Dreaming of a tropical vacation

amother

Ginger

Tue, Jul 23 2019, 12:28 pm

Pensacola also has a chabad nearby. On gulf coast area there are lots of chabad houses. some of them deliver pre cooked meals. depends which area. Op I stayed by a friend so that wouldnt help you. I dont know anything about hotels in the area. but there are def lots of hotels I must have driven by a thousand.

tichellady

Tue, Jul 23 2019, 12:36 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I really appreciate all who replied. I will look into many of these options perhaps for other times.

For right now, I'm putting forth a challenge to all you seasoned travelers to find a place that fits ALL of this criteria

Tropical clear beautiful beaches
Kosher food available
United states territory

Any ideas? Including where you stayed and ate is extra helpful! Thanks!

Maui- you will not be able to find a private beach so if that’s important to you, then ignore this. There is a kosher chef on Maui now ( it’s expensive but he could cater all meals for you)

dancingqueen

Tue, Jul 23 2019, 1:27 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Miami might be your best bet for all 3 categories. Puerto Rico didn’t have gorgeous beaches when I was there. Cozumel has a kosher restaurant but has a level 2 travel advisory if that bothers you.

You can also consider a kosher cruise.

doctorima

Wed, Jul 24 2019, 12:43 pm

Here's a list of Caribbean locations with Chabads. You can click on any one you're interested in to look into their catering options.

https://www.chabad.org/centers.....n.htm

We went to the most stunning place in the Caribbean, rented an amazing villa with private pool, 2 minute walk to the most amazing beach I've ever seen, which was usually deserted. We felt totally safe, but technically not under US jurisdiction. Also we brought our own food. If you expand your parameters and want more info OP, feel free to PM me for details.

amother

Ginger

Fri, Aug 02 2019, 1:39 am

nchr wrote:

Have you been to Sandy Hook? The sand is beautiful. Some people also like Montauk, especially the rocky beaches.

so as per your suggestion I went to sandy hook beach. It is indeed beautiful, but the sand- well it was super coarse and gritty. I think its because Im comparing it to the pure white sand of gulf coast florida. It felt like soft white flour. But without the comparison then yes it was nice enough. Lots of gorgeous smooth stones. The beach itself was stunning and clean and very quiet not crowded at all. You can definitely go and find a secluded spot that is out of eye sight of other tourists. and after 5 it is emptier and parking is free.
Thanks for the suggestion we had a great time.

amother

Fri, Aug 02 2019, 8:51 am

amother [ Ginger ] wrote:

amother [ Ginger ] wrote:
I'm like you. Dreaming of exotic sparkling beaches with light colored blue waters and white sand. I hate the steel gray waters of new Jersey and the gritty ugly sand.

I'm also dreaming of the pink sand beaches in Bermuda. .it's a dream of mine. I can't wait to make it a reality. But no kosher food afaik.

I went to the gulf Coast of Florida and loved it. Not miami. Gulf Coast near clearwater/ st Pete area had light sea green water that was crystal clear. And pure white sand that felt like flour..

so as per your suggestion I went to sandy hook beach. It is indeed beautiful, but the sand- well it was super coarse and gritty. I think its because Im comparing it to the pure white sand of gulf coast florida. It felt like soft white flour. But without the comparison then yes it was nice enough. Lots of gorgeous smooth stones. The beach itself was stunning and clean and very quiet not crowded at all. You can definitely go and find a secluded spot that is out of eye sight of other tourists. and after 5 it is emptier and parking is free.
Thanks for the suggestion we had a great time.

Thanks for the follow up! I really appreciate it as a local option!

amother

Fri, Aug 02 2019, 8:57 am

doctorima wrote:

This sounds awesome! I'm working up the courage to pm you because this really is not something we do. It's one of those dreams that is ki d of "outside the realm of who we are" (don't know if I'm expressing that correctly). I know you said it is technically not under US rule, but is it under a safe, stable government? Also, part of the reason I ask about kosher food around is because that would mean that they have seen Jews. We are both very heimish looking (dh will wear a cap and t shirt but still has a beard....) and I dislike the feeling of people looking at us like aliens. I've found that in places where we travlled that had even a small number of Jews, they didn't look at us that way.

jellybelly94

Fri, Aug 02 2019, 9:10 am

Went to cancun it was gorgeous.. stayed in hyatt ziva ate at ember, dag dag, and I forgot the name of the other places all very decent kosher food for a vacay and nice to hv Alot of options. Not scary at all...stay in hotel tourist zone very safe...walk around w husband...super humid in summer n mite also b same in winter im not sure but still had a heaven time going in beach pools most of day!!! Yummm! Id highly recommend it to you. The water is stunning and sand is pure white ahhh!

doctorima

Sun, Aug 04 2019, 12:44 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I totally get you. Our trip was also outside the realm of who we are (I like how you worded that), and not something I ever would have realistically thought could happen. But DH sprung it on me one day just before booking, and when he showed me the pictures, there was no way I was saying no, and B"H I didn't!!

We also look clearly Jewish even when traveling, and had no issues there whatsoever. There's no minyan or kosher restaurant, but we met another frum couple in the airport there, and I've recommended it to others, who've enjoyed it and never experienced any problems. Obviously every place can have horror stories, and I certainly wouldn't recommend visiting the Dominican Republic right now, but with some basic common sense that we'd also use anywhere in the US, we felt completely safe the entire time.

Looking forward to your PM Smile