Where you, as a Montrealer, should go in the Caribbean

   Montreal isn't a place you'll find my warmth this time of year but a quick quick onto the internet can get you on a plane south that could keep you warm and well-oiled.
   A quick trip out of town will refuel you for spring in Montreal, best place in the world to be in May.
   Here are my southernbound travel tips:
   The big question: Can you go alone? Hell yeah but get away from the boring resorts and into the exciting cities or risk dying of boredom.
  Is it safe to travel alone? Well no but what is safe in this life? Elevators aren't safe. Balconies aren't safe. Nothing is safe. But you'll probably be fine.
Dominican Republicis a country with a lousy name and the slightly disconcerting sight of civilians strolling around with loaded holsters in a country of machismo and girly-girls. Beer fridges advertise the exact temperatures of their El
Presidente beers and there's lots of new gringo booster cash up north in Cabarete/Puerto Plata. Less renovated Sosua is a sensational northern town, boasting most-wanted Quebec ex-pat bikers and a lousy public beach but a rocking nightlife full of women of dubious repute. Punta Cana in the south is well maintained but it's just a resort with no real town close by, so stay away if you're out for adventure. Boca Chica is a beach town full of desperate people, from ripoff beach vendors to zonked out Major Tomed Euros but rooms are cheap and eats are fine. Nearby Santo Domingo is a legit metropolis worth a visit, hit the old city.
Trinidad Port of Spain is a little Big Apple with some tensions between East Asians and blacks. I spent a few nights in a crazy hot non-air conditioned house next to the Shouters Church in Laventille, a tough ghetto where they steal clothes from the line. Tourists don't waste too much time in the urban jungle, instead they head to Tobago. It's tiny but with a good beach and lots of cricket. Not much town life from what I could tell in Tobago.
Costa Rica boasts nature paradise Manuel Antonio Beach, the nicest I've seen. On my 90s trip I briefly bunked in a hotel on the other side of the hill from the nature park with an Elvis Gratton
lookalike from Quebec City who stiffed me with the hotel bill. San Jose had the stink of diesel, a McDonald's with giggling school girls and tourists who complained of getting robbed. The Caribbean coast might be worth a peek if you have a few extra days. The beaches are unattractive but many locals are transplanted Jamaicans who speak English
CubaHas a true city as its capital, plus the local charters there have been known to be dirt cheap.
I had a magical trip in the late 90s where I made more friends in a few days than I have in a lifetime Montreal, it seemed. They were hungry for knowledge, greenbacks and lyric translations to songs like Rumpshaker. Kid on a bike stole my Montreal Maroons hat on the boardwalk. An awesome motorcycle cop caught him and we sall went together to the police station. I went back a couple of years ago to explore Caribbean baseball (a pet interest) and caught a few ballgames, in jammed stadiums that reeked of oil and cigars. Calle Obispo (Bishop) is the best touristy type street in Havana. Cuba can have some dodgy cold weather and unswimmable beaches but you can do a trip super cheap.
Florida South Beach Miami is great if you can find bargain digs. I went in the 90s and stayed in a
cheap dilapidated art deco hotel The beach is nothing too exciting but the party strip is full of energy and livelee drunks who will drunkenly chat with you for no reason.

*No money changed hands in connection with the creation of this article. I heard that a Montreal "news" blog was demanding $1,500 from a company to promote their charter flights in a "news article." So I figured hell nah, I'll write one about southern travel for free.