Anguilla or Aruba?
 

Help needed deciding where to go next May.
We are looking for nice beaches and decent snorkeling and diving, although don't need the supberb diving of Cayman. Night life not necessary.
Considering Costa Linda in Aruba or Frangipani in Anguilla. Can anyone recommend which island to choose?
Any info would be greatly appreicated.
Annie

I've been to both Islands. Anguilla has 33 gorgeous beaches, excellent food, some snorkeling, and very little night life. Frangipani is a small intimate property on Mead's Bay which is gorgeous. We fell in love with the island last year and are returing next year. I think Aruba is geared much more toward families with lots of time shares. It's also out of the hurricane belt which is a good draw during Hurricane season. Aruba's beach was nice, the food was also excellent, but not as good as Anguilla, probably better snorkeling than Anguilla and more night life. When we were there, we saw mostly families at Costa Linda, but it was in June. I also think it is a time share. There are many people who love Aruba, I am not one of them Just my opnion, both islands are different and I would choose Anguilla.

I would second the previous poster. We've been to Aruba, and while we enjoyed our visit, we have not been back, and probably won't go back. Anguilla is one of our favorites. Its beaches are absolutely stunning, wide array of restaurants with very good food - try an evening at Altamer - and a much more relaxed atmosphere. We are partial to the Carimar Beach Club, just next door to Frangipani - which is very nice. Go to Anguilla - you won't be disappointed. Good luck. 8-)

We went to Aruba last summer and did not care for it all. The diving was mediocre. We leave for our 1st trip to Anguilla next week and we have heard rave reviews. We have been to many of the islands and Aruba was our least favorite.

Aruba in the hotel area is much more developed with highrises and more commercial, more crowded and busy. It would offer you more things to do like casinos, shows, etc. Anguilla is a beach lover's dream with excellent dining options. If you go to Caribben-on-line.com they can tell you the best spots for snorkeling (Little Bay, Shoal Bay) and the diving opportunities. I have heard Aruba has good diving butI would definitely choose Anguilla if I were looking for an alternate to the typical American hotels lined up all on one beach, wonderfully hospitable people and some of the best dining in the Caribbean. The beaches are great!

Both of the Islands are perfectly flat.
Not to be a snob but there are much prettier places to visit in the Caribbean than either...

.....but people don't go to Aruba or Anguilla for the interior beauty.
They go primarily for the beaches.

Unfortunately you have to sacrifice something desirable at EVERY island.
No one island has all the desirable characteristics.

You are a big fan of St. Bart's.
What are St. Bart's shortcomings?
Well, it doesn't have any beaches as nice as Maunday's Bay.
The people take themselves way too seriously for a tiny Caribbean island.
For those looking for ample nightlife and shopping, ST. Bart's lacks sufficient volume to satisfy many people's tastes.
Some people find it far too quiet.
Of course others consider some of the latter issues to be pros, not cons.
But that's the whole point.
Not veryone considers the same qualities to be important or of equal value.

Ted. You make your point perfectly.
NO one Island is for everyone, and I do love St. Barts, along with the beauty of many of the other Islands. It's just that the ones listed are not in that catagory for my taste.
I'd take issue with you however, that the beaches are prettier on Anqulla or one of the other flat as a pancake Islands.
St. Barts and other hilly places have mountians surrounding the beaches. In SB they are pristine, uncrowed and only a couple even have hotels. The drive down to Gouvenier beach for example takes my breath away every time and we've done it for a decade.
St Barts is harder to get to. A 747 cannot land there, and there are no airline packages, golf, timeshares or AI's, or a casiono. You're not herded to a resort with an uncaring staff that's paid by some multi national corp somewhere else. Almost 1/2 the rooms available are in individual private villas so it takes a little more discovery to decide what you want. The hotels are small and intimate for the most part, and often the owner and their family is on site every day. At the restaurant the chef will typically be French and the owner as well.

You go to the immaculately clean French bakery in the morning with locals--
you may be standing behind a Nun, construction worker, a celebrity or one of the Gendarmarie. The Glitterati bounce by and shift gears up the hills in the same jeeps as eveyone else. There is no poverty or former plantation mentality.
Limitations. You must drive around St. Barts and sometimes it's like everyone thinks their doing the Grand Prix, so you need to be careful. The beaches are classic French topfree (optional) and that might offend some--in that case you're right they belong on one of the British or US Islands. This Island starts early and does not stay out really late. You won't hear a lot of loud music. Since it's all hills and winding roads you would not THINK of driving intoxicated here, either- AND it's France so I would leave a Bush/Cheney t-shirt at home.
But the shopping is all duty and tax free and world class.

My point is that there are MANY beautiful Caribbean Islands St.Lucia,
for example on top of the list with those waterfalls, mountians, rain forrest and birds.
Please don't kick beach sand on me, but when we land in Anquilla on the return a few times a year it just looks like Florida with of course nicer aqua ocean,
and Aruba and the Caymans (with their 500 banks) about as commercial as home.

Please let me know where in Fla you land that reminds you of Anguilla. Have done almost every airport including some of the smaller private ones that handle GA planes. Haven't found a comparison yet and if there is a spot, would love to find it. Now Aruba. Yes. Will agree completely. It's Florida on a Caribbean island. I've been to some 20 islands and have yet encountered a "plantation mentality" but maybe I'm not sure what that is so if you would be so kind to explain. Of course the biggies can't land on Anguilla, there's no golf or other "entertainment" that a tourist might like and that's a definite advantage. It's not lush nor does it have a terraine that is interesting and it certainly is not lush nor green in the "tropical sense" - the same is true for Aruba. Since they were the posters choices I chose between the two. Thinking that maybe even more ideal than St. Barth's is some of the islands in the Grenadines which are still relatively untouched but few really "high end" places nor the "culture" one encounters on St. Barths. And it's funny but I've never had a desire to go to St. Lucia but family have and they tell me that it's not for me! Every pot has its lid! St Barths would be great since I don't even own a Bush/Chaney t-shirt nor would i wear one! :-) Having returned from France recently, I really did find the people quite unaffected and laughing at the foot stomping temper tantrum antics!