Kitkatkk

Trying to find the best vacation spot in the Caribbean for a single woman. Costs isn't as big a factor as my safety and enjoyment. I love anything to do with the water. Excellent food and beverages are a must! I prefer upscale accommodations. My main focus is to enjoy some R&R on the beach, snorkeling, boating, maybe a little shopping. It would be nice if there were other singles around and somewhere with an active nightlife. Definitely not looking for a "meat market" atmosphere. Any suggestions as to what islands are best etc.would be greatly appreciated.

virginia

provo in turks & caicos is perfect for r&r, snorkeling, boating, excellent food & upscale accomodations. does not have much shopping and nightlife is limited. has one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet.
for more nightlife & shopping with above qualities grand cayman.

aruba does not have great snorkeling & while it has tons of nightlife it might be kind of meat markety for a single.
i know nothing about st barts.
st v & g has some of best snorkeling in the caribbean - by boat at tobago cays - you have to stay on a nearby island or on a boat anchored by the cays.
puerto rico has all your wishes - just not in one place.

once you choose an island we can help you select a resort.

Kitkatkk

Thanks Virginia. I am having a hard time choosing an island. There are so many mixed reviews. I want somewhere nice, but safe. I am open to any island or beach area. I just want somewhere hot with lots of beautiful water with all of the amenities I mentioned.

Andrew304

Take a look at St. Bart's. Although it may not have the best snorkeling, it meets your other criteria. It is very safe, has lots of shopping, great beaches and great food.

Take a look at Hotel Emeraude Plage on St. Jean Beach. Nice place, reasonably priced by SBH standards and close to the little town of St. Jean. For more serious shopping you need to go to Gustavia. The hotel also has kitchenettes, so you can eat in some meals if going out is too much work after a hard day on the beach!

Anguilla is another option, but with much less shopping.

Kitkatkk

Thanks Andrew! In fact, St Bart's is one of the options I am most looking at now. I am trying to decide between going to the BVI and doing some island hopping or going to St Martin and hopping over to St. Bart's and Anguilla. Any opinion between the two? The only thing I know for sure is I am traveling somewhere in the Caribbean March 7- 16.

Andrew304

St. Martin/Maarten will be much more lively with more shopping and a more urban bar scene than the other places, which are mostly about the beaches and some nice places to eat. SXM has great beaches and food, but it is a bit more touristy. I've always felt safe in SXM, but I would caution you to treat it as you would any large city - a woman alone after dark needs to be very aware. If you like casinos, jewelry shopping and bars, you will be happy on the Dutch side (Maho area). But, you made it sound like R+R is your priority.

There are some more sedate places on the French side (Gran Case), but it can be a bit intimidating at night because it gets very dark.

I strongly recommend you take a taxi (and arrange return trip) if you are venturing out alone at night anywhere on SXM, unless you are in the heart of the resort area (Maho area).

Some of the beach bars in the BVIs can get a bit roudy - think free shots if you take off your top, but I think you would be safe enough. There is not much shopping to speak of in BVI, not much of a "town." If you do BVIs, consider the nicer resorts (Little Dix, Peter Island, etc.) and do day trips from them.

Of all of the places you mention, only SXM has much of a singles scene. Most of the other places are very couple/family oriented.

SBX and AXA are by far the most upscale and the least touristy. Again, not much of a singles scene, but the upscale clientele will look out for you as a single as will the staff - very safe. While you may meet a nice single guy on AXA or SBH, you are not going to be hit on in any sort of annoying way - the staff will make sure of that. These islands are also more expensive. Perhaps use one of them as your base and do a day trip to SXM, unless you are concerned that they will be too quiet.

Kitkatkk

Thank you Andrew for all of the info!

blamona

Do you have a budget? Mit make a difference.

Although I've been to St. Martin a couple of times alone, I wouldn't consider it the safest! (especially alone female). Does this mean something could happen to you? Maybe not, but crimes (like purse snatching) has increased.

Also as for snorkeling, pretty non existent in Anguilla/St. Barts/ St Martin. No shopping in Anguilla. All 3 have the best restaurants in Caribbean. Anguilla and St Barts are safe, especially St. Barts has practically no crime. Anguilla not much nightlife. But it makes up in beaches, gorgeous! Personally Anguilla is my favorite of the 3. All 3 are ultra expensive.

BVI might have what you're looking for. Mellow combination. Great snorkel. Tortola has a little shopping, not too much, other islands there almost nonexistent. St. Thomas has shopping, you can go over for the day. St. John might work for you too. Cool little beach bars at night. Might be a good fit.

I've traveled much of the Caribbean on my own.

Here's something else to consider: Caribbean is pretty much sold out on your dates. For example, I punched in vrbo for March 12-17 and came up with only a handful of properties left. The whole island is almost sold out! It's huge Canadian spring break, and US college spring breaks. Biggest month of the year (besides. Christmas and Presidents Day weekend)

So your pickings are slim just based on that! You might be too late!

But it does sound like Virgin Islands are a good fit. (except for St. Thomas, other than day trip not the safest of Virgins)

Look at Travelzoo.com punch in dates. Punch in Virgin Islands, see if you get anything. TZ might be you're only bet if anything (safest) might be left.

Kitkatkk

Blamona, thank you so much for your input and after doing more research last night, you are sooooo right about everything, especially availability. While I have what I consider a generous budget, paying thousands per night is not realistic for me. The decreased availability without paying astronomical prices is slim to none. I am now trying to find somewhere in Tortola, hopefully I will get lucky. St John has a few options as well, just not what I would normally choose. I have tried travel zoo, but haven't found anything as of yet. Most of the all inclusive trips I have seen are only for a couple of days and I would like to stay longer.

HEELSONWHEELS11

Ironically I just posted a similar post. I, too am looking to travel solo with similar likes. I hope to go in May so please let us know what you decide and how it goes. Have fun!

rhymeswithsilk

I too am traveling solo in May--the last week and a half. Right now I booked Secrets Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I want to be on a warm water beach! But I am starting to worry that it will all be couples. I've also read about seaweed in the water. It looks beautiful and I do want beach time...but I wouldn't mind some single men in the mix. Any suggestions?

rhymeswithsilk

Also, my age range is 40's, if that helps.

schmerl

I really doubt you will find any available single men at Secrets Punta Cana. I went with a friend and we were the only non-couple there at that time. I know sometimes groups who are not couples will go there, but it is not a place to meet a single guy.
Seaweed in the water depends on weather conditions, etc. The water was clear and beautiful when we were there.

rhymeswithsilk

Thanks Schmerl! That's kind of what I thought...bummer. That's good to know that the seaweed depends on weather, etc. I guess I would run into that any where then. What month were you there? Thank you for your reply!

schmerl

We were there in June. The beach and water were beautiful.

rhymeswithsilk

Oh AWESOME!!! Thanks so much for the info!!