I am planning on going with my wife on a vacation after tisha bav. i am thinking of going to Aruba, have any of you guys ever been there or to any of the other islands? If you have been to Aruba would you recommend it and if you have been to any other ones which ones would you recommend and why.
YWN Coffee Room » Travel
Best Carribean Island
(48 posts)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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I've never been to Aruba, just Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
I liked the Bahamas over Puerto Rico (found it to be cleaner).
My mother LOVED Bermuda whis is also really close to NY.
I've heard awesome things about the Virgin Islands, Curacao and Barbados. Oh, and Aruba too :-) I think you can't go wrong.
Posted 2 years ago # -
My wife and I went to St. Thomas two years ago and had a wonderful time. It's a beautiful island (and nearby St. John [you can get there by ferry] is absolutely stunning).
We went to a resort where we had our own private swimming pool. Some kosher food is available, but we brought our own meat and a small George Forman grill to supplement the basic staples available.
The Wolf
Posted 2 years ago # -
Thanks! All those islands are supposed to be really nice.
What Aruba is supposed to have over the others is that the weather is dryer and its outside the hurricane belt so you dont have to worry about rain or storms as much, and its a wealthier more tourist freindly island with virtually no crime unlike alot of the other islands which outside of the resort areas are very poor and dangrous to walk around in alone at night.
Posted 2 years ago # -
in my opiion aruba is the cleanest but not much to see so if your vacation is just to lay around then it's your best bet. virgin islands is great and theres lots to see as mentioned theres no kosher on the island just reg supermarket stuff but in terms of proteins u r on your own. aruba does not have a chabad. curacao has a very old shul there but it's more like a museum than a funtioning shul now...good luck.
Posted 2 years ago # -
As long as someone brought up the weather:
We were in St. Thomas in the last week of July and the first week of August. Nonetheless, there were no hurricane warnings. It rained each morning for about half an hour from five to five thirty, and then was beautiful and sunny for the remainder of the day. Warm, dry and nice.
There was also a Chabad House about a ten minute walk down the road from where we were.
I can't speak to the issue of crime by night -- my wife and I are not the "nightlife" types and we were back in our suite swimming in our pool each night. By day, however, there was never I time that I felt threatened, despite carrying around some nice looking camera equipment.
The Wolf
Posted 2 years ago # -
what kind of camera equipment?
Posted 2 years ago # -
mchemtob
We kinda just want to lay around and do water sports (jet skiing, snorkling, scuba diving etc.)did you go scuba diving or snorkling when you were in Aruba? if yes how was it? Also how are the beaches? there compared to the other islands.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Is it really not like that?
Depends on where you go and what you want to do. On St. Thomas (again, only using that because that's the only Carribean island I've been on), the people tend to be conservative. While their dress won't measure up to the Jewish standards of tznius*, you won't find people wearing beach attire except at the beach. The fact that we had our own little villa (with our own private pool) helped quite a bit too.
If anyone has any questions about visiting St. Thomas/St. John that they don't want to ask in public, feel free to drop me an email.
The Wolf
* But then again, you won't find that in New York either.
Posted 2 years ago # -
what kind of camera equipment?
Camera, lenses.
The Wolf
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ames,
Depends were you go. you can rent villas in private areas on most of them.
Posted 2 years ago # -
just curious, one photographer to another as to what equipment you were using.
i use a canon 30D, i too use lenses with it.Posted 2 years ago # -
At the time, I was using an advanced point and shoot (Canon S3 IS) with various "screw on" lens attachments (wide angle, telephoto, etc.). Even so, it wasn't a cheap camera.
I've since moved on to a full fledged SLR (Canon XSi) with four different lenses. Perhaps you'd like to start a photography thread?
The Wolf
Posted 2 years ago # -
Why don't you schedule your trip for Pesach and you can have your pick of any island that exists. In addition, you"ll have throngs of Jews and minyanim and daf yomi and glatt kosher/cholev yisroel and meet all the people you're trying to get away from.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ames I won't even begin to tell u how many FRUM people I've seen on these vacations...
Places where I've gone that I recomend:
*St. John
*St. Thomas
*Aruba
*Puerto Plata
*Puerto Rico
*CancunBeen to others bt these places I recomend
Posted 2 years ago # -
000646 - beaches in aruba are very clean, white sands, and very few natives hanging out near hotels. did not go scuba diving but we did go snorkeling it was really nice the boat takes you out to where theres literally thousands of fish it was really an experience and they have all those other sports but...july/august is the off season there so maybe call ahead to see whats available but at least youll get a better rate on tickets. bw we stayed at the hyatt but if you want a kitchenette look into the marriot
Posted 2 years ago # -
Wolf,
Mixed swimming is assur.
Posted 2 years ago # -
People- Ames comment was a hint. ames worded it very nicely. Others would probably put it more sharply. Read ames comment again and think into it. ames makes the most important point in this thread.
Posted 2 years ago # -
mchemtob,
Thanks for the tips and info.! It seems that just about evreything is available off season its just the prices are better on most things.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Right, chaverim. There are certain places that frum Jews just shouldn't go and there are certain activities (such as mixed swimming, even in private) that one cannot engage in.
Posted 2 years ago # -
nice camera, huge telephoto range.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Chaveirem: I got what ames was trying to point out...but religous people are aloud to get out too. All these islands have PRIVATE places, just because u go there doesn't mean u have to be with people. Be dan lecaf zechut
Posted 2 years ago # -
Moshe, Please point me to a halacha that says "mixed swimming" with your spouse is assur.
So chaverim and mosherose, does that mean we should all avoid anyplace with a warm climate? Israel has plenty of scantily clad people walking around. As does NY. So, lets all move to the Iceland (its beautiful there!) where it never really gets warm enough for people to walk around scantily clad.
Ask your rav and report back.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Why would you think that its permitted. Just because something is with your spouse doesn'tmean its muttar. You cant eat treif with your spouse. You cant be mechallel shabbos with your spouse.
Every frum Jew knows that mixed swimming is completely and utterly assur. I don't know of anyone who make a hetter for a married couple. Why dont you show me where halacha says that its permitted?
Posted 2 years ago # -
mosherose, you must have meant that facetiously. The reason that mixed swimming is assur is because it is kiruv l'arayos. Can you think of a reason why that might not apply to a husband and wife?
Every frum Jew knows that mixed swimming is completely and utterly assur
This knowledge is good. What would be better is if you understood WHY it is assur. If you don't know the 'why' then you'd best not extrapolate.Posted 2 years ago # -
Oh c'mon!
Posted 2 years ago # -
BS"D
There is an exotic island off the coast of Queens called Riker's. However, the pleasures there are really aimed at true yechidei segula - or is it yechidei skila?
Posted 2 years ago # -
MosheRose, I'm going to go with Squeak and assume you were kidding...
Posted 2 years ago # -
Sjs: he wasn't kidding
Posted 2 years ago # -
MosheRose: Unnecesary talk with a married woman is assur. If you’re married, it must be pretty quiet around your house. Hmm...now if only I can convince my wife...where'd you see that halacha again?
Posted 2 years ago # -
cherrybim: I assume you are being sarcastic. The Mishna you alluded to in fact specifies that unnecessary talk includes your wife.
Posted 2 years ago # -
"Al Tarbeh Sicha im haIsha"
"B'Ishto omeres, kal v'chomer b'eishes chavero"
That should convince your wife. ;)
Posted 2 years ago # -
chaverim: What would have been the best example showing how silly mosherose's statement was, would probably not have passed the CR censors...kol hamavin yavin.
Posted 2 years ago # -
kilobear- very good. But revise that to yechidei skilla (double "l" for more meaning ;))
PS- above argument is more of a "s'poss nisht" kinda thing (IMHO) then halacha
Posted 2 years ago # -
Just to take this train-wreck back to it's original point...
If you truly have concerns about the native dress of places in the Carribean, then, by all means, contact your LOR. However, as I mentioned above, in the Virgin Islands (at least on St. Thomas and St. John) the dress there (away from the beaches) was no worse (and possibly better) than you would find in New York City in the summer.
The Wolf
Posted 2 years ago # -
The Wolf-Where did you rent the villa ? What was called ?
thanksPosted 2 years ago # -
The name of the place is Pavilions and Pools on St. Thomas. It's not a five-star accommodation, but it offers privacy and our own decent size pool.
The Wolf
Posted 2 years ago # -
My parents rented a stunning very private villa for a few nights they loved it but what's your price range per night?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Oh and forgot to mention it was in St. Thomas
Posted 2 years ago # -
"The reason that mixed swimming is assur is because it is kiruv l'arayos."
Do you know that thats the reason? Or maybe its assur because its among the things one should not do. Just to repeat the point, just because its with your wife doesnt mean that its permitted-there are plenty of things that are forbidden even with your wife.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Maybe you should find out the reason then and get back to us, instead of hocking and sounding like an ignoramus.
Posted 2 years ago # -
This thread was started 3 months ago by 000646 wanting advice on where to go in the Carribbean.Could you let all us curious folks know where you ended up going,and if you'd reccomend it to us or not?
Posted 2 years ago # -
We haven't heard from him since, so presumably he is living at large there.
Posted 2 years ago # -
...or he's living it large there
Big difference
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm not sure which one is the case with him.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Went to aruba had a blast would highly recomend
Posted 2 years ago # -
Who blasted you?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Nice! Anyone ever been on one of the kosher cruises?
Posted 2 years ago #
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