We LOVE St. John! We love the lush mountains and pristine white - great snorkeling beaches of St. John... we love the casual, relaxed uncommercial feel of it - and will probably go back this spring - unless someone suggests something similar - but different. Anyone?

Check out Palm Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Virgin Gorda -- not as lush, but meets your other requirements. Cool topography on the south side of the island.

What about trying St. Croix? Located in the same sparkling Caribbean waters, St. Croix is approximately
40 miles south of St. John. You can still enjoy some of the diving and snorkeling, nice shops and restaurants, and exploring the natural beauty of the island. Try it for a different scene!

i too LOVE st. john and have been traveling there for 10 yrs...just spent 10 days a few weeks ago & will be back march/april. that said, i do understand how you feel..you just get the urge to explore/change/taste something new/different. but afraid to take the plunge and...what if we do and always compare/doesn't live up to/hate it ?? why ruin a good thing ?? it's tough.. we've started ( for the past 3 yrs ) to split our vacation between st. john/tortola or jost. this allows us to spend time on st. john but also persue our new found love for the bvi's. these islands are similar but have a different "flavor" than the usvi's. if you think st. john is laid back just wait !!! esp. jost !! what's nice is they're just a ferry ride away ! two places i keep finding myself looking/dreaming about, are Cat Island/Bahamas...Fernandez Bay Village , and the other is Nevis...Nesbit Plantation. both small islands both small resorts. haven't been to either but keep the info..just in case. best of luck !! keep us posted !

If it does not have to be in the Caribbean...check out Kaua'i,Hawaii.It is my favorite island...but I also love St John!

Christie

Thanks everyone!

We have been to Virgin Gorda (day trips - 2 times) and loved it - for the day - not lush enough for us for a week.... also have been to St. Croix - still not as pristine as St. John - Don't want to go to Hawaii... too long a flight and water too rough - I will check out Palm Island - sounds intersting - BUT, alas, we may HAVE to go back to St. John - why search for more perfection than that! ;-)

Palm Island does not have the lushness of St.John. Tiny Island, where the resort IS the island. Grenada is incredibly lush, tropical, mostly unspoiled. Good nature sightseeing. Wide range of accomodations, beaches, but marginal snorkeling. Petit St.Vincent in the Grenadines is a private island resort with good snorkeling, very private cottages, and sprawling grounds.

xkenx is correct, Palm Island itself if tiny and flat-just a good base to explore by sail and catamaran to other gorgeous Grenadines. The view of Palm over to Union Island looks like a minature Bora Bora. The Grenadines are stunning, but a lot more laid back than St. John. You may want to consider Canouan to stay a s a base too. SVG is not about staying put like you could in St. John, but about hopping around, even if just on day trips. Tobago Cays are stunning (no place to stay) I love St. John, but for a change I love SVG. These are a lot quieter than St. John, and smaller, but you get some stunning beaches and beautiful scenery.
Grenada is a nice option, but if you pick that, try at least a day trip to Grenadines. (and little Sandy Island)
St. Lucia has the lushness you may crave, but I don't think the beaches are like St. John. (not really turqouise) Again, you can take a day trip to Grenadines.
I love St. John, I love Virgin Gorda, my opinion, but then I love SVG more than the other suggestions. Definately uncommercial, definately relaxing.

What is SVG? (What do the letters stand for?)

cmt: SVG is St. Vincent and the Grenadines

LPOWERMACBAC: We are struggling with the same issue. We have been to St. John every year for the past five years, but want to try something new. I have been pondering this for weeks and still have no clue! Grenada, SVG, Kuaui, and even Tahiti or the Cook Islands have been considered at this point! I can't figure out why this is so hard...it's just a vacation and I am sure that no matter where we end up, we will enjoy ourselves. DH and I have decided that we will make a decision this weekend! I may end up finding a good travel agent and put my fate in his/her hands!

We went to Tortola last summer for a change from the previos 3 years in St. John. Loved it. It was fun to explore a new island. Read my trip report if interested.

We had the same question as you and we're looking at Tortola for our next Caribbean vacation. I've also heard great things about Tobago.

I must admit Virgin Gorda and St. Lucia come close yo Caneel on St. John. But, St. Lucia snorkeling is half as good as St. John but VG comes pretty close to St. John especially if you take a day trip to Anegada. Palm Island, in my opinion, based on a few hour stop while sailing on a Moorings charter is not in yje same category as Caneel, Anne on St. Lucia, Peter Island or the Ritz in Grand Cayman.