hi! My boyfriend and I are in our early 30's and want to go to the carribbean for July4th(july 1-5 or6) and am not sure where to go or stay. We want a nice beach, things to do and great weather. We are pretty health minded, so want an hotel/resort/condo, etc to have a gym so we can work out before hitting the beach. This is his break from law school. so I am hoping we can find the perfect balance of relaxation and fun
we thought about Aruba, DR, Purto Rico but am open to all suggestiosn. Want the shortest travel time possible too, sometimes there are may layovers...we are from Columbus Ohio.
THKS!

I'd probably start w/direct flights & narrow it down from there...Puerto Rico would be an excellent choice.

Most resorts have gyms but would check before going. Stayed in the DR at the Excellence -all inclusive - (adult only) and really liked it but be aware that in the DR you are pretty much restricted to resort property therefore most are AI. Excellence is farther from the DR airport than most. Just came back from Aruba stayed at Radisson - also liked - there you can feel safe to leave property and explore restaurants and shops. Not the prettiest island but beach and resorts are beautiful and many water sport activities available. You would have to research layovers for all.

You'll also likely get some grief over the lack of info you are providing. Tell us what you are looking for in places to stay ? A/I ? activities - is the beach most important ? etc.

I may be wrong but doubt you can get anywhere in the Caribbean non-stop from Columbus, Ohio so you'll have at least one connecting flight. Since most of us don't live in Columbus it's hard for us to figure out what destination will give you the shortest flight time. You'll probably have to connect through a major "Gateway" airport such as Atlanta, Miami or Chicago.

I suggest you start your research by finding out which destinations you can get to non-stop from your nearest or preferred Gateway airport. Those will probably be the larger islands. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are in the northern Caribbean and usually take the least amount of flying time from the US mainland. Aruba, being the furtherest away in the souther Caribbean, will take the longest. Of course, you also have to factor in connecting times between flights and sometimes you'll spend as much or more time in the airport then you will actually flying.

Go to your airline of choice's website and check out various itineraries to see which destinations give you the shortest overall travel time from Columbus.

Since you're going for less than a week and want to get somewhere quickly, I'd consider Grand Cayman. The water is beautiful, the restaurants are great, shopping is good, island is clean and safe, and there's no poverty. It's very easy to find your way around. It may not be quite as "tropical" as some other islands, but it's a very easy island to do and always a good time. There's just enough to do in your timeframe. Great snorkeling and there are snorkel spots you can get to for free right in Georgetown. Take a trip out to Stingray City with Soto's for sure. There's also parasailing, waverunners, etc.

There are plenty of hotels on Seven Mile Beach, and I'm sure most of them have gyms.

I cannot comment on DR or Puerto Rico, but we've been to Aruba and just weren't that thrilled with it.

For Example (& I know you can get to CLT direct from CMH)from CLT you can get to PR, Antigua, St. Maarten & Aruba direct. (Although I believe the Antigua flights used to only be Saturdays.)