aari5

My wife and I are looking for a last minute getaway. We'd like a classy, luxurious resort with nice beach and good (but don't need great) food. What islands give me the best chance of nice weather for a trip in July-August? I know of Aruba and Curacao. Is there anything else I should consider? Thanks.

doug_stallings

The chance for good weather in July is very high regardless of where in the Caribbean you plan to go. By August, there is always more of a danger of hurricanes or tropical storms, but the chance they will hit a particular island is small.

Fewer big storms hit the islands from St. Lucia and Barbados south. Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire get the fewest major storms.

I'm not sure that helps you much, but there are a lot of luxurious, classy resorts in the Caribbean, though many of them do close by mid- to late July for their summer hiatus. Cap Juluca is planning to stay open all year this year, so you could look at that. There are excellent restaurants in Anguilla, though some will be closed by later this month until November.

virginia

if you could tell us an actual price range and give some idea of what you like to do on vaca we could offer some specific ideas.
based on what you've said i'd look at the resorts on grace bay beach on provo, turks & caicos. gorgeous beach, some good snorkeling, great diving, very good restaurants, great resorts, very little shopping & somewhat limited nightlife. you might look at the somerset, regent grand, grace bay club, turks & caicos club.
here's a list of most of provo resorts: http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com...denciales.html

aari5

Thanks Virginia. We're basically looking for a quiet, romantic and classy resort. Nice beach and at least fair food as well. We really don't need nightlife or activities other than maybe some basic water activities like snorkeling, boat ride, etc. We would do either AI (as long as its not cheesy) or non. Most importantly, I'd like to give myself the best chance of getting nice weather. Finally, it can't be too difficult to get to from NY. As for price, I'm a little flexible, but would probably like to keep it under $500 / night. Thanks again.

blamona

Another vote for Somerset in Turks and Caicos:

direct flights from NY
one of the driest islands
great snorkeling, including off the beach
one of the best beaches in the world
somerset is a terrific resort (running great specials now oo)
great restaurants

September seems to be the busy month for hurricanes. So really, August statistically has been fairly good. Add to that they predicted less hurricanes for this year. Sorry, I really can't guarantee the weather, but get trip insurance just in case--worse case, you usually have about 5-7 days notice before they hit, and chances are they won't hit at all.

A good source for weather (all islands) including hurricanes, is www.StormCarib.com

OceanBreeze1

Does it have to be Caribbean? Why not just fly to West Palm(PBI)& stay @ The Breakers in Palm Beach?

aari5

It doesn't have to be the Caribbean (I'm thinking of Riviera Maya as well), but south FL is not a great option for me. My in-laws live in Miami, so its never much of a vacation!

bajangirl

You could check out Barbados. Lots of hotels that would fit your criteria, weather good and not usually in the hurricane belt.