Hi - my parents will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and want to take a trip with the whole family. We are considering either Aruba or St. Lucia. We have ages ranging from 7-72. Any suggestions on which island is better and a nice quality resort so we can keep all the costs reasonable but easy to access island activities. Thanks for your help !

you might look at www.tikaye.com or www.windjammer-landing.com on st.lucia

We have stayed at the Renaissance in Aruba and it might work out for your group. It's not a luxury resort, but nice enough. They have a private beach accessible by ferry which runs like every ten minutes from the resort (we stayed in the Beach Tower). It is downtown, so there are malls, shopping and restaurants within walking distance. If you want lots of activites, choose a place on Palm Beach, if you want a little more quiet but don't want to ride the ferry to your beach, choose a place on Eagle Beach. Problem with either one of those is that it's a cab ride or you need a car to get to other restaurants. Check it out, though, I think Aruba might have enough to offer for your entire family.

It's difficult to answer your question because you haven't indicated what characteristics would make an island better for you (e.g., white sand beach, lush landscape, nearby cultural sites, good shopping, snorkeling, etc.)and also what dollar amount you consider reasonable. Also, how many are in your group, when would you be traveling, and from where? As you know, rates are significantly cheaper in the summer so your dollar can go further. The more information you can provide, the more helpful will be the responses.

I agree with Laby that it's difficult to answer your question with the little information you've given. Aruba and St. Lucia are two completely differently islands (I've been to both). So it all depends what your family is looking for in a Caribbean island.
The following comparisons are just my personal opinions.
In terms of beauty, St. Lucia wins hands down over Aruba. St. Lucia is lush, mountainous, with picturesque fishing villages and great natural sites (the pitons, waterfalls, rainforest, etc..). Aruba is flat, dry. Not many natural sites to see. There is the natural bridge but I read somewhere that it collapsed.
In terms of beaches, I think Aruba's beaches are better. Why? I just prefer white sand/clear blue water and St. Lucia's beaches have sand that's darker making the water look darker.
Aruba clearly caters to the American tourists. You can see that with the high number of U.S. tourists and hotels, type of restaurants and activities that are offered there.
To sum it up, in St. Lucia you'll feel like you're in another country. In Aruba, you'll likely feel like you're on a U.S. island.

Yikes. I hit "post my reply" without meaning to.
I'll add one more thing. Do a search for "velodurt". You'll find her recent trip report to St. Lucia with fantastic pictures. That should at least give you a good feel of St. Lucia.

I have been to both and I would pick St. Lucia over Aruba simply because it has a more South Pacific/Caribbean feel to it. It has rainforests, waterfalls, the beautiful Pitons and even a drive through volcano.

Aruba is like being on a beach in the U.S. and very Americanized with lots of fast food restaurants, Hooters, Tony Romas and gambling is the main form of entertainment. It is a very small, basicall flat, desert (think Arizona) type of island and has more timeshares than any other Caribbean island.

If you want to feel you have been somewhere exotic and beautiful go to St. Lucia, but if you want to feel you went to a beach in the U.S. go to Aruba.

Hi All,

Thanks for all your replies. My apologies for not writing more info in the original post - wasn't thinking I guess.
For us beaches are important with easy access to snorkeling, diving etc. Our group is 6 adults and 3 kids, we are looking at travelling around Nov. Based on your information it sounds like St. Lucia is a better bet since there is more to do and the natural enviroment sounds more interesting. Any suggestions for hotels ? We would be looking 250-350 US per night. Are there any good all inclusives in St. Lucia ? Again thanks for all your suggestions

Our family (ages 11-75) has enjoyed trips the past 4 Christmases. Our favorite resort was RIU Tropical Bay in Negril. It is all inclusive, with really good food and service, and the beach in incredible. The location is isolated from the main part of seven mile beach, and very safe even for young children in my opinion. We find enough to do on the resort, so island activities aren't really a factor for us.

We have also taken group trips to Royal Decameron Club Carribean (Runaway Bay), Beach Palace (Cancun), and Sunscape Tulum (Tulum). I'd be happy to answer questions. All were lovely family experiences.