Bixa525

Would love suggestions for a safe area to travel for a Caribbean vacation in November of this year. I know some areas can be rainy and also hurricane prone but is there anywhere out there that would have nice beaches, snorkeling would be nice, warm water temps and decent food (love seafood).

Turks and Caicos is on the list but hubby had his heart set on St. Martin. With the crime rate increasing there we are rethinking that choice now though.

Can anyone help us out?

qwovadis

Have a read on the ABC Islands in the latest Conde Nast

The Blue-Sky Isles Lee Aitken discovers

the charming Dutch ABC Isles...

www.concierge.com/cntraveler

Probably your best bet for warm water and less storms in Nov.

insuremytrip.com still always wise.

Weadles

I agree with the poster above. But even so, nothing is a guarantee in November. And that includes at least Aruba, which has had an unusually wet late fall/winter season. Definitely take out travel insurance!

GeorgeR

Grand Cayman would be a good choice. It has a great beach (Seven Mile Beach),warm water, good snorkeling and excellent restaurants. There is less crime than the other islands, but no place in this world is crime free. There could be some rain but the chances of a hurricane are very low in November.

KVR

We usually travel the 1st or 2nd week of November or December. The prices are good, the crowds low and the weather is good. Been to Grand Cayman, Mexico and Jamaica at that time of year with no issues. Hurricane season is usually done by then. With that said, for the past 2 years, Aruba has been hit with Tropical storms in October/November, and they are considered outside of the hurricane belt. We expereinced rain in St. Lucia in a November, but that was when Hurricane Wilma was on her rampage. It wasn't too big of an issue though. I think Grand Cayman or Aruba would fit your criteria.

StanKase

Aruba has NO snorkeling. The T&C waters can be chilly in Dec. but hurricanes are not an issue most likely after the Thanksgiving period. Curacao has been the least hut island I believe by hurricanes if you go earlier and on the WEST END the snorkekling is quite good but you need a rental car to get to that area. It has at least a dozen good resaurants though the prices are high but maybe 10% more than the other places you mentioned so it is not a major consideration. The best snorkeling is St. John and the weather is quite good after early November and the island has a personality where Grand Cayman and the ABC islands in my opinion do not, they are flat sand bars with a few little hills. In Aruba there is a constant 14 mile an hour breeze most of the year that many find annoying.
As for St. Martin it has NO snorkeling and though the French side has some personality and the island has several very nice beaches it to is a sand bar, so to speak but it does offer severakl good restaurants but at $125-$150 for dinner for 2 at the better places. I hope some of the above helps.

OceanBreeze1

Are you going in June and Nov? Your other recent post says June.

schmerl

I beg to differ that Aruba has NO snorkeling. We had a GREAT snorkeling experience off the coast of Aruba on De Palm Island.
There is also a ship wreck off the coast that has good snorkeling.

StanKase

I suppose it's how you define quality snorkeling. If you compare it to Bonaire, St. John or the WEST END of Curacao it is really not very impressive based on our 2 visits to Aruba, But maybe we were unlucky both times. The only good thing was the visibility but basivcally no coral, sp[omges, multi-colored see fans, rays, etc.

Knowing

Curacao gets my vote! The Seaquarium is a must see. Easy going, great people. You will have a wonderful time! So go on and book now! If I ever decide to play the lottery - and win - I will be booking a flight there myself!

KVR

I disagree also. I found better snorkeling in Aruba than I did in St. John or Curacao. Actully, we found better snorkeling in Cozumel, outside of Playa del Carmen, Mexico and Grand Cayman better than St. John, Curacao or Turks and Caicos. I define good snorkeling as plenty of fish and healthy coral. We went to the Sain Ka'an Biosphere outside of Playa del Carmen this past December. Excellant snorkeling. The multitude of hurricanes over the years that have hit the Yucatan Peninsula has not gone that far. Amazing snorkeling and sealife. Rivals Grand Cayman.

Your are welcome to view my pictures for comparison at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

I do agree that the dive we did at the Sea Aquarium in Curacao was awesome, but it is an enclosed structured area with plenty of fish and other sea life. No dive certification is required.

KVR

StanCase where where you snorkeling in Aruba? We went to the Antillas shipwreck, Arashi Beach, Baby Beach, Mangel Halto Mangroves, Rodgers Beach, the Natural Pool and DePalm Island. All great snorkeling spots. We did think that the water wasn't as clear as some other Islands, but lots of fish to view.

I do agree that snorkeling off of Palm Beach and Eagle Beach in the resort areas was not that great.

RileyD

Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. Nail Bay has amazing snorkeling. Long Bay and Savannah Bay have white sandy beaches. Little Dix has good food and good rooms. We stay at a villa in Nail Bay, but that means we do most of the cooking ourselves, so it's debatable on how decent the cooking is

Best of luck in your search!

Zachstickler

Curacao gets my vote too!