beachedbliss

Hi,
I am looking to take my Husband on Vacation as a Law school graduation gift. We are in our 30's and are looking for a fun upbeat hotel minus the cheeze factor of the Superclubs/Sandals type places.
I will consider any island in the carribean and want upscale, 5 star resort or boutique hotel ,with great food, great service and great nightlife.
We will be going at the end of July through the first week of August.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

BB

KarenM

Here's a few to look into:

http://www.isle-de-france.com/html/frame_intro_us.htm

http://stbarts.wheretostay.com/property/264.html

http://www.frangipani.ai/

http://www.resortvacationstogo.com/resort.cfm?res=252

http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/SJUES/main.wnt

http://www.pointgrace.com/

KarenM

You might want to consider something like this for the cost of a hotel then enjoy all the restaurants on the island:

http://www.st-barths.com/haute-maison/index.html

More info is available at www.sbhonline.com

http://www.st-barths.com/guidepgs/nightlife.html

travleis

There are plenty of 5 star quality resorts with great service and food...and in July you'll get the best prices (early hurricane season).
But great nightlife is the limiting factor. Many of the best resorts are away from the areas with great nightlife (or are on islands with minimal nightlife).
My favorite islands for a high quality getaway (nightlife notwithstanding) are Anguilla (Cap Juluca) and St. Barth's (3 good options). Barbados offers Sandy Lane for high end accommodations and good nightlife offsite. I don't care for Puerto Rico (where you'll find the most nightlife), St. John is too quiet and lacks the high end resort you're describing, Grand Cayman is an option but doesn't have a 5 star resort, Bermuda is a consideration, I'd pass on Nassau, Antigua, BVI's and the Dominican Republic for your goals, Aruba is a consideration but not sure just how upscale you want.

tom42

From the description of what you want I recommend that you look into the Wyndham El San Juan Resort and Casino in Puerto Rico. It is upscale, beautiful grounds, very good restaurants, and excellent nightlife. To make it even more upscale, you can stay in one of the ocean suites (although these are predictable very expensive).

cmeyer54

Here's another one to consider - Aruba Hyatt. Great hotel with a fabulous beach. Aruba is out of the hurricane zone so you won't have to worry about that; in fact, any day with more than a cloud or two in the sky is rare. You will have to cope with constant breezes. there are casinos and shows at virtually every hotel; more gourmet restaurants per square mile than anywhere in the carribean; calm warm waters, etc. Shopping is good as well. golf available at tierra del sol (I think it was a nicklaus course) Lobby has huge easy chairs to just sink into at the end of the day and watch people. We snorkeled (kids were too young to scuba), parasailed, etc. had a great time.

beachedbliss

WOW! Thanks so much for all the replies!!
Someone also recently told me about a small hotel called The Cave is Negril, Jamaica. Have any of you heard of this and what is your take on Jamaica? I have heard that the people are very friendly and upbeat there.

Thanks,
BB

travleis

Regarding Aruba weather, it indeed has the most predictably good weather in the Caribbean, but it's not quite as perfect as described above. On average one of every six days there's at least some rain (and Aruba gets more annual rainfall than Los Angeles) and one in every ten years Aruba is hit or brushed by a hurricane.

cmeyer54

After spending 10 days on Maui with high winds and rain one year, and the next on St John with thunderstorms and loss of electricity, I'll take one in six days with a chance of rain anytime.