Sher

My husband and I are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, but not until mid November.

We live in Pennsylvania, but probably will be traveling from Florida.

We have made several trips to Europe, but I want to be in a warm place in November and I feel the Caribbean would be a good bet.

Although I never have before this, I have been reading this particular Forum for a couple of weeks but still need help.

This is what I have narrowed down our preferences to:

We would like to spend a week.
We would like to be close or on the beach but we are not water sport people.
It would be nice to pick someplace that is not difficult to travel to from FLL or MIA or PBI.
It could be AI, if the food is good. Otherwise, I would rather eat out.
I think for this trip, we would rather be surrounded by more adults then teens and small children.

Can we do something like this for $3000 or less and please help me narrow down a choice.

Bob_Dobbs

I am a native Floridian and a world traveler, and I think I have a good (though I think a bit obvious) recommendation for you - The Florida Keys and Key West. It is VERY carribbean, but still technically in the USA (some Conchs will disagree).
You can fly into either Fort Lauderdale or Miami (I would pick Ft. Laud as Miami airport can be a headache and Ft. Laud. is only about 1/2 hour drive north). Rent a car (maybe a convertable?) and take a nice drive down to the keys. Once you get past Miami (I would take the turnpike which dumps into US-1), US-1 is the only road down through the keys and it is VERY scenic... lots of ocean views, including the famous seven-mile bridge.
There are many Keys in the island chain and some are more developed than others. You may decide to stay a couple nights on these other islands if something strikes your fancy (Duck Key is a private resort with a bunch of activities or Key largo(the largest and most northern island has great snorkeling, etc.) But if you are looking for romantic and relaxing with great food, great accommodations, Key West is my favorite. It is more developed than when Hemmingway lived there and maybe has lost some of its charm as things have grown, but I still love to visit. You can stay at a hotel, or I would recommend staying at a Bed & Breakfast in one of the old houses right near the center of town (not far off Duval Street - the main street). Key West is smallish, so I never drive once I am down there - just walk or take a short cab ride (cabs are pink BTW). There are a ton of restaurants and some nice beaches for laying out (but the beaches are not as soft and more rocky than most other Floridian beaches). I like Smathers Beach. You can stroll around, watch the performers in mallory square and, along with practically everyone else on the island, go to sunset pier or mallory square to watch the sunset (truly stunning). One night, the Duval Crawl may be an option (hitting each bar as you walk down Duval) and there are always several options for some live music. There may be some younger people or families with kids around, but it isn't Disney and since school is in, it will be more vacationers than college kids, etc. There are sunset cruises, a bunch of shops, and lots of stuff like that. It is a bit touristy in places, and that needs to be said, but staying in a B&B, eating great seafood, and walking around beaches and the island atmosphere makes it a great spot for me. I hope this helps, and if not I could maybe make a few other suggestions. Have fun and enjoy Florida!

Sher

Thank you Bob for your suggestions. But don't you think the weather will kind of iffy in November?

We have been to Key West on a day trip but it has been some time.

I want to have the best weather we can at that time of year.

Bob_Dobbs

Iffy?? How so? It won't be as hot as in July... but it usually isn't too cold in November. Hurricanes would not be expected, but anywhere in Florida afternoon rain is possible.

bajangirl

You have so many choices, and in November it's a bit cooler and the islands are not overrun with tourists as schools are still in session. Prices are cheaper than too. I live in the Caribbean and travel the islands a lot.
Ti Kaye in St Lucia is nice and it's a great island with good food, beaches and "things to do". Regular scheduled flights from Miami too.
Anguilla has phenomenal beaches and food but pretty quiet otherwise. Nice thing about Ang is that it's to do day trips to neighbouring islands like St Martin/St Maarten, St Barths, St Eustatius and Saba.
Barbados has daily flights from Miami, New York and other cities in the US. Almond Resorts has an all inclusive adults only resort on the beach.

Sher

Thanks Bob. I guess that I didn't consider Florida as we go often and I wanted a new experience. But I appreciate the suggestions.

bajangirl. I was being overwhelmed by all of the information here. I am going to make a list of yours and start from there.
And it is nice to know that day trips can be made easily from Anguila which I missed before.
We do not mind quiet. We really are not into night life.

By the way we are 60, so not so old yet. I guess with 40 years under our belt, we could give the impression that we are much older. So I guess we still have some life left.

eileen

I agree that in November in Florida many times it is not warm enough to be considered beach weather, you will find better, warmer weather farther south. Going from Miami you have lots of choices -- two places I know you definitely can get to in a short (2 1/2 hour) direct flight is Curacao and St. Kitts. We like both these islands because they are not Americanized, there are many good restaurant choices and there's interesting history and culture too.

Sher

I knew I could count on you guys for help.
Thanks again.
After some researching, I will be back I am sure with more questions.

Sher

I decided to post again as sometimes a question is asked and the original poster falls off the face of the earth.

We decided on Turks and Caicos. We rented a studio directly on the beach at Grace Bay.

It is at the RWI.

I want to thank all of the suggestions and maybe I will post a trip report.

It is so far off, that I hope nothing happens that we cannot go.

Wish us luck.

Sherry