February Foil Destination - Caribbean

[Tony]

Looking for options for a trip in February. Would be going with my non-kiting wife so ideally not too remote, nice beaches, maybe shops and restaurants near by. Maybe coordinate with another couple so the guys can kite and the girls can do their thing. Been to Cabarete many times and looking for something different. Traveling from SE USA so the Caribbean seems to make sense but would consider other options.
Suggestions?
Tony

[Cab Driver]

Looking for options for a trip in February. Would be going with my non-kiting wife so ideally not too remote, nice beaches, maybe shops and restaurants near by. Maybe coordinate with another couple so the guys can kite and the girls can do their thing. Been to Cabarete many times and looking for something different. Traveling from SE USA so the Caribbean seems to make sense but would consider other options.
Suggestions?
Tony

St. Barths. Foiling isn't the best because of shallow reef and rocks, but your wives will love the place and it's the cream topping of the Caribbean. There is a fun wave there on a reef in a north swell, possible in february. St. Martin is next door and offers really nice foiling, flat, and surf spots. This would not be an inexpensive option, but your marriage would be rewarded if you hit up both islands in one shot. Go to St. Barths second...

[PurdyKiter]

El Cuyo, Yucatan, Mexico has steady daily winds and a nice laid back atmosphere for couples and family. 2 1/2 hours from Cancun Intl Airport. Not a nightlife sort of destination.
Friends are running one of the kite resorts:
Come Kite with Us
http://www.comekitewithus.com/

[elguapo]

cayman and turks would work well..

in cayman's stay in the tourist area (seven mile...or maybe rum point) and you drive to the kite spots
a small but super friendly group of locals. fwiw, is a good chatting them up before going out (as you should do anywhere...but the best foiling spot i saw needs local guidance)
if confident on foil its pretty cool to kite all the way across north sound then take a pit stop @ stingray city..



i know some folks worry turks will become overcrowded like cabarete if 'everyone' knew about it... but turks is an upmarket place and as not close to being overdeveloped by hotels (flights are generally cheap...but lodging&food are not)
the family would love staying on grace bay beach...which you quickly understand why many consider it the single best beach on the planet.
kiting is done @ long beach.. the water is shallow.. so you'll need to watch the tides (or stay south where water is a bit deeper)
influenced by same burmuda highs as cabarete...but goes 24 hrs (unlike cabarete)

as far as pretty water goes.. turks may be as good as it gets.

[juanpasala]

San Andres Island in Colombia.
Cheaper than most of the options above, Beautifull seas, lots of things to do and if you stay in one of the beachfront hotels you can kite whilst your wife can stay in the pool siping on a nice cotcail.

[elguapo]

San Andres Island in Colombia.
Cheaper than most of the options above, Beautifull seas, lots of things to do and if you stay in one of the beachfront hotels you can kite whilst your wife can stay in the pool siping on a nice cotcail.

wow.

i forgot about san andres.
pretty awesome there too..

hard to get there(for us)...but definitely worth it

[Tony]

Thanks for all the input. San Andres Island looks really good. Wish it was easier to get to, think I'd rule it out for that, looking at 7-10 days.
Turks or Cayman is probably a better fit, I'd want to stay at Long Beach or Barkers though, the girls would be fine with quieter and we/they can easily get to the busier spots when needed/wanted
Any recommendations on places to stay? Leaning towards Turks but not ruling out Cayman Islands (or other spots).

[kitelife]

Thanks for all the input. San Andres Island looks really good. Wish it was easier to get to, think I'd rule it out for that, looking at 7-10 days.
Turks or Cayman is probably a better fit, I'd want to stay at Long Beach or Barkers though, the girls would be fine with quieter and we/they can easily get to the busier spots when needed/wanted
Any recommendations on places to stay? Leaning towards Turks but not ruling out Cayman Islands (or other spots).

Take a look at Caribbean breeze villa on Long Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos. This place is on the water with very nice views. They had a couple kayaks and paddle boards to use. The water is deeper at this location. Have to be careful Self launching/landing - lot of shells and no tethers at this villa.

Also, there is an occasional pack of horses that come down and freak out over kites in the air.

704A2A31-63E8-4BD7-A67B-CA1F10C8912E.gif (2.43 MiB) Viewed 7558 times

[FLandOBX]

Turks & Caicos is outstanding in February. It isn't inexpensive ($$$). But if you aren't strapped for cash, it's hard to beat.

For kiting, stay on Long Bay. Take a look at Villa Esencia, which includes a number of separate villas and is run by a kiting couple who have set it up for kiting (air compressor, self-launch anchors, etc.), and Windhaven, which is also kiter-friendly and extremely ($$$) nice.

Restaurants, night-life, shopping, etc. are on Grace Bay (10-minute drive). All the big resorts are there. If you stay on Grace Bay, you'll be driving to Long Bay for kiting. If you stay on Long Bay, you can kite out your villa's back door, but non-kiters will have to be content with natural diversions (beach combing, SUPs, sunning, watching the kiters, just chillin'. Long Bay is my strong preference, but my wife (non-kiter) is happy just hangin' on the beach.

For additional housing options, call Mike at KiteProvo. He manages some villas on Long Bay and is a good guy. Mike is also your best contact for a boat excursion if you want to kite at a remote, uninhabited island (highly recommended). He or Chris at KiteProvo can hook you up with SUP rentals and kite gear rentals. Also, if the ladies get inspired, Chris can arrange kite lessons.

Have fun.

[mbs]

I recently stayed at conched out villa on long bay in Turks. It’s a big house that can sleep 14, we had extended family, 7 adults and seven young kids. I was the only Kiter, and rode all 7 days of the trip directly from the villa. It blew constantly in late July, although it was lighter wind, around 15-22. Everyone else had just as good of a time as me in the Turks and they were happy to be staying on the windward side bc the breeze felt good to take the edge off the heat. There’s a lot to do besides kiting. We spent a lot of time exploring different spots for snorkeling (reefs accessible from the beach are in the other side of the island), paddle boarding, diving for conch and lobster. Water so blue and so clear you can’t even tell how deep it is when you are kiting It is expensive, but it was an incredible vacation.