3 weeks in CARIBBEAN-which island?
 

Going to plan a trip to the Caribbean with my 2 little kids for 3 weeks-so need an island with a few things to do other than beach. In the past, my favs have been Anguilla & st. Barts for the great beaches & no cruise ship style of island....what else would we like & the kids too? Thanks!

Puerto Rico

Can you split the 3 weeks up and visit more than one island?

For 3 weeks, you have a lot of options. I'd definitely second the suggestions of some posters that you should split your time between different islands:
1. You can go to the Virgin Islands and do a bit of island hopping, even including the BVI.
2. You can go to St. Maarten, where you can easily reach Anguilla, St. Barths, Saba, and Statia.
3. You can split your time between St. Lucia and Barbados (if you do this, get a hotel in the Rodney Bay area of St. Lucia for each access to the Vigie airport. Almond Resorts offers packages where you stay at a resort on each island
4. You can go to Puerto Rico and also spend time on Vieques and Culebra.

For me, the key would be to move around for variety's sake. If you don't want to do that (and you might not want to with kids), then rent a villa or condo on one of the larger islands, get a car, and explore on your own. Maybe rent a villa on Tortola with easy access to 6 or more islands for day-trips.

Bequia I think would be great for a family.

How old are your kids and how well do they travel? What kind of activities are you looking for as a family?

I think 3 weeks on many islands would be a dream, but I also like the idea of exploring two islands instead of one. If your children are old enough to travel well, this might be the best option.

If I were traveling with kids, planning to stay on one island, AND I wanted options away from the beach...I would think seriously about Puerto RIco, Grenada, Barbados, or St. Lucia.

If I were traveling with kids and wanting to explore more than one island, I would consider:

St. Kitts & Nevis. These sister islands are accessible by ferry. Rain forests, monkeys, plantation inns, a beautiful fort, an underwater education program--all of these would be good for kids.

Or as Doug previously suggested,

Staying on Tortola, part of the British Virgin Islands, and daytripping to Jost van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada, the other inhabited islands of the BVI.

Staying on St. Martin/Maarten and daytripping to Anguilla (which you already know & love), to Saba, etc.

...don't know how you are flying in to the Caribbean but if you come through Puerto Rico why not spend some time in Old San Juan and the Yunque Rain Forest? Then fly on to St. Kitts and Nevis. There is a lot of history, beaches and good hotels with kids programs on both islands. The new Marriott on St. Kitts might be an option for you. Nisbet Plantation on Nevis is another hotel you might look into. The Four Seasons on Nevis has a good children's program. Oualie Beach has an onsite marine biologist that caters to the younger set. Travelling between the sister islands of Kitts/Nevis is easy for you because they are one Federation so no customs and a fun 25 minute ferry ride apart.