropical storms in the Atlantic in December. This year there was already one near Mexico in late May. It's getting tough to avoid hurricane season if you want a vacation in these areas, but just because it's hurricane season doesn't mean you'll get one.
Yes, August is Hurricane season in Jamaica.
Yes, July is hurricane season in Barbados.
Best chance of avoiding a tropical storm/hurricane during the summer - go to Aruba, Bonaire or Curacao.
Otherwise, book your vacation and hope for good luck or buy vacation insurance that includes air and lodging coverage in case of a storm.

Barbados: My husband and I spent a week at the Divi Southwinds with two boys ages 8 and 10. They were both excellent swimmers. We enjoyed the Crop-over festival, the beach, snorkeling, touring the island, and visiting the observatory. We ate too many dinners at "Pizza Barbados" for my taste, but the boys liked it.

 

[Dave M]

I wouldn't worry much about a hurricane hitting a particular island in the Caribbean during your one-week vacation there. As indicated in my post in this thread, the chances that a hurricane will hit your island while you are there during hurricane season are less than 1 in 100!

Can it happen? Of course. But we can miss a lot of great vacations by ensuring we avoid many natural disasters, including hurricanes, that are very unlikely to interrupt our plans.