Hello,

I am planning a trip for my 3 siblings (all in their 20s), my 2 active parents, and me for Christmas 2008 (or around then). We are looking to rent a 3 or 4 bedroom villa. What is important to us is a place relatively easy to get to from Boston (I realize there are few non-stop flights from Boston to the Carribean, so 1 stop is ok). We also need a place that offers more activities than sitting on the beach (snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, etc.). Also a villa that is walking distance/short drive to restaurants/bars would be great, but isn't essential. Any help on an overall destination or a specific villa rental I should look into would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

You don't mention a budget or a ballpark price for the villa- that really helps those who can advise you have an idea of where to start. For my money, I would vote (with just the information at hand) for St. John unless you have already been- something for everyone and not hard to get to. If you will add more details then I am sure you will get a LOT of ideas from others!

Grand Cayman 3br villas can rent from $2000/day during high season. 4 Br villas at Four Seasons Nevis start around $5000.00/ day. You need to give some cost expectation info. Leeward, Windward, Caribbean, Atlantic, US, British...

St. John should be easy for you to get to from Boston. AA has a one stop (San Jaun) to St. Thomas from Tuesday to Wed. (15th -23rd) for $292.00 all in. You have to take the ferry to St. John. We've stayed at this villa and it's an easy walk to town: http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/amora/amora.html. St. John has great diving, snorkeling, hiking trails & beautiful beaches. I'm going for my 14th trip in August.

There are rental villas on just about every island and they come in a variety of price ranges based on size, amenities and location. Christmas is usually the busiest time of year in the Caribbean so expect to pay the highest prices of the year and many places will have minimum stay requirements (10 days to 2 weeks) if you want to saty during the week between Christmas & New Years. Lastly, you should know that accomodations during that same period are often booked a year or more in advance so if you want to go for Christmas you'd be wise to finalize your plans as soon as possible and you might have to "settle" as to what type of property you rent.

Pick one or two islands that appeal to you and begin your search. If you do a google search using such topics as "Rental Villas + "name of island" you'll find links to just about rental villa and property agent on that island. You'll see photos, descriptions, rental rates, etc. For starters check out www.wimco.com they are one of the oldest and most respected villa rental agents in the Caribbean. You'll get an idea of what type of
inventory" and prices to expect on various islands.

Islands that are fairly easy to get to from Boston include St. Thomas, St. John, Grand Cayman, St. Kitts, Nevis, Aruba,St. Lucia, Barbados and Antigua.

Good luck in your search.

Also add St. Martin to the list of island you can easily reach.