3 months in the Caribbean - Where to base ourselves?

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glamourpuss

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I'm a Fish!
A year and a half ago, my boyfriend and I quit our full time jobs to go freelance (IT industry) and travel the world. Since then we've been bouncing around spending 3-6 months in various locations. (The Philippines, Thailand, Bali, Malaysia, and most recently Costa Rica). We're planning to head to Honduras next (and possibly a bit in Belize), but after that we're not sure where we should go.

We haven't really considered the Caribbean, until now, due to it's perceived high costs, but since we're not sure where to go next, I thought I'd do a bit of research, and see what kind of costs we're really talking about.

The problem is I don't know where to start. There are lots of possibilities from Bermuda, to the Caymans, to Bonaire and Curacao, I can't decide where to start looking.

We'd like to spend 3 months somewhere, and rent a furnished apartment/house. We like to cook at home to keep costs down, so being close to a grocery store is ideal. We like small town island life, but need a few good bars and restaurants to keep us entertained.

The most important thing however is that we need a decent reliable internet connection, and can't rely on cafes and restaurants. They're a good backup, but we work a minimum of 6 hours a day 5 days a week, and can't be sitting in a cafe everyday. I know the islands have frequent power outages (much like everywhere we've been it seems) but we can deal with that, as long as we're not talking days and weeks at a time.

Budget wise, we'd be willing to pay up to $900-$1000/month in rent, (utilities included) and another $1500 for food, booze and activities. Diving would probably have to be additional, but if we could get in a dive or 2 a week in that budget, that would be great.

I know this is kind of a broad question, but I'm just wondering if this is realistic in the Caribbean, and if so where should we begin our search?

Thanks!
 
My girlfriend and I moved to St. Martin a couple months ago and we're planning to be here for a year. It should meet your budgetary and lifestyle needs and it is easy to go to the nearby islands, like Saba, Statia, Anguilla, etc. Message me if you want more info, or check out the blog on our web site to see what we've been up to:

Les Fruits de Mer - Extreme Shallow Snorkeling Team

My girlfriend is a freelance copywriter, so it sounds like we are in a similar situation to you guys.
 
If you are thinking Belize then go a little North after that into Mexico. Cozumel has awesome diving and great island life. Then you could take time to hit the mainland from Puerto Morelos down to the Belize border and all along the way. Also you can't miss the cenotes on the mainland by Puerto Aventuras.
 
I agree with Cozumel. The island is very relaxed, the diving is very good, and the cost of living is very reasonable. If you want info on rental costs contact Linda Legault at luisc@cozumel.net
Linda works with a local dive operator and also handles rentals in Cozumel. We've been to Coz 4 times and always used Linda and Luis as our dive operator.

Regards,

Bill
 
Well the Turks & Cacios, Bermuda and the Caymans will be too expensive.

Bonaire would be good and you could do trips over to Curacao and Aruba.

St Marteen would be good with trips to surrounding islands - but I don't know about the cost there.

Another option may be Grenada - I have not been but most posters here speak favorably of the experience.
 
I know Aruba does not have frequent power outages. I believe Curacao and Bonaire don't suffer frequent power outages often either.
 
You can get a nice 2 bdrm apartment in the area I live (south coast of Dominican Republic) for 700/month + power (50 - 100/month depending how much you would use it), 5 minutes walk form the beach. Steady power, we get it from a private company that supplies the resorts in our area. The internet is not as fast as in USA or Canada (sometimes I miss my shaw cable connection - originally from Vancouver as well). We might have few day in a month when the connection is slow, other then that is OK. We watched the Olympics opening ceremony online, so you see it's not that bad.
If you need more info, send me a message
 
Ever considered Jamaica?

Third world but surprisingly cosmopolitan with a diverse collection of nationalities and their cuisine. Blackberry, 3g, broadband, cable are all available. Vibrant people with varied topography - mountains, cities, jungle and beaches. Then, if you like reggae......Finally, Florida is a hop, skip, and jump away. Jamaica was voted one of the top ten destinations for top side activities.

Cons: A car is pretty much compulsory as public transport is not recommended.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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