Marguerite

Norte Playa on Isla Mujeres off Cancun. We stayed at www.nabalam.com

Paul

what is your definition of "beautiful"?<BR><BR>If it is naturally beautiful but jammed with tourists, is it "beautiful" still?<BR>Does it matter if it has shade or not?<BR>Does it matter if it has facilities nearby or not?<BR>Does it matter if it has a rough or calm surf?<BR>Does it matter if it has a sandy bottom or not?<BR>Does it matter if there is good snorkeling right off the shore?<BR>Does it matter if the water is partially polluted from cruise ships or big hotels nearby?<BR>Does it matter what color the sand is?<BR><BR>Ask 100 people and you may get 100 different answers!

anon

And don't forget that wind and weather can impact on a beach and the water too! That "yucky" stuff makes its home in the water. <BR>does it matter that you have to fight for the huts or wake in the wee hours to reserve a chair? <BR>Jelly fish is a seasonal thing. Usually the islands that have the less run off from the land will have the clearer cleaner beaches and those with coral and reefs wil give you better snorkling.

al

Shoal Bay in Anguilla is as good as it gets.

brett

al, have you been to all the top beaches in the Caribbean? Or are you just assuming Shoal Bay is "as good as it gets" because it's the best you have seen? This picture of Shoal Bay doesn't exactly blow me away <BR><BR>http://news.ai/ref/bluewaters.html <BR>

mary

Brett: I have to agree. I didn't think Shoal Bay looked all that wonderful. At least not as good as what I thought it would look like considering all the raves. Unless pictures don't do it justice....

al

No no no, there are 2 Shoal Bays, and your picture is of the wrong one, Shoal Bay West. Read the caption -- it says that it's Shoal Bay West, not the famous Shoal Bay, which is on the northeast side of the island. I've been to several beaches I would consider great -- don't know if they're the Caribbean top 10 or anything -- but when last I was there Shoal Bay was very peaceful, had excellent white sand and calm, extremely blue water. There's a famous 'snack bar' there called Uncle Ernie's for food and drinks.

al

Brett, try this one:<BR><BR>www.caribbean.bizzz.com/treports/shoal.htm

Placido

That last link does work . So try this for a pic of the "famous" Shoal Bay, not the "other" one<BR><BR>http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/173500...ingston300.jpg

al

Can't figure out why the link doesn't work. If you do a search (MSN), look for something called Tour of Shoal Bay Beach. That's it, and it's exactly what I typed, but for some reason it doesn't work unless you click on it.

Julie

Every year I go to the Caribbean in search of the perfect beach. So far, nothing has touched Anguilla. If you stay at Malliouhana, you are guaranteed a very private beach experience with beautiful white sand and amazingly beautiful clear water. This is not an overly touristy spot, which is nice. Providenciales in Turks and Caicos is beautiful, but if you go at the wrong time of year the island is surrounded by millions of tiny black jellyfish.