My husband and I are planning a trip to the Caribbean in late May or early June of this year. We would like to go somewhere that has great nightlife, great shopping, and would allow for some island hopping.

Probably one of the most obvious choices would be the USVIs. You have the island of St. THomas which has great shopping and some nightlife, however you could take the ferry over and also stay on nearby St. John which is made up of 2/3 National Park and has beautiful beaches with terrific snorkeling. Also the nearby BVIs can be reachable by ferry and/or chartered flights. Good luck - Susan

MD Queen: The islands around Grenada & St. Vincent are good for island hopping too. Carriacou, Bequia, Mayreau, Sandy Island (snorkling only) Mustique etc. are all great to visit, but would not require much more than a day or a few hours each. We've been to those on a Windjammer cruise and had a great time. We're partial to the USVI's and BVI's too...spending 2 weeks in May on St. John. Trish

From St Martin, you can "hop" to Anguilla, St Barts & Saba.

When island hopping between independent islands (such as from the USVI's to the BVI's or from St. Martin to Anguilla, St. Barts, Saba, etc.) you will need to passports or other documentation such as original raised seal birth certificates and a government issued photo I.D. (requirements vary from island to island so it is best to confirm requirements in advance - Passports will save you a lot of hassels). Also, do not forget on some islands you may have to pay departure taxes every time you leave even if it's only for the day, so budget accordingly.