Next April DH and I will be attending a wedding in Fort Lauderdale. Since we're travelling from Dallas, I figure afterwards we should take a quick island getaway. We'd love to try Caneel Bay or Little Dix Bay, but both seem to be a hassle to get to with the ferries. Does anyone have suggestions for a destination meeting the following criteria, from either FLL or MIA:

Less than 2 hour flight
Stunning beaches
Good dining options - from high-end dinners ($100ish pp) to cheapo lunches
Rooms less than $500 per night

Oops, I hit post before I was done!

Ideas I had considered but have reservations about are:

Four Seasons Exuma - food too expensive and few choices.
Little Dix/Caneel - difficult to get to
Cap Juluca - expensive to get to, expensive rooms, but looks amazing

We visited Barbados for our honeymoon and really enjoyed it, but want to try somewhere new and closer. Any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

Cap Juluca is outstanding- if you can go there I would go! It is expensive but so worth it. The beach there is beautiful and the villas are great.

We haven't been to LDB or CB mainly because from everyone I have talked to it seems like they are both a little more on the rustic side (although I hear the beaches are amazing at LDB.)

FS Exuma- haven't been there either but Exuma vs Anguilla is 2 completely different experiences from what I understand. Anguilla is very flat and has really amazing beaches and gorgeous blue water. I think Exuma is more lush.

Exuma is a quick easy flight from FL or Miami. Really, anywhere in the Bahamas. Look at some of the other out island resorts. Pink Sands is pricey, but you may hit the start of off season prices in April. The One and Only Ocean Club is very nice and you have privledges at Atlantis (if you want more to do). Old Bahama Bay gets mixed reviews and it's now part of Ginn's mega resort being built on Grand Bahama. Bermuda is close and a beautiful Island. Nice resorts there too..The Reefs, Pink Sands. Jamaica has some great resorts on the cliffs in Negril...The Caves, Rockhouse, Tensing Pen. Try to find the direct flights for your time period out of FL or Miami first, then it will be easier to find where you want to head. Peter Island is wonderful on Tortola...a little easier than Little Dix Bay to get to. Caneel Bay is in St. John. Hopefully this will help some. You just have so many options, although Dallas has many direct options too, so I'd be more likely to stick with the Bahamas,Bermuda, BVI's or VI's...all direct flights (from what I know)

I would definitely look into Providenciales ( Provo for short) in the Turks and Caicos. We have been there over 20 times and love it. One of the best beaches in the Caribbean and excellent restaurants and accomodations in all price ranges. Have been to Great Exuma over 20 times to and seen Four Seasons. Although we love Exuma don't think it's what you are looking forAnguilla is great and one of our favorites but harder to get to. Do a provo search here for lots of info. You can also do a HowardC search for my provo trip reports and comments. A good source of info on provo is www.wherewhenhow.com the on line magazine of the Turks and Caicos. If I can help further you can e-mail me at [email protected]

Another vote for Provo. It is an easy flight from either MIA (American) or FLL (Spirit - not daily), and it seems perfect for what you want (laid back and relaxing but upscale, lots of options for dining/accommodations, and possibly the most beautiful beach/water in the Caribbean.

Provo Turks and Caicos is great!

Why not Cayman ? At least 5 flights per day from MIA, 1hr 15 mins from MIA, lots of great restaurant to choose from, and Seven Mile Beach.

Thank you all! I am going to explore more options in Turks and Caicos and the other Bahamas resorts suggested. I actually feel like DFW doesn't have that many direct flights to the smaller islands (AA normally connects through Miami or Puerto Rico), so this is going to be a great chance for us to get to the Caribbean without a full day of travel. Yay! I'll be back with more questions once we narrow down.