Help for first caribbean trip?
 

I've never been to the caribbean but with the recent cold weather, I need to go where it is warm. Any suggestions on places to go, where to stay, and where to research for a first time visitor. Looking for some water sports, nice beaches, some night life and some golf. Thanks. <BR>

Nice Beaches on St. Thomas USVI with nightlife and golf. Great beaches on St. John USVI which is a 15min ferry link from St. Thomas. Golf also on Nevis but beaches are not as nice. Anguilla has beautiful beaches but not much in nightlife and no golf. 20 minute ferry link to St. Martin for shopping, nightlife and golf. Email for more info if necessary, <BR>

It depends on how much you want to spend. There are some great resorts in Puerto Rico but I do not know what shape they are in after the hurricane. St Thomas does have a nice golf course and with the rasin they have had it should be in good shape. The Bucaneer in St. Croix is excellent with the best beach in St Croix and a good golf course. Carambola also on St Croix is a good golf course. Excellent snorkeling in St Croix. i hear about golf in the Dominican Republic but know little about it. Avoid Cancun.

Don't know that there are many great golf courses in the Caribbean -- tho my folks have done a golf cruise. Tryall (?) in Jamaica is supposed to be lovely. We saw a course in St. Maartens that didn't look appealing. Ditto one near Negril. (Too hot, I think) Puerto Aventuras, between Playa del Carmen and Cancun is supposed to be pretty good. <BR>Of course, Bermuda is supposed to have some super courses, but it is further north than the real "caribbean" and might not be warm enough for beach and water sports. I'm going to Puerto Rico next week for about 10-12 days. Will re-post when I get back. The hurricane did not wreak great havoc, from what my sources there tell me.

Marc- <BR>Be sure that you go far enough south into the Caribbean to get out of the cold weather. I've had friends go to St. Thomas in January and they've had to buy sweatshirts and never set foot in the water. Look at some of the other postings in this area for some ideas, but for my money Aruba is still a wonderful deal--weather is consistent ALL year, it's out of the hurricane routes and it has very good beaches. Golf on Aruba is not great at all, 2 courses and because Aruba is a desert, you have to drag this little astroturf mat around with you because sometimes the course is too rocky to drive off of the ground. Great beaches, OK casinos and good shopping can be had there too. We're novice snorkelers and enjoyed what we encountered at Baby Beach. <BR> <BR>Have fun!

Barbados has beautiful beaches, a couple of top golf courses ($$$$$), but not much night life. Puerto Rico has nice beaches, many golf courses, a rain forest, nightlife in San Juan, and some beautiful smaller islands off its east coast.

My advice...give up on golf.

Take a cruise! You can try a lot of <BR>different islands and golf,swim, <BR>snorkel, etc. on the shore excursions. <BR>Royal Caribbean has two ships with <BR>miniature 18 hole golf courses on board! <BR> <BR>

Just back from Puerto Rico. Had time to see much of the island, and it offers quite a bit for every budget or travel-style. San Juan has glitzy resorts with pools, great beach, casinos, and many fine restaurants. Probably the best golf is at El Conquistador. Drive across the island to Ponce and see the varied topography the island offers. If you are adventurous (and speak Spanish - not necessary but helpful) visit the town of Boqueron, which has some extraordinary beaches (great diving and snorkeling) and Paradors where you can stay for about $70-80 night. Rincon is another area on the West coast where surf is big. We finished off our trip with 3 days on Vieques -- there is a gem of an airport (after the horrid one in San Juan) and the $100 RT fare from SJ is well worth it. Swim in a bio-luminescent bay at night for a totally amazing experience. Inn on the Blue Horizon is probably the classiest place to stay, and has one of the best restaurants in the Caribbean I've ever eaten at. There are also some comfortable, basic guest houses in Esperanza, which has two other good places to eat: Trade Winds and La Casa del Frances. The beaches are nearly deserted and there's decent snorkeling. Old San Juan and its forts is worth a day of touring.

Mahogany Run Golf Course is world class (St. Thomas) It's devil's triangle is famous throughout the area, confounding pros and delighting our guests. No matter how you feel about Clinton, you have to admit, if he goes out of his way to golf it, it can't be all bad! <BR> <BR>The night life is also excellent. There is a cluster of great places to go in Red Hook (The Caribbean Cowboy is brand new, Duffy's Love Shack is an age old favorite etc.) The Greenhouse on the Waterfront is a great place to go for "Stateside" food, good music and dancing. Also, The Old Mill recently re-opened. It's the closest thing I've seen to a true Stateside nightclub. There are several bars in it, sports, wine and cigar, dance etc. <BR> <BR>The watersports are unparalleled. The snorkeling is fantastic, the water a crystal blue with all kinds of sea life, from tiny seahorse to 6ft sea turtles and an amazing array of coral. <BR> <BR>Beaches are white sand with gentle laping waves... <BR> <BR>It's been "cold" in Caribbean terms this week, (read 70's) but this is the coldest it has been in 10 years! <BR> <BR>Believe me! There is a reason I call St. Thomas home! <BR> <BR>Enjoy!

My first experience was last year with Sandals. My advise is avoid all of their resorts at all costs. I don't know if I'll ever be able to return to the Carribean again after that experience...Mark