Hoping to get some words of wisdom from those who have traveled recently to the Caribbean in January. Is it warm enough to go in the ocean? Thinking about Puerto Rico or St. Thomas. Thanks in advance.
Most definitely warm enough. It’s pretty warm all year round .January is a great time to go, although not one of the cheaper times of year.
I’ve been to Puerto Rico in January and it was warm enough to go swimming. Didn’t go into the ocean however as we were staying in the Condado area at the Marriott and the water there is very rough. There was actually a drowning further down from our hotel. Weather was very nice and any time you can get some afternoon or evening downpours but they don’t last long.
Thanks doschicos and bookmama22! I appreciate the tips.
We did a cruise in January 2 years ago on Holland America out of St. Petersburg. Perfect weather! I really liked old San Juan, plus they could probably use the tourist dollars. A highlight for us was St. John. Breathtakingly beautiful. Hope you have a great trip!
It is wonderful in January, especially if you are coming from the Northeast or another cold climate like mine during that time! If you are in areas hit by snow storms for your departure in January, please consider travel insurance. However, please note that Puerto Rico has a declared health emergency with the Zika virus situation. Although same goes for parts of southern Florida. I would proceed with caution. If you go I would also suggest the Marriott Stellaris in Condado which is a lovely and safe area and close to Old San Juan and a gateway to other parts of the island.
You may find the cheapest week to be the week after the New Year. Most people want to go away between xmas and New Year, and most kids are back to school after New Year and a lot of grown ups are back to work after the holidays.
We liked Puerto Rico when we stopped there on a cruise, also. I definitely want to go back.
In January you will experience “Christmas winds” which come through in spurts. They churn up the water and create swells. So water clarity for snorkeling is not as predictable as other months. Its best to plan on going to beaches on the leeward shores with calmer shores. In Puerto Rico that would be the Ponce side of the island (which is not the pretty side, but interesting) in st Thomas it will be the main Charlotte Amalie side. Be aware that St Thomas is a huge cruise ship port which brings hordes of tourists to several beaches and areas.
You cannot go wrong ever with a small villa or condo on St John which is a short ferry ride from St Thomas and its a world apart.
Agree with @coralbrook - St John is wonderful, but in my mind very different than St. Thomas.
Great time to go to Caribbean. Enjoy
If you do go to the Condado area of San Juan I can recommend several restaurants. I enjoyed that you could walk out of the hotel to dinner and not be limited to one or two if you are staying at a resort out of town. We toured Old San Juan twice but there were enough varied restaurants that we didn’t feel we needed to go back at night for dinner.