CARIBBEAN, Central & South America
KEY:
No Asterisks (If you can't find anything else, it's there and okay unless otherwise noted)
*Recommended
**Highly Recommended
OBB--Out of Business, but I leave it listed for history's sake
CARRIBBEAN
SINT MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN (2015, 2016, 2023, 2024, 2025)
**OYSTER POND/DAWN BEACH -- great location at the French border, just inside the Dutch side, but away from the hustle-bustle of Phillipsburg (the whole island is only about 34 sq miles, so you're really never too far away from anywhere on the island)
**Oyster Bay Beach Resort (timeshare) -- sweet rooms with balconies and full kitchen; great infinity pool and lively bar; not crazy about the resort's main pricey restaurant, but the poolside bar is good, and the beachside Veranda Bistro and Market are decent; adjacent to quiet Dawn Beach; short drive from several good restaurants off-site (see next 3 entries)
**BZH -- excellent French creperie; very pleasant setting, great food & drink
**Oasis -- excellent pizza and pasta; very nice place
*Mama Pizza -- more casual, good pizza and pasta
Big Fish Seafood Grill -- somewhat overpriced, fancy-schmanzy fine dining; I generally skip it in favor of the 3 mentioned above, even though it is within easy walking distance of our Oyster Bay timeshare
OOB -- Canoa (dockside seafood), Mr Busby's (beach bar), Le Planteur, and Captain Oliver's (lobster joint across the bay) were all wiped out by hurricane Irma in 2017
ORLEANS -- working class area
**Chez Yvette -- superb Creole home-cookin', off the main drag in an old house; very funky, cool and friendly; gets a mix of locals and a few tourists
*The Burger House -- hardly any tourists ever venture this far off the beaten path; colorful, friendly, local burger stand for a great cheap lunch
**GRAND CASE (pronounced something like "Gron Coz")-- their weekly Tuesday "Harmony Nights" mini-Carnival Mardi Gras street fair is not to be missed (mid-Jan to Fat Tuesday)
**Cynthia's Talk Of The Town (streetside, and maybe the best) or Rib's Shack (oceanside) -- two of the great, lively, outdoor open-grill joints (called "lolos") in the center of the main drag known as "Restaurant Row"
*Quay 38 -- oceanside bar
**Friar's Bay Beach -- pretty and calm beach; great for swimming, snorkeling just okay; just be sure to plop down on the southern end of the beach to avoid any smell from a nearby sewage pond across the road
*Calmos Cafe -- re-opened as a more upscale, but still inviting & fun oceanside dining experience, after a long hiatus following hurricane Irma and losing its beach tables
OOB -- Le Tastevin. Now called Ocean 82 (?)
**ORIENT BEACH/MONT VERNON -- lively beach scene, on the French side; the far edge of which is clothing optional, and most choose "none"
**Le Taitu -- charming, comfortable little French place; every course was fantastic; not cheap, but really quite reasonable for the experience
*Mt Vernon Pizza -- good pies next to the defunct Mont Vernon Hotel lobby
**Happy Residence condo #5209-- one of Jennie (+590-690-2516, or found on Booking.com) & Germain's spacious & clean rental units in the Mont Vernon Hotel complex, which is somewhat funky (used to be an all-inclusive resort, and suffered extensive damage from hurricane Irma including the old lobby which is still boarded up), but a great value with wonderful views of Orient Beach; amenities are sparse, but the beachside pool is large and very clean; very quiet neighborhood; unit is situated a short, though hilly, walk to the beach
**Cafe Plantation -- very nice, French restaurant with lovely poolside tables in Orient Beach village; worth a splurge
**Good Morning Cafe -- really good French breakfast bakery
*Coco Beach -- upscale beachside bar on Orient Beach
*Pirate Hide Out -- funky shack right on Orient Beach for a quick cocktail or bite
**PINEL ISLAND -- fun beach bars with tables literally in the water; short ferry ride from St Martin just past Orient Beach
*TINTAMARRE ISLAND -- great snorkeling; short boat ride from St Martin
PHILLIPSBURG -- bustling Dutch center of commerce, cruise ship port, and airport; so you have to pass through there, but not my favorite place to spend time
**Mary's Boon Hotel & Restaurant -- next to SXM airport; colorful independent hotel with great beachside bar and excellent food
*Little Bay -- nice calm swimming beach next to a Divi resort with good snorkeling
*Mullet Bay -- very popular (to the point of being over-crowded) family-friendly swim beach near Cupecoy, popular with both tourists and locals
Fat Tony's -- American sports bar if in need an NFL fix
MARIGOT -- bustling capital of the French side and market town; port for ferries to Anguilla and St Bart's
Cisca's Delicacy -- one of many hustling outdoor open-grilling joints (known as "lolos") in the market/port area; nothing special really
SANDY BEACH/NETTLE BAY
**Hommage Hotel -- very nice "art" hotel replete with outdoor sculptures; good bayside restaurant
*MaTi -- nice little bayside lunch spot for casual island fare
*L'Express Bakery Nettle Bay -- good quiche & croissant takeaway
Appartement Cosy Baie Nettle' -- (as listed on Booking.com); clean, well-apportioned 2-bedroom apartment that we got for a great deal, though I think their prices have risen and they also normally require a 4-nt min stay. The owner seemed new to the rental market, as there were several strange aspects to it, from getting checking in/out, to lots of other little unprofessional things. In kind of a weird area, too. Not sure if I'd stay here again, but well worth it at €100/nt
ANGUILLA (2024) -- short ferry ride Marigot, St Martin, but considerably more expensive British territory (get ready to drive on the left)
**The Sandbar -- tapas restaurant with a good bar and excellent food; Tuesday music nights are very popular (reservations recommended)
**Roy's Bayside Grill -- we only had breakfast there, but it was excellent
*Elvis -- colorful beachside bar that carries on with live music on a big stage and humongous outdoor TV screen into the evening; a bit touristy and gimmicky with its cool overturned boat for a bar, with indifferent bar staff, suffers from its own success
**Meads Bay Beach -- good snorkeling; beautiful white sand beach
*Shoals Bay Beach -- popular, pretty white sand beach
*Olas Tacos -- decent food, though extremely expensive for what you get; on Shoals Bay Beach
*Edwards Guesthouse -- colorful and funky; this true "guesthouse" (with some long-term residents) is not for the faint of heart as it is set smack dab amongst the locals; though I found their newly remodeled Booking.com apartment clean, safe, and a great value
**Andy's Car Rental -- occupying what appears to be little more than glorified lemonade stand (except that it also sells shots of liquor), just outside the doors of the new Blowing Point ferry terminal; very friendly, low-key car rentals; $60 Mini convertibles available, with others only costing $35 (plus taxes and fees)
ARUBA (2016)
**EAGLE BEACH (the low-rise hotel area)--excellent swimming area
**Carambola
*Las Ramblas
*Mangos
*Passions
**BOCA CATALINA BEACH -- perfect snorkeling
NOORD
**Papaimento's--gorgeous outdoor setting, very nice food
**Wacky Wahoo's--small & unassuming, but great seafood joint
PALM BEACH (High-Rise hotel area)--much more touristy, but with top-notch hotels, like the Hyatt
*Azia--good tapas and Asian-fusion
*MT HOOIBERG -- the climb up the 600 steps is worth it
CENTRAL AMERICA
COSTA RICA (2009)
ALAJUELA -- near the airport (skipping San Jose)
**La Princessa Marina--great local seafood joint
**Hotel Orchideas Inn--nice hotel, good deal, pretty and secure grounds, great breakfast. Excellent choice coming and going from SJO, avoiding San Jose.
**Volcan Poas--about an hour north of Hotel Orchideas, well worth the drive, for an active caldron volcano and good hiking trails
LA FORTUNA
**Volcan Arenal--Mt. Arenal is an active volcano that is really spectacular at night
**Arenal Observatory Lodge--fantastic place to stay with the best views of the volcano, worth a splurge. Has a nice restaurant, hot pool, and includes guided hikes.
*Don Rufino--popular, bustling restaurant
*SANTA ELENA/MONTEVERDE
**Hotel Fonda Vela--very nice place, good restaurant
*Mar y Tierra--good restaurant
*Finca Valverde--rustic huts with lofts, close to town, but feels like the middle of the jungle
**Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve--a guided tour is well worth it for the wildlife
*Selvatura Reserve and Adventure Park--canopy hikes and 15 zip lines (the last of which is 700 meters long)
**MANUEL ANTONIO National Park and Beach
*El Avion restaurant -- unique setting inside an old US cargo plane that was part of the Iran-Contra affair
**Agua Azul restaurant -- great burgers, views, fun little atmosphere
**El Gran Escape -- local character and seafood, in Quepos
*Anaconda Restaurant -- nice spot for brekfast, at the Costa Verde Hotel (a good looking place, itself)
**Flor de Cana rum -- available at many bars, this 7 yr. Nicaraguan sugar cane rum is to die for, straight or with ginger ale
MEXICO (1989, 1992, 2007, 2017)
*CABO SAN JOSE (2017)-- great little town, where the locals of Cabo live
CABO SAN LUCAS (2017)-- the definition of "touristy"
ROSARITO (1989, 1992)--
**La Fachada-- great steak and seafood restaurant; Blvd. Benito Juarez 317
**La Califida-- superb views; a few miles north of town
*Rosarito Hotel-- worth a nostalgic walk-through
TIJUANA (1989, 1992, 2007)-- if you have to go through this border town
*La Especial -- good restaurant
OBB--El Foro Antiguo Palacio Jai Alai -- awesome old indoor jai alai gambling arena. Now a live music venue
PANAMA (2015)
PANAMA CITY -- if you have to go there to make connections
**The Panama Canal--well worth a visit
SOUTH AMERICA
PERU (2015)
**MACHU PICCHU -- a truly amazing place! You shouldn't be disappointed.
**Hire an official private guide there at the main gate for a good two hour tour!
**Hike to the top of Mt Machu Picchu (2000 ft climb up stairs for 1¾ hrs)
**Hike up to the Sun Gate
**(Consider doing a hike/bike trip to Machu Picchu with Gravity Peru)
**Turn Right At Machu Picchu by Mark Adams is a good read for the trip!
*AGUAS CALIENTES (aka Machu Picchu Pueblo)--other reviewers routinely slam it, but I actually found it a pretty cool (of course it's touristy, it's the gateway to MP!)
*PeruRail--(from Poroy station) to Aguas Calientes; a nice train ride
**Gringo Bill's--unique treehouse style hotel; good breakfast
*Corichancha--on the main Plaza Manco Capac; good pizza and Cusqueña beer
*La Leña--near the train tracks; excellent trout novoandino
*CUSCO -- the main city where people fly to from Lima, before taking the PeruRail to Machu Picchu
**Hotel Niños (a non-profit place benefiting local street children); try their simple restaurant which employs some of the kids they serve
**Plaza de Armas--consider starting with a sightseeing bus around town, and up to the Cristo Blanco statue & Sacsayhuaman ruins
*Mercado--the main locals market is worth a wander; near San Francisco church plaza
**Pachapapa's--San Blas plaza; excellent local cusine; nice outdoor patio
*Paddy's Irish Pub--a popular tourist haven on the main Plaza de Armas
*Ruinas Travel--just off the main plaza; got help here for booking our trip to the Uros islands; excellent service
*OLLANTAYTAMBO -- home to some nice ruins of its own
**El Aubergue Hotel--awesome grounds and great rooms; next to the train station; with a wonderful locally-sourced restaurant; book early for this little gem!
**CHINCHERO RUINS -- take a taxi from near the Ollantaytambo train station to Cusco and stop at Chinchero ruins overlook on the way, enjoy a wool demonstration and market that sells nice alpaca blankets & such for great prices!
*LIMA -- You'll probably fly into here anyway, so why not check it out on foot? Sure, it's noisy and traffic is always an outrageous free-for-all, but don't dismiss it completely.
(Most people take the Green Taxi from the airport)
*Ramada Decapolis--well-situated in the Miraflores area of town; great breakfast buffet; have drinks at rooftop bar cabana, or in the lower level bar
**Mangos--beautifully situated cliff restaurant in Larcomar area; good place to sample the national drink, pisco sours; great ceviche, and hot roasted giant maize kernels (chulpi).
*Alfresco--Great dinner sampler
*Tanta Restaurant--for good meal; Julio 28 Ave
*Plaza de Armas--the entire old town area is worth a visit
PUNO -- gateway to the Uros Islands
**Wonder Peru tour bus to Puno (though many other companies do this route, too). Tour included: beautiful gold alter & paintings at San Pedro Apostol de Andahuaylillas church (aka "Sistine Chapel of the Andes"); ruins at Raqchi, with huge walls intact, and a market; buffet lunch at Sicuani, and walk across a wooden Inca bridge; La Raya pass (14,232 ft) where herds of llamas and alpacas roamed; Pucara museo & walk in pre-Incan ruins of Kalassaya.
**UROS ISLANDS on Lake Titicacca--from Puno, we took a dumpy little boat (eg, America Tours) with a guide to the floating reed Uros Islands; stopped at Santa Maria Is. first, where we were paired with a lovely lady who showed us her spartan home, and whom we bought a wall hanging from; then took a hokey little rowboat (made out of reeds too) ride; then stopped at Hanapacha Is, which had a "restaurant" and post office. Overall, a great experience.
*Hotel Conde de Lemos--okay, good location and price
*Lima Ave (the main pedestrian area)
**Mosja--on Plaza de Armas for a great trout meal or pizza
**Andino Pizzeria--good wood-fired pizza
**Pick up some ciprofloxacin in case you get traveler's diarrhea (a Rx drug in the U.S., but costs only $6 over the counter in Peru from any pharmacy there)