Caribbean and Central America Travel

The United States Virgin Islands, or the US Virgin Islands, are part of the Virgin Island archipelago in the Caribbean. Similar to its British counterpart, they are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.

The Virgin Islands (main islands being St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix), were named by Christopher Columbus on his second journey into the west Indies. Though first inhabited by the Caribs and the Arawaks, European settlers soon came and took over the land. The US Virgin Islands have changed hands throughout the succeeding years, mostly European. First there were the Spaniards, then it fell unto British rule, followed by the Netherlands, France, then Denmark.

It was the Danish who helped in building the islands’ economy, with the settlement of the Danish West India Company on the island of Saint Thomas in 1672. To this day, the US Virgin Islands are often refered to as the Danish West Indian Islands by the people of Denmark.

While the Dutch helped the economy of the country flourish under their rule, it also started its decline while under their control. With the abolition of the slavery in July 3, 1848, the sugarcane industry and the economy was greatly affected. A treaty was proposed to sell the islands of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States in 1867. There was a general consensus, but the sale never pushed through. A second treaty was pushed 35 years later, but it majority of the Danish parliament voted against it.

It was World War I that finally made the Danish Crown sell the islands to the United States. In fears of the islands being taken by the Germans in their attack of the USA. Coupled with the burden of supporting a failing economy, the Denmark finally handed over the islands on March 31, 1917.

Today, the US Virgin Islands are a favorite vacation destination of Americans, specially during the winter months. December to May sees the highest tourist entries, the balmy breeze of the Caribbean offering a warm respite to the cold winds and snow up north. The best time to travel to the US Virgin Islands is between June to August, when the rates drops by almost 30%, and the water is clearer for better visibility when diving.

Then people talk about the Caribbean, images of fine white sand beaches, clear turquoise waters and hammocks tied to palm trees first come to mind. It is indeed, one of the world’s primary vacation destination.

Located in the Americas, it is bordered in the north by North America, in the east by Central America and in the south, South America. The Caribbean is composed of over 7,000 islands resting on the Caribbean Plate.

Also known as the West Indies, this region comprises of several territories and countries. The United States, United Kingdom and other European countries like the Netherlands and France have territories in the Carribean.
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by: Sophie de Lagarde

If your idea was spending some time enjoying the Caribbean’s clear waters and warm sun your next vacation, Riviera maya is a good choice.

Playa del Carmen has now become one of the World’s most popular and sought after tourist destinations in less than a decade. Offering alabaster-white beaches, gentle surf, coral reefs, Mayan ruins and now the World famous 5th Avenue, Playa del Carmen has become the destination of choice for tourism from all over the World. Offering a strong European flare, Playa offers an abundance of fantastic restaurants and outrageous nightlife scene. Conveniently located 30 miles from Cancun International Airport to the North and Ocean Front Mayan Ruins in Tulum to the South, makes Playa del Carmen the central gateway to the great Riviera Maya. You can get a good glance at it through the Playa del Carmen video .

Now the place is set, but where should you stay? It probably depends of what kind of vacationer you are, if you are with friends, family, kids… all of this might also change your opinion on the kind of place you wish to stay at.

Anyways, to give you a better idea of what you can get, let’s study all the options Riviera Maya gives you for your stay:
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