St John, St Lucia, or Costa de Sauipe?

[lookout123]

It is that time to take an all expenses paid trip on the firm again. I was planning on a week in Oahu with Mrs Lookout, but if you've followed my drama, you know that won't be happening. I think I want to visit Hawaii with someone eventually - not by myself.

If I choose not to go on the trip I will receive a small amount of cash but it is relatively small compared to the value of the trips.

Right now I am registered for a week in July in St John - I can change that. I don't know anything about any of these places other than the normal touristy things online. I will be traveling with a bunch of people with the firm and their spouses - I will be flying solo. We don't necessarily have any interaction at all with the folks from the firm, unless we seek it out.

The point in each of these places is that it is a beach - therefore fun in the sun. Is one of the locations a bit more hip and happening for a single person or are these all romantic "couples" get-aways where a loner at the bar will stick out like a neon light?

St John is a Westin resort and really nice, yadayadayada. apparently a relatively short ferry ride to St Thomas which I've heard is a good thing. Adult beverages and some meals would be out of pocket.

St Lucia is all inclusive including adult beverages. It is at a Sandals resort. I've heard that is not a good thing. Anyone have first hand knowledge?

Costa de Sauipe is in Brazil. Again at a Westin. again adult beverages and some meals are out of pocket. I know nothing else about it.

They are all beaches so the sand, sun, and water should all be about equal. how about the local scene? St Lucia definitely wins some points for being all inclusive. Even if there is nothing else happening I can sit and bake in the sun and get blitzed for free.

anyway I choose, I will spend less money there and get the same benefit that I will receive in months of therapy, right?

oh yeah, a week in London in August is also available... but i really don't want to tour london by myself so I may look for that one in the future.

Any and all experiences, observations, input is welcome.

I have never been to Costa de Sauipe, but I have been to Bahia where it is located. I ADORED Bahia! The food is wonderful; the music better; and the people! Ah, the Brazilian people! Good looking, every color of the rainbow, warm and friendly (at least back then), and the Brazilian women - well you'd be fending them off with a baseball bat, Lookout!

I stayed in Bahia proper with a some Brazilian friends, so your experience in a tourist resort might be somewhat different, but, hey, you can always grab a taxi for a few centavos and go off exploring on your own! The beaches are endless, the water is just the right temperature, the sights and sounds will have you staying up 23 out of every 24 hours just to get as much in as possible! Order cashew FRUIT for breakfast - YUM! A delicacy you will never find here. Partake of the wonderful fresh lobster chased with a cold Brahma Chop beer. Drink a few batidas before dinner and finish with a caramalized flan for desert and a demitasse of wonderful strong Brazilian coffee.

Bahia is a wonderful, vibrant place and not quite so over-run with tourists as the beaches further south in Rio. The arts and the music scene there is fantastic, too!

(Say, you wouldn't like to have a personal guide would you? )

[glatt]

Of the three, I've only been to St. John. I would never use the words "hip" or "happening" to describe St. John. Don't get me wrong. I liked St. John a lot. It's mostly a National Park with spots here and there that have resorts. I like National Parks. Nature is pretty. I'd say it's relaxed there. If you want a social scene, I'd guess one of the other two places would have to be better.

edit: I did not stay at the Westin, so maybe there's enough at the resort there to keep you occupied.

[Cyclefrance]

Hi LO123 - I would check out the Tripadvisor reviews for your resort - I found them invaluable when choosing this year's holiday and wished I had read up the Sandals Antigua one before going a couple of years ago, and feeling a little disppointed at it.

Here'e the St Lucia link to get you started

Let me know if the London trip happens - I'll buy you a beer!

[Tonchi]

One thing to remember about Brazil is it will be "Winter" while you are there. That might mean anything from constant rain to snakes-coming-indoors season. I know at least 10 kids in our club who live in Brazil and two of them are in Bahia. EVERY place in Brazil is "happening", they have it built into their DNA. I'll be glad to check with my friends tonight when they are online.

My dearest evil twin, Tonchi, Bahia is close enough to the equator that "winter" is not a major factor. I visited Bahia in both December and July, and the weather remained the same - tropical with sudden afternoon down pours that were warm enough to treat as showers. Critters of all sorts are everywhere and add to the tropical ambiance. Ever house had a full compement of gecko's adorning the walls and ceilings. During my December visit, one gecko had the audacity to fall off the ceiling into my plate of rice and chicken at my hostesses house where I'd been invited for dinner, I gently nudged him over to the side of my plate and kept on talking about Brazilian folk music without batting a lip. I never ran into any problems with snakes since I avoided the local rivers where snakes seem to abound. Instead I just hit the beaches and never did I behold a single snake, I'd go back to Bahia in April or September; July or December. I know nothing of Lookout's resort, but I do know Bahia and I'd say go for it!

[Tonchi]

Yes, I realize the tropical zones don't have the separation of seasons we are used to, that was why I put Winter in quote marks At those latitudes, the marker of seasons is usually how much it rains and what critters are more plentiful rather than what month it is. I was on ICQ with my friend Ricardo, who lives in Bahia, when he suddenly excused himself and didn't return for more than 20 minutes. He apoligized for the interruption and explained that an anaconda had come in the kitchen door and was trying to eat the poodle! He had been beating it off with a chair when his brother arrived and together they shoved the thing back outside again. I wouldn't like to meet an anaconda, but I adore geckos after living in a house full of them in Tucson. They bark and hiss at you and their little feet stick when they walk over your arm. Cats love them too, they put up a good fight when cornered and then leave their tail and excape. I found a tail in the sun room after my cat brought it in so I put it in the ex's coffee cup. It almost scared him sober I dunno if Lookout wants to play with geckos on his vacation, though.

(Mari: You gotta read La Guerra del Fin del Mundo (The War of the End of the World). I read it in the original Spanish but it's been released in English. It's about the bloody peasant and slave revolt of the 1890s in Bahia. There are fantastic descriptions of the buildings and culture in that area. I think it's one of the most stunning historical novels ever written and you'd really enjoy it.)