another Island for standby flight on delta suggestions??

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CBama
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Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 8:14 am
Location: Alabama

another Island for standby flight on delta suggestions??

Post by CBama »

I had posted questions about flying standby on Delta to Belize...but not stuck on that island...

Does anyone have any suggestions for Graduation trip other than St John?
budget trip for Dad and 18 yr old

desires:
more than one flight a day preferable flying standby ( we have free standby ticket and will purchase one more)
beaches similar to St John
snorkeling
Hiking
waterfall
fishing
surfing
beach bars to chill
nice extras..caves, ziplines

I thought about flight to San Juan(5 per day) but not sure if the beaches will be up to St John standards. thought several days in Puerto Rico and then ferry to Vieques.

could fly to St Thomas and then ferry to BVI's

these islands only have 1 flight per day: Grand Cayman, Turks and Caicos, Belize,
Aruba seems too commercialized. I know nothing about Nevis, St Kitts, Antigua, Anguilla
I prefer to avoid Mexico, (we have been to Cozumel) and Jamaica. He wants an island they are free to travel around and explore.

any suggestions??
equineannie
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Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 2:24 pm
Location: Florida

Re: another Island for standby flight on delta suggestions??

Post by equineannie »

Dominica. It is a bit of a flight to get there, but it is: pristine, quite, lovely beaches, great snorkeling & diving, rain forest interior, not at all a tourist haven, safe, great people.....if Delta doesn't get you there, I would consider the outer islands of Puerto Rico, especially Culebra. It, & Vieques, are a short plane hop or ferry from Puerto Rico. They are quiet, great beaches and water.
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CBama
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Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 8:14 am
Location: Alabama

Re: another Island for standby flight on delta suggestions??

Post by CBama »

thanks..I don't see any flights to Dominica... (might I will research that for another trip when we buy tickets)

I agree Puerto Rico has everything he is asking for...but he didn't think the beaches were as pretty...but maybe we could combine a hop over to Culebra or Vieques for a few days.

may just have to stick with St John again....no research involved there....
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alw1977
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Re: another Island for standby flight on delta suggestions??

Post by alw1977 »

CBama - you have a tall order, especially if you are sticking to Delta and more than one flight per day. I am pretty sure your only runners are STT, AUA and SJU.

I went to Belize last summer - would NEVER go back. We went to Ambergris Caye. Beaches sucked, snorkeling good but I wasn't wowed. Ziplines nowhere near as good as Costa Rica.

Now Costa Rica... the beaches aren't quite up to STJ standards, but the Manuel Antonio area would get you close. Fly into San Jose (SJO), rent a car to drive to Arenal. See the live volcano (if it still is), hike to waterfalls, dip in hot springs. Then, return your rental car and hop a small plane to Quepos and spend a few days on the beach in Manuel Antonio. Fishing is great there. Ziplines - more than you could count.

I could second Dominica - you'd fly from SJU but would pay out of pocket for that ticket on LIAT or Am Eagle.

What about St. Lucia? I think it has almost everything you want and Delta does fly there daily.
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CBama
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Location: Alabama

Re: another Island for standby flight on delta suggestions??

Post by CBama »

thanks for the reply ALW

we only had access to standby tickets on Delta....

I am keeping your info on Costa Rica for another year! I was overwhelmed trying to decide which are to fly to or stay at....so much bigger than St John....(and truthfully I am afraid no island will match what we loved on St John)

my Son saw some videos of kiteboarding and decided he wanted to try that. So off on another direction...we looked at BVI's (Bitter End Yacht Club for lessons) Puerto Rico, and St Croix (kitestcroix)

we finally picked St Croix (hoping we aren't disappointed in their beaches and snorkeling) He would have decided to just go back to St John if not for the kiteboarding.. winds are not as good in the summer, but Bill @ KiteStCroix said they would go out the days that we had winds during our stay. He has a beginner package to get the boys started. I found out the ST Croix forum on this site is not near as active as St John or the Off Topic.

and we finally gave up on the buddy passes...5 flights to San Juan per day...but if we arrived late in day would have to pay way more for Cape Air flight to STX...or overnight stay...so I checked and for about 50-60 more we can buy tickets on American from Birmingham (much less hassle, and equal distance from our house to ATL) to Miami to St Croix....don't have to worry about getting on the plane (well we will have tickets anyway) and I can book villa/condo ahead of time.

now I am coorrdinating dates for flight, villa, lessons....waiting on daughter's summer schedule...and will look for trip ins because we may not travel till first week in August....

I was pleasantly surprised at the costs of condos and villa on St Croix...
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