Caribbean on a shoestring?

breadmonkey

Is it possible to do any parts of the Caribbean on the cheap? Can anyone give me an idea of a rough daily budget?

Also, I notice that Cuba doesn't seem to be part of the Caribbean but is that doable?

Neamhshuntasach

Cuba is part of the Caribbean. Most Caribbean places are expensive as they are primarily resort destinations. Unless you go to Haiti or the Dominican Republic. All the other islands are quite expensive. As is Cuba but nowhere like Ireland.

You could go to Panama and Colombia and get to see the Caribbean cheap enough.

RATM

Possibly the only way to do the Caribbean on a budget is to hop on someone's yacht. This way your food and accommodation costs are taken care of.

I did this a couple of years back with an Irish couple on this boat http://sailmithril.tripod.com/

We went from Venezuela to the Testigo Islands to St Kitts and Nevis, we then also took in Antigua & Barbuda, Monserrat, Dominica, St.Lucia, and Guadeloupe before heading back to Venezuela. That all took a month and they charged £600 which covered your bed, 3 meals a day, berthing fees and fuel. A bargain in my book. Doing it another way could have easily cost twice the price or even more.

If you look up www.floatplan.com or www.7knots.com you might be able to find similar yachts that pick up backpackers to supplement their lifestyles.

Otherwise Id say buy a tent, and go wild camping on or near beaches. This isnt always allowed in the Caribbean but if you are well hidden you can get away with it. Its then possible to get ferries from many of the islands to other places.

breadmonkey

Thanks for the replies. How much do you reckon we'd be looking at per day in Cuba?

Also, is there anywhere you lads haven't been?!

RATM

Aint been to Kooba:) Yet;)

But from what I hear everyone wants $$$ or whatever the equivalent is of the special tourist currency that operates there.
Its not as cheap as some might think ( for a communist country ). Id say budget for a minimum of 35-45 euro a day,thats staying in small family run pensions and having basic meals 3 times a day with maybe the odd museum entrance fee. Budget for more if you want to scuba dive or have a few beers at night.

Mind you the dollar is taking a hammering against the euro at the moment and as far as Im aware ( I could be wrong, check for yourself ) the tourist currency you have to use in Cuba is pegged to the USD. If thats the case the strong euro will help take the sting out of it.

Theres some good info on Cuba here
http://wikitravel.org/en/Cuba

Neamhshuntasach

For Cuba i wouldn't count on spending less than 30 euro a day. A state run hotel is about 20 euro upwards a night. You'd pay a lot more for a privately run one. Probably around 50 euro a night so avoid them. But the best experience is in the casa de particulares where you live with a family. It gives you a good insight into Cuban life. But if you are planning on going out late a hotel is probably best on those nights as you can't be knocking down the door at 4 in the morning unless it's cool with the owner. Food is relatively cheap enough. You can get good meals for less than a fiver. You can get bottles of beer for less than a euro and rum is really cheap. Traveling around is also pretty cheap enough. While it's not as cheap as some Central or South American countries it is still reasonably affordable.

Tourists are not supposed to use the Cuban Peso, there is a parallel currency called the convertible Cuban Peso. But i have used it and if you find a way to do it you can eat and drink a lot cheaper.

Also use Euro's as changing from Dollars incurs a tax. Also credit card transactions are taxed heavily.

breadmonkey

That's encouraging. It does seem odd that accommodation is so expensive compared to everything else!

Was thinking of spending anywhere between 3 and 6 weeks there. Any recommendations on that front?

Neamhshuntasach

Irish citizens will receive 30 days upon entry. A tourist card should be given to you by the airline before you board or while on the airplane. You can then apply for another 30 days while over there but don't leave it till the last minute. Also make sure you have a return or onward flight as airlines won't sell you a one way ticket to Cuba.

Also forgot to mention that the casa de particulares are around 10-15 a night. You may find cheaper in certain parts of the country.

ciano6

I live in St. Lucia, and you know what, it is possible to do the islands on a bit of a shoe string. That having been said, some of the hotels are $700US a night and more. But in every one of the countries, there are hotels that cater for local people and local guesthouses as well.
If you flew first to Trinidad for example, you could have the most wonderful few days of nature (turtle watching, bird watching etc...). The TT dollar is not too strong so things are really cheap there. And the EC dollar which about 7 of the islands have is linked to the dollar at an official exchange rate. Then you could work your way up to Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica and so on. Each of the islands has something unique and different to offer and there is generally (though not always) a ferry between an island and it neighbour. There is also an airline called Liat which has a good website but can be expensive. There are other smaller carriers too. Most of the islands have incredibly regular minibus services that cost maybe 50 us cent for a half hour ride.
If I was to make a very general price guide for you with prices from Budget to Top End here it goes;
Hotel per night pps $20US - $2,500
Transport for half hour journey on road $.50 - $150
Inter Island ferry $30 - mega yacht
Inter Island single flight $60 - $10,000
Groceries - half to 3/4 the price of Ireland
Restaraunt meal - $2 - $3,000

Its funny that, we often go to beaches and islands, and sit next to someone who's paid thousands and thousands to be there and we've paid maybe $.50
Cian