Island recommendation
 

Hi,
My husband & I are interested in visiting one of the Caribbean island this summer. Since there's so many islands in the Caribbean, we're a little confused. Could you give suggestions which island we should visit. We like a place that has great snorkeling (I read Antigua has great snorkeling), good hiking trails, waterfall if available, has zip lining, good food, peaceful/relaxing, clean/pretty beach, and safe to drive throughout the island. We have no kids so we're not looking for family activities places.

We've been to all of Hawaii islands so we like to explore Caribbean island, but not sure which island to go first.

If you were to pick one island in the Caribbean to visit, which island will you pick?

Thanks for your help,
Lynn

hi lynn,
st. lucia is the only island i can think of with hiking, waterfalls, zip line and it has ok snorkeling. also has worlds only drive through volcano. it is not and easy island to drive around though as its quite large & hilly with windy roads.

grand cayman has outstanding snorkeling and good food but no hiking, waterfalls or zip.

i know little about aruba except it is supposed to be very americanized, and no zip, waterfalls or hiking.

antigua is not really known for snorkeling. it does offer hiking/waterfalls and has a zip line tour. not sure about restaurants. gorgeous beaches.

my personal best suggestion for you, if you can skip the zip, is st. john, usvi. outstanding snorkeling, very good hikes. maybe caneel bay resort? or there is a westin and tons of nice rental villas. there is even eco camping. low key island, small & safe, tons of delightful beaches.
http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Beaches.htm
http://seestjohn.com/trails.html

and to totally add to the confusion you could consider the maya riviera area of mexico (just south of cancun) activities include cenotes/caves (cenotes are underground rivers - some w/waterfalls), really good snorkeling/diving, zip line, atv jungle ride, horseback on the beach rides, shopping in playa del carman, yummy food if you like mexican and 3 ruins in easy day trip distance (coba, chichen itza & tulum). beautiful beaches. very hot/humid in july/aug.

fyi: aug- nov is considered hurricane season. consider trip insurance.

We just returned from our second trip to Antigua last weekend. As they say, they have 365 beaches, one for each day of the year. They have some very nice sandy beaches and we enjoy the snorkeling and swimming. The water is a very pretty color of blue. We love the climate as it is warm but it has constant trade winds so you never get really hot. It's a very charming and beautiful island that has obviously captivated us. They are very welcoming when you arrive at the airport. An older gentleman was singing and welcomed us back and thanked us for returning and they had beverages off to the side. Love the cuisine of Antigua.

I love Antigua but it certainly doesn't have great snorkeling. Fair to middling about sums it up. But there should be enough to see on a few reefs to keep you occupied if the island has everything else you're looking for. It's only if snorkeling is the most important item on your vacation list that I would steer you away from it for your vacation.

The Caribbean is so very different from Hawaii. If you're going to travel there it's a good idea to visit it for what it is and not compare it.
We live on the West Coast and love Hawaii but also enjoy St Barts as another experience. I might spend a night or two in San Juan en route.

The Caribbean Coast of Mexico has a lot of what you are looking for but it is spread out over a couple of hundred miles.

Playa del Carmen or Peurto Moreles would be a good place to base yourself.

Another island that has what you are looking for is Jamaica but again it is pretty spread out.

Georgraphically very few of the islands can provide everything you are looking for.

Personally, I think it is hard to beat the BVI in terms of beauty.