Bruce

Wondering what the difference between these two islands would be. Are They expensive? Approx. cost of 1 week Vacation 2000, 3000,4000? What are the highlights of each island?<BR><BR>Thank You

Kara

I have not been to T&amp;C but I honeymooned in Antigua last year. We stayed 7 nights for just under $5,000, and this is with staying in a suite (all-inclusive resort) and including airfare. The beaches there are great, including the water and sunsets. I have heard T&amp;C has unbelieveable beaches/water also. Hopefully someone will chime in to help you with that <BR><BR>Good luck and enjoy your vacation.

Lori

This is for Kara:<BR>Where in Antiqua did you stay? How was the food and would you stay at the same place again?

Matt

Bruce;<BR>I have a close frind who went to both places recently.They preferred T&amp;C.<BR>I have been to T&amp;C;it is beautiful!<BR>Go there.Ocean Club West is nice there.<BR>email with questions.

Penney

We have been to both and the biggest difference is that Turks is really one of the last true desert islands and Antigua is alot more mountainous, more people, more to do and see.<BR><BR>The beaches of Turks are far superior, we felt. You can walk for miles and not see any high rises, garbage, vendors. Jsut heaven. The water is so clear and blue. Really beautiful.<BR><BR>Beaches in Antigua too are great just not as long, more built up. There is alot more to see and do off the resorts where as Turks is very limited.<BR><BR>Penney

Kara

Bruce, we stayed at Sandals Antigua and we really enjoyed it. We are actually looking to return again this year. The food was good, althought nothing spectacular. Breakfast/lunch are buffet style and there were a lot of selections. A few dinners / restaraunts stood out more than others.

Nancy

Bruce,<BR>Penney did a good job of summarizing the differences.<BR>I have been to both and prefer TCI, but would not recommend it to someone who has a lot of interest in nightlife or shopping.<BR>I found the people on Provo to be friendlier than those on Antigua, but I sure did have a big time on Sunday at the Shirley Heights jump up <BR>

Nicole

Hi Bruce,<BR><BR>We just returned from Antigua I would highly recommend it. <BR><BR>We stayed at the Allegro in Turks December 2001. We loved it there aswell and didn't know if Antigua would measure up. <BR><BR>I think I liked Antigua a bit more overall but the beach was nicer at the resort in Turks. We cabbed it to Darkwood beach (five-ten minute drive from JBR where we stayed)it compared to the Allegro beach in Turks. As a bonus, the water is warmer in Antigua because it is further South than Turks. When the surf is calm it's clear, blue and beautiful, no seaweed, a shelf with some nice shells but powdery sand along the whole beach. <BR><BR>There was a posting on The Antigua board about a place called Half Moon Bay where the water is supposed to be clearest on the Island. I was happy with Darkwood because it was accesible and very nice. <BR><BR>Regarding price, we went to Antigua over New Years and it was approx $4000 Canadian for the two of us. We checked out Allegro Turks to possibly go there again and it would have been closer to $5000. You should be able to get JBR for a bit less than what we paid now as we paid the New Years rates. As a side note, there's a website called wheretostay.com and on it there are traveller ratings of different resorts, the JBR Antigua where we stayed rated more favourably than the Allegro Turks even though the Turks property was pricier. Based on that I would think that Turks is a more expensive Island in general.<BR><BR>

Kasey

Penny if you think Turks is one of the last of the true desert islands you ar wrong.I have been there and it is nice but nothing has been true old caribbean like say Bequia or Tobago.Those two really are old caribbean and so cool.Talk about getting away from it all!

Penney

Kasey,<BR><BR>I have never been to Bequia or Tobago but both sound so nice!<BR><BR>I just could not get over how undeveloped Turks was - all sand and not trees! Everything on the Beaches Resorts had to be flown in from Florida and Jamaica. Stores sometimes open, sometimes not. Loved the laid bck atmosphere and the miles of unpopulated beaches.

fyi

Any caribbean island can be expensive or done on a tight budget depending on your choices. Antigua is more moutainous, green and lush in spots (including a bit of rain forest), much more developed with resorts spread island wide. There is a town, St. John's. the capital which is a popular curise ship port with two quays for shopping and there is much activity, gambling and a more cosmopolitian atmosphere. The beaches are nice but i didn't find the snorkeling as good as the TCI. Provo, in the Caicos NOT the Turks, is more arid and less developed with developement along one beach, Grace Bay which has stunning water. It's flat and not much interesting terraine and doesn't have the commercial shops and malls like Antigua does. Provo and the other T and C islands are more for the low key, book-reading, relaxing kinda spot while Antigua would offer more things to do. There are some exceptionally good restaurants on Antigua and a few on Provo. There are many resorts with full amenities to choose from on Antigua island wide in many price ranges while the majority of the Provo resorts are condo-style. Antigua does have a jumpup each week that some think is something that you should not miss - an all day party at Shirley Heights if you go there and English Harbour has an interesting history. Like many islands, much has to be imported to the TCI and Provo does depend on shipments from Miami, NYC and other places because other than Middle Caicos little is produced there since the islands are not agricultural ones. <BR>Either one can be a great destination but they are just very different and offer a very different experience. Of course if you are looking for a winter getaway, Antigua would offer the warmer water and weather since it is Caribbean.

vmdtraverler

we visited t&amp;c last feb for a week. we stayed at the royal west indies resort. for airfare &amp; hotel, it was about 1500 per person. our room was large, very clean, nicely appointed. staff was very good but another couple we encountered had difficulty w/front desk as they ordered a king bed and were taken to a room w/twin beds. but we had a very good experience. the mango reef restaurant was very good, we ate lunch there alomst every day. the beaches are beautiful and the water is very clear. we went on a day excursion with the tour operator Silver Deep(which i did not like at all and overated for the money) but we stopped at a beautiful little island with wonderful water. we also did a cataman cruise that was alot more fun with a nice mix of people. snorkeling- we didn't see much life. as to cost of dinners, we ran about $100-$130 a night which included alcohol. So it adds up pretty fast, esp if you have a cocktail or two at the beach! very quiet island. my husband and i enjoyed it but we would consider a all inclusive if we went back

Knowing

We loved the natural beauty of Antigua. Very exhilarating vacation for us. We stayed at the Sandals Antigua, and while I wouldn't call it luxurious, it's located on Antigua's best beach. The staff welcomed us very warmly and called the airlines every 30 minutes until they found our lost luggage and then made them bring it out to us at 11PM instead oof waiting until the next day. Dining was equal to most restaurants in the carribbean. GC being the exception. Ocean sunsets were beautiful. And the snorkeling was a treasure in itself.