petchan

Searching for a trip in July. Have it down to these three islands.. Grand Caymen, Barbados or Anguilla. Would appreciate any advice.

We are looking for relaxation, some snorkeling, great beaches on a safe island.

No intereste in nightlife, just good restaurants and nicer accomodations.
We tend to enjoy the less crowded areas.

I will also be 5 months pregnant at this time. Although I know these islands are typically hot, which would be the least humid this time of year?

Thank you!

Diana

In my opnion, most definitely Anguilla.
For what you are looking for, it's the only one with everything (but it's a little weak on snorkeling.)
GC has the best snorkeling and good beaches, but not the great rests. and the relaxation.
Anguilla has some of the best beaches in the Caribbean, high end luxury resorts and a plethora of excellent restaurants to choose from.
Plus, you can do an easy day trip over on the ferry and find even more good places to eat on St. Martin/St. Maarten

freewoman

Have to disagree with you Diana . . . GC has some great restaurants . . . in fact some of the best we've been to in our travels.

HowardC

I second Anguilla. It is less touristy than the other two and no cruise ships. If you can wait till the first week in August that is when they have their carnival which is fun. Recommend staying at the Frangipani if you can get a reservation. www.frangipani.ai. If you click on Anguilla in the upper right you will find a recent Frangipani post.

We were in Barbados in Late March and stayed at Coral Sands. www.coralsandsresort.com--Very nice studio suites with kitchens--$140/night. About a 5 min walk to grocery stores and 10 min to St Lawrence Gap for nightlife and restaurants. Very nice beach and away from the touristy areas
To confuse the issue further you might consider Providenciales (Provo) in the Turks and Caicos. Easier and faster to get to than the others. Recommend a luxury suite at Coral Gardens.(www.coralgardens.com) Great reef for snorkeling right off the beach. Grace Bay beach is consistently rated in the top three in the Caribbean by readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Caribbean Travel and Life. Excellent restaurants on Anguilla and Provo. We will be in Provo 3 June for the 14 th time. Really nice island. If you want more detailed info feel free to e-mail [email protected]

truppidavies

I would go with Anguilla, Cap Julca is the resort!

Have you ever thought of Provo (Turks & Caicos) - they are by far my favorite, and we look for the same things you do...great snorekling, relaxation, good food, #1 beaches!

kgabansk

Just got back from Anguilla. Stayed at the Cuisinart Resort. Far better than the Cap Jaluca (where you can't even lock your hotel room). Cap has a tiny pool, but nice beaches. The hotel set-up is kinda random. We honeymooned on Grand Cayman. It was nice and had a lot of things to do. Anguilla is nothing but beaches and good restaurants. I would have to say, staying at the Cuisinart was the best vacation we've had.

SusanLynne

We have been to Grand Cayman (when "the" places to stay were the Holiday Inn or Club Med - those were the only choices!) and most recently Anguilla. Grand Cayman has changed considerably over the years, with more and more resorts being built, golf courses, etc. Unless you go to Cayman Brac or Little Cayman, I think you will find it a bit built up. In that case, go to Anguilla. One beach more beautiful than the next, virtually no nightlife, and wonderful locals. The snorkeling around Anguilla is not as good as other Carib locales (in my opinion) but it is a wonderful island getaway. Have dinner at Altamer to celebrate your fifth month of pregnancy! Congratulations!

KaribIslander

You will definitely have more to do and explore on Barbados and there are some wonderful spots and great dining. Anguilla is hard to beat for wonderful beaches with the combo of wonderful choices of dining though. I heartedly agree with Cap Juluca being the resort of choice but they've been running pretty full compared to the other spots. When you are in your room at Cap, you can lock the door for privacy and access to the rooms is limited. They are not random but stretched out along the 2 mile beach (not concentrated as at CuisinArt) with each room directly on the beach, it is ideal. The pool is lovely but not in a ideal location - with that beach, few use the pool unlike CuisinArt which is on a beach which can be windier and the water choppy depending on the weather so it is more important to have that pool. Also have heard many complain about the number of children and water toys in the pool but that would depend, I would think, on family vacation time as CuisinArt is definitely the more popular family resort. The rooms at Cap Juluca are also much more comfortable and the open louvered one wall facing the water can be left completely open so that the balcony is part of the room unlike CuisinArt which has a more closed in hotel-feel. Both are lovely but the premium you pay at Cap is certainly worth it.

travleis

Nice summary by karibislander. There is a reason (many reasons actually) why 9 out of 10 people think Cap Juluca is the best on Anguilla, and one of the 5 best resorts in the Caribbean.
I have not once seen a poll, review, or group of opinions of any type in which CuisinArt is given superior ratings vs Cap Juluca.
Not to say that some individuals won't find CA better. But for purposes of making recommendations to strangers, the large majority will be more pleased with CJ.

melodyt13

Hi,

1. Anguilla has far superior restaurants..Husband's a chef and very critical and raved about all, especially Pimm's at the Cap Juluca...GC has some, like Reef Grill, but others offer very plain food.

2. Cuisinart over CJ any day...The place is heavenly..Best place we've ever stayed and plan to return..

3. BUT, when I was 7-months pregnant I opted for Grand Cayman, simply b/c the medical facilities are far superior just in case something went wrong. so that's something to think about

4. No hotel on GC is top notch, just mediocre for the exorbitant rates. I won't return to GC unless this changes..

5. Barbados is on my list of places to go..

Enjoy the vaca and the baby!

Knowing

I think GC is the place to stay, although you may prefer to choose a condo. The accomodations in the hotels are not worth the money. GC is more of a built up island and intimate is not a word that you could use to describe it. You will, however, feel welcome. They have the finest food we have ever eaten. The island is also a little hard on the pocketbook, but the beaches are beautiful. I also think that since you will be 5 months pregnant, if you were to need medical care, that's where I would want to be. Have a special time!

cartera45

Go to Anguilla for the beaches but go to Caymen if snorkelling or diving is important to you. Guess you won't be diving while pregnant but snorkelling good there too.

THE

I live in Grand Cayman and have visited both Anguilla and Barbados - I loved both Anguilla and Barbados - Barbados for the nightlife and Anguilla because it reminded me of what Cayman was like 20 years ago. I don't doubt that the resorts are better than those in Cayman - but would recommend a condo or villa (try www. caymanvillas.com) to stay in.
For restaurants I like Papagallo, the Brasserie, Ragazzi, Reef Grill, for fun atmosphere also try Casanovas - most of these restaurants also do great lunches. Cayman does have great snorkeling, and is very safe, but people do find it pricy.
It's a tough choice, I am sure though, whichever island you choose you will have a wonderful time.