welovemexico

HI, my husband and I have been to Mexico many times and really love it, but we are looking to visit an island in the Caribbean for our next holiday.

I'm looking for recommendations for our next vacation. We would love to visit Antigua, Turks and Caicos, St. Kitts just to name a few. We are looking for a medium size resort on the beach with nice soft white sand. It can be an AI or not. The one thing I don't want is timeshare people. I do not want to be bothered on my vacation by anyone selling timeshare. This is a must. I would also like to avoid hawkers on the beach. I don't mind it for a little while, but I don't want to be bombarded by people everyday.

Any suggestions you have for an island or resort will be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

blamona

Antigua has some people approaching to sell there stuff, braid your hair. No where near as much as in Mexico though.

I have not been to St. Kitts.

T&C has no one aprroaching you-they are nice and shy-no one selling you stuff, no one trying to braid your hair, no timeshares. 8-)

welovemexico

Hi,thanks for your response. We didn't experience many hawkers in Mexico and we've been there 6-7 times. Sure, you do see some on the beach here and there, but not many.

virginia

i think provo meets all your requirements too. almost all the resorts are directly on talcum powder soft, blingingly white 11 mile long grace bay beach, set off nicely by the tourquoise water. great dining, good snorkeling, great diving, no hawkers or timeshare sales. easy to get around. not lush like mexico.
give us your price range for specific resort suggestions.

welovemexico

Hi, we would like to go away for 10 - 14 days and our budget is around $8,000. This doesn't include spending money.

happyinnewyork

Could I jump in here to ask a question too? We're thinking of Turks & Caicos for February break, coming from NY, and I was wondering if anyone has comments/experiences with either the Regent Palms or Grace Bacy Club?

doug_stallings

Be wary of the Turks & Caicos in February. It will be very warm compared to NYC, but this isn't the Caribbean, so it may be a bit too cool to go to the beach much.

welovemexico

Hello Doug, can you please elaborate on your comments above. Are you saying that it is not hot enough for swimming in T&C in Feb.? What is the average daily temperature? I would like it to be at least 26-28 celcius.

virginia

this link gives avg temps for feb 1-15. you can reset the dates for the 2nd 1/2 of the month as desired: http://www.wunderground.com/history/...=Turks+Islands
i went once in late march. the air temps were fine but the water was a bit cool to just hang out in for endless hours of snorkeling. fine for a swim though.

in your price range on provo you might look at royal west indies, ocean clubs or the sands.

doug_stallings

Provo basically has air temps that are slightly warmer than Miami. So you can easily get most days in Jan/Feb with air temps in the low 70s and nighttime temps of the 60s. That's a little cool for me to think about the beach. And it can be cooler still if it's cloudy. Blamona is usually in Provo during Jan, so I think she can give you a much more practical answer than I. If the sun shines, it can feel very warm, but the water is cooler.

blamona

I've gone to T&C every Jan for the last 8 years or so. Sometimes the "Christmas Winds" kick up in Jan, they last 5-7 days-makes the water choppy and the wind a little fierce. It has never kicked up for more than a week, but of course, it's all about timing-especially if you're only spending 1 week on vacation. I have not been in Feb, but if I had to assume, with "cooler" nights, the water might be a little chillier than in Jan. Presidents Weekend is still crowded in T&C, so not enough to stop anyone from going.

My weather history in Jan-the first year I experienced the Christmas winds. I didn't really get in the water that week. I've also experienced them in Anguilla at other years, so I don't know if it's just "timing". I had 3 years ago, a wonderful Jan, low 80's, clear non wavy water, except for 5 days that someone came down to visit-so, they didn't believe us! (Actually, I'm exagerating, the last day, they had picture perfect weather, and saw Grace Bay Beach in all of it's glory-then they wanted to buy a vacation place!) The other years, I've had really good luck, and had perfect weather the whole month of Jan. Low 80's in day, mid 70's at night-with water around 78-80 degrees.

I do consider the Bahamas to be on the cool side for my tastes in winter-but it still wouldn't stop me from going. It's all relative, when you're coming from freezing temps, 70's feel pretty good!

In winter, I have never found the water to feel colder than say, Virginia Beach at the beginning of Summer.

waring

Has to be St Barts, not a hawker in site.

I would suggest the Guanahani hotel.

happyinnewyork

Thanks for the input. Fodor's is my favorite site!

Knowing

We stayed at the Hilton in Barbados this past year and never saw any hawkers on the beach nor did we ever hear anything about any time shares anywhere. It's a beautiful island with great beaches! We also love Antigua.

seeingtheworld2

Hi, I just returned from St Kitts about 2 weeks ago, and have already booked my next trip for January. Of all the places I've been this was by far the most relaxing. We stayed at the Marriott (great place, but they did have the time share thing, but they were not high pressure people). I would recommend Ottley Plantation, one the nicest hotels on the island, and the restaurant there is great. As far as being bothered on the beach..... All the beaches in St Kitts are public beaches (even resorts), so there were people offering Aloe Foot Massages (but I enjoyed it)! We travel the 1st week in November so it was not quite peak season and there were not many people around (unless a cruise ship came in). There are not a whole lot of attractions to see, just an incredibly beautiful, relaxing place. Good luck, and whatever you decide to do have fun.

SKBFAN1

I also recommend St. Kitts or sister island of Nevis!

The locals are friendly, variety of activities (Brimstone Hill Fortress, rainforest hikes, golfing, snorkeling/diving, horseback riding, ATV rentals), etc.

For information on St. Kitts visit www.discover-stkitts-nevis-beaches.com, www.stkittstourism.kn and www.myislands.myeyez.net

Ottley's Plantation is amazing!

Seetheworld2:

Glad you enjoyed your stay in St. Kitts and are planning a return visit!

You should become a member of the forum at www.myislands.myeyez.net

beachykeen

Anguilla- usually no beach hawkers, at worst one who won't hassle you. Powder white and powder soft beaches with water an unbelievable 5 shades of blue and great restaurants. NO timeshares