Mittens 2016: Orust, Sweden 30 July - 06 August

[magintz]

I'm interested if it's in Australia.

I can rate Melbourne as a good place

#livesinmelbourne

[Weston_Kaunk]

No idea what finances will be like next year, but I have family in Australia and NZ so this would be about as good a chance for me as it could get ^^

[AGA]

So I've had a look at Grundislav's suggestion of the Caribbean.  Turns out I wouldn't be able to do Australia this year myself, since I will not have earned enough time off from my new job by then.  Australia should definitely be done one of the coming years though.

Since 'Caribbean holiday' basically means luxury, I've looked at the cheapest options.  If we wanted an island, it seems to be Domician Republic, or if island is okay Cancun (Mexico).  Cancun would provide us access to interesting Mayan sights like Chichen Itza, but could also be pretty damn touristy.

Some options for Dominician Republic:

HUGE (32 bed) villa, $1043pw - https://www.vrbo.com/3673349ha
Medium (20 bed) villa, including staff, $2583ow - https://www.vrbo.com/2516
Small (15 bed) villa, $1834pw - https://www.vrbo.com/722383
Tiny (12 beds) villa, $2100pw - https://www.vrbo.com/3768488ha

There are literally thousands of options for large villas on DR though, all of them offering crazy luxury for really quite cheap.  Flights are not quite as cheap, but it's no more expensive than flying to the US, and definitely cheaper than Australia for most of us.

Oh, and I was looking at the first week of September.  Someone mentioned preferring to do Mittens later in the year, and early Autumn might be better for avoiding the deadly tropical heat too.

[Darth Mandarb]

While there is very little chance I'd be able to go this year I can offer up some advice (as I've been to DR a few times and all throughout the rest of the Caribbean).

Punta Cana (DR) is AMAZING.  You will, however, play 5x as much for that amazing-ness.

Santo Domingo (DR) is pretty nice (not as great as Punta Cana) and the prices are much lower.  Flights into Santo Domingo are probably the cheapest you'll find (flying into Puerto Plata is 3x as expensive). It's a very nice and safe (as long as you don't wander out of the Colonial Zone) touristy type place.

Cancun is also a really cool (safe) place.  It is VERY touristy though.  It does have the added benefit of "excursions" you can do since it's not an island.

Some other places I've been that are very nice:

• Roatan, Honduras - this is a small island (maybe not too many side-quests to embark on), but is very nice
• Saint Martin (Sint Maarten) - again, a small island but loaded with things to do
• St. Lucia - I love this place but it is pretty expensive
• Ocho Rios, Jamaica - better than Kingston.  Very touristy but lots of neat things to do (like climbing Dunn's River Falls)
• Belize City, Belize - this place is nice (as long as you stay in the main area) but there are a HUGE amount of "excursions" (including Mayan ruins) available

I can fly into Santo Domingo (DR) for dirt-cheap so if we end up choosing that area I might (big maybe) be able to come in for the weekend.

I'm happy to pay my share for the whole week though if I can make it!

Happy hunting.

[AGA]

Nice to have all that insight!  I'm happy to hunt around and do any organising that's necessary, assuming enough people show an interest to make it viable.

[Disco]

I've been reading up on some Caribbean destinations and have found Puerto Rico and Barbados to sounds rather inviting, though I have been to neither (or any West Indie).

Puerto Rico has plenty of good looking villas that are in the 2-3k range, so a bit more than Dominican Republic, but has better water quality apparently. This place got my attention, and there are many more in the range/quality.

Barbados sounds intriguing, but is a bit more expensive. It has less crime than PR and some of the purest water in the world according to Wikitravel. I would only really consider that if numbers are higher than in the previous few years.

The Dominican Republic and most of Darth's suggestions (with the exception of Jamaica) all seem like good places to spend a week, and flights are looking inexpensive to most places as well. 

[AGA]

I mainly chose DR because it was rated the cheapest Caribbean island to visit on some travel site.  I guess the main decider overall should be accessibility of villa from airport, and relative expense of flying to said airport. The flight cost difference is greater when you take transatlantic connections into account.

[Quintaros]

I'm down for a Caribbean destination as well as long as the dates are right. 

[Disco]

Dominican Republic is said to have an extensive and cheap bus system that goes most places around the country. A lot of the travel sites make out DR to be a dangerous place to drive in general, so avoiding renting would be a positive there. A lot of the villas I found the past few days have listed cars as either recommended or not necessary.

The Puerto Rican properties I found almost all listed a car as necessary. While driving is said to be better (if a little crowded), the cost of rentals would need to be considered while checking properties.

[AGA]

What do Americans think about trying to score visas to visit Cuba?  It's apparently quiite easy...

[MillsJROSS]

I can do the Caribbean. Not sure about Cuba, or rather I'm fairly certain that Cuba is not worth the hassle.

We might want to plan around hurricane season considering the peak times are August\September (hurricane season goes from June through the November).

[Disco]

Not sure about Cuba, or rather I'm fairly certain that Cuba is not worth the hassle.

Agreed.

As much as I would like to visit Cuba someday, I would prefer the path of less resistance.

[AGA]

Using DM's advice, I've tried to find nice, affordable places in a variety of places, for a variety of sizes (around $250 for a week per person, some much cheaper):


Mexico (in / on Caribbean Sea)

Casa Iguana, Akumal, Quintana Roo	12	https://www.vrbo.com/685228	$349
Casa Calypso, Cozumel island, Quintana Roo	16	https://www.vrbo.com/392963	$279

St Maarten (Dutch side)

Beach House, near Phillipsburg	12	https://www.vrbo.com/6604345ha	$285
Villa Caribbean Jewel, near Phillipsburg	13	https://www.vrbo.com/153811	$314

Dominican Republic

Home with Large Private Cave, near Punta Cana	12	https://www.vrbo.com/4133084ha	$300
Gorgeous Three Level Penthouse, Boca Chica, Santo Domingo	12	https://www.vrbo.com/3707320ha	$175
Apartment, Santo Domingo Este, Santo Domingo	16	https://www.vrbo.com/3819341ha	$97

Belize

Stress Free, Hopkins	16	https://www.vrbo.com/793312	$89
Crimson Orchid Inn, Orchid Bay	18	https://www.vrbo.com/453569	$69
Eco Jungle Resor, Middlesex, Stann Creek District	20	https://www.vrbo.com/634115	$75

Saint Lucia

La Gampierre, near Saltibus

12

https://www.vrbo.com/644297

$360

Jamaica

Old Fort Bay Cottage, Ocho Rios

12

https://www.vrbo.com/716115

$400

Honduras

L'Alize, West Bay Beach	12	https://www.vrbo.com/437116	$385
Private Water Front Estate, Caribe Pointe	14	https://www.vrbo.com/346754ha	$340
Ocean View Villas with Pool, West Bay Beach	17	https://www.vrbo.com/98897	$340

[Disco]

I very much enjoy the looks and description of Casa Iguana in Mexico and the Large Private Cave house in Dominican Republic. We have never had a cave on the property before! The situation of the Caribe Pointe house in Honduras looks fantastic as well. Those three properties are the standout ones for me on the list.

My main concern at the moment is the numbers. It is April now, and about half a dozen have chimed in thus far. What's going on, people?!

[Grundislav]

I'm a bit up in the air right now, not sure if I'll be able to afford it currently. But if I can come, I will!

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Wow, I'd love to go but I just can't afford it.  Sounds really rad though, I wish you guys the best!

[Andail]

While an awesome idea, this sounds pretty unlikely for me. I think I'll have to wait for another european mittens, frankly...

[Radiant]

Well, I was asked to comment here. Much as I'd like to return to the Caribbean one day, for the upcoming year any location outside Europe is simply not going to be possible for me.

[AGA]

I very much enjoy the looks and description of Casa Iguana in Mexico and the Large Private Cave house in Dominican Republic. We have never had a cave on the property before! The situation of the Caribe Pointe house in Honduras looks fantastic as well. Those three properties are the standout ones for me on the list.

My main concern at the moment is the numbers. It is April now, and about half a dozen have chimed in thus far. What's going on, people?!

I agree.  I think if we really want a Caribbean island, the cave one seems best.  I am actually more leaning towards Mexico though (house you mentioned), mainly because there'd be more to do.  That place is 1hr from Cancun, and 2hrs from Chichen Itza and other Mayan sites: http://wikitravel.org/en/Mayan_Riviera.  The trouble with Caribbean island holidays is they're usually more about drinking, sleeping and relaxing than most Mittenses are, and Mexico would give us the best of both worlds...  If you look at the actual beds described, it also fits up to 15 people if we share.

I've sent out a PM to all previous Mittens attendees alerting them, and put up a banner.  12 people wouldn't be unusually small (we've had four 12/13 person Mittens), but let's hope we can find that many!

[abstauber]

Hey, as much as I'd like to finally visit the Caribibean (and meet you guys again after ages), I need to wait for an European location as well. Being a parent now, I'm still completely without any spare time.

*keeps fingers pressed for 2017*