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Travelling to Caribbean
Bamelin
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I was thinking of going to Punta Cana but then I read this story.
Pretty scary stuff.
Do you guys know which Caribbean destinations are "safe"? I've been to Puerto Plata in the DR before and had a blast so I'm wondering if this is "one off" thing. My next trip was going to be Punta Cana but now I'm thinking maybe I should go to Cuba or Jamaica instead.
Full story for those blocked at work:
Pretty scary stuff.
Do you guys know which Caribbean destinations are "safe"? I've been to Puerto Plata in the DR before and had a blast so I'm wondering if this is "one off" thing. My next trip was going to be Punta Cana but now I'm thinking maybe I should go to Cuba or Jamaica instead.
Full story for those blocked at work:
Couple files complaint after ordeal at Dominican resort
Forced to put cash advance on credit card to secure release
Last Updated: Thursday, April 26, 2007 | 10:02 AM NT
CBC News
A vacation in the Dominican Republic turned into a harrowing ordeal for a Labrador couple who found themselves being interrogated in what they assumed was a jail.
Dawn and Andrew Sinnott have filed a statement with police in the Dominican Republic about their ordeal.
(CBC)
Andrew and Dawn Sinnott, a bank manager and a teacher from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, had barely unpacked at a resort called Sunscape The Beach in Punta Cana when they heard a disturbance involving five or six local people near their villa.
"We ignored them … and a few minutes later, they started banging on the door," said Andrew Sinnott, who was then accused of stealing a cellphone belonging to one of them.
The men escorted the Sinnotts — who had flown to the resort to attend the wedding of friends — to the lobby, where the accusations continued, including from a man who said he was a resort employee.
Continue Article
"He threatened that the police would have to be involved, that we were going to be in big trouble, that we had to admit we took the phone," said Andrew Sinnott.
"That's when … we both realized that this was getting out of control, that this was not just a misunderstanding," said Dawn Sinnott, who began yelling for help.
'We both realized that this was getting out of control,' Dawn Sinnott said.
(CBC) "You think you're in big trouble now?" Dawn Sinnott recalls a man identifying himself as an employee telling them. He then told them, she said, "You just disturbed the peace. I'm going to have you arrested.… You're going to prison forever."
Instead of a marked police vehicle, though, a white pickup truck arrived to take the Sinnotts away. They were taken to a building with cells, although they were later told the building is used by tourism security and not the actual police.
The Sinnotts said they were astonished when — at one point during the interrogation — the man who accused them of stealing his cellphone answered a cellphone he was carrying. The man said the cellphone he was using belonged to someone else.
"That's when it stopped being about the cellphone," Dawn Sinnott said.
'If you just give us the money, you can go'
"He said, 'If you just give us the money, you can go,'" Andrew Sinnott said. "I didn't have the [cash] — I didn't even have a room key."
Andrew Sinnott says he was taken back to his hotel room to obtain his credit card for a cash advance.
(CBC) The Sinnotts said they were then separated into different cells. Later, Andrew Sinnott was taken back to his room at the resort — which he said had been searched in the interim — to get his Visa card.
"They took me back up to the lobby, saying, 'Keep your mouth shut, don't say a word, you'll never see your wife again, you'll be in jail forever,'" Sinnott said.
A cash advance of about $1,000 Cdn was put on Sinnott's card. He said the cash was then distributed to three men.
The Sinnotts were reunited and then allowed to return to the hotel. They said that a resort manager told them they would be evicted if they mentioned a word of the ordeal to anyone.
They stayed overnight, but the next day paid about $3,000 for two one-way tickets home.
The Sinnotts have made a statement to local police in the Dominican Republic.
Cash advance requested: resort
Marco Soria, the manager of the Sunscape The Beach resort, told CBC News that a Dominican guest claimed the Canadians had stolen a cellphone and some clothing.
Soria told CBC News that the Sinnotts were intoxicated during the disturbance in the resort lobby. The Sinnotts vehemently deny the allegation.
Soria said the Sinnotts later asked for a cash advance to pay for a cellphone, although he acknowledged that the amount requested was more than double the cost of a new phone in the area.
Soria said if the Sinnotts had problems during their stay, they should contact the local authorities.
Meanwhile, the Sinnotts asked their bank to put a stop on the $1,000 advance on their Visa card.
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If money is no option then I recommend St. Barth's. It's a beautiful French island with great beaches and excellent dining. It's not a heavy populated island plus once you arrive you won't have dozens of locals hassling you take to take their taxi or sell their crap. You'll find that shitty experience on islands like Jamaica and such.
So a budget of around $1800 - $2000 Canadian -- split between 2 people. So far I've found some decent deals on this site ... but most of the destinations are for Cuba or the Dominican Republic.
I know Cuba is pretty awesome, but the food isn't as good as the Dominican Republic.
I'd totally go there if I had the chance to do so legally.
I will say though UK'ers know how to party.
St. Maarten is a good cheap alternative to St. Barth's then.
I might be able to swing St. Maarten's. Are 3 star resorts in St. Maarten's decent? I know in DR and Cuba you have to go at least 4 star or better.
Both of those places are very safe. Cuba ridiculously so, for reasons you can probably imagine.
I've also had great experiences in Belize (check out the island-based hotels), Antigua, and Barbados (although the latter two were as a child, so the experience you're going for might be different
Very decent. It's been years since I visited so I don't remember any hotel names. The experience was more than memorable though. Also, since it's a French island you'll find French items for sale that you cannot find in the States. If you're planning on tanning then use this oil, its the best!!! Don't worry about the price, it's cheaper on St. Maarten.
http://www.beautyhabit.com/product314.html
Crime may occur every where, so do not believe that just because this happened to this couple, it is also going to happen to you.
To be frank with you, the whole incident sounds a little fishy, but it could be true.
Even so, it's disturbing to see something like that happen right on the premises of the hotel ... with a hotel employee involved no less. When I was in Puerto Plata we had to make sure we kept everything locked up ... even brand name clothing ... and again at a 5 star resort the RIU Bachata.
Another couple staying at the same resort as us, the husband had his leather shoes swiped.
If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
And great food. Good Food is critical.
Really they were a bit silly and should of gone straight to the consulate rather than being dragged round in joe blow's truck.
If you are smart you will be fine.
Satans..... hints.....
As Alpha mentioned, it's mostly unpleasant outside the resorts in Jamaica. However, my experience so far (been there twice) is that the food in the resorts is merely passable, so you might want to skip Jamaica unless you stay in a true 5+ star.
Cuba is also nice, although I preferred Grand Cayman. I didn't go to one of the resorts though, I stayed in Havana, which is definitely run down and can feel a little threatening in some areas (not so much from the locals as from the police standing around carrying huge guns - and they never did anything threatening, it's just that it's a shock to turn a corner and come face to face with a blank-faced officer holding a gun). You'll also get people following you around, trying to get you to visit restaurants and pay for their meals, chatting you up so that you buy their stuff, etc, same as any poor country. There are tons of rules to follow - you have to use the tourist currency and you can't exchange it for the local currency with locals, only government restaurants can serve certain foods like lobster, and those restaurants are considerably more expensive (and locals aren't allowed to dine there). The resorts outside the city can be very, very nice, from what I've heard, though.
Alot of the folks over there are recommending my wife and I take a Cruise instead, as great food is pretty much guaranteed, and you get to hit a bunch of different ports.
I've never been on a cruise so this is an attractive option as well, if it's going to cost about the same as a resort stay.