Need answers and/or opinions.

jen-n-jess

We are taking a vacation as soon as we get back from Iraq to the Dominican Republic. We will be staying at the Crown Villas in Puerto Plata. We want to know if anyone has ever gone there or know of people who have and what is the tolerance for the LGBT travelers? No no drama we don't want no drama drama.   Thanks!

leapgirl8

Haven't been there, but this is a good article about all of the Caribbean vacation destinations, from http://gocaribbean.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=gocaribbean&cdn=travel&tm=9&f=00&su=p284.9.336.ip_p531.50.336.ip_&tt=3&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http://www.gay.com/travel/article.html%3Fsernum%3D9600

 Using a combination of visits and discussions with gay Caribbean experts, we parsed the most frequently visited Caribbean islands into three categories of gay-friendliness, from friendliest ("Top of the class") to least friendly ("Bad apples") and the rest lumped into the middle category ("Average Joes").

No Caribbean island deserved or received an A grade, since the region, on the whole, is far behind most of the West in terms of receptiveness to gay and lesbian locals and visitors. However, we distributed grades on a curve so that there would be a handful of islands in the top of the class and to avoid handing out exclusively middling or failing grades.So, while St. Barts offers no strictly gay or lesbian venues, it is very popular with and comfortable for gay travelers and gets an A-. It's French, the residents are largely European in heritage and culture, and gay couples barely raise an eyebrow. This doesn't mean it's the new Amsterdam of the Caribbean; just that, compared with its neighbors, it ain't all that bad.Other French-heritage islands such as Martinique and Guadeloupe also earn a B, thanks to their laissez-faire attitude towards gay men and lesbians rather than any rousing welcome to gay visitors.Puerto Rico features the highest concentration of gay-specific venues and activities and is thus included in the top of the class.St. Lucia, in the average-Joe category, earns a C+. However, recent overtures toward gay and lesbian travelers indicate it's improving.We recently moved Turks & Caicos to the bad-apple category due to derogatory anti-gay comments by one of its ministers.GRADESTOP OF THE CLASS
St. Barts: A-
St. Maarten/St. Martin: A-
Puerto Rico: B+
Cura?ao: B+
St. Croix: B+AVERAGE JOES
Dominican Republic: B
Guadeloupe: B
Martinique: B
Aruba: B-
Bahamas: B-
Bonaire: B-
St. Kitts/Nevis: B-
Cayman Islands: C+
St. Lucia: C+
British Virgin Islands: C
Grenada: C
U.S. Virgin Islands (except St. Croix): CBAD APPLES
Turks and Caicos: C-
Barbados: D
Trinidad and Tobago: D
Cuba: D-
Jamaica: FWe omited grades for islands for wich we were unable to gather any information.

jen-n-jess

Wow! Thank you very much for the energy used into that post! I didn't think I needed to worry to bad since I am going to a resort, but its nice to know. Thanks again!

Mrs._F

jen-n-jess:

I didn't think I needed to worry to bad since I am going to a resort, but its nice to know.

Yes, being on a resort is generally safer.  When my wife and I have been in the caribbean (as part of a cruise), we did not feel comfortable wandering off or getting into "cabs" to explore (I put cab in quotes because on many of the islands, cabs are just people with cars that take you places - to us, felt very unsafe as a gay couple).

Staying at resort, there often is really any reason to leave, since everything is right there for you.

ssg73

I have not been there either but I will say that S and I felt very safe on Curacao and in Puerto Rico.  We did wander a bit but stayed pretty close the the resort and tourist attractions.