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Hi Everyone!

I love reading through Fodor's threads when I'm planning a trip, but this time just needed to gather some more intel..

I'm planning a surprise ONE-year anniversary trip for my wife and myself. We Honeymooned on Kauai, and it was spectacular– completely a perfect mix of relaxation/luxury and adventure. I would have gone more remote, but we wouldn't have been able to afford it. We live in the Northeast, where it is cold. very cold. most of the year. Sometime I plan to go more urban with our destinations, but for now we both want our leisure travel to focus on getting away from it all and disconnecting a bit.

All that being said-- I can't seem to narrow down our options in the Caribbean. For the bucks (and the airline points I'll be using to get us there), it's looking like Barbados (new JetBlue destination!), Turks & Caicos, or Grand Cayman will be our best bet. I'd love to take her on bioluminescent kayak trip (Grand Cayman). I have no idea which of these destinations will offer the best beaches. Snorkeling isn't really her thing, but she might enjoy it more if the sights (reefs and fishees) were more impressive. We're obsessive foodies. We love a good hike and a great cocktail. I thought The Crane resort on Barbados would be a really cool place to stay, as it's the first of it's kind in the Caribbean. All-inclusive might be amazing... Must avoid children and obnoxious people.

Anyway, before I go on too long, please lend me your wisdom!
By the way, we're traveling sometime late January to early February most likely.

Thank you travelers!!!

RoamsAround

Maybe this will help you narrow down your choices:

Both Grand Cayman and the Turks & Caicos (by the way, in the T&C's you'll probably be going to Providenciales aka Provo as that's where 95% of the resorts in the T&C's are located) have fantastic white sand beaches so they are fairly equal on that front. On a scale of 1 to 10 most people would rate them at 10. Barbados also has nice beaches but they are not quite on the same par as GC or the T&C's. I'd rate them as somewhere between 8.5 and 9 on the 1 to 10 scale.

You'll find the best snorkeling on GC followed by the T&C's with Barbados coming in 3rd.

Both GC and the T&C's are flat arid islands so hiking is somewhat lackluster. You'll find much better hiking on Barbados since it is a hilly and lusher island.

You'll find "great cocktails" and lot's of dining options on any of those islands so it's a toss up on that front.

Late January/early February is a good time to travel to avoid families since most children are in school (as long as you avoid President's Week). Also, if you avoid staying at the obvious "family oriented" resorts like Beaches, Atlantis, etc. you shouldn't have a problem.

Sorry, but there's no way anyone can guarantee you won't encounter "obnoxious people", they can show up anywhere.

If you are "obsessive foodies" you might want to shy away from All Inclusives since you'd might feel obligated to take all or most of your meals at the resort and, depending on the resort, your dining options could be limited. For what it is worth, most low end and moderately priced All inclusive are not noted for having great food - they offer lots of food (mainly buffets) but not great food. Higher end AI Resorts will usually have better food.

If you go non-All Inclusive you can dine all around the island, sampling all types of cuisine so if you are true "foodies" that might be your better choice.

So, in short, you can't really go wrong on any of those islands.

diann24

RoamsAround always gives the best advice. I have been to T&C and a week in Barbados last January. Barbadoes by far is the best for hiking, compared to the others. It is a very pretty island. Cranes is a gorgeous hotel. I would be surprised it if is not booked all ready for your time frame? The beaches in Barbados on the one side was a bit rough. Driving is done completely opposite then the U.S so a cab is suggested. The food in my opinion was not very good. It is possible we just did not have a lot of luck in that area. I like good food, and I was very disappointed in the meals. Just my opinion. I am also from the Northeast outside of PHL.

I have only been to Cayman islands for a day on cruise. I believe there snorkeling was very good as they have a swim with the turtles as well.

We also went to turks and Caicos. Our of the 3 islands Barbados is the most scenic. Turks has awesome beaches and good food. Tough choice. If hiking is a high priority I guess I would go with Barbados.

pijeta

Kauai is my favorite island ever! Just had to start there.

Turks and Caicos (specifically Providenciales): The color and clarity of the water and white sands of Grace Bay (and Taylors Bay to name another) are unbelievably gorgeous! For me though, that's all that kept my interest on Provo. The island itself is very lackluster and not pretty (it's dry and flat, nothing lush). We did enjoy snorkeling excursions and visiting a few nearby cays. The food was wonderful everywhere we ate, so if you are big foodies, that'd put another checkmark in the "pro" box for T&C.

Grand Cayman: Again, beautiful color and clarity of the water on 7-Mile Beach and you can walk on the sandy beach forever. There are more options for things to do around the island, also great snorkel and boat trips, too. Food here is exceptional as well. I've had some of my best ever snorkeling around Grand Cayman. It can get busy during cruise stops, so you might encounter a few extra oddballs and kids depending on where you stay. This is a repeat island for us (which is rare, we normally like to explore new places).

Barbados is on my list and we'll hopefully get there within a year or two -- one of the reasons being the lushness of the island.

Honestly, your choices are superb and I think you'll be happy and relaxed at any of those locations. Happy anniversary!

doug_stallings

You've gotten some really good advice here, so I'm not sure what else I can offer except this. You've chosen three of the more expensive islands in the Caribbean (well, technically, the T&C are not in the Caribbean but rather than Atlantic). February is among the most expensive months to travel to the Caribbean, but February can still be fairly cool in the Turks & Caicos. Much warmer than the NE, but not for me beach weather. Grand Cayman and Barbados are reliably warm and tropical then. Snorkeling is best in Grand Cayman and Turks & Caicos; it's not that great in Barbados, which is a limestone and not a coral island, so it lacks the dramatic reef systems of the other two islands.

Food can be good (and expensive) on all three islands, but none is the best choice for an AI resort. Grand Cayman simply has none (though a couple of places offer AI "plans" as add-ons). Provo has 2: Beaches and Club Med. The former is a big family-oriented resort and very expensive but beautiful. The latter is an adults-only party resort. Barbados has a much wider range of AIs, but they aren't the best resorts on the island. The Crane is beautiful, as is Crane Beach, but the resort itself is fairly isolated and not very close to many restaurants. You'd almost certainly need a car if you stayed there, and that's an added expense.

WWK

We have never found T&C too cool in the winter. We've been going almost every January for the last five years, and it's always been sunny and 85 degrees until late afternoon/early evening.

There are lots of choices for excellent dining, not all of them expensive. However, grocery store prices may give you sticker shock.

The beach is one of the prettiest in the Caribbean, but there's not much to do that's not water-based.

If you're serious about February, you should get on it now, since that's the peak of the season for the islands, and pricing and availability may be limiting.

Inakauaidavidababy

We've stayed on Kauai many times and love it. However the winter commute can be daunting. We have given up resorts to private rentals for that seclusion you speak of, including space, kitchen, laundry...

I just recently pulled the trigger on a shorter commute to T&C at Mizo Villa that offers a lovely private pool villa at a competative price It has some openings in Feb, and the owner has been a gem to work with. My concern is the flatness of the island, but that beautiful ocean, I am sure we will fill our week up quickly.

Inakauaidavidababy

I just noticed you mentioned bioluminescent waters which is one reason we considered Vieques off Puerto Rico. This home was very enticing. But we chose the easier door to door of TC. It certainly checks off the seclusion factor.

http://www.vrbo.com/3471121ha

FrankS

Been to al 3, love them all. If scuba or snorkeling isn't your thing, cross off Cayman. Beaches are prettier on TC than Barbados, but Barbados has many more things to do and is less expensive