I'm asking for help from all of you wonderful experienced travellers out there. My husband and I are 56 and have been on one Caribbean cruise and 3 Hawaii trips in 25 years of marriage. That is about the extent of our long-distance travels. We are socking $ away in a separate account to be used for a once-in-a-lifetime, blow-out vacation somewhere in the Caribbean. We liked St. John & St. Thomas, what we were able to see of it on the cruise 15 years ago. We've always talked about flying down to an island & staying there for 2 weeks. We like to snorkel, but don't need much in the way of entertainment. We would like to be in shorts/casual clothing the whole time so that rules out most of these "all-inclusive" resorts. We want a beautiful, quiet beach, but not too isolated that we don't have restaurants and shops close by. We would be open to renting a condo & buying & cooking our own food. Thank you for taking the time to read this. We look forward to hearing suggestions & experiences.

My friend went to Abaco in May & said it was wonderful, but only for a week, we are similar ages to you & also like snorkelling & good food. I think you would need to have a week somewhere else. We really enjoyed antigua & grenad, but did stay at AI's La source in Grebada & Galley Bay & Blue Waters in antigua, all three excellent & you don't have to wear cocktail dresses or anything like that !!

Perhaps Anguilla is an option for you? It has everything you ask for! The beaches are fantastic, long empty stretches of sand. There are some nice local shops (though no large shopping malls), and lots of great restaurants.

Check out the following: Cap Jaluca in Anguilla, Peter Island in the BVI, Jumby Bay off of Antigua and The Reefs in Bermuda.

Anguilla would be perfect if you are looking for great beaches and calm clear Blue water. Anguilla also has great restaurants. However I'm not sure how much Anguilla can offer in terms of snorkelling. There was no shopping on Anguilla but you could take the ferry over to ST Martin for a day trip. I like Virgin Gorda also (quiet and good beaches) in the BVI but you probably would have to drive to the restaurants. I liked the Abacos (good beaches) except the hotels are Very Basic and not luxurious at all.