Help! My husband and I want to go to the Caribbean for our 1st anniversary but I am having trouble deciding on an island. We are planning to go around the 1st or second week of December. <BR> <BR>We would like to hang out by the beach but also would like have other things to do.(excursions, if possible) <BR> <BR>I have been to Aruba, St. Marteen, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Caymans, St Thomas so I would like to go somewhere new. <BR> <BR>I have been thinking of St Lucia, Anguilla, St Barts, Turks and Caicos <BR> <BR>We would like to stay in an upscale place, since it is our anniversary and we don't get much vacation time. <BR> <BR>Please help!!!! <BR> <BR>thanks

Hello Jackie. <BR>Just wanted to provide my recommendation which is St. Lucia. It's non-touristy, very green and lush and mountainous and just beautiful! Beautiful water (well known for diving and snorkeling) and nice people. Wonderful excursions to do (waterfall, drive thru volcano, rainforest there, etc.) Most of this I think is in the Southern part of the island -- we stayed at Anse Chastnet for 3 nights and Le Sport for 4 nights. I loved Anse Chastnet - it was actually cheaper than Le Sport but so much more romantic and secluded and just more "authentic" and real. Very secluded beach where you can always get an umbrella with chairs and the freshest drinks! (Also, they organize the activities mentioned above). Hope that helps!

Sorry, just wanted to also say that we went in December as well (2nd week of Dec). It was wonderful weather.

Jackie: <BR> <BR>My husband and I spent our honeymoon at Ladera on St. Lucia. It is a wonderful out of this world stunning romantic resort. It sure do highly recommend staying there. You can read my trip report and see my pictures on my web site www.seashelltravel.com. Let me know if you have any questions.

Message: Hi! I can certainly give you some info on Ladera. My boyfriend and I went two years ago and I haven’t stopped raving about it since. Ladera is expensive but we got this AMAZING deal which brought our room rate down to a steal. <BR> <BR>You won’t need much luggage. We mostly went around sans clothes. Use your luggage space to bring booze and candles. Did I mention I went with my boyfriend? Coz it’s a great place for romance if you know what I mean. The room layout and view gave our humdrum sex life a much-needed shot in the you-know-what. (Gotta love those fake waterfalls which help camouflage). In fact, we thought we would rarely leave our room. But I got to be an expert on St. Lucia because being isolated in paradise got a bit tedious after a while. So we were mighty glad for the shuttles to the Hilton and Anse Chastanet. We were soon making good use of the land and water taxis coz there’s nothing around Ladera. (On the plus side, Ladera will charge the land taxi to your room but when we got the bill at checkout WHOA) <BR> <BR>Ladera was great but don’t just take my word for it. I am sure others on this board will agree. But when all is said and done, the price of meals and taxis made it into an expensive trip (I am still paying for it). <BR> <BR>I got my eyes peeled for my next vacation so if anybody has any suggestions of how to stay at a 5-star hotel for under $180 a night, let me know. <BR> <BR>P.S. The odd bat may fly into your room at night. It kind of freaked me out but since I payed so much for the room I was determined not to let it bother me. And make sure you get a suite with a HEATED plunge pool, we nearly froze our assets off in ours. <BR>

I can't help you with St. Barts or T&C, but have been to both St. Lucia and Anguilla. Of those two, Anguilla wins hands down...especially if you are looking for upscale accomodations. St. Lucia is lush, but the beaches can't begin to rival those of Anguilla. And the people in Anguilla are the nicest I've met anywhere. You will be free to explore the island on your own (with your rental car). The island is very safe, and you will not be hassled by vendors on the beach, in town, everywhere, like you see in St. Lucia. Although I enjoyed my St. Lucia holiday very much, I doubt I return. I'll return to Anguilla again and again.

We just spent our 25th Anniversary at Sandals St.Lucia Golf Resort. It was beautiful, food great and the island was very tropical and senic. We will return there.