seeksocean

My son, his wife, their almost 4 year old and their two friends (all in their late 20's-early 30's) want to go this winter to an island in the Caribbean. They would be flying form San Francisco. They like comfort and convenience, but don't want a real crowded touristy scene. They love good food and fishing and would love to rent a house on the beach and still be convenient to restaurants, etc. I think they would like to be gone two weeks. Any ideas for the perfect first Caribbean hoilday? Thanks!

patsfan1

based on your statements about comfort and convenience but NOT a touristy scene, good food and convenient to restaurants, I would look into Turks & Caicos, Anguilla and maybe ST John.

seeksocean

Great! Thank you, I'll pass it on. Any particular or favorite beaches or towns to recommend on these islands?

patsfan1

The most popular island in Turks & caicos is Providenciales & hands down the best beach is Grace bay beach, 12 miles of white sand & the most incredible turquoise water.
Anguilla has no real town to speak of but has many incredible white sand beaches, the most popular beaches are Shoal bay east, rendezvous bay, meads bay & maundays bay.
ST John has a cool little town Cruz bay & the most popular beaches are trunk bay, cinnamon bay, Caneel bay & honeymoon bay.

waring

There is no better dining to be had in the Caribbean than in St Barts. It is French after all.

Not even vaguely touristy?

doug_stallings

St. Barths, as lovely as it is, is very very expensive in the winter season. There are a few smaller villas that might be within reach.

I'd also steer your family away from the Turks & Caicos during the winter season. Until March, it can actually get pretty chilly there. It's a welcome change from the snowy Northeast, but it's not always beach weather.

St. John is a great villa destination, but few of these are on the beach. I also like the British Virgin Islands. Tortola or Virgin Gorda would both be good choices and have a lot of good villas. Guavaberry at Spring Bay might be a good choice in Virgin Gorda; it's not exactly a private enclave, but the complex is right on a spectacularly unique beach and not far from town.

It's surprisingly difficult to find a good, reasonably priced villa that's directly on the beach, so keep that in mind.

Anguilla is an excellent choice, but the villas there tend to be very large and very luxe. Ku, which has apartments directly on a beautiful beach, is a good mid-priced alternative, but it's not near many restaurants.

beachplum

I would definately skip TCI in the winter months and since it is one of my favoites with lots of choice of villas on beaches, Virgin Gorda would be one of my choices for a first trip. Mahoe Bay has another group of lovely homes with lots of privacy but a little exploring on http://www.mclaughlinanderson.com/caribbean-villas can give an overview and find some wonderful spots (Just droll over Sol y Sombra but there are many less expensive ones on lovely beaches). From SanJuan you can fly directly into Virgin Gorda and there are lots of other spots/islands you can head to if you get bored with the lazy beach days on VG as there is no shopping nor much excitement! You'll ofen only see a few other people on the beaches - other than at the Baths! On St. John you'll more likely than not be spending a lot of time traveling back and forth to the beach since most villas are in the hills and that's not always fun with kids. But the Nat'l Park does present some great hiking and wonderful beaches if you like to commute on vacation. Anguilla will provide some of the best eating in the Caribbean - but it comes with a hefty pricetag most places. Unlike the VI's, Anguilla is more arid and not lush and green (as one might expect as Caribbean) and flat but the beaches and water is stunning. An advantage, if you want to shop or have a bit of more urban life, you can head to SXM on the ferry for a day or even spend a day on St. Barts which is another great choice.

Julie304

Gibney Beach villas on St. John would be a great choice. It's one of the only places on the whole island of St. John that you can rent a villa right on a beautiful (and little used) National Park beach. Since most of St. John is park land, the island is much less developed/touristy than most, and its natural beauty is well-preserved. Plus the restaurants in nearby Cruz Bay are top notch. Here's the link if interested:

http://www.gibneybeachvillas.com/

seeksocean

Thank for all the suggestions! Please keep them coming. A further note...although my kids are not looking for a super budget experience, they are wanting to optimize their dollar. Since there are several of them, they are hoping maybe to rent a house on the beach on one of these suggested islands. I suggested www.vrbo.com for that. Just my two cents. Thanks again for all the ideas!!

virginia

here are links to a couple suitable and not over the top $$ villas on provo. each is directly on grace bay beach, near snorkeling, convenient yet private.
http://www.bellasurmer.com/rates.htm

and next door to it with fenced yard but no pool. note this house is on sale now which makes it a darn good deal!
http://www.atlanticbeachfrontvillas.com/

a bit closer to the resort area is: http://www.aquamarinebeachhouses.com/index.htm
the map on the FAQ page of above site is excellent.
you could expect temps in the low 80's. to check on their particular dates go to: http://www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp
enter pls in the airport code box and your dates. then scroll down for actual historical data.

bonefishing is the big deal here. but deep sea fishing is good too. restaurants are known to be some of best in carib. island is small, under an hour drive from airport to east end so all is convenient. they would probably need to rent a car for some if not all their stay. if it's of interest, you are allowed to take a cooler for food to this island.

or suggest they look at www.locogringo.com for maya riviera coast which would shorten up their travel time considerably with 4 yr old. they list loads of villas. i have rented through them. house was just as pictured and we enjoyed out stay very much. the further south they go the less crowded/touristy. akumal is a nice area. we stayed in casa cavu on tankah bay beach closer to tulum. lg will even suggest appropriate properties if you e them with specific needs (ie size, location, budget, want swim beach, pool, etc) after looking through their list.
hope this helps.

JoenShell

Anguilla Or ST.John!!!!! please check www.virgin-island-on-line.com for much info & villa selections on st,john.... Also check www.anguillaguide.com for more of the same info. Good Luck!!!!!! & Safe Travels

seeksocean

Wow! This is so great! Thanks so much!! Keep it coming!

Nevisian

I would suggest trying Grand Cayman - North Point or East End to avoid the crowds on 7 Mile Beach. Rum Point has great condos for rent and gentle shallow beaches full of starfish. A condo is a great savings over a hotel for two couples. You are talking about 10 - 14 hours flying from the West Coast. They should take flying that far and that long with a baby into account.
http://www.grandcaymanretreat.com/
http://www.caymankaibeachhouse.com/