Quote:
Originally Posted by Joachim
Hello everybody!
I was wandering if there are anybody from these forums that have been to Punta Cana or Costa Rica and what there experiences where in terms of safety, money transfers, friendliness etc. in comparison to the North East of Brazil.
Since I am working in Natal for the last 4.5 years and see that quality development is still very much lacking in the region, I was wondering if anybody thinks that Natal could compete in the future with other popular tropical destinations like Punta Cana, Costa Rica and the Carribean. I have never been to any of these places but I could imagine that the Carribean is very expensive and I have heard in some places that the local population are not very fond of the rich tourists that stay there (jamaica / trinidad). But this is all hearsay, I dont know for sure.
I was in Costa Sauipe last week in Bahia and the infra-structure for tourism is much better then here in Natal. Although, this resort was lacking in many areas (I suppose because the Sauipe S.A. company is not a tourist enitity but some kind of semi-government organization that has no experience in hotel management). The Iberostar resort next door was nicely organized but despite the stunning preserved locations the sea was rough and one could not swim in the sea (similar to the coastline of Ceara, nice view but everybody wants to have a swim in the sea).
I am interested in knowing your thoughts.  |
I haven't been to Punta Cana nor Costa Rica, but I have been around the Caribbean.
Natal and surrounds has a long way to go if it wants to compete with some parts of the Caribbean, but there are some very high quality/high end developments on the way north and south of Natal so that will change. Pipa can easily and does now compete with any place I have been to in the world as a destination (and you can swim in the sea).
As far as safety goes in Jamaica, I haven't been there but my friend who goes there with his wife has a guy following them at all times with a rifle. Barbados is just ok, but it is best used as a hub to get you somewhere else. I have heard it isn't a great idea to leave the resorts in DR as it is supposed to be pretty dangerous (but to be fair I have also heard the opposite).
Other spots like the Grenadines in the Caribbean are stunning but are very expensive. I went to Union island as well because our plane didn't have clearance to go into Barbados, but since we were only there for an hour the single baggage hander told us to ignore the customs/immigration officer and go straight to the bar
. It was the first and only time I have ever entered a country illegally
.
Hope that helps.
Rob.