Need suggestions for a tropical vacation in mid-September....., lively entertainment, good food and oh yeah I should probably mentioned it's a sister thing and we are all in our late 50's - early 60's. Have been to Cayman, Jamaica, and St Marten. Appreciate your suggestions

Need more info from you - sorry but a tropical setting, lively entertainment and good food can be found on just about every Caribbean island.

What's your budget?

How long a trip are you planning?

Where are you traveling from and how long are you willing to travel to reach your destination?

What type of accommodations do you want - full service resort, small hotel, rental condo or villa????

What type of activities (besides eating good food) interest you and your sisters?

Give us a list of 5 or 10 things you want most from your vacation. Tell us too what you liked and disliked about Grand Cayman, St. Martin and Jamaica.

Keep in mind, September is peak hurricane season in the Caribbean so many resorts & hotels throughout are closed or operating with reduced staff. So too are restaurants and some tourist oriented activities.

September is slow, the only lively place is Mexico (check Playa Del Carmen)

Maybe Atlantis in Bahamas

Get hurricane insurance just in case (although they are predicting a slow season for that)

I'm no expert like the posts above, but agree that September is low-season & the weather hardly ideal in any of the Caribbean islands. While Mexico may be lively(er) but it's also off-season there... hot, humid, rainy that month.

Have you traveled in September before (the other islands you mention)? Maybe you already realize this.

No I have never traveled in September. One of my sisters is turning 60 so she wanted to be somewhere on the beach on the exact day.

RoamsAround: Actually we require little. Beautiful beach, great food, and music. Grand Cayman is great but expensive. I have been to St Marten many times (love it). I knew there wouldn't be crowds but never considered that off-season may mean bars, restaurants and hotels might be closed

You still haven't given us much to go on other than saying you think Grand Cayman is "expensive" - it would help if you could define what "expensive" means to you in terms of a dollar amount.

Look at Anguilla - 35 spectacular white sand beaches and 80+ restaurants some among the best in the Caribbean. Only two caveats - some restaurants will probably be closed in September and some people find Anguilla one of the more expensive destinations in the Caribbean, somewhat on a par with Grand Cayman.

Another island with very nice beaches and lots great restaurants is St. Barth's but here again it's considered an expensive island. St. Barth's is like visiting Paris in the Caribbean.

You might want to investigate Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos - fantastic 12 mile long white sand beach (Grace Bay) with plenty of multi-bedroom of "condo resorts" which your group might find quite comfortable. There are also a number of decent restaurants on the island.

You can find some type of "music" on just about every island so that alone shouldn't drive your choice.

I love Negril Jamaica (but you say you've already been to Jamaica).

While mid-September is the height of hurricane season, the weather is wonderful as long as there is no named storm in the vicinity of the island you choose. The beaches will be empty and the water will be warm. The entertainment might be a bit low key and there may be some restaurants closed, but you will not starve. ;-)

"Actually we require little. Beautiful beach, great food, and music. "

Just head south, and pick any island......without more details, every island in the Caribbean practically fits your wishlist.