Travel Suggestions for sun and beach?

November 14, 2011 11:37 AM

Your Travel Suggestions Please: Looking for a place for 4 thirtysomethings to go (from Vancouver) for beach, sun, snorkeling, tropical life, that isn't Hawaii but similar, perhaps less developed/commericial, maybe cheaper? Thinking Belize, Panama, etc but little experience. Suggestions?
posted by Cosine to Travel & Transportation (10 answers total)

The Visayas of the Philippines, perhaps? Boracay or Palawan I have not been to Bali, but many folks tend to compare the beaches of the Philippines to Bali pre commercial exploitation (though, Boracay and Palawan definitely have had their share of development in recent years, it still lags more popular Southeast Asian resort areas like Bali or Phuket)
posted by bl1nk at 11:47 AM on November 14, 2011

Response by poster: Sorry, I was thinking a little closer to home, say North or Central America.
posted by Cosine at 11:54 AM on November 14, 2011

Nicaragua!
posted by mareli at 12:16 PM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd recommend San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. It's affordable, tropical, friendly, and still relatively undeveloped, plus there aren't a ton of tourists. (And of the tourists you do meet, most are really cool. In other words, you won't see hordes of loud and/or obnoxious cruise-ship or package travelers; visit now before it gets overdeveloped!)

Especially around San Juan there's a very laid-back expat community, and tons of great places to eat that range from casual beachfront fare to the fanciness of Morgan's Rock. And there's plenty to do, from surfing (there's a semi-legendary local instructor) to kicking back in little coffee shop/bookstores.

And there's lots more to do within driving range, from a boiling volcano to the little colonial city of Granada.

We rented this house, which was awesome, even though the howler monkeys were pretty cacophonous around sunrise.
posted by bassomatic at 12:22 PM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Honduras - Utila or Roatan, with a trip to La Ceiba.
posted by rube goldberg at 12:24 PM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Not sure if you're looking to go this far out, but some possibilities in Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
posted by danceswithlight at 12:48 PM on November 14, 2011

Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic. Flights to the DR are usually cheap from most locales, and it can be very cheap. It's nice to be able to get across the country on a pretty decent bus for the equivalent of about $3.50 US. Also, super-cheap rum.
posted by wierdo at 1:05 PM on November 14, 2011

Panama. My friend has a place on the Pacific side that I visited last year. Still undeveloped out his way at Playa Las Lajas. Very good infrastructure almost everywhere. I've visited this hotel and hung out with one of the owners for drinks a few times. Nice place. Nice beach and a few little resturants and bars up and down the beach. Mostly Europeans and Canadians, not many American tourists.
posted by white_devil at 1:41 PM on November 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

How about Cuba? Lots of sun, beach, offers both luxury resorts with busy nightlife and laid back spa resorts with a small town feel. Cheap mohitos, white sand beaches, little villas full of colonial mansions and cobblestone streets, your Canadian dollar will have strong buying power, and very few American tourists! You can even buy real Cuban cigars and mail them home from the post office.
posted by ceribus peribus at 6:25 PM on November 14, 2011

Cozumel

Great diving. Less crowded -- you can find entire beaches that are deserted for hours. Easy to get too -- just a short flight from Cancun.
posted by Land Ho at 7:32 PM on November 14, 2011