Experienced opinions requested
 

My wife and I along with our 20 and 23 year old sons and 21 year old daughter are deciding on whether to go to Cayman Islands or St. Thomas. Activities desired include scuba, golf, horseback riding, relaxing and sunning on the beach, good food, touring, some gambling, some night life, and relaxation in general. Probably end July - beginning August. Any opinions, including pros and cons of hotel vs. condo.

Briefly in re St. Thomas!
Scuba - excellent, many choices of professional excursions. Golf - excellent course at Mahogany Run. Horseback riding - limited but there are a couple of small outfits. Relaxing and sunning - nonpareil! Good food - very diverse dining experiences and plenty to choose from (check out www.usvi-on-line.com travel forum for user reviews and ratings.) Gambling - NOT on St. Thomas, confined to St. Croix. Night life - a variety of simple nightlife, nothing majorly glitzy but again check out website above or local newspapers/travel publications when you arrive. Relaxation in general - awesome!
Hotel/condo - again check the usvi website for all sorts of information on the pros and cons of both.
Happy information-sifting!

I have a differing opinion. AVOID ST. THOMAS. It is crowded and DIRTY. We passed through on our way to St. John and I was so glad we weren't staying there. St. John, however, is breathtakingly beautiful and pristine. Incredible snorkeling, good diving. Very quiet though. If you want real nighlife, you'll have to hit the full moon parties on the BVI's - lots of fun!

Everything about St. Thomas is better than GC, except the food. It creates a feel of the Carribbean better than GC.They have some beautiful hotls i.e. the Ritz-Carlton (which GC doesn't yet have). The Ritz has the bubbling fountains and the hidden courtyards. There is more sightseeing on STT -Seven Arches Museum, Coral World, etc. The island has a hilly terrain, which we thought great after the flatness of GC. On the north side of STT is Renaissance Grand Beach, which is a perfect beach to visit. Lots of watersports are available there and easy to get to if you're driving.

I totally disagree with the above.
In what ways is GC superior to STT?
Water color, beach expanse, beach quality, lack of crime, lack of poverty, better condo options, better restaurants, nicer locals.
STT has prettier scenery and one very nice resort. That's it.

I agree with Knowing.
If I HAD to choose between STT and GC, I'd go with STT.
Although STT is not my favorite island, I prefer it to GC.
This is only my opinion folks;) but I found GC to be over-priced, overcrowded, soulless and whitewashed, and totally without the "island flavor" that is one of the main reasons I travel to the region.
It is perfect for those looking for a sanitized version of the Caribbean (which is one's own personal preference).
I was glad I was only there for a few days to SCUBA on my way to somewhere else.
No island in the Caribbean totally escapes crime and poverty - it's not Disneyland. Some islands have more problems with it than others (STT for one), and some islands have been more successful than others at keeping the visible traces of social challenges away from the places most tourists will see during their visit.

Dan

I havent been to STT so I will give you my opinion on GC as someone in her 20's. I LOVED it. It has almost everything you are looking for. They have a really great golf course (what I heard) at the Hyatt, awesome food (seafood especially)( I am from the NYC area and still dream about some of the food I ate there), great scuba and snorkeling (sting ray city is a must), No gambling though (aruba),They have horseback riding, 7 mile beach is so clean and at that time not very crowded ( I went at end of aug.), The nightlife is pretty typical, (there is a great outdoor reggae bar at The reef club which was really fun, but we where so tired everynight we crashed early)(also a bar over on Rum Point which is fun) There isnt alot of touring to be done,its a small island and there is there port of Georgetown with shops, restaurants, etc. Other then that I would just hang out and enjoy the sun!
I really liked it because I was going with 2 other friends and as women traveling alone we had a great time. The people could not have been friendlier and we felt very safe at night. Also we stayed at the Hyatt and left our belongings on chairs all day and didnt feel like we would be robbed.
All in all I had an amazing trip and if I could go back I would in a second
Good Luck
Juli

Reading between the lines, I think that the people who have recommended St. Thomas are steering you in the wrong direction.
The question is not what island do others like best, it's what island would suit Dan and his family the best.
If you sift through the list of things Dan's looking for, Cayman offers superior options in almost every category (horseback riding I have no idea about).

We just returned from our first visit to Cayman and we simply loved it. We went horseback riding with Honeysuckle Stables. There is another one - Pampered Ponies. I would definitely go with the condo. There are some beautiful ones, you have more room and they definitely help cut down on costs since you have a kitchen. We had breakfast and lunch there and ate out at night. We are already planning to go back next year.

Cayman has plenty of distinctively Caymanian flavour, but mostly if you rent a jeep or car and head off Seven Mile Beach.

With three grown kids, you will want more nightlife than is available away from Seven Mile Beach, so my advice would be to stay on 7MB but do rent a car and drive around.

Lots of special offers available this summer at www.caymanislands.ky/h2go

There are also great deals available now in the US Virgin Islands. Check out the travel forum on www.usvi-on-line.com.

I can't tell you anything about St. Thomas because I have not been there. We have, however, been three times to Grand Cayman and are headed back in July. We travel with two to three other families each summer and have found GC to be our favorite spot. We all travel with our kids and the ages range from 6 to 20. There is something for everyone and I guess that is what we love the most about it. We stay at Lacovia, a condominium complex next door to the Hyatt. We have stayed there twice, stayed at the CoralStone Condos once, and are headed back to Lacovia this summer. Lacovia offers 1 to 3 bedroom condos with full kitchens and are the largest condos we've stayed in anywhere. They are also offering a special this summer (as are many of the condos there) to stay for 7 nights, pay for 6. Lacovia doesn't seem to "advertise" much but I feel sure it is because of the "repeat customers" they get year to year. The condos open up directly on to the beach...and the beach is truly incredible. Another plus is that since the Hyatt is next door, you have all of their "amenities" at your disposal...their ice cream parlor, restaurants, and most of all, Red Sail Sports where you can arrange scuba diving (they depart right there next to your condo!), parasailing, and other water sports rentals. The BIGGEST perk is that they are typically packed like sardines on the beach there at the Hyatt and at Lacovia, you sometimes have the beach to yourself...no fighting over chaise lounges! Granted, if you stay in a condo, you do miss out on the "resort perks" such as full service (no cabana boys to take your drink order) but we all take turns blending frozen drinks and it works out well. Hyatt is a beautiful resort...don't get me wrong...and it may be what you are looking for so please understand I am not bad-mouthing it. We simply prefer a condo. The incredible restaurants are too numerous to even mention. I have not played golf but understand it is a great course (and are there two courses now??). Night life...definitely not like Cancun or those places but more on the side of fun, quaint bars with good music and dancing...not super-wild, though.
GC is somewhat commercialized! There is a Burger King, Wendy's, Hard Rock Cafe, Blockbuster Video to name a few. But when you are on the beach side, you'd NEVER know the other stuff existed. Oh...another plus to staying in a condo is that you can hit the grocery store and eat at least some meals in the condo. We typically always eat breakfast in, most lunches, and an occasional grill at night. Grocery stores are nice...bakeries, meat markets, etc.
Lots to do...swim with the Sting Rays, tour a couple of the historic museums, see the "blow holes", turtle farm is only one in the world...short and fun tour, Atlantis submarine, sunset cruises, etc.
We always go in July...weather is awesome 90% of the time with an occasional cloudy afternoon or rain shower...almost always short-lived. I read on occasion about "bugs" and I can honestly say they have NEVER been a problem with us. I'm sure the people that write about it are not making it up...I just thought I'd throw that in. We've taken bug spray each time and never used it.
There is no gambling on the island that I am aware of. Other than that, GC covers your desired requests.
One more thing, I recommend Andy's or Avis for car rental...and you WILL want a car with AC...the jeeps, etc. look fun but we did that one year and REALLY wished we had the AC!! Car rentals are across the street from the airport.
Ask away if you have any other questions. I have rambled!

Both Cayman and the USVI are great. I also prefer St. John to St. Thomas---and you can take the ferry over for St. Thomas nightlife & golf.

I don't scuba. I snorkel. Both are great for snorkeling, but Cayman has a more extensive reef system. I think the water is slightly clearer in Cayman too.

I don't know whether Cayman has golf.

Both offer horseback riding. In the USVI, you may see some more scenic & interesting sites while horseback riding. It has hills & rainforest.

Neither place has gambling. Neither is a big party place---but St. Thomas may be more so than Cayman. Both have a decent nightlife though.

I love the food in both places. It is different, but both are good.

Personally, I prefer a condo or a villa to a hotel. But that's just me. I don't like organized fun or hordes of people. I like privacy. I like to chart my own path. I like being able to keep food around for inexpensive snacks and to take home left-overs.

Victoria House condominiums in Cayman used to be great. There are tons of villas in the USVI.

The flip side is that if you like a party atmosphere you will probably prefer a hotel. Additionally, hotels/resorts come with things like room service and watersports activities---and organized fun if you are into that.

I dont recommend the Caymans for kids. I love to snorkel & get away which you can get lost in GC. Other than that there is not alot to do. Eat, swim, great for couples.

The first time I went to the Caymans I was around 8 years old, and I loved it. Every time we went we always had other kids with us. We always all loved it.