CAribbean advice!

the corpo

My missus is finally finishing up her PHD and we thought the only thing to do is blow some cash on a caribbean holiday to celebrate.
Anyone know which Irish agencies are best for the Caribbean, or best online?

Has anyone got a particular location they could recommend?

Cheers!

mikedragon32

Travel Focus is a travel agency down in Cork and they specialise in Sandals and Beaches resorts but do plenty of other hotels in the Carribean too.

We used them for our honeymoon and were very impressed with the level of service we got from them, especially as everything was done by phone or e-mail because we live in Greystones.

If you want to use another agency, you could try Kuoni who specialise in long-haul and tropical holidays and can tailor a holiday to your needs. My only issue with them is that all prices are in sterling so you get a bit stung on the exchange rates.

the corpo

cheers mike!

b3t4

Hey,

I'm afraid I can't offer info on an agency but I can offer my experience

I had a friend staying over there so all I had to organise was my flights. There are no flights directly from here to Antigua so I had to fly via England. I flew with BA for the entire flight which turned out to make things very easy. I simply checked in to all my flights in Dublin airport. I was able to check my bags through for the connecting flight in Stansted.

I was in Antigua at the end of July start of August which would be the quiet season. The great thing about Antigua is that it was once a British colony so everyone speaks English. The accent can be tough but it's generally grand. Also, there is the island of Barbuda about 1hr and 30mins ferry ride from the Antigua which has pink sand! Well, the sand up close has lots of pink shells broken up in it.

Sandals have a hotel on this island. It's right on beech and looked gorgeous from the outside. The majority, if not all, of the hotels on the island would be all inclusive. Also, many of the main tours of the island make collections at this beech so it's handy for that I'd say.

I'd recommend to sort out car rental for when you're over there. Taxi journeys can very quickly add up. I learnt this from chatting to another tourist on a boat tour. I was lucky that my friends company had provided a rental car.

Also, make sure you try to go on as many tours as you can. They can be costly but I knew that before I went over so was expecting it. If you are going at the high season which we are coming up to make sure to book the tours before you go as they can often be booked out.

Another thing is to don't scrimp too much. Live up the experience. It's a holiday of a lifetime.

I'm not sure if the same can be said about the other islands but for Antigua if you choose to go there be prepared to eat an awful lot of chicken McDonalds had to close down their establishment on the island as they weren't making the buisness. KFC on the other hand is opening up their third establishment on the island.

Any other questions I might be able to answer for you ask away,
A

Manny7

Hi,

We used Trailfinders to go to St Lucia, no problems at all, very straightforward to sort out. We booked the flights through them and then picked out the resort ourselves, again no problems.

As for St Lucia, couldn't recommend it highly enough. It's a bit more underdeveloped than some of the other islands but is absolutely beautiful, very mountainous with rainforests. Great people and great food.

Dellas

If you want a really good value for money luxury resort try Sandals Princessa Del Mar in Cuba its a fab place right on the beach and all inclusive with proper drinks. Cuba Travel do it they are based in Dublin but you can book through you local travel agent.

the corpo

blimey, things are looking a little to pricey, everywhere we try.

cheapest coming in at 3,400 for 7 nights....

mikedragon32

But with all-inclusive you'll spend very little while there, apart from trips out of your resort and tips.

Dellas

Exactly all meals/drinks/snacks/watersports/entertainment you really have nothing to buy when your there except if you want to bring gifts back so you will save in the long run and have a fantastic holiday!!!!