We are relatively open to which island we will visit, but my 'marching orders' are to find nonstop flights from Boston in late May/early June. About 4 hrs' flight time. I am not having much luck.

We were planning to travel Sunday- Saturday, but it seems that nonstops to the DR are only offered on Saturdays, I think on JetBlue.

The DR might be our least favorite choice, though.
Also not really interested in Mexico, Puerto Rico, St Maarten, or Costa Rica because family members have been there.

We might prefer Bermuda, or St John.

Recommendations, please?

Try explore on kayak. You can specify the flight time and the airport and whether your flight needs to be non-stop.

Well, Bermuda certainly fits your flight time/non-stop requirement - just over 2hrs (on Delta), and the weather is gorgeous that time of year.

What other recommendations are you looking for?

I can't give you specifics about which islands can be reached non-stop from Boston but I can tell you this - you are pretty much limited to the larger islands as those will be the ones that have larger airports that can accommodate big jets.

See if any of the following destinations
are serviced by airlines that fly out of Boston:

Dominican Republic
Grand Cayman
Jamaica
St. Martin (which you ruled out)
St. Lucia
Aruba
Puerto Rico (which you ruled out)
Cancun
Cozumel
St. Thomas

Good luck.

I fly out of Boston, and can't even remember the last time I had a non-stop flight to anywhere, let alone the Caribbean. All the non-stop prices are beyond ridiculous.....I'm guessing its been at least 15 years since I had non-stop.

The Caribbean coast of Mexico has lots of exactly what you are seeking. Too bad if it's off the list because someone in the family has been somewhere in Mexico before.

I don't think there are nonstops from Boston other than the seasonal/Saturday BlueJet flights (they go to Jamaica too).

RoamsAround, Cancun and Cozumel would also be "ruled out" since they are in Mexico ;-)

Yup.

You can fly nonstop to Provo in Turks and Caicos Saturday-Saturday out of Boston. Just over three hours from Boston.

Thanks, WWK. Have you been there?

Yes, many times! Most recently in January. Daughter and son-in-law to be flew round trip from Boston. We love Grace Bay Beach. It's really gorgeous! However, it's a quiet island, with hardly any nightlife, and can be pricey, though maybe not so much in May/June.

I fly out of Boston as well and the sad fact is there really aren't too many non-stops to the Caribbean from Boston. I'm flying to St. Thomas this Sunday non-stop on JetBlue. The return stops in San Juan, no non-stops. The most convenient airport to St. John is St. Thomas (STT).

Sometimes you can find a non-stop to Aruba, but those flights are mostly during high season (winter). And the T & C flight that WWK referenced.

TNT Vacations used to offer charters to some islands. It looks like they are now part of FunJet Vacations but you may find something here:

http://www.funjet.com/?plcode=tnt

In addition to Delta, Jet Blue also flys non-stop to Bermuda (in high season) from Boston.

Thank you! We are looking for a great snorkeling beach on property. Does Bermuda have that? It seems much more expensive there, though.

Turks & Caicos looks nice, but a friend thought it wasn't very special. ????

Turks & Caicos would be at the top of my list.

I love St. Lucia but I don't think it would match your requirements. A family member goes to T&C quite often. I'll try to find out the name of the resort.

Thanks, starrs! There is a Club Med at T&C, but it looks in need of an update. I'd love to hear your family's recommendation. We'd like a lush island, though.

And,what about Jamaica? The Negril area has the huge beach, but is it too crowded? Is it 'safe'?

You will (not) find a "lush island" if you plan on going to T&C.

Beaches to die for....but island is flat and scrubby at best.

I've been to Negril Jamaica three times. The main beach is "7-mile beach" but the All-Inclusives are mostly located a bit further from town. No it is not too crowded. Yes it is 'safe' but a bit rustic and some of the locals a bit aggressive (vendors).

I don't think you would like it.

If you want "lush" go to St. Lucia, just not the north (dry) end. Stay near the Pitons. I loved the former Hilton Jalousie between the Pitons or Ladera (honeymoon type resort) on the ridge above. Take water taxis anywhere you want to go, including the markets, snorkeling and the black sand beach on the other side of the right Piton. There are all-inclusives there. We stayed at a Hyatt which became an AI but that's in the dry side of the island, not the lush side. I'm pretty sure there are other AIs on the island.

I also love St. Croix, but it doesn't have the easy access you want. LOVED the villa we rented. Again, not an AI. I have zero experience with AI because I have a bias against them.

That's my concern, Bassguy. What island do you like?

Bermuda does fit most our criteria, but it is so expensive, it's at least twice what we'd pay elsewhere. aaarrgh