Help Needed Trip to the Caribbean

[Pauline]

I am looking at vacation rentals and one review said "be sure to use bug spray in the late afternoon/early evening when the no see ums and mosquitoes are fierce!". Is that right? Are the Virgin Islands a buggy area? The whole Caribbean? Hawaii did not have many bugs.

This may change my mind about this trip. Also the recent Zika Virus (CDC notice for US Virgin Islands). We try to avoid pesticides and that was the one thing that I disliked about Hawaii - the use of pesticides. If there are concerns about Zika in the Virgin Islands then there is most likely a lot of pesticide spraying.

 

[Colo]

One is in the tropics when in the Caribbean so to say there is no bugs would be a lie.
The months you are targeting are usually windy keeping them grounded. The noseeums (aka sand fleas) can be a nuisance around sunset, but a little vodka or gin rubbed on your legs solves that problem.

As you get off the ferry there is store called St John Spice that has some amazing bug repellant made from different plants and herbs on the island if you are concerned. To my knowledge there were and is no spraying ongoing in the VI. But I can check what the current status of that.

As far as bugs if you were going in August or September and were sensitive to bugs, I would say avoid the islands, but in early December not an issue.

 

[Pauline]

Mosquitoes. I did a search on Maderia and read that they do spraying of mosquitoes because of Dengue Fever! I either need to get over this or stop wanting to go to tropical places.

 

[Lisa in Ottawa]

We have decided to go to Grenada in December.! Pauline's original post got me thinking. I'm generally not big on Caribbean vacations but everyone I know who has been there loves it.
The challenge is getting there from Toronto as only 1 flight a week unless you go by charter to an AI which we wont do.
There is beach, jungle. Little villages.
Airbnb has some fun looking places

 

[Colo]

Pauline you may want to consider some place like Malta or Gozo. I do not think you will be able to escape during the winter months of England for warm waters, but a September trip may offer blue water swimming. The crowds of the summer should have dwindle and there are plenty interesting places to see and hike. Just a thought.

 

[Pauline]

Pauline you may want to consider some place like Malta or Gozo. I do not think you will be able to escape during the winter months of England for warm waters, but a September trip may offer blue water swimming. The crowds of the summer should have dwindle and there are plenty interesting places to see and hike. Just a thought.

I was coming to the same conclusion myself. Thanks for recommending Malta and Gozo (the latter I have not heard of!), I had not thought of them.

It seems like many Brits take a week or two beach vacation in southern Europe in the summer instead of going further south in the winter. We will do this next year. I am thinking of Greece in May/June or France in the summer.

I did a lot of reading and researching for the Canary Islands, and we may give them a try, but I have a feeling they are not the kind of beach place we want.

Meanwhile we have had very good weather here and I have been swimming in the sea where we live (West Bay) and it has been magnificent. No mosquitoes, no jelly fish (I've been reading about them), just cold, clear water.

 

[Colo]

Recommend if you decide the middle of the Med is for you that you stay on the west side of Malta.
Around the Capital can get a little crowded for my liking.
I filed a trip report earlier on Malta/Gozo a few months ago with links to my blog.
Take a look when it is time to get serious.
https://www.sloweurope.com/community/threads/malta-sojourn-april-2016.1967/

 

[Lisa in Ottawa]

We've booked Grenada for part of December. Pauline, I think it meets all your criteria but is a little far for you to travel for a week or 2 in the sun. Here are some other thoughts.
Crete if you're willing to go in Sept/ Oct.
Majorca, Spain. I have a friend whose daughter lives there and she swims year round. I know nothing else about the place except some neighbours have decamped there for a year.

 

[Pauline]

Crete if you're willing to go in Sept/ Oct.

I am waiting for you to write a review of your Crete apartment to decide if I want to rent it!

 

[Pauline]

It has been horrible to watch the news in the last few days showing the destruction to the US and British Virgin Islands. I guess I am happy that I did not book the trip, but it is small consolation thinking about the damage done to those islands.

I remember when the big hurricane hit Kauai (Hawaii) in 1992. We had lived on Kauai for the summer in 1989 and returned each winter. It was several years after that hurricane before things were back to normal. That cottage that we rented that summer, and had rented each winter after, was close to the sea and was damaged. The owner told us that he went to the cottage and thought, wow - no damage, then realized it had moved 6 feet off its foundation. They moved it back, and we rented the cottage several more times once the island recovered. It looked almost the same inside!

Let's hope for a speedy recovery to the Virgin Islands and all the other islands (and Florida!) affected by this hurricane.

 

[Colo]

And finally today... the island of St John has received help.
The reports out of St John has been fairly limited. Yesterday (Sunday) things began to get pretty ugly.
Jenn who lives on island runs News of St John web page. She was able to text her dad in the states and he was updating status.

The lack of response to date has made me furious, but in this time thoughts, prayers, and support are so much better than me ranting my frustration.

 

[susan]

I was living on Oahu during Hurricane Iniki. That is a day I will never forget. We were so lucky. I woke up that morning to sirens. We had no idea that a serious hurricane was on its way. It was initially headed towards Oahu also but veered off at the last minute. Poor Kauai! It took years to fully recover and months for so many to get electricity back.

I agree, Colo. It has been very frustrating seeing so little coverage of the devastating destruction on St John and St Thomas. Finally today the news is starting to cover the US Virgin Islands.

I can't imagine trying to live there right now. A friend of mine has a friend on St Thomas. She said that she finally heard from him today. No electricity of course, so he had no idea of the devastation over much of the island... only on his little portion. He has to walk 2 hours to charge his phone and wait in a line for food. Being on an island makes you even more vulnerable with such limited supplies. I sure hope the support they need is brought there soon.

I know there are millions of people in Houston and Florida also dealing with hurricane destruction and damage and everyone needs the support and help, I just hope that the people on all of the islands also get the support they need. There have been so many disasters lately all over the world. Mother Nature is not happy!

 

[Lisa in Ottawa]

We are in gorgeous Grenada. Pauline, I think you would like it here. You've already seen some of my pictures.