Caribbean First
 

Which Isle would you reccomend for a first trip to the caribbean? We like great beaches, snorkeling, good food, places to tour, shopping for the wife, looking for someplace safe, ofcourse. Considering Aruba, St. John, Grand Cayman and Nassau but don't know enough as yet.

Aruba has all those features you mentioned. We've been there a few times and loved the island both times. We plan on going back someday.
Next month we are going to Curacao. It's suppose to be very similar to Aruba with the food, friendly people, good snorkeling and diving, and safe. It's also suppose to be less "Americanized" so it has more of a Dutch Flavor than Aruba.

Good Luck!

Aruba is perfectly flat (like the Caymans), and not very pretty, other than the beaches. Try St. Barts. Gorgeous views around every corner, excellent French cusine, wonderful snorkeling, pristine beaches. No casionos, high rises or tacky all-inclusives either. Almost 1/2 of the Guest rooms are in private villas.

I vote for St. John. It's a beautiful, safe island and the beaches are wonderful, there are actually snorkling "trails" at Trunk Bay. And you can easily take the ferry over to St. Thomas for shopping.

I'll throw Anguilla into the mix. Fantastic food and beaches with good snorkeling. Day trip to St. Martin for shopping. Also agree on St. Barts.

Right now I'm leaning towards St. John. Might look to stay at the Westin St. John Resort Villas for a condo exchange. How do you get there? Flight to St. Thomas & ferry to St. John? Would you need a car or jeep to explore?(or is it too small) Is there a best time to visit?

You fly into St. Thomas and catch ferry to St. John. Villas seem to be the preferred place to stay. If you decide on St. John this is the best source for your questions:

http://www.usvi-on-line.com/usviforum.html

Sorry but the snorkeling in Aruba does not compare to what is available in Cayman. I've been to Aruba 4 times and twice to Cayman. While Aruba is cheaper, Cayman is closer to the east coast--it's only an hour in the air from Miami. Cayman also has more to do---there is no Stingray City in Aruba, nor any of the many places to snorkel plus Cayman has a nice botanical gardens (The Queen Elizabeth II) and a new, small but interesting butterfly sanctuary. My family is big into snorkeling but would not be happy about going to Aruba after seeing Cayman. The 7 Mile Beach area of Cayman is about as sweet as it gets.

I tend to agree with RandyK about Cayman being a great choice..but I may be biased :)

If you have any specific questions, feel free to post them here...

My first Caribbean trip was to Negril Jamaica many years ago. Have been to many islands since, including Anguilla, Grand Cayman, Aruba, St. John and I still go back to Jamaica for all the things you mention. Negril has a beautiful beach, great (and cheap) restaurants, trips to Mayfield Falls and into the mountains, the best coffee in the world, great music. The snorkeling is not the best but I still enjoy every trip out. The cliffs are also beautiful and very romantic. There is something different about the feel of Jamaica that is different from any other Carribean Island I have visited - don't even know what it is. Took my 13 yr old daughter there in April for her first Caribbean trip and it certainly won't be her last either.