geezer123

We want to take a special trip in February in the Caribbean. We are open to all suggestions and recommendations. We want it all...good food, drink, natural beauty, active days...all from a land based resort or we are also considering a sailing cruise as well. Does anything come to the minds of all you saavy and experienced travellers?? We are going to leave all our woes here in New Orleans behind!

drof

Geezer - Check out the Westin Resort in St. John. It is a true paradise. The locals are nice and the food is great. I like the island of St.John you don't have as many tourist like you would on an island like St.Thomas. You have to get to St.John by a ferry boat from St.Thomas. You'll see what I mean about the crowded streets with tourist from all the cruise ships. Not to mention parts of St.Thomas is very dirty.

Laby

There are so many special places that one could recommend. In order to better answer your inquiry, let me ask you a few questions. First, which is more important to you, a beautiful beach or a lush tropical island (most Caribbean islands have one but not both)? How important is good snorkeling, dining, nightlife and shopping (again, many islands - and resorts - are strong in some of these categories but not in others)? Would a day of long flights with multiple connections be a major negative for you (many of the nicest islands will require one or more connecting flights to reach them)? Lastly, what sort of budget are you thinking of for this trip (for example, it wouldn't be of much help for someone to recommend a $600 a day resort if your budget is, say, $200 a day)?

Laby

I can't resist though offering one suggestion. It would be hard to beat The Reefs Resort in Bermuda (http://www.thereefs.com/reefs/home.html) for charm, island elegance, and first class dining. Bermuda is an absolutely beautiful island with so much to see. In the winter, the rates at all the resorts and hotels will be considerably lower than the rest of the year because it is a bit cooler (although certainly not cold by any measure - the high temperatures will probably be in the upper 60s/low 70s). If you're interested in snorkeling and swimming in the ocean, then this would not be an ideal time to go. But if you're more interested in exploring this wonderful island when it's much less crowded, the winter is the ideal time to visit.

To give you an idea of the money you can save by traveling in February as compared to, say, July, The Reefs charges about $350 a night in February (which includes breakfast and a world-class dinner for two), depending on the room category), and about $550 a night (again inclusive of breakfast and dinner) for the same room category in July.

geezer123

Laby, let me see if i can answer...you are keeping me thinking. Ideally, we like to spend some of the day relaxing by the beach and the rest exploring...don't guess we really need a rain forest type setting, so i think the beach and water would be primary. We would likely eat breakfast wherever we stay, a light lunch anywhere, and then go out for a nice dinner. Easy air travel is a big plus. I was thinking in the $500/day range for the budget. i will check out the reefs. thanks for all your thoughtful input! G.

A_Traveller

If you are looking for ease of travel, good beaches, areas to explore but you are not too concerned about a "rain forest setting" and than you probably want to look at Antigua, Grand Cayman, Providenciales (Turks & Caicos) St. Martin, St. Thomas or Barbados, all of which can be reached non-stop from either Miami or Atlanta (not sure if you can get to any of these islands non-stop from New Orleans). You should have no trouble finding a resorts on any of those islands with a budget of around $500/night.

cmcfong

I agree, Cambridge Beaches is a fabulous resort. It is truly a romantic paradise. However, February in Bermuda can be very chilly and wet. I suggest if you do decide on Cambridge Beaches, go between May and October.

curiousx

If you really want to do something special, I recommend a Seabourn roundtrip cruises out of Barbados. And you could book end this with a few days stay at each end at a nice Barbados hotel.

Laby

cmcfong is right that Bermuda is chillier in February than May through October but keep in mind that it's all relative. In May, the high temperature will likely be in the upper 70s/low 80s. In February, the high temperature will probably be about 10 degrees cooler. It won't be cold by any means. In my view, February's somewhat lower temperatures are ideal for walking and exploring the island (although admittedly less ideal for sunbathing on the beach or swimming in the ocean). I've never found February to be an especially wet month; early and mid-autumn, in contrast, can be quite humid and cloudy.

Again, you'll find Bermuda's hotel rates to be much less expensive in February than May through October. At The Reefs, for example, the $500 a day you mentioned you'd be willing to spend would, in February, get you a room in their very large and beautiful cliffside junior suite which has an absolutely spectacular view of the ocean (and a jacuzzi tub to boot). In the summer, your same $500 a night would get you a very nice but much smaller poolside room.

If you're not fixed on swimming in the ocean or snorkeling, I'd strongly recommend visiting Bermuda in the winter to maximize the luxuriousness of your accomodations (and your travel dollar).

Knowing

Grand Cayman is an easy flight. The food is the best we've ever had in the Caribbean and the service is excellent. It's not a tropical island per se, imo, but the beaches and water are wonderful.
St. Thomas would also be an easy flight and has some very pretty areas and a lot of activities.

geezer123

i am checking out most of what you all have shared with me so far. I love the xoprivate website. The Reefs and the Cambridge beaches are both intriguing. CuriousX can you share more info on the Seabourn cruise...CuriousGeezer.

virginia

hi geezer, you might consider the mayan riviera. cancun would be an easy flight for you and the drive down the coast is 30-90 mins depending on where you are headed. 500/day would give you very nice accomodations in this area. for activities they have jungle tours, ruins to explore, marine parks, outstanding snorkeling, great fishing, gorgeous beaches...

mah1980

Hi geezer!

We live in the Northshore of New Orleans and know exactly what you mean.

I also thought of the Riviera Maya area of Mexico. There are many very nice resorts like Maroma, Ikel del Mar, and Royal Hideaway. You could do a lot of fun snorkeling and also go see Tulum.

The flight is really short from here, and you could be at your hotel by 11 a.m., with a full day ahead of you.

ONZGO

I agree the Mayan Riviera is wonderful. There are many beautiful new resorts in that area. Don't go to Cancun as it is party central and very Americanized now, unless you are into that.

geezer123

how did the Mayan Riviera fare during this past hurricane season? Hopefully better than us...know what i mean mah1980???

mah1980

Geezer,

Based on news reports, it was mainly Cancun and Cozumel that was hurt from the hurricane. Most of the Mayan Riviera was unscathed.

I noticed that there are several Riviera Maya properties on Luxury Link auctions (which allows you to bid on a vacation package that often times ends up being half the price you would normally pay). Look at Ikal del Mar and Escencia.

schmerl

Secrets Capri and Secrets Excellence are two adults only resorts in the Riviera Maya that offer wonderful service and romantic atmosphere.

Jaisy

Geezer, don't go to Bermuda in Feb if you want to spend time on the beach. It will be too cool. If you enjoy exporing, then I think St. John was an excellent suggestion. It is lush and hilly with many beautiful beaches that you can explore all over the island. The down town area has cute shops and good restaurants for dinner and diversion. You are limited in terms of hotel choices. Consider renting a villa - a house. Someone suggested Providenciales, which has beautiful beaches but absolutely nothing to see other than one long stetch of beach. It has no town to speak of and no shopping or other diversions. We like to explore and found that Provo was ugly and unappealing other than that one beautiful beach. I don't think anyone suggested Anguilla. Is not a direct flight - you can either fly to St. Martin and take the ferry or fly into San Juan and change planes to Anguilla. By the way, you need to take a ferry to St. John, too. But I am of the opinion that this is not an inconvenience, but part of the fun. Anguilla has magnificant beaches, a very good selection of excellent hotels at various budgets and really good restaurants. It also offers a diversity of beaches that you can go out to explore throughout the island. I chose Anguilla for my 40th and was very, very happy with hit. Hope this helps!

geezer123

all the suggestions and recommendations are a great help. I am convinced that whatever i plan will come off of this thread...what a convenience! Nothing like first hand information when travel planning...both good and bad.

Jackie

For my 50th, I went to Tortola in the BVI (in March) and loved it. What I liked best about it was the ability to do day trips to several different islands. There were lots of good restaurants. The bad part was that we had to take a taxi each time we went out. The beaches were wonderful to look at and lounge around, but, because they were rocky, not so great for swimming. I look forward to returning there some day.