Caribbean For Dummies (Dummies Travel)

• The most popular islands: Aruba, Barbados, The British Virgin Islands, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Sint Maarten/St. Martin, and The U.S. Virgin Islands
• Handling your money, including the currency used on each island and tipping recommendations
• All sorts of accommodations, ranging from a Palladian-style mansion to two-story rondavels designed like Tiki huts on stilts and from a plantation-style retreat to rustic villas
• The best beaches, including Palm Beach on Aruba, Gold Coast on Barbados
• Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman, Luquillo Beach on Puerto Rico, and more
• Intriguing ideas for active vacations, including exploring the cunucu by Jeep in Aruba, windsurfing in Barbados, scaling Jamaica’s highest peaks, hiking in a Puerto Rican rainforest, and more
• Great scuba diving, including wreck diving in Aruba and the British Virgin Islands, the famous Cayman Wall, and more
• Great golf courses, including some designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Robert Trent Jones, Jr., and Tom Fazio
• Where to shop for everything from European china, jewelry, perfumes, and linens to flavored rums, Jamaican coffees, and Puerto Rican carnival masks

Like every For Dummies travel guide, Caribbean For Dummies, 4^th Edition includes:

• Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
• What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip
• The best hotels and restaurants for every budget
• Handy Post-it Flags to mark your favorite pages

Fantastic fishing. Incredible snorkeling. Great tennis facilities. Incomparable sailing and windsurfing. Casinos, shows, and discos. Intriguing cuisine, including Nuevo Latino, West Indian, and French plus local fare like cod fritters, conch, and all kinds of seafood concoctions. Beautiful scenery ranging from sandy beaches to jungle-like forests.

Sample all the Caribbean has to offer in this friendly guide and then plan your trip and dig in.

Aruba is in, but not Bonaire or Curacao. Nor St Maarten to round off the Netherlands and Dutch Antilles, plus its French half St Martin.

Grand Cayman yes - Cayman Brac and Little Cayman? These beauties are a short hop away for the discerning traveler.

Jamaica is in, but not Cuba.

Puerto Rico is there but not the Dominican Republic or the Spanish Virgin Islands. In better times Haiti can be an attractive destination.

BVI and USVI are there. No sign of Anguilla.

Further down the great chain of the East Caribbean islands all we see is Barbados (which is stuck out in the Atlantic anyway and does not count itself as East Caribbean). These islands are almost all popular holiday destinations for land or cruise travelers. St Kitts and Nevis (laid back), Antigua and Barbuda (365 beaches), the French islands Guadeloupe and Martinique (incomparable cooking and rum), Dominica (the only true rain forest in the Caribbean), St Lucia (spectacular), St Vincent and the Grenadines (sailing as good as BVI), Grenada (an under-appreciated gem with beaches every bit as good as Grand Cayman), Trinidad and Tobago (restful Tobago). No to mention a few islands like St Eustatius and Saba in the north, plus volcanic Montserrat for at least for a day trip from Antigua.

Anyone who relied on this book for a true view of the Caribbean really would be a Dummy. There is not one country in here that uses the East Caribbean dollar.

PS I live and work in the Caribbean. I have lived on four islands, visited thirty-six at the last count, and I am still delighted and amazed to find wonders round every corner.


incomplete   August 1, 2003
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

The review says that the book includes information on St. Lucia and St. Maarten/St. Martin. It does not. It totally ignores most of the smaller islands of the Caribbean. I realize that they could not fit an in-depth analysis of all the Caribbean islands into one book, but to totally ignore the vast majority of islands makes this book incomplete and disappointing.


Excellent and Current!   May 2, 2001
R. S. O'Brien (Atlanta, GA United States)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book is great. It has so much information about the caribbean. These Garrett folks are hilarious. They seem to put their heart into this book and I appreciate it. There is a lot of info for couples looking for romantic spots and for families with kids. This rocks!


Excellent and Current!   May 2, 2001
R. S. O'Brien (Atlanta, GA United States)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

This book is great. It has so much information about the caribbean. These Garrett folks are hilarious. They seem to put their heart into this book and I appreciate it. There is a lot of info for couples looking for romantic spots and for families with kids.