Caribbean or Hawaii?
 

My husband and I are trying to figure out where to go for our 20th anniversary next year. We have never been to the Caribbean and have been to Maui twice. My husband is a creature of habit so he's not sure about trying somewhere in the Caribbean; he would happily go back to Maui! I was considering St. John's. What are your thoughts about this? Thanks so much!!

You only live once - give St. John a try - it's beautiful. And from my experience, better weather.

One thing you get in the Caribbean is generally clearer water and water temperatures as warm in winter as Hawaii mid-summer. St. John is terrific, and Caneel Bay Resort is paradise on earth for laid back beachfront living. Everything low-rise, most rooms right on beach or water, very different from most Hawaii hotels.
Another reason for the Caribbean would be to get some non-U.S. culture.For a wonderful introduction to the Caribbean, I'd suggest going to Barbados. It has some of everything any island can offer except for gambling and a volcano. Lovely people, lush green tropical setting, clean air, pure water, wide range of hotels, beaches, water sports, sightseeing such as caves, tropical gardens, animal preserves, plantation houses, submarine ride. Outstanding restaurants, both in hotels and independent. All revolves around a British/Caribbean culture so you don't feel like you're just in tropical America. Barbados is a really special place with a strong economy, not dependent only on tourism, so a visitor experiences a sense of a place which is beyond just a resort on a beach. Generally avoid August-October (hurricane season). Otherwise weather is great all year-perpetual summer with water temps over 80 deg. even in winter. Lowest hotel rates are mid-April to mid-December, with a big jump in high season. Calmest water for swimming/snorkeling is on the calm!
west coast north of Bridgetown. IMO the best hotel on that stretch is Coral Reef Club. Family-owned for 50 years, low-rise and plantation cottage style hotel in tropical gardens and fine beach. Barbados is a really special place.
See www.barbados.org and
www.coralreefbarbados.com

i assume you are interested in st. john usvi ? the past ten yrs we have vacationed there..we try to go every 6mos..thats how much we love it !!have never been to HI so i can't make a comparison, but this is a beautiful island.The water is soooo clear, lovely beaches and there are many.there are some fab restaurants and great fun bars! we always rent a villa..but if that is not something you're interested in,then Caneel Bay Resort is terrific/ has 7 beaches on property.there are NO high rise buildings on st. john,no burger kings/walmarts etc. friendly people and a safe place. have never felt threatened..there aren't people walking the beaches hawking their wares or when you get off the ferry. this is something st.johnians frown upon..they are a very proud,respectfull group.as mhcatl said "you only live once..give st. john a try". !!!

That's a hard decision. It depends on when you went and what city you are departing from in the US. Each island in Hawaii is different. Same for the Caribbean.

I've been thinking of late, maybe we should all be saying "NO! Don't come to St.John!" just to continue to preserve our little piece of heaven for ourselves. YES. That's how good it is. Go back to Maui... go back to Maui...

tuxedocat... good point...maybe we should keep our passion to ourselves and i too have heard maui is so beautiful and if i had ever been there i would just have to go back...or maybe another island there !!

We've been to Hawaii for our honeymoon and several Caribbean islands thereafter. Maui is very pretty but in my opinion some of the islands in the caribbean have the most amazing beaches. So if you are into nice beaches with crystal clear calm water I would give St John a try. You can also do day trips to nearby islands which is a lot of fun...

We've been to both Hawaii and many of the Caribbean islands, St. John being my favorite! Hands down, I'd go to St. John over Hawaii any day of the week! Don't know where you live, but from the East Coast, Hawaii is one lonnnggg flight and can get to the Caribbean in only four hours. Plus, the cystal clear waters of the Caribbean are unbeatable for snorkeling and hanging out on the uncrowded beaches. IMHO, Hawaii is over-rated.

We've been to Maui/Oahu and St. Thomas/St. John. We thought St. John and Maui looked alot a like with the lush green mountains and the winding roads. However, neither were our favorite. Mexico and Grand Cayman win for us hands down. We don't care for mountainous terian and treachous roads were you feel like any second you're going to go off a cliff. We prefer flat open Islands were you can see the horizon in the distance for miles.

For us, Hawaii was quite built up and very expensive. The beaches are lacking with coarse brown sand and cold, dark, blue, rough waters. Islands in the Caribbean/Mexico have crystal clear warm water with excellant snorkeling. We would never return to Hawaii. Doubtfull we would return to St. Thomas/St. John. Felt both are quite over-rated. However, we did enjoy the day trip we took to the BVI's. Thought the water and the atmosphere was much better. Would like to experience more there.