South American Vacation

[ChuckaZulu]

After 18 years of marriage, my wife and I are stumped on planning this summer's vacation. I'd like to go to the UK, but the $ is worthless there. We've considered maybe South America, but I'm concerned about safety, etc. We have an 11 y/o daughter and 13 y/o son. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Chuck.

[WS-G]

My most recent South American experience (Argentina) is 12 years out of date, however I'm sure you'd find that country "safer" than a lot of US venues even today. Now cost, OTOH, is a different issue. While I could dine quite well for remarkably little (superb steak, very cheap!), I found the place just as pricey as the US in most other respects.

[RGR.Montcalm]

have you considered Roatan island in Honduras?

The $ is worth a lot there(about 18 Lempiras to the $) and the people on Roatan speak English; its a former part of British Honduras.

The diving is second only to the Great Barrier Reef; its the second largest living reef in the world there. if you get bored, its because you're asleep at the wheel...

If you're not SCUBA qualified, you can get a package deal to get qualified. They have 'swimming with the dolphins' for the kids too. Great food and Continental flies there directly from Houston.

[ChuckaZulu]

Sounds great guy's, thanks. I'll research them both.

[RipperTOW]

Do you speak Spanish? Do your kids?

If so I recommend Colombia. Cartagena in particular, but Medellin, Armenia, or Bucarramanga are good alternatives. Let me know if you want more info.

[ChuckaZulu]

My wife is Italian. She speaks Italian, Spanish, and French. I have no excuse and barely speak English with my Boston accent. I googled Cartagena and it looks great. I'll show my wife the thread tonight. Thanks.

[SOTB]

I have no experience with Colombia, but lots of guys tell me that it is not only gorgeous, but a great place to vacation at.

I will tell you that Belize is WAY over-rated, and to get there you have to physically pass all of the infrastructure that Mexico has to offer -- I don't get that at all.

Rather than Belize, I agree that you should go with the Honduras option -- or Mexico.

I have been to Argentina and Panama recently, and found Panama not to be somewhere I would take my family -- because of it being boring. Argentina was gorgeous, but I agree that it can be pricey -- it sure as hell will cost a fortune to fly there....

[mcjon77]

I'm a fan of Costa Rica. If you like Eco-tours and nature, Costa Rica is great. Volcanos, rain forests, cloud forests, ATV rides through the jungle, really a wonderful trip. Also, it isn't as expensive to go in the summer because it is the low season for them. Lots of people speak at least some English so you'll have no problem getting around.

[sierraseven]

Why do people wanta go to tropical places? Too hot and humid, the locals fomenting revolutions and stuff, ya catch parasites and foot fungus, the mosquitos carry encephalitis.

Come to Alaska. Only thing the mosquitos carry here is they carry off small mammals.

S7

[grog18b]

Only thing the mosquitoes carry here is they carry off small mammals.

S7

When it's foggy, they have to get clearance to land...

[brcannon]

Just got back from a few days in La Ceiba, Honduras which is on the coast near Roatan. If you don't speak a little spanish I would suggest learn or have someone that does. I'm planning on going back for a few weeks in the summer as of now. It's not as cheap as I thought it would be, but its still cheap. The Lempira is 19.6-$1 but the best rate you'll get it is 18.5 in the hotels. Not a bad place at all to me, but I'm single and had a local to help me. Theres white water rafting, you can climb Pico Bonito and go on cloud forest tours, take a boat to Roatan, and some other things I can't think of right now. Anyway, good luck with your vacation.

[ChuckaZulu]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the feedback.

[sigma1]

Why not the Caribbeans?
The Dominican Republic has some amazing resorts.
Punta Cana: Beautiful but expensive,
Las Terrenas, a french resort town on the north coast of the island. My family is there vacationing at the moment. Beautifull beaches, diving, kite surfing, everybody rides around town on quads.
Puerto Plata.
Tickets are not expensive.
Let me know if you need any info.

[Purple36]

So if the Honduras is such a great spot why does the military restrict travel there?

[SOTB]

So if the Honduras is such a great spot why does the military restrict travel there?M,

Maybe the places that the military hangs out are located near conflict zones -- you know better than I. I will state that I've been to Honduras with people of fantastic wealth and I never saw an abnormal threat.

Much better diving than Belize, too....

[ChuckaZulu]

Why not the Caribbeans?
The Dominican Republic has some amazing resorts.
Punta Cana: Beautiful but expensive,
Las Terrenas, a french resort town on the north coast of the island. My family is there vacationing at the moment. Beautifull beaches, diving, kite surfing, everybody rides around town on quads.
Puerto Plata.
Tickets are not expensive.
Let me know if you need any info.

Which airport would I use for Las Terrenas? Too many choices using Kayak, lol. I checked airfare from BOS to AZR and the prices are very reasonable. Thanks.

[Saw7616]

M,

Much better diving than Belize, too....

Where did you Dive SOB? I've been to Belize many times and stayed on San Pedro. I get away from the Main land as soon as possible the boat rides to the reef are too long from the main land.

San Pedro is a nice quiet island but not posh and luxurous by any means... I went for the dive not for the Resort atmosphere.

Nice finger reefs with short boat rides (2-3 mins surface intervals with lunch on the peer).

All day dives trips near the blue hole... All outter Atols are nice (the Hole isn't the best site in the world but worth going once)

The Hol Chan Marine Park was a nice dive and a great night dive. It's protected with a lot of marine life. Huge Blue Wrasses and parrot fish.. We've gotten several nice shots of Octupus and others on these dives.

I've also been to Roatan (nice good prices nice people) and Turks and Caicos (expensive but it was on a live aboard) both worth repeating.

St. Lucia is great this time of year with great deals at Sandal's Resorts. The Dive masters are a bit contorolling but after competance is shown they leave you alone. 2 shades of HOT but after a nice dive the heat felt good...

HTH

I really want to get over to Trukk Lagoon for extended range WWII ship wrecks... That's my dream

[Brandinho]

Brazil and the beaches, if your kids are into that sort of thing. Rio is obviously the first choice, and the beaches there are extremely safe. There are several cops every few feet because they don't want to lose the tourism. But also look up north to Recife and Salvador. Your kids may even dig hitting the first few miles of the Amazon on a tour, which can be accessed through Manaus.

[HighDragLowSpeed]

Sorry for the late "jump in" here

I live and travel throughout South and Central America. Picking the right place for a vacation depends more on how you define a "vacation" than anything else - for some, it's resort style but for others, it's the local place without other tourists,

If you like first class hawaii style resort vacations, then look into just about anywhere in Mexico or Costa Rica. I'll also specifically add in Punta Del Este (Uruguay). All of these locations have US style resorts that will meet anyone's requirements.

The second tier in my opinion would be Panama, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina. If you haven't been to Panama in the past 3 years, hotel prices have skyrocketed along with occupancy rates. Long gone are the days of walking up to the reception desk of the El Panama and getting a room. The interior of Panama still has some beaches that have not been built and large scale hotel development projects are really just starting on the Atlantic side.

Though Brazil and Argentina have a number of first class resorts, the majority of lodging options are European style hotels with smallish rooms. Street crime is your major worry in either of these two areas.

Buenos Aires has its own challenges with crime at the airports and generally getting ripped off by taxi drivers from the airport. My advice is to be particularly vigilant of your things while at the airport and only contract taxi services from the kiosks located inside the actual terminal - you'll pay there before actually getting in the taxi. Even though its a good 40 minute taxi ride to the city from the airport - it shouldnt cost you more than 60-80 argentinian pesos (about $20 to $25).

I've found that Expedia works best for finding and reserving rooms in the above locations with the singular exception of Priceline for hotels in Bogota - I recently found a great suite on Priceline with Kitchen for $60/night two blocks from a great bar/restaurant district in Bogota.

There are a number of interesting vacation opportunities within Latin America outside of the above areas including San Juan Del Sur (Nicaragua), Roatan(Honduras), Salinas (Ecuador), Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Peru, Belize, Antigua (Guatemala) and even the resort with the world's largest swimming pool in Chile which is large enough to sail on. However, your family may not have such a great time at these if they aren't willing to put up with some degree of adventure and some lacking surrounding infrastructure.

Although I had a great time in the southern part of Belize around Monkey River Town, I second the opinion that Belize is overrated - especially for single guys that dont bring their own talent. Anyone that has had the pleasure of knowing Raul's Rose Garden in Belize knows what I mean. :)

There may be other opinions but, right now, the areas that I would not recommend for a family vacation in Latin America are: (these are just from my observations and reflect my own risk threshold if I were with family)

- anywhere in Venezuela (even Margarita Island)
- outside of the major cities that can be reached by direct international flights into Colombia from the US or that require significant ground travel within Colombia
- Belize City, Belize
- Limon, Costa Rica (stick to the Pacific side)
- Riding around in a rental car in the Achicachi area of Bolivia around Lake Titicaca (tours that include Hotel Titicaca are highly recommended though)

I was in Quito a few months ago and the crime level was noticibly higher than in the 90s (we had a number of guests robbed right outside of the Hotel Colon throughout my trip) so I'm neutral on Quito.

Hopefully that helps...

[WS-G]

Argentina was gorgeous, but I agree that it can be pricey -- it sure as hell will cost a fortune to fly there....
Speaking of flying there, I had a nice visit to Edificio Condor to get my US pilot certificate validated for privileges in-country on locally registered aircraft. Civil aviation there is regulated entirely by the Fuerza Aerea Argentina, and all matters pertaining to local licensing and/or validation of foreign credentials require one or more visits there in person (unthinkable in the US --- so far!). Not sure whether this has changed since then; this was 1996.

Getting in and out of the building was fairly trouble free: security measures were effective and sensible, yet quite devoid of the "third degree" shakedowns those TSA buffoons foist upon everyone in this country. Getting a straight answer from anyone about much of anything was a different matter, however!

[cj]

Do you speak Spanish? Do your kids?

If so I recommend Colombia. Cartagena in particular, but Medellin, Armenia, or Bucarramanga are good alternatives. Let me know if you want more info.

I've been to all those places, often, and also recommend Santa Marta and of course Bogota. Travel by air between the cities, purchase an airpass from Avianca, don't drive. Driving can be dangerous and will take too much time. Otherwise, I highly recommend Colombia for vacation, incredible country and vey few tourist, relatively speaking! If going, pm me and I can give very specfic information on recommendations.

[Tracy]

Colombia:

FARC = Narcoterrorists.

Three American Hostages: Gonsalvez, Stansell and Howe. Five years and counting.

FARC Leadership is dying off rapidly.

Do you really want to take a family there?

If you do Honduras, check on the repairs to the infrastructure after the Cat IV Hurricane that hit the north coast last year.

[SF_BHT]

Colombia:

FARC = Narcoterrorists.

Three American Hostages: Gonsalvez, Stansell and Howe. Five years and counting.

FARC Leadership is dying off rapidly.

Do you really want to take a family there?

If you do Honduras, check on the repairs to the infrastructure after the Cat IV Hurricane that hit the north coast last year.

If you go to the places that Tourist Go it is OK. It is usually more safe than going to some US Cities (LA/Atlanta/DC) Lower personal crime and usually lower murder rate.

Yes you are right about the FARC and our boys being held.

You always have to think of family safety but my kids go there a lot with me and I do not think twice about it. The difference is SA. Just like in the US if you have little or no SA you will get nabbed. It is a beautiful place....

[tjf18d]

I'm a fan of Costa Rica. If you like Eco-tours and nature, Costa Rica is great. Volcanos, rain forests, cloud forests, ATV rides through the jungle, really a wonderful trip. Also, it isn't as expensive to go in the summer because it is the low season for them. Lots of people speak at least some English so you'll have no problem getting around.

I have to agree with mcjon. Costa Rica Pacific side is a wonderful experience for yourself and your family. Fabulous fishing, canopy tours, black beaches, scuba diving, sailing, and not to mention the Coffee rocks. There is a lot of european influence at the moment. Southern Argentina is wonderful but if you are looking at least expensive I would have to say Costa Rica.

[HighDragLowSpeed]

I usually find an inverse relationship between number of gringos and prices.

In my experience, Costa Rica might be cheap compared to california or if you want to live like a backpacker. If you are from Middle America and bring the kids, prices for family activities, rental cars, and lodging is likely par or a bit higher (particularly for lodging and a rental car). Food is cheaper especially once you leave San Jose, the capital.

Real estate in Costa Rica is a whole 'nother level of high prices. :)

[rubicon]

Did a medical mission trip last July to Ecuador. Flew into Quito and then traveled west to San Lorenzo up near the Colombian border. Would not recommend either area for a vacation. Risk in San Lorenzo high due to Colombians seeking to kidnap anything that moves for a ransom and Quito really had nothing to offer regarding a "vacation" type experience. Did have some friends that flew into Quito and then over to Galapagos though. Diving was awesome but the trip was heavy on the bank account!

Good Luck.

Rubicon

[ChuckaZulu]

We booked our trip at the Riveria Mya in Mexico. My wife was a bit turned off by the Dominican, oh well. Thanks everyone for your feedback and suggestions.

[cj]

Colombia:

FARC = Narcoterrorists.

Three American Hostages: Gonsalvez, Stansell and Howe. Five years and counting.

FARC Leadership is dying off rapidly.

Do you really want to take a family there?
.

Percentages of running into FARC in any of the cities I mentioned is very slim, just about zero. Yes, I've taken my girls, both under the age of 5, to Bogota, Medellin and Bucaramanga. I'll be there in December for a couple of weeks with the family. As SF_BHT stated, it's about SA, using common sense and doing your home work up front. I suspect folks do the same while traveling here in the US.

[The PFC]

So if the Honduras is such a great spot why does the military restrict travel there?

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but...I left Honduras in April of this year, and when I left there wasn't much in the way of places that were restricted to military areas. The only geographical areas that were off limits were places that were high crime areas, which remarkably enough were areas you wouldnt have any reason or want to be in anyways. The only city, if you can call it a city, that was off limits was Comayaguela, but, again, not many reasons why you would want to be there anyways. If anyone is looking for a great cheap vacation I would highly recommend Honduras.