Hey Folks,

My husband and I and 2 sons 16 and 14 are looking for a Caribbean trip in July ....we're looking for great beaches, snorkling, and possibly golf. This is strictly and R and R week. We generally stay away from all inclusives touristy things but would even consider that for such a short trip. We are not luxury type of family, prefering clean comfortable places with local charm....we'd rather spend our money on excursions and fun and some culture never hurts!!!

I'm not familiar at all with all the Islands in the Caribbean so I would greatly appreciate any advise.

Many thanks.

Our kids like everywhere we have been in the caribbean so it is hard to narrow down. The best snorkeling would be Grand Cayman. It is a low-key island with wonderful watersports activities (snorkel, scuba, parasailing, jetskiing,etc..).
Aruba has more action, but the snorkeling is not that great.
Both islands have nice resorts and good dining all around. Grand Cayman has lots of condo places to rent.
Bermuda is beautiful. It has good snorkeling, and good dining, nice resorts and is very pretty. It would be more expensive.
Puerto rico had pretty good snorkeling, good dining, nice resorts, lots of culture (el morro fort, old san juan, a rain forest) PR also has some slummy areas, but it has lots of interesting places to visit and things to do if you are a family who wants to keep busy. I would suggest staying at a resort hotel in the condado or isle verde area and then rent a car for the week to travel around in.
I know that Bermuda and Puerto rico will have golf. Not sure about the other two islands.
Also have been to the Bahamas, but it is not a place that I was too thrilled with and I don't think you are the type to like Atlantis. We had a good time there, but it is a resort. Outside of the resort was rather dumpy (nassau) and not really a place I would travel back to.
That is about it for our travels. We would return to all the places we have been to and for different reasons. I have teens the same age and they enjoyed themselves at each island we went to as well.
Bermuda for beauty and nice atmosphere. Puerto Rico for lots of things to do. Grand Cayman and Aruba for best beaches.

Thanks so much for your advice girlonthego....I'll definitely look into your suggestions....Grand Cayman sounds great....Given that you've kids the same age, we went to Costa Rica last year and had an incredible time...if you'd like more info on that I could send you a copy of my trip report...That vacations was extremely active so this year we're looking for just some beach and down time, but of course with boys the water activities are essential... Thanks again.

i think grand cayman would make a good choice for your family. it's a small safe island, with outstanding snorkeling, oh so nice seven mile beach and 2 golf courses.
you might look into the (ai optional) reef resort. low key on the east end of the island - 45 mins away from the seven mile area.
not sure how you feel about doing some meal prep but there are quite a few very nice and well located condo resorts on seven mile. villas of the galleon, grandview and plantana are nice ones. might make lunch and breakfast easier???
also numerous nice hotels directly on the beach - marriott, westin, ritz, and seveal non chain hotels.
puerto rico has great golf but not great snorkeling, it does have some historic touring to do.
mexico, south of cancun, is another option. gorgeous beaches, lots of snorkeling, golf, ruins to tour for some culture. somewhere near playa del carman would be your best bet.

oceanboys: Costa Rica! Good friends of ours went last spring break and had a blast. They are high adventure so I know what kind of vacation that is!
Grand Cayman is very laid back. We stayed at the Marriott on points. The beach is narrow, but fine and the pool is nothing special. We go for the beach so not as interested in the pool. The island is very low key but has tons of watersports. No real nightlife except beach bars and restaurants. The dining was very good and we did things like a snorkel tour at stingray city where you pet the stingrays. (very cool). My daughter was 15 and did scuba diving for the first time with my husband. My other daughter was 13 and went parasailing. (My kids are the same ages as yours are now.)
We really enjoyed the cayman islands and found the people very friendly. We usually taxied to restaurants at night and walked back home mostly down the beach. It seems there are lots of families or couples walking down the beach. Our friends who came as well have three kids and their son (15) walked daily to a wendys because the breakfast was not enough for him. He is about 6ft tall and skinny,but always eating. You can walk to grocery stores and we did that for items to snack on and have alight breakfast in the room. The gas station(very short walking distance) had soda, beer, and chips type of stuff too.)
All in all, we would definitely return to GC because it is very family friendly and the water is the most beautiful I have ever seen. Have fun!!

Thanks Virgina and girlonthego...and sorry for the duplicate post...I must have pressed submit twice!!!! Grand Cayman does sound great...I'll look into the Reef and the Marriot, although I've read somewhere on this post that their doing major renovations through October. Thanks. -- and do consider Costa Rica --- especially the Caribbean side near Puerto Viejo (alot of people stay clear of that area, but we had the best time and felt completely safe!!)