looking for peace and quiet in the Caribbean
 

Does anyone know of a small, quiet resort in the Caribbean? We're celebrating our 10th anniversary in January and would like a small (under 20 room) place with reasonable rates that would have the real island feel. Not necessarily a hut! Need to be at the beach for snorkeling and sunbathing, a pool and/or restaurant would be great. Thanks

Off of Great Abaco Island, an outer island in the Bahamas is a 7-mile long cay called Great Guana Cay. It's accessible by renting a Boston Whaler in Marsh Harbor, the capitol of Abaco, or by Albury's Ferry. Golf carts only. Sounds like you'd like the Guana Seaside Village Resort on the northwest section of Guana. Remote, has dock, snorkeling, pool, and is on the gentle Sea of Abaco. Of course, you can take a 50 second walk to the other side of Gauna to the Atlantic Ocean side. A 20 minute rented golf cart from the Guana Village, where the ferry lands, will take you to GSV resort along rough, limestone and coral "road." Robert

Look into the British VIs. Virgin Gorda is a good choice of islands. <BR>Biras Creek has around 20 cottages, and is pretty quiet. Personaly, I like Little Dix Bay; they have about 90 units, but if you get a beach cottage, you will have a fair amount of privacy, while having the full resort facilities available.

Might want to check out Scubamom.com for her review of Guana Island and other spots in the BVI (espeically Biras Creek). Also enjoyed Meridian Club on Pine Cay in the Turks and Caicos but not sure it would be warm enuf for me in Jan but it sounds like it would fit the bill perfectly!

LADERA LADERA LADERA! St. lucia. Heaven on eartth. Quiet,excellent service, breathtaking views, unbelievable food. My husband and I went for our 10th. If you've been on Fodors at all, it is mentioned quite a bit. I wanted no crowds, no swimup bar,no tv. It was very romantic and very private. If you decide to check it out, consider one of the open air rooms with a pool. We never left the room! Enjoy.

I can second the BVI votes above! Some others to consider: St. vincent and the grenadines and anguilla. What's your budget?, that may make a difference on reco's as some of the resorts listed here are not cheap.

Ladera on St. Lucia is really romantic, small, and has gorgeous views. It is not right on the beach but believe me the views make up for it (and the beach is only about 15 minutes away). Private plunge pool in your room, a great restaurant, very nice staff. Check out www.ladera-resort.com.

While the above posters know a thing or two about the peace and quiet you seek, all of the recommendations above (with the exception of Guana Cay in the Abacos, suggested by Robert) come at a steep price. Like you, I am always looking for peace and quiet, but since I like to go to the islands once -- if not twice -- a year, I don't like to blow the budget. That's one of the reasons I so enjoy the Abacos -- relatively undiscovered paradise at a reasonable price. Consider not only the resort noted by Robert, but a house or villa rental as well; some are right on the beach and within very close proximity to restaurants and pools (most places with freshwater pools open them to general use -- i.e. you don't have to be a guest at the Hopetown Harbour Lodge to take a dip). Many houses can be rented for less than $2,000 a week. <BR> <BR>Another place to consider is Grenada. The bulk of your budget will be consumed by purchasing airline tickets, but once you get there, clean beachfront accomodations can be had for a reasonable rate. And Grenada is still off the beaten path. <BR> <BR>I spent my 10th anniversary last year on a chartered sailboat. The price is surprisingly reasonable, but its only a realistic possibility if you can sail the boat yourself. Crewed charters are substantially more expensive.