Have been to several islands and need advice for 2006
 

We have been to St. Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Bahamas, Aruba and St. Martin. We liked each place for different reasons. We like the rainforest hikes, culture, food, sailing at sunset, beaches and meeting new people. Any suggestions for us? We are not that picky. We just want to get away and can do it in June-August. We looooooved St. Kitts and Nevis and would like to go again, but I wonder if we are missing out on places that we have yet to visit? Thanks in advance for any info. Oh, yeah, we are late 30's w/o kids and like some nightlife, but not allll night:)

St. John, Virgin Islands.

You loved St. Kitts and Nevis, for beaches, hiking, people, culture, food and sunsets then try one of the following:

Grenada - waterfalls, hiking and beaches.
St. Lucia - hiking, views of Pitons.
Tobago - beaches, hiking.
Negril, Jamaica - no hiking, but over 10 miles of beaches and cliffs.
Barbados - everything.

Tell me more about what you liked so much about St. Kitts and Nevis. I've haven't been there yet.

Curacao may interest you as a destination. The locals are by far the friendliest we've ever met on any of the islands. Interesting culture and maybe some of the better food we've had. Curacao offers a different type of beach than say Aruba but I think it would meet your expectations as to be a "good" beach. Enough nightlife and activities. BTW,we leave for Nevis in three weeks and like Rich, would love to hear more.

Thanks to all who answered. Yeah!! As a teacher, I get cabin fever at this time of year when I can't travel...:) Anyway, on Nevis we stayed at the Oualie Beach Hotel. Chef Jason Bishop is awesome!!!!!! He is super friendly. The food there is GREAT and the staff is very helpful. We were there in June for 3 nights and the rooms are comfortable, but not amazing. The ants were annoying, so put all of your snacks in the fridge, if possible. We visited the 4 Seasons and it was wonderful.
The service was out of this world and the grounds were beautiful. Sunshines, the well-mentioned and on the beach restaurant/bar was cool. Watch out for the killer bee!! (drink) We took a taxi tour of the island and visited Golden Rock Plantation, Nisbet and Montpelier. All were sooooo pretty and secluded. If you need any advice, please adresse Sunnyboy, or check out his posts under your specific destination. You can also ferry over to St. Kitts for $8 usd and not pay the departure tax of $ 22 or so usd per person, as we did for a great day at Turtle Beach. In Nevis, we ate at Bananas, which may or may not still be open. We also ate at Oualie Beach, which was awesome and at Sea food Madness, which was horrible and had no atmosphere...it is on the street! In St. Kitts, we were at the Marriott. While much larger than Nevis and Oualie Beach, we felt surprisingly alone. Go figure! The service was very good nsd the rooms were huge!!!!! You get taken to your room in a golf cart. We did the rainforest hike with O'Neill's tours and had a great sail at sunset with snorkeling. Had a fab-o time at Turtle Beach with the monkeys and the food was good. Check out their pig, Wilbur, who is huge. We loved our dinner at Marshalls, but Stonewalls was, IMHO, overrated...wished we would have tried Sprat Net. Serendipity was also great. Please let me know if you have further ?????? Karen

Please excuse the typos that I found, as it was my
first day back at work!! WAhhhhhh...
Rich,
Any particular properties that we should look into? I am not opposed to villas, since I am the one who does the booking!!

I second the suggestion for Grenada and would add Tortola & Virgin from the British Virgin Islands, and possibly St. Vincent, or a split between the st. Vincent mainland and Young Island.

What about a cruise? I've always done land vacation until last year. My first cruise was great and now we have another one booked for this year.

Of the places mentioned above, does anyone have a definite favorite. As I said earlier, we liked each island that we have visited, but we prefer a place that is not so built up, like Aruba. Thanks for taking the time to answer.

jw...I have been to many of the same places as you. My top three islands are Tortola, Provo (Turks and Caicos) and Grenada. Not to slight any of the other two but I would strongly recommend Grenada to fit your bill. The Grenadians are wonderful, mild-mannered people and Grande Anse beach can't be beat.

Sounds like you wuld enjoy Puerto Rico. It has a rain forest, lots of culture, good restaurants, Old San Juan, beaches and night life. Have you looked into it? Larry

Larry,
I have not thought of Puerto Rico. All I have seen is busy San Juan, but I am sure every place is not that "built up". I will certainly check it out. Thanks for the tip and if you have any pointers on PR, please include them.

We stayed in Isla Verde which was good for us but may be too "busy" if yoiu want a quieter feel. There are lots of places away from SJ that should be fine. Things to do include:
1. Touring El Yunque, the rain forest
2. Meandering the norrow, cobblestone streets of Old San Juan
3. Tour the magnificent colonial forts of El Morro and San Cristobal.
4. Tour the Bacardi factory.
Though we did not do so I am sure sunset cruises must be avilable and there is good night life. Hve fun and look into it. You may be surprised. :-)