loooooved Anguilla- what's next?
 

For our honeymoon last June, DH and I spent two weeks in Anguilla, St. Martin, and St. Kitts. We fell in love with Anguilla- the restaurants and beaches were amazing. We're trying to figure out what we want to do for our anniversary in a couple of months. Anguilla is definitely still an option, but we are also seriously considering St. John (and possibly spending a couple of nights in Virgin Gorda) and Grenada. Delicious restaurants, some casual and some upscale, and great beaches are a must. I think we'd enjoy the hiking on St. John and Grenada, but are okay without it on Anguilla. Options for boating trips or day trips to other islands are a plus. We also like art galleries and boutiques. We've been looking at private villas in each of these places- any recommendations? I'd love to hear your thoughts on your favorite island and where you would stay (in terms of location, especially) and eat!

We feel the same way about Anguilla! That was still our top vacation but we just got back from St. John and it comes close! It's got a little bit of everything...great scenery, lots of beaches, hiking, snorkeling, great restaurants (the restaurants on St. John were second only to Anguilla, which are the best). We also want to try Virgin Gorda. Another option would be Turks & Caicos. Grace Bay beach is very similar to Meads/Shoal.

Thanks, Kristen! What restaurants did you enjoy on St. John?

Well, I love Grenada but my next vacation is combining a trip there with some time on Anguilla--it will be my first time there. The Anguilla vibe I'm getting is that it will be the perfect way to end our trip, lots of relaxing & reading on the beach followed up by a great dinner every night.

On Grenada it's more like we love to explore the island. There are some gorgeous beaches there and we'll spend some time on them, but mostly we'll be on the go, checking out the downtown/Carenage area, maybe taking a mild hike in the rainforest, going to a waterfall, driving around the island one day, checking out a spice plantation or rum factory--that sort of thing. Grenada is my exploring island, my get out & meet folks destination. Is it possible to kick back and lime there? Sure, but because it has so much to offer we do as much as we can each visit. There's good dining there, both high end and totally casual stuff, and sometimes we'll even cook dinner in the villa if we're both tired and not wanting to go out. (We usually eat breakfast there, too.) I love Nick Hughes at www.SpiceIsleVillas.com, which offers wonderful places in all price ranges. I've personally stayed at Turtleback and Tradewinds Pavilion and will be returning to Turtleback in June. Nick will give you good advice about which villas to consider based on your vacation needs and budget.


I also loved Virgin Gorda, but it doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of really fine dining, with the possible exception of the three major resorts there. I didn't go hungry and in fact I'd return in a heartbeat, but the food was, I'd say, mostly just pretty good. The casual places were better overall than the higher end places we tried.

Our favorite restaurant in St. John was Rhumblines...wonderful ambience, great service and amazing food. We`also really enjoyed The Lime Inn for fresh seafood and a casual, lively atmosphere. We didn't have a bad meal. Restaurants which were highly recommended but we didn't make it to because we weren't there long enough were ZoZo's, LaTapa and Waterfront Bistro.

Mustique and Barbados

Emily...would you mind posting or sending me a link to some of your Grenada pics? I am becoming more intrigued by this island. Also, how exciting that may get to live and work on Grand Cayman!

hi, Kristen. I don't mind at all. Here's the link to the trip report that is enabling me to visit Grenada again this June. I actually lost my camera on a trip to Grenada, so the photo link in this post is for pictures taken with my husband's camera. I'm still kicking myself over that lapse--I left it behind on the plane!

I just *love* Grenada, and now knowing that you enjoyed St. John almost as much as you enjoyed the flatter islands of Anguilla & Provo, I think you might like it, too.

Oops! I guess it actually works better when I post the link instead of just mentioned it. :D
http://grenadatravelforum.com/index.php?showtopic=2495

It says I "do not have permission to sue this feature :(

I remember your camera ordeal..my stepdaughter left our camera on the plane after our Cayman trip last summer. I was sick over it.

"USE this feature" :)

Hmmmm, I just clicked on it and it worked. Anybody else having any trouble with the link?

It says an error occurred. Maybe I have to join that forum?

oh, maybe so. maybe i'll sign out from the forum and see if the link is any different...

looks like maybe you do have to join the forum to read the trip reports. I'm not sure why--I don't think it was always the case...

Anyway, here's a link from the TR to the photos, which is what you wanted anyway. There aren't many of them there, though. I'll see if I can find the rest of them.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1Abt2zhw3bsXNg

hmm, the shutterfly link doesn't work either!

I'll just join the Grenada forum!