ray_sheedy

Message: My wife & I are looking to take a Caribbean vacation (without the kids!) in April '04. We have each travelled throughout most of Europe and the U.S., but have never taken a "sun" vacation together. For this trip, we are looking to RELAX, soak up the sun at the beach and pool, snorkel a bit, and eat & drink to our hearts content. I have narrowed our choices down to the Dominican Republic, Aruba, or St. Lucia... I'm told All-Inclusive is the way to go for a trip like this. 5-star luxury pampering on a 3-star budget has us leaning toward the Dominican Republic, but we're certainly open to suggestions. Help?! Thanks in advance!

irishazzy

I'd recommend Aruba. It's safe, small, clean and easy to get around. I've never been to St. Lucia but the Dominican Republican is a big family island. Not that it's a bad thing but if you and your wife would rather have some quiet time with out tons of children around the resort I'd go with Aruba. It's more of a couple's island.

I was there about 2 years ago. I'd also recommend that you stay in the 'highrise' hotels. I've stayed at the Occidental/Allegro Resort and Casino. There are tennis courts and a spa. They have a nightly broadway show at dinner, 3 restaurants and a bar in the pool. You can also rent a jeep for about $60 and travel around the island. Their are natural cavarnes that you should try to see while there. Other activities that are close by is the booze cruise & catamaran cruise which leave right near the Occidental. Both were about $55 and that included meals and alcohol. I think the golfing is the same thing, $55 gets you a barbeque & drinks at the 9th hole. I think Aruba is a great deal financially too. Hope this helped!

cartera45

Okay, I know it's not on your list, but you really should consider Swept Away in Negril. I have been there twice and it is relaxing and beautiful. Look at the photo tour at http://www.couples.com/sweptaway/1toursa.htm The pictures do not lie.

francot

I would also vote for Aruba. I was there in Oct and stayed at the Marriott. The Radisson and Hyatt are also nice hotels. But I wouldnt do an all inclusive anywhere in Aruba as there are great restaruants on the island. Good luck with your choice.

Diana

I agree with the others who suggested Aruba for all of the reasons they suggested it.

Very good choice that fits the bill of all that you are looking for.

I would not go AI as there are too many really nice restaurants there to limit yourself.

Punta Cana in the Dom. Rep. would be next due to the fact that the food/lodging choices are limited just about exclusively to AI. In my opinion, you will not get 5 star quality there, but the prices are very low as you mentioned.

sap115

If you are looking for affordable, I'd go with Jamaica. Depending where you are flying from, you will probably be able to get a cheap direct flight into Montego Bay. We generally spend under $4000 during the busiest Caribbean travel week of the year (so you should be able to do better than that). We've stayed at the Ritz Carlton, Royal Plantation, and this year we're headed to Grand Lido Negril.

Travelalot2

Aruba is a dry desert island, lush around the resorts where they water. St Lucia is more tropical. Both are great islands though. Our only experience w/St Lucia was at Sandals La Toc and it was very nice. Probably our favorite Sandals experience and we've been to Negril, Ocho, Antigua, and Bahamas. We stayed in the suites on the bluff and the upper pool area was always quiet. Good resturant up there as well. We were in Aruba for a day last October and was impressed with the beach, so we're headed to the Hyat there for a week next month.

nfahey

I also vote for Aruba for all the reasons previously mentioned.

It is a very safe island with fantastic beaches and it offers some really great restaurants. Good luck with your choice.

Nancy

missj

Ray, another property you may wish to consider in Aruba is the Bucuti resort. It is a low-rise on a huge, beautiful stretch of beach. We went there in April of 2002, and were delighted. It is Dutch owned I believe and there is a bit of a European feel - also the ladies don't mind going topless at the beach. We visited some of the high rises, and do admit that the grounds and pool areas are much lusher, but also more crowded. We told the hotel that it was my birthday week and the Bucuti provided a bottle of wine and a balloon in the room! Aruba has many fine restaurants including El Gaucho for steaks, and if you want a unique experience try the Flying Fishbone at sunset. You literally dine on the beach-your table is on the sand by the ocean. We are in our 50's and even enjoyed the party atmosphere at Carlos n' Charlies!

We took a van tour (much more comfortable than a jeep tour!) to see some of the island, and learned a bit about the geography/topography. But mostly we sunned, ate, and drank. Didn't rent a car -although you certainly can - used cabs to go to restaurants. I think you will like Aruba.

lakers

I'm going to be an Aruba dissenter. Personally, I prefer more lush, less developed settings. As previous posters indicated, Aruba is arid and that means there is a lot of brown on the island! Plus, while there are some great hotels (I stayed at the Hyatt which was very nice), at least that stretch of beach is lined with highrise hotels one after another which wasn't appealing to me visually. And finally I just didn't find the restaurants to be anything special and in fact many were very "american-feeling" (I like to feel more away-from-home when I'm on a vacation). I know lots of people who love Aruba for the very reasons I disliked it, I think they felt very comfortable and safe there. I much preferred St. Lucia to Aruba due to my own preferences (I've never been to DR). I stayed at Anse Chastenet which is near Ladera and the Jalouise Hilton - all 3 are terrifc resorts - you feel incredibly away-from-it-all with goregous views, snorkelling/scuba, etc. There were no kids at all at Anse Chastenet or Ladera while I was there - I don't know about the Hilton. Not that you need more choices, but based on your desires for this vacation, what about Cayman Islands? Lots of restaurants, luxury hotels and excellent snorkelling.

Delandry

I would have to agree with the above. I loved St. Lucia! The island with the rainforest is so pretty. The island is safe and people friendly. Every Friday night you can go to the Gros Islet party, which is off the resorts and feel completely safe and get a good feel of the culture. Another resort to look into in the Dominican Republic is Secrets. It is AI and it is adults only. My best friend was there last year and can't say one bad thing. Have fun!

TravelingSue

I vote Aruba. Why? 1. Safety 2. Guaranteed weather 3. Couples atmosphere.

As the previous posters said, it indeed is a dry island. You must keep in mind it is a desert island and you will find much cactus over lush vegetation compared to somewhere with more rainfall like St. Lucia. If you search these messageboards you will find a lot of helpful information about Aruba. You can't go wrong with the Hyatt, Marriott, or Radisson on Palm Beach. We stayed at the Radisson and enjoyed the restaurants that the island had to offer. Happy Travels!

Cooper

St.Lucia has lousy beaches.

heathscott

for Cooper please let me know what you meant about the beaches in St Lucia???? ASAP suppose to pay for trip there tomorrow

willem

I am also planning a new trip and we considered St.Lucia , they are not long wide expansive beaches with aqua waters like you often see in photos . More exotic , cove like , the one at the jalousie hilton looks beautiful to me , not lousy . Supposedly in the piton area there is great snorkeling , it is not shallow for very long , it does drop off quickly in some areas . For me it looked very south seas looking , we like the look of the piton area . Faith

Carib_Ruby

Wow Lakers....

you didn't really like Aruba but you reccommend Grand Caymans? There are a lot of similarities

IceCheerMom

Another downside to Aruba is the wind. It can really whip the sand up to painful velocity.
Given the original criteria, I might have suggested GC myself. While there are similiarities to Aruba in that both islands are small safe clean and developed, I found GC much nicer. And for us- in the midwest- it is much closer.