I am already starting to plan a trip to the Caribbean for early 2014 (in the cooler months - Jan thru Apr, depending on prices) and my first decision is where to go. As background, we will be 65 and 57, we live in Florida, my husband grew up on a sailboat in St. Thomas, neither one of us are sun worshippers (too many visits to the dermatologist!), we may enjoy an occasional beer or cocktail but aren't really drinkers, and the nightlife is not for us. DH has no interest in cruising after all those years of living in St. Thomas and working in a store being deluged with cruise ship passengers, so we will fly somewhere and possibly take ferries or whatever to other island if necessary.
What we DO like is snorkeling - yes, I know you can't do that without being in the sun but we wouldn't be in the sun all that long and we just don't care to lay on the beach soaking up cancer rays. A view of the beach from a covered location would be awesome, sightseeing in rainforests would be new for us, and we really enjoy quiet nature-watching. Maybe some local shopping but not the usual cruise ship port stores (no Del Sol!!!). It would be nice to rent a small sailboat for a day, but it's not required. Really prefer to avoid crowds - is Spring Break a crowded time?
I've been to the Bahamas several times and really don't want to visit flat islands like those - volcanic islands are what I'd like to see. I was thinking somewhere between Anguilla and Grenada (hubby is ruling out Aruba, Trinidad, and Curacao).
Any comments or suggestions?
Best Island for Snorkeling and Rainforests - Anguilla to Grenada
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Forgot to mention - it'll be about a 7 day trip, and hubby is seriously into landscape photography.
First off, Anguilla is a flat arid island with no rain forests so cross that off your list.
Second, most islands with rain forests are very mountainous volcanic based islands and these tend not to have very good snorkeling.
Unless you are going to be staying and one of the major "family resorts" like Atlantis or Beaches "Spring Breakers" won't be a major concern.
You mentioned traveling " Jan thru Apr, depending on prices" - that's "High Season" and the most expensive time in the Caribbean and unless you are traveling after Easter Week (in 2014 that means after April 27) you won't see and significant price differential in the January - April time period.
You are probably going to have to make some concessions.
So, if snorkeling is a high priority check out St. john (US Virgin Islands) - quiet island with 2/3's dedicated to a National Park - while not a true rain forest it has some interesting lush vegetation and many hiking trails. Couple that with numerous picture perfect light golden sand palm tree lined beaches with very good to excellent walk-in snorkeling and even more boat access snorkeling, some very good restaurants and relatively uncrowded feel it just might be your "perfect island".
Look also at Virgin Gorda - similar in topography and lushness as St. John you'll find some wonderful palm tree lined calm water beaches, very good to excellent snorkeling and you'll find it uncrowded.
Antigua is a hilly island with 365 golden sand beaches (some quite small), very little walk-in snorkeling, some good but not great boat access snorkeling and no real rain forests.
St. Lucia is very lush with lots of rain forests and very attractive palm tree lined dark sand beaches (if you are seeking white sand beaches you won't find them on St. Lucia) but only limited snorkeling.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines are somewhat difficult to reach and the islands in that chain that have decent snorkeling won't have the rain forests you crave.
That leave Grenada which has a section with some nice beaches and an area with some very lush rain forests. Not sure of the snorkeling as I didn't snorkel when I visited there.
Skip the other USVI's and BVI's (either too crowded, no rain forests or more difficult to reach for a short trip), St. Martin (probably too crowded for you), St. Kitts and Nevis (plenty of rain forests but no real snorkeling), Saba (no beaches), St. Eustatia (lacks great beaches) and Dominica (wonderful rain forests but not much snorkeling).
Hope that helps you narrow down your choice of islands.
Let me clarify one more point - with the exception of places like Cancun and Cozumel the Caribbean is not a major spring break destination so I would let that be of major concern. Also if you avoid traveling during President's Week and the week or so surrounding Easter you' won't encounter very many families or or groups of school age youngsters traveling together in packs.
I think St John should fit the bill quite nicely for what you are looking for.
RoamsAround gives some great advice. If your husband grew up on St Thomas, then he already knows St John, I suspect.
I want to add that if you could wait until after the end of April, the cruise ship traffic anywhere will be minimal. Most ships leave for Alaska and the Mediterranean around then.
If you speak some French, I would not rule out Martinique or Guadeloupe (and ferry to Iles de Saintes.) The food is always better on French islands! I also think Grenada is interesting.
I really don't think Caribbean is for you, first and foremost it is about beaches!
I highly suggest Costa Rica.
If you still want great snorkel to go with it, try Belize and Roatan Honduras.
The only "hilly" islands with great snorkel is Virgins which you've knocked off. Not much there if don't like sailing and beaches with your vacation.
My above suggestions have great snorkel, and you can travel inland for forests and hiking (and even Mayan ruins thrown into the mix). Beaches are just okay, but that's not your priority.
I have not been to costa rica personally. However my best friends absolutely loved nature watching, hiking and trekking there... I also vote for St. John,, it seems to be a good Caribbean option given your list.
Thanks to everybody for the information and opinions! I do realize my timeframe is high season, so when I say it depends on "prices" I mean if prices vary during the cooler months then we'll go for the cheaper time. Since we don't have kids we are not bound by school schedules - we just want to avoid the hot seasons. So if March or April are a few hundred bucks cheaper than Jan or Feb, then we'll go then. But I'm not going in August or September! I get enough heat here in Florida - when I go on vacation I need to get AWAY from heat as much as I can.
I love the idea of Central America, but hubby won't go there. I don't know why - he visited those places when he was a teenager living on the sailboat. I think he's been scared by bad press. But there are enough other interesting places to go that I don't feel like arguing with him over whether or not we go to Central America, so I'm concentrating on the Southern Caribbean.
What we might end up doing is planning to visit more than one island so we can get a good combination of rain forests and snorkeling. I'm keeping track of everybody's comments and will plan accordingly. Of course, now hubby is saying a cruise from San Juan might be a nice way to visit several different islands. ...sigh.... This would be so much easier if my husband didn't have OPINIONS.
Thanks!