We're looking for a relaxing, beautiful, GOOD FOOD, destination for late January. I know everyone has their favorite place, so let's hear where it is. Price is of little concern -- but don't want to go completely crazy. Thanks ahead for your picks.

St.Lucia gets my vote!!! Beautifully lush and very tropical.

Good food was emphasized: that means Anguilla. Hands down the best restaurant island which is also peaceful and non-touristy. You will not find better food in the Caribbean.

Agree with TedTurner about Anguilla, but I wouldn't rule out Grand Case in St. Martin (we stay at both islands) - some excellent French dining to be had there. Food-wise it is certainly equal to Anguilla, although Anguila certainly wins in the 'beautiful and relaxing' category.

I definitely think Barbados is the best. It has a good infrastructure for tourists there (unlike St. Lucia). Also, St. Lucia gets lots of rain compared to Barbados.

Barbados has some of the best world-class restaurants anywhere. In fact, The Cliff was voted to be 28th out of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Others that are fantastic include: Calabaza, The Tides and the new Restaurant at Southsea.

Also Barbados has some fabulous resorts including Sandy Lane and Coral Reef Club. Definitely consider this.

If you'd like my 12 page tip sheet on the island that I've put together after 19 trips, please write me at:
[email protected]

This should help you with your decision.

Lois

French St. Martin has some excellent restaurants such as Le Pressoir. We also liked the Rainbow Club and Don Camilio among others.
There are some great restaurants in Aruba including Marandi, Le Dome, Ruinas Del Mar, Chez Mathilda, Sunset Grill and Madame Janette.

Anguilla.......beautiful beaches...wonderful food

MY suggestion would be Anguilla or Providenciales (Provo) in the Turks and Caicos. Excellent beaches and great food. Have been to Barbados and St Lucia and they are both very nice but more touristy. Anguilla and Provo are pretty laid back.

Anguilla for beautiful beaches (the island interior is scrubby though...not lush) and very good food.

I found Anguilla to be the best vacation for relaxing on a beautiful beach and eating great food.

St. Lucia gets my vote hands down. We've been twice and we're going again in December. My husband and I have been to 10 Caribbean islands and we St. Lucia is our favorite. It's relaxing, lush and beautiful. It's also not overly developed, if that's of importance to you.

I agree with the last post. St Lucia is simply beautiful. But, it depends on what you want in a vacation. St lucia is not known for fine dining and perfect beaches, or nightlife for that matter but, if you want an island with stunning scenery and plenty to do, this is the place. We went last year and are returning again the end of next month. While you can relax as much as you like, many excursions are available including rain forest safaris, ATV rental (we did this, awesome!), horseback riding, sunset party cruises, shopping, day sails, trips to Martinique or the Grendines and the list goes on. You elaborate on good food. This may not be the place for you. We stayed at Sandals and the food was good but for the most part not "gourmet" but fine for us. If you enjoy having cocktails on a regular basis, all inclusive is great. Not having to worry about carrying money on the resort or tipping is a real plus.

What about St. Barts? Any opinions out there? How does it compare to Anguilla and Barbados?

St. Barth's and Anguilla are very different and distinct islands (can't comment on Barbados as it's one of the few islands I haven't been to). Anguilla is a flat, coral based rather featureless island with very little natural vegetation. It's main draw are its spectacular long white sand beaches (arguably some of the best in the Caribbean), torquoise blue waters and variety of great restaurants (some can be very pricy). St. Barth's, on the other hand, is mountainous, more lush (but you won't find rain forests or waterfalls like on St. Lucia or Nevis), it's shore line is dotted with smaller light golden sand beaches, the island has a decidedly upscale European feel with many boutique hotels and luxurary villas, because of it's French influence you'll find excellent restaurants (every bit as good or better than the ones on Anguilla and many more reasonabily priced), fashion shopping and lots of excurricular activities. Go to to Anguilla if you want to "chill out", relax on a beautiful and do little else besides eat at fine restaurants. Go to St. Barth's if you want a more upscale vacation feel with access to shopping, every watersport imaginable and you like to go places where you can see and be seen with the "rich and famous" (or those who wish they were).

Wow, thank you for that great comparison. I like the way you succinctly capture the atmosphere, or "feel" of the island. Can I ask further... Could you do the same for Nevis and/or Antigua? Thanks for any more help you're able to provide.

To Dreamer2: Sure, I'll try my best. Nevis, known as the Queen of the Caribbean, is a small (36 sq.miles) volcanic based island dominated by Mt. Nevis which soars almost 3,400 feet into the sky. It's charm lies in its lush rain forests, small Plantation Inns, and genuinely friendly people. Its long coconut palm lined beaches have a darkish tint to them which in turn give the surrounding waters a steel blue look so that those seeking picture postcard white sand and tourquoise water will be a little disappointed. People visit Nevis for what it doesn't have rather than what it does have. There are no high rise hotels, no casinos, no parasailing, no duty free shopping, no large cruise ships, no hordes of people. The the Four Seasons Resort with about 250+ rooms is the largest resort (and most expensive) on the island. By contrat the second largest (Nisbet Plantation) has only 38 rooms. Most others have under 20 rooms. So you see, even if every room on the island was a full occupancy the island will remain uncrowded. If you stay at one of the Plantations you'll show up as a guest but leave as a friend. There are a number of excellent restaurants on the island (but not near as many as on Anguilla or St. Barth's) as well as local places and quaint beach bars. Go to www.nevis1.com for an excellent website that will tell you EVERYTHING you will even need to know about vacationing on Nevis. Nevis is not an island I would recommend to a first time visitor to the Caribbean but for those who have gone the tourist route and are now looking for an island that offers a unique taste of what the Caribbean was like in the heddy days of the sugar trade Nevis is a perfect destination.

Antigua, on the other hand, is an interesting island that for some reason doesn't get talked about too much on this forum. It is a hilly island but not very lush. It boasts as having 365 beaches but to be truthful some are very small and very difficult to get to. Still there are plenty of very nice beaches. It is home to "Sailing Week" every April when yachtsmen from all over the world converge for one of the biggest regattas in the Caribbean, if not the world. There are casinos, watersports and lots of all-inclusive resorts that appeal honeymooners and young marrieds and several very upscale resorts for the more well healed traveler. There's not a lot of off-resort fine dining like you'll find on other islands that have been discussed on this thread. The best description that I've seen attributed to Antigua is that it is a Grade C+ island, i.e. neither a standout nor a disappointment. A lot of people return to Antigua time and time again mainly because its comfortable. Hope this helps.

It certainly does. Thank you so much again for your great synopsis!

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Grand Cayman (granted theirs much rebuilding to do) or Aruba?

My DH and I are looking for a hotel that is quality but small and quiet. Also, not very expensive. We would prefer a place that discourages children. (Have 5 of my own and would like some quiet.) We also like the opportunity to go hike/sail/snorkle off the premises if we like. I have been to about six islands and enjoyed them all but would like to try a new Island and was considering St Barts. Do you have any thoughts/recommendations on this Island that would be pertinent to us. I have enjoyed all the previous commentary and would be grateful for any additional input.

St. John gets my vote as the best all around island. I would give it high ranks in beauty, safety, accomodations, restaurants, shops, beaches, snorkel sites, day trips to other islands, island activities, lack of mobs of people with cruise logo beachtowels etc