Best Island In the Summer?
 

My husband and I want to take an island vacation during the summer. Any recommendations? I've heard some of the islands get oppressively hot or have their rainy season during the summer months-- any exceptions to that which would make a nice summer vacation?
Thanks!

Aruba gets less rainfall than most of the other islands and the cooling trade winds will keep weather conditions very comfortable despite high temp's.

I agree with the above post. There is always a nice breeze in Aruba that helps keep you cool.

Thanks for the suggestion! Any other islands you'd recommend that time of year or do you think Aruba is the only good choice for summer?

Gosh, I've been to most of the islands in the Caribbean during the summer and none were oppressively hot. Truth be told, average temperatures on any given island don't vary by more than about 5 to 10 degrees F between winter and summer and there's only about a 5 degree difference between average tempertures on the northern islands vs, the southern islands. And unless you are smack dab in the middle of a rain forest on one of the very lush islands rain usually comes in the form of very brief and very localized showers - rarely enough to spoil anyone's vacation. Pick an island based on what you would like in an island experience (beaches, access to snorkeling or diving, casinos, shopping, watersports, etc.) rather than the temperature and the possibility of rain.

Aruba is your best bet but Curacao would be another. ST Lucia gets a lot of rain during summer months as does the USVI.

We went to Anguilla last summer and had a fabulous time. It was off season, so the hotels and restaurants weren't crowded. It was not oppressively hot at all, perfect for laying out and swimming everyday. There was one big rain and thunder storm that blew in for one afternoon, and it was actually gorgeous and fun, and the locals said very unusual.

Second what A_Traveller said. We take a family beach trip every July. Never felt too hot or humid on any of the islands. We only experienced frequent rain on Jamaica, and that was only for about an hour a day or less. We love travelling during the summer - fewer crowds, and we don't have to worry about running into problems with our own weather enroute! (We're in the northeast, and I'm just about done with winter travel and its frequent delays.)

Wherever you decide to go, enjoy!

Bermuda

Bermuda's high season is the summer.

Agree that Aruba has the same weather year round. It rained all of five minutes one day during our 8 day trip.

I believe afternoon showers are more frequent in the summer on the islands in general. I agree with above to pick the island that appeals to me most. What do you want from a vacation? Are nice beaches important, good dining, good snorkeling, gambling, nightlife, quiet, etc... Each island has a personality of it's own. The more lush ones will have not as nice a beach as the drier islands. Except St. John. I hear that is lush and has very nice beaches.

I definitely want a place with gorgeous beaches. Some kind of a night life would be great too so we don't get bored after the sun goes down. Thanks for all the advice!

Aruba has 2 of the best white sand beaches in the caribbean, palm beach and eagle beach.
in addition to gorgeous beaches, the nightlife is very good with numerous casinos, bars and nightly entertainment at a variey of resorts. they even have las vegas style shows.restaurants are outstanding with beef flown in from Argentina and an authentic Italian restaurant( Hostaria da Vittorio),all ingredients flown in from Italy and the chef/OWNER is also from Italy. IMO You will love Aruba.

Okay I vote Aruba as well. It has nice white sand beaches. The water is that green-blue color. The Palm beach would be where all the watersports and big resorts are located. I think you would be happiest there. The Hyatt, Marriott, and Radisson are the nicest resorts. We stayed at the Marriott and really enjoyed our stay. The Hyatt had beautiful grounds. There is gambling in most hotels. The dining is excellent. There are fun trips like the kukukanku? Bus that takes you bar hopping all night. We had our kids with us so we did not do it,but heard it is a good time. Lots of stuff to do and great beaches.

Aruba sounds like the perfect option. Any must sees or must dos while we're there?

Lots of watersports right in front of your hotel. My husband loved to do all of that.
Baby beach is a nice snorkel spot.We didn't make it there, but that was on the list of things to do.
Rent a jeep for a day and drive around. It is a small island and you can go to Baby beach or Natural bridge.
Go to aruba-bb.com It is a forum for Aruba lovers and questions for new visitors. I recieved so much info on where to eat and what to do. It is a great forum.
Our favorite restaurant was El Gaucho steakhouse.

try the watersports on Palm beach.
depalm island & baby beach for snorkeling.
visit the alto vista chapel.
california lighthouse.
shopping in Oranjestad.
try your luck at the casino's.
relax on palm beach.
Dine at:
EL Gaucho
Pago Pago
sunset grill
Hostaria Da Vittorio
Le Dome
Madam Janette
ventanas del mar
Blossoms
Chalet suisse
Sunday brunch at the Hyatt
Take in a vegas style show at the Cabana.
relax by the hyatt pool.

I love St Martin and we go every summer and have never had problem with heat and rain. It has night life - pretty long beaches and quiet beaches as well as gourmet restaurants without the groumet prices. Up scale shiopping on the French side and open air market- so much to offer and not too busy in the summer - great little french bakeries. the island is half French and half dutch giving it a very definite European flavor and yet they all speak English and use American dollars.

Do any of the Caribbean islands have decent surfing?

I am pretty sure the west coast of Puerto Rico has surfing.

Is the west coast of Puerto Rico a good summer destination or is it very hot or very rainy?