Well, here I am, trying to search for a Caribbean destination for November and am at my wits' end. I definitely need some help from the fodorites. This is where we've been: Bahamas (Paradise Island before Atlantis), Grand Cayman, St. Martin, Turks and Caicos, Barbados, Bermuda. This is what we are looking for in a destination:

Nice beaches, very good restaurants (No AIs, please), and easy enough to get to from the Northeast US. This is what we are looking for in accommodations:

Mid-sized boutique hotel that is on the beach, has TVs in the room, and is nicely appointed.

These are the problems I've encountered: Anguilla has everything we're looking for (CuisanArt), but it will take us a day to get there.....not exactly what we want. Antigua has some great places, but they're all AI. Nevis looks wonderful, but all of the boutique-type hotels are lacking in TVs (is this so much to ask for??) Four Seasons may be priced above our market, unless we can get a deal. St. Kitts seems to go from the Marriott (not really our style, but I could probably use points to defray or pay for our stay) to Timothy Beach Hotel, which is a two star hotel. Ritz Carleton in Puerto Rico has comments all over the board....the worst for us is being that close to the airport, the best is the convenience of getting there. Other Puerto Rico locations had some shortfalls for us....the best recommendation was El Conquistador....the only problem was it is too far away from everything. I've never really considered Aruba, because it has never really appealed to me, but I am finding that it may be something I need to consider.

I never thought that finding all of the things that I want would be so difficult, but here I am. Does anybody have any recommendations for a very nice, BEACHFRONT accommodation on an island with easy access from the Northeast US that has great restaurants.

No need to caution about hurricane season - we are well aware of it and have been traveling to the Caribbean in November for 11 years - we take our chances.

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The flight to Puerto Rico from the Northeast is between 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Have you considered the Virgin Islands? St. Thomas is only a 25 minute flight from Puerto Rico, and maybe 35 minutes to St. Croix. I don't know any "boutique" hotels but I bet they have them... with TV.

Laluna in Grenada would fit your hotel requirements. However, iI'm not sure that it would meet your flight requirements. I don't think there's a nonstop flight from the Northeast, but I may be wrong. The flight we'll be taking in February requires that we switch planes in San Juan There are good restaurants in Grenada; although I'm not sure they're as "gourmet" as those in Anguilla. The Calabash supposedly has a famous English chef -- but the hotel prices are high.

Mount Nevis Hotel has TVs. It is not on the beach, however. It does have a pool. There are of course beaches you can easily get to. I would not rule out Nevis just because of a TV. It is a wonderful island. I prefer to stay without a TV, but I know some really want one... Have you considered renting a villa? Yes FS is a lot.

Maybe check into Antigua. There are a lot of places there on the beach. Anguilla has 365 beaches one for everyday!

gl

Lizzie,
I have been to Aruba and although it is getting a bad reputation recently, it was a very nice destination. It is not beautiful like Bermuda. It has nice white sandy beaches with beautiful turquoise water and the dining is great! I recommend the Bucuti resort for a smaller more boutique hotel. It is not like the mega resorts in Aruba. You can fly direct from NY, Boston, and Atlanta.

ST. CROIX...CHECK SITE FOR HIBISCUS BEACH HOTEL..WWW.HIBISCUSBEACHRESORT.COM THIS IS A BOUTIQUE HOTEL/ON THE BEACH/WITH, I THINK TV IN ROOMS. THIS PLACE HAS BEEN RENOVATED AND UPDATED.HAVE NOT STAYED THERE BUT HAVE READ SOME GOOD REVIEWS. GOOD LUCK !!

not sure, precisely, what nicely appointed means, but please take a look a www.secretharbourvi.com
it is a small resort on the east end of st. thomas. truly ON the beach, with good snorkeling. (unlike many resorts on st. t i.e. the marriott or wyndham - ritz on beach but still a little walk).
sh a great restaurant on site (the blue moon) plus st. t has tons of great places to eat. (if you go have dinner at havana blue!)
tons of things for teens to do on island. at secret harbour you are very close to red hook, where you catch the ferry to st. john which could make a good day trip.. also close to coki world marine park. there is a golf course, and the shopping is extensive.
anyway all the rooms are condo style with full kitchen. they have 2br units (as well as singles and studios) with dining area, living room and patio. all have tvs (most w/vcr or dvd)

We stayed at the St. Kitts Marriott two years ago and it was VERY NICE. Not the small scale you are looking for, but a top hotel. And St. Kitts offers lots of secluded beaches.

I have been looking at places, as well and have just decided on Nevis. It is true that many places do not have TV's. Have you looked at other places on St. Kitt's besdies the Marriott? Ottley's Plantation Inn looks rather attractive and they said they have TV's if you request them in advance.

Going back to Cuisinart, have you considered flying into St. Martin, then taking the ferry over to Anguilla, you would have more flight options and won't loose a day. All the other suggestions are good, but even farther than Anguilla!!!

Thanks to all who replied. Yes, the flights from the Northeast to San Juan are about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. That's fine. The problem is the connections.....we can get to San Juan early, but after that, all bets are off. We can get an 8am (or earlier)flight out and the earliest we can get to SXM is 2pm. That's fine if we were going to stay in SXM. But then to get to Anguilla (by air or ferry) we're looking at close to a full day's travel. It really shouldn't be this hard to reasonably get to the Caribbean from the Northeast. JFK used to offer direct flights to SXM....I can't even find those anymore. I can get to SXM from Hartford, CT in the same amount of time as flying out of JFK, and CT is more convenient. The flights to St. Croix and Aruba do not seem to be too bad. Have always wanted to try Grenada, but am not sure how it is recovering from the last hurricane. Enough ranting on that.....

Not to sound like a philistine, but I enjoy having a TV while on vacation. My husband and I typically spend our days relaxing on the beach, swimming, reading, and enjoying a small repast and stroll. We then like to spend a couple hours in the room cooling off and refreshening before heading out to dinner. In that time, it's nice to flip on the TV for a bit and catch up on daily events or just watch something completely inane. Ergo the need for a TV....

Nicely appointed, i.e. no "rooms need updating"....I'd rather have a great big, soft bed, with good quality sheets, and a spacious, attractive bathroom than condo-style accommodations. The condo-style units, which we had in T&C, are very utilitarian but not as cushy as we prefer. I say prefer, because when it comes down to it, we're really not as picky as I'm making this sound. Clean is the most important.

Thanks for the responses so far. I will check out the suggestions. Keep them coming.

I have not been, but the Bucuti resort in Aruba that I mentioned above, just redid a bunch of rooms called Tara Suites. They were having construction this summer on some of their other rooms.
We stayed at the Marriott. More action there.

I have two suggestions:
1.Curtain Bluff in Antigua. Yes, it's all inclusive, but like no other AI you've ever been to. It's small and private, the food is incredible, the rooms are great and right on the beach so you can hear the waves at night, the drinks are WOW! It's on two gorgeous beaches, and the atmosphere is just what you're looking for. DOn't be scared off by the AI thing at Curtain Bluff, it's unique in the Caribbean.

2. How about the Villa Rolandi in Isla Mujeres off the coast of Cancun? Last summer my daughter and I flew to Cancun from DC -- it's about a 2 and half hour direct flight. We stayed 3 nights at the Ritz in Cancun (FABULOUS!!), which is on the most spectacular beach, then we took a 15 min. ferry ride to Isla Mujeres to stay at the small boutique hotel Villa Rolandi for 3 days. It's incredible. Very quiet (no cars on the island, you run around in golf carts), the most gorgeous infinity pool ever, and right on a small perfect beach. There are TV's, HUGE marble bathrooms, and a hot tub on your private balcony. Really deluxe for not as much money as you'd think.
the website is www.villarolandi.com. The pictures are completely accurate, that's exactly what it looks like.

Hope this helps!
Teresa

Continental has a non-stop from Newark to SXM -- gets in at 2:00 & then you can 1) catch the ferry or 2) charter a private boat or 3) fly a small plane in. You'll get some beach time & a beautiful dinner on the beach anyway you do it. Frangipani is also nice (8 units) big suites, right on the beach, tv.

Re your comment about Grenada- I belive most of the places you would consider staying at are up to par. You're really worried about the thread count of the sheets? I've been taken.

girlonthego: The Tara Suites at Bucuti looks like what we would be looking for; however, they are all booked for the time we would be going in November, unfortunately. Thanks for the suggestion. I will have to remember it the next time we need to find a place.

tmemedia: Thos recommendations all sound intriguing. I will have to check them out. Thanks and I will let you know.

MaryD: I can get to SXM by 2pm from CT or NY. Newark is a bit out of the way for us. Any way you look at it....IF the flights are on time and after we pick up our luggage and taxi to Marigot....we'd still be lucky to reach CuisanArt by 5pm.

marigold: LOL. I certainly don't check the threadcount of the sheets I am sleeping on, but yes, I can tell the difference between egyptian cotton and some pilled up cotton/polyester mix. I buy good sheets for my own bed....I'd like at least equal pampering while I'm away. (Similarly, I'd rather not sleep on a bed that feels like a board.) So maybe we are picky. If anyone has recently stayed at a made-over Westin....they just recently re-did all their beds, and they are heavenly. (They may even call it the "Heavenly Bed".)

Does anybody have any comments on the Buccaneer in St. Croix? Would this be something worth researching?

We travel out of Hartford, CT and we catch the 6:55 a.m. American Airlines flight to San Juan and we are in St. Thomas by 12:15 p.m. It's just under 5 hours most of the time. St. Thomas has some great little places on the beach for example Sapphire Resort. We take the ferry over to St. John where there's always the Westin where they have the "heavenly bed" and I can attest it is pretty frickin' heavenly as is their cable tv, and there's a boutique "inn" called Estate Lindholm where many rave about its adorableness and walking distance to beaches but I don't know about TV's, or if you prefer condo's there's Gallows Point which has fairly nice units on the waterfront but no real beach, but it does have a pool and is within walking distance of Cruz Bay where there's a bevy of great eateries. St. Thomas and St. John boast fabulous snorkeling, diving and some of the prettiest beaches anywhere.

I fly out of Hartford, too, and agree that's it much easier than other options such as Boston or NYC. I just returned from a stay on Tortola. FLying on AA out of BDL, we booked on the noon flight to Tortola. There's an earlier flight around 11:30 that I didn't want to book in case we were running late. However, everything ran on time and we asked to be put on the earlier flight. The gate agent said that the 11:30 ish flight is usually half empty, so you might want to consider doing this yourself. We arrived on Beef Island around 12:30 (the 11:30 flight left a little late) and were at the Sugar Mill by 2:00. Their villas and/or plantation suites offer a television. It definitely qualifies as a boutique hotel and the food there is super. The beach is small but adequate but there are much better beaches to drive to for the day.

Have you looked at One and Only Beach Club on Paradise Island? Beachfront rooms available, gorgeous grounds- named one of the best hotels in the Caribbean by Travel and Leisure magazine. Its pricey, but early November is still discounted. I also fly out of JFk - there are alot of early flights(even 6A!) but not too many direct ones; if you book early you should be able to get one though. Check out OneandOnlyResorts.com-

Sabine

oops - its One and Only OCEAN Club; I mistyped-


Sabine