lovetheocean

I am looking for advice on picking which island to visit for my first time to the Caribbean in May. I’m going with my sister and we are both women in our early 30’s. I've done some research on Grand Cayman and St. John but would like other suggestions based on our interests.

Here’s what we are looking for:
-Excellent beaches (white sand, clear water) that aren't overly crowded
-Great snorkeling and/or scuba (I'm the only one that does scuba, so I would only do this once or twice, but we both love snorkeling)
-Tropical paradise/beautiful landscape (perhaps something similar to Hawaii, nothing that's barren or ugly once you leave the beach)
-Availability of other activities (for example, easy hikes, biking on the beach, horseback riding, watersports, gardens). We don't need our days to be packed full of activities, but don't want to sit on the beach for a whole week either.
-Safety is extremely important
-Moderately-priced accommodations close to the beach (don’t need luxury hotels but not looking for Motel 6 either)
-We do not want a place that is fast-paced, crowded, noisy, or dirty. We are looking for relaxation and quiet.

Which islands would be a good fit for us? Out of the places I've researched (Grand Cayman, St. John, and St. Lucia) and it seems like St. John meets most of our needs, but I'd like other suggestions before we make a decision.

suze

Nothing is really "similar to Hawaii", because those islands are big in comparison to most of the relatively smaller islands in the Caribbean.

I think St John does meet most of your requests.

lovetheocean

Suze, that makes sense, I just meant that I wanted something with beautiful scenery like Hawaii and a tropical feel (I know a lot of Caribbean islands are dry and scrubby and aren't that beautiful other than the beaches).

suze

Well honestly to me, St John seems "dry and scrubby" but people have disagreed with me about that on this forum in the past -haha.

Jamaica is very lush. Because it's a larger island and has mountain range inland to catch the weather/make rain. It's extremely beautiful there. If you're at all interested look at www.negrilonestop.com to get an idea of the kinds of accommodations available on the 7-mile beach there. Negril is 90-mins (easy shuttles at $30pp) from Montego Bay airport.

RoamsAround

First, to make specific resort/hotel recommendations it would really help if you gave us a budget range you are willing to spend for accommodations. Terms like "moderately priced" are meaningless without a dollar point of reference. We have no idea what YOU think is a "moderate price".

Second, when you ask for "white sand" beaches the experts and regular contributors on this forum take that literally and will always steer you to the flatter, arid coral/limestone based islands like Grand Cayman, Anguilla, Aruba, the Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas Out-Islands because they have sugar white sand. These islands won't have the lushness you are seeking and because they are relatively flat hiking opportunities are limited. Most, however, offer good to very good snorkeling and diving.

The mountainous islands like St. Lucia, Dominica and Nevis will be very lush with dense rain forests simply because by definition those islands get lots of rain. Hiking opportunities abound but the in general the beaches will have dark sand (varying shads from brown to grey and even black.

FYI - on the more arid island the only "lushness" you'll find will be the man-made plantings around the resorts and private homes or in the local Botanical Garden, if the island indeed has one.

If you are willing to compromise a bit on the "whiteness" of the sand and visit an island that has beaches with light golden or light beige sand then you open up a host of places, St. John being one of them. These islands are often hilly (as opposed to mountainous), are semi-arid, and have cove-like beaches (as opposed to long strands of beaches than go on for miles).

St. John is hilly but because the hills only reach about 1,200' in altitude it's not as lush as say St. Lucia (which has mountains over 3,600' in altitude). 2/3's of St. john is a National Park so there's lots of hiking on the island. The golden sand beaches are very picturesque and you'll find some very good snorkeling and diving around the island. It's a relatively safe island, somewhat laid-back but I'm pretty sure you won't find any horseback riding or bike riding on the beach. I don't know of any island that has bike riding on the beach - the sand in the Caribbean isn't hard packed enough. Other than that St. John ticks off all the other items on your wish list.

Bassguy66

I've been to Hawaii, Grand Cayman & St John. From what you said, GC will not be the right choice due to it being flat & scrubby once you leave the beach.

St John fits pretty much all of your wants....its very safe, hilly terrain, magazine cover beaches, excellent snorkeling, friendly people, plenty to do. When I was on STJ, it was very green & lush. IMHO, it's one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean....you won't be disappointed.

suze

Maybe this is too rustic but many moons ago I had a great vacation at the Cinnamon Bay Campgrounds on St John. It has basic cabins, furnished tents, as well as campsites.
http://www.cinnamonbay.com/cottages.html

PhillyBob1

Having lived and worked in many Caribbean countries..I'd say St John is a good choice for a first visit..Another option is Tortola...Fly into St Thomas and take the ferry or mail boat to Tortola. There are many types of accomations..Being close to other islands makes it easy to do day trips..Tortola is also safer than most other islands..except for petty theft..Enjoy your time there..Bob

kstillwell

Try Little Dix Bay Hotel on Virgin Gorda … Long beach, great snorkeling, quick boat ride to The Baths - an amazing must see natural house size boulders along the waters edge creating lagoons and hidden pools, really good food, variety of room options - top floor of the octagonal bungalows have great views and breezes. I believe scuba is available.

josue_rodriguez_773

My recommendation will be Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a common wealth of the United States and the third biggest island in the Caribbean. The main language is spanish but a big part of the population speaks english due to the US presence. Puerto Rico is an archipelago (group of islands) the main island Puerto Rico is 100 x 35 miles approximately, vieques, culebra, desecheo and mona are other small island with extraordinary beaches and attractions. In San Juan the capital of PR, you will find the Old San Juan, which is a colonial town made by the spaniards, is very colorful, full of delicious cuisine, historic sites, hotels and night life. The Condado district is also known as the little Las Vegas, so if you are into gambling you will have a lot of fun. If you prefer the outdoors there are lots of adventures to choose. El Yunque Rainforest is a beautiful place with waterfalls and lots of hiking trails. To the west side of the island is Rincón, a municipality with world class surfing beaches, humpback whales that you can watch if you go in the right season and excellent beaches for diving and snorkeling. The horseback riding and atv tours are really good too. There are a lot of things to do in Puerto Rico. Here is a great article with excellent pictures about Isabela another municipality of PR with awesome beaches http://www.valifante.com/destination...iacal-beaches/. If you need more information about Puerto Rico feel free to ask or you can visit the island's main tourism website. I hope this has been helpful, enjoy your vacations in the caribbean.

Josue A Rodriguez Cruz
www.valifante.com

mgreene35

I just returned from a week in St. Maarten and Anguilla. I have been to St. John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, St. Thomas, Jamaica and The Dominican Republic. This was my second trip to St. Maarten, and I have to say, it has a bit of everything you could look for. There is a Dutch side and a French side to the island and they have a different feel. St. John/Tortola is beautiful but St. Maarten has so many beaches to choose from and they are all different.I got bored in Tortola! I really enjoyed Mullet Bay beach this trip. Crystal clear, blue water, beautiful sand and snorkeling right off the beach. Also went to Happy Bay Beach. If you want even whiter sand and bluer water, Anguilla is only a 30 minute ferry ride and is $40 round trip (inc gov't taxes and fees). There isn't as much activity on Anguilla, so I like to go there on a day trip for the beach at Shoal Bay East. The food on St. Maarten is amazing and not too expensive, compared to Tortola and St. John. We hiked up to the highest point via the Lotterie Farm and it was an amazing view at the top. This former sugar plantation has a restaurant up in the trees, ziplining, a high ropes course and the hike. You can also spend the day at the hip pool/spa area for a fee. Hotels range from $175 - $1,000/night on the island. The best bet is to look on VRBO for time share weeks that are available or private residences that rent their places. We stayed right on Great Bay beach at Sea Palace in Phillipsburg for $450/week with my time share group. This was an older hotel with a efficiency kitchen but I do not recommend Phillipsburg if you don't have a car there. By day, the cruise ships dock and it is lively and fun, with of duty free shopping and restaurants on the beach (touristy). By night, (after 6 pm) it becomes a ghost town and feels a bit unnerving to be walking around that part of town. We seemed to spend the most time outside of beach time in the Maho Beach area, where they have shops, bars, restaurants and a very nice casino (I won at blackjack and craps!). Orient Bay Beach is on the French side and has every type of water sport imaginable - Kite boarding, snorkeling, parasailing, jet-skiing and windsurfing. This beach is crowded and windy though, so we only spent a few hours there. Another great thing about St. Maarten is they take American dollars and it is a tax free island. Better to bring cash though, as many restuarants/shops only take cash! Good luck!