Best Caribbean Island

[bigvalboy]

Flew into St Martin / Marteen and then by boat to Anguilla. Several nights at Cap Juluca. Pure heaven. Would return in a moment - if money were no object! Also spent several nights at Biras Creek on Virgin Gorda. Also very nice. Would like to try Negril, which I hear is fun even if it is anti-gay Jamaica. Would like to see the Bahamas just because I never have.

 

Virgin Gorda is the best.... Anchored off shore, scuba dived , then dinner ashore, beautiful....

[trilingual]

Saba has apparently instituted marriage equality. The first island in the Caribbean to do that. Martinique and Guadeloupe are overseas départements of France, pretty much like Hawaii is part of the U.S., so French law applies and attitudes are similar to those in metropolitan France. Curaçao is making a BIG push for gay tourism. The Dominican Republic is huge, compared to the lesser Antilles. Every kind of scenery from mountain ranges to isolated beaches. Gay life is pretty active and open and there are young men for rent. Santo Domingo (the capital) is the oldest city in the Americas, so there are worthwhile historic sites to visit. It's a big city now, with a new metro system. So those are all Caribbean destinations you might consider that also aren't hostile to LGBT visitors.

[Dave]

i LOVE st martin (french side). went there with my (now ex) bf about 5 years ago, and fucked him on a really sweet nude beach called Happy Beach. we went back there almost every day - so there was a lot of fucking there - grin.

also went there with friends, another time. loved it. its really a fun place. lgbt friendly, yes. beautiful, yes. a bit pricey once there (food, etc) - yes. great zipline at Lotterie Farm.

 

had a client take me to the bahamas (abaco), it was - meh. we both felt the same about it, nothing really wrong, but nothing rocking our boat.

 

went with a client to st john, that was GORGEOUS. not cheap, and an extra leg of travel (have to take a ferry from st thomas) - but definitely worth it. i dont know the exact percentage, but a huge part of the island is designated natl park, resulting in not only beautiful water views, but land views too. seemed neutral on the lgbt issue, i am just talking feeling/atmosphere while there - nothing bad, but no rainbow flags flying, either.

 

i'm writing this from costa rica, its funny bec I'm here with a client who booked us on a "Gay Costa Rica tour" and although the country's got a good lgbt friendly vibe, there has been nothing gay about this "tour" - we've met some amazing people as we catamaranned and ziplined and jungle trekked, but they've all been couples with penises and vaginas, with younger penises and vaginas in tow. gosh that sounds weird, but i think you know what i mean. anyway I realize CR is not the caribbean but since the "what place is lgbt friendly" idea is part of this thread, thought I would throw that in there.

[EZEtoGRU]

I have never been to St. Martin but the Princess Juliana airport is famous for its aircraft landing approach over the tourist beach. Go on youtube and search "landings at Princess Juliana airport" or some such thing for some spectacular videos. Here's a sample of KLM landing in St. Maarten.

 

Back on topic. I agree with someone elses comment that there is not one best island. Depends what you are looking for. If you want fun the the local guys, Santo Domingo is the hands down winner. Also there are some historical tourist things to do there. Having said that, it is gritty and urban....so not really a beach vacation. I've been to St. Thomas (for work believe it or not) and saw nothing attractive about the place. I had fun in Guadeloupe many years ago. Puerto Rico (especially San Juan) has seen better days and seems to really be in a rut with everything appearing rundown there. Personally, I would also stay away from many of the islands due to their anti-gay stance. No way I would go to the Bahamas, Jamaica, or the Cayman Islands.....but that's just me.

 

Someone mentioned Islas Margaritas. I understand it can be fun and cheap although I have not been myself. Having said that, it is part of Venezuela and you would have to ask yourself if you wanted to contribute to an economy where the government is very anti-American.

[ragazzolupo]

I

Puerto Rico (especially San Juan) has seen better days and seems to really be in a rut with everything appearing rundown there.

 

 

Mi Isla!! That hurt. I have been going to Puerto Rico for more than 20 years. Ever since a Puerto Rican friend suggested we make a trip there from NYC about 1989. I was introduced to his friends and family and since then have made a network of friends in San Juan and around the island. I have stayed in hotels, rented apartments (and I even owned one for about eight years) in Old San Juan, Condado, Ocean Park, Rincon, Ponce, Cabo Rojo, Culebra, Vieques, Humacao (Palmas del Mar-rented a house), the mangrove swamps of Guanica, La Parguera, Boqueron, Isabela. I have camped out on the floor of a farmhouse in Manati, and spent a week on the uninhabited island on Mona.

 

 

Sure there have been some problems, but none that keeps me from coming back. A few years ago the Condado went through a very bad period of closed hotels, but it is really coming back. I am writing this from my beautiful little rented apartment in Old San Juan with a view of the harbor and mountains, and I look down of the cruise ships below. For those who like history, you can spend a full week among the churches, museums and fortifications of Old San Juan (world heritage site). For those who like beaches there are something like 300 miles of beaches to choose from, Atlantic and Caribbean. You can step out of the Marriott Condado and be 1 ½ blocks from three gay beach bars or go downscale and stay at one of them (Atlantic Beach Hotel). If you want something more isolated, try Flamenco Beach on the Island of Culebra, which the Discover Chanel named “the Second Most Beautiful Beach in the World.”

 

 

Puerto Rico has US currency, banking, postage, telephone systems, superhighways, courts (the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals is the first circuit riding out of Boston --- those lucky bastards.

 

 

The Muñoz Marin International Airport is the largest in the Caribbean. The flight from NYC or DC is a little over 3 hours and 15 minutes. Car rental is easy, reasonable and all the insurance is with reliable companies. The driving in PR, well…. It takes some getting used to. The languages are officially Spanish and English. More than half the locals speak some English. This varies from natives who are Harvard graduates or even Harvard professors, to street kids who can make a buck because they can address you in English with their wares. The island (roughly the size and shape of Connecticut) is rife with little towns all with their own saint’s day and the related festival, as well as all manner of other festivals. Go out on the island, get up into the mountains.

 

The lowest temperature ever recorded in San Juan is 68, but up in Aibonito they once saw 39 on the mercury. I have become a fan and a fair expert on the street foods of Puerto Rico. Yesterday I was in Guavate (the holy shrine of pork) for some of the fabulous lechon; as well as pasteles, rice and beans, morcilla, alcapurias, bacalitos, empanadillas. Also carrucho in escabeche. Oh and the tostones, you want them really fresh, made just for you in a kettle of hot lard on the beach and then a bit of salt and maybe some salsa piccante.

 

Oh, and did I mention the medicine. It’s pretty impressive. I don’t think I would like to get seriously sick on one of those other islands. N And the temperature in my apartment at 6:30 AST is 79.

 

So what am I doing going to Warsaw?

[Guest]

anyway I realize CR is not the caribbean but since the "what place is lgbt friendly" idea is part of this thread, thought I would throw that in there.

 

Well, actually, Costa Rica is on the Caribbean. You're not off-topic. Not that I would have otherwise commented on it, but some of the other islands mentioned in this string, such as the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas, are not in the Caribbean. So, never fear, you were more on topic than some others.

[Guest]

Saba has apparently instituted marriage equality. The first island in the Caribbean to do that. Martinique and Guadeloupe are overseas départements of France, pretty much like Hawaii is part of the U.S., so French law applies and attitudes are similar to those in metropolitan France. Curaçao is making a BIG push for gay tourism. The Dominican Republic is huge, compared to the lesser Antilles. Every kind of scenery from mountain ranges to isolated beaches. Gay life is pretty active and open and there are young men for rent. Santo Domingo (the capital) is the oldest city in the Americas, so there are worthwhile historic sites to visit. It's a big city now, with a new metro system. So those are all Caribbean destinations you might consider that also aren't hostile to LGBT visitors.

 

You hit the nail on the head when you described Saba as extremely gay-friendly. Quite a few gay couples retire there due to this fact. You'll see rainbow flags in Windwardside, the main tourist town. But, as I said previously, no beaches (and not much nightlife, although there are some bars). I remember walking the streets of Puerto Plata, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic after Santo Domingo. The pimps on the street would ask "Wanna meet some nice Dominican girls?", and when I said no, without missing a beat, they replied "How about some nice Dominican guys?". If you avoid the former English colonies, and focus on Dutch, French, U.S., and Latino islands, you can avoid most of the Caribbean's homophobia.

[trilingual]

Since people have also mentioned mainland destinations on the Caribbean, we should add Cartagena and Santa Marta in Colombia. Both have well-developed tourism infrastructure. Cartagena is fascinating -- one of the oldest walled cities in the Americas, with picturesque old colonial areas as well as modern beach neighborhoods. There is also gay life there, probably more than in Santa Marta. And there are definitely lots of hot men in coastal Colombia, especially if you like guys of African descent with impressive endowments!

[Dave]

Ragazzolupo is right, puerto rico IS really something. I had a client who took me there recently, and I was BLOWN AWAY. literally and figuratively.

 

 

 

I realized I left out cuba earlier. went there last year. unbelieveable, as far as culture and change goes. my time there wasn’t one that really gave me lots of sexual insight, but I can conclude that it's pretty lgbt tolerant, and I know there’s plenty of guys for hire. it’s definitely an island whose people are oozing with sexuality.

 

 

I remember taking a boat at one point, and the captain and his staff were all joking with me about how we were gonna play with each other later...

 

 

hey - I don’t want to hijack this thread but I do have a question that’s related to this topic. see “East Coast to warmth - but where?” - I just posted it with that title in this forum, if you can help me out.

 

merry christmas to those who celebrate it!

[Guest]

Since people have also mentioned mainland destinations on the Caribbean, we should add Cartagena and Santa Marta in Colombia. Both have well-developed tourism infrastructure. Cartagena is fascinating -- one of the oldest walled cities in the Americas, with picturesque old colonial areas as well as modern beach neighborhoods. There is also gay life there, probably more than in Santa Marta. And there are definitely lots of hot men in coastal Colombia, especially if you like guys of African descent with impressive endowments!

 

I agree that Cartagena is a gorgeous city, perhaps the most gorgeous in the Caribbean. It is also one of the hottest places I've been to, and I've been around. There is a drier season in December-March, but even then the heat is really oppressive.

[JT Brooklyn]

I have visited and have Friends in CR. Beautiful Place but unfortunately 4 days would not be enuff time to enjoy all.

 

But on your next Vacation give this country with some very interesting Ethnic Mixes of Boys a try!