Need trip ideas!
 

My husband and I are planning our first trip to the caribbean, and although there are tons of threads on here with ideas, I'm not finding what I'm looking for. PLEASE send ideas that you think might fit the following criteria:

1) not touristy, lots of relaxing privacy
2) don't want to spend over $2500 for flight and accomodations (from the US)
3) beautiful beaches
4) good food

We definitely don't need clubs, touristy shopping, etc. We're just looking to take the island culture in, and most of all, RELAX without being bothered (this includes being bothered by overly accomodating hotel staff! ;) A bed and breakfast or villa would be AWESOME, but I fear they would be too expensive?

Thanks SO much for any ideas.

Hm..can you answer a few questions first?
1-what time of year are you looking to travel? It's much cheaper to go between April - October in low season than high season.
2-where are you flying from?
3-how long are you planning on staying? 1 week?
4-would you prefer an island with white sand/turquoise water/flat, or more mountainous?

My first concern is your budget. Unless you go in off season you may have a hard time finding something for 2500 or under for a week, and even then it may be tough.

Thanks for replying. Great questions-- here's what I would say...

1- we are planning to go THIS April.
2- flying from Cleveland, OH
3- staying 5-7 days or so, depending on price.
4- I guess we're open to either, although the mountainous location might have a slight edge. I'd take either though...

If you can wait until May, you will avoid the high season rates, which will help you stay in your $2500 budget. I think that British Virgin Islands, especially Anegada, Virgin Gorda or Tortola might be what you are looking for. I've come to really love and stick to the BVI as it doesn't ever seem touristy or intrusive. Good luck!

Thank you for your replies. I'm going to check out BVI for April and see if I can find any deals. Any accomodations that you've particularly liked? Thanks again.

check out Royal West Indies,Turcs&Caicos.

Hi - My wife and I did a ton of research and fell in love with Anguilla... it is truly a 5 star Gilligan's Island. Way too much to tell here but the beaches are like baby powder, the locals are honestly as friendly as can be. There is very little to do but we found most beaches had no footprints with baby powder sand. It was heaven if you just want to be alone. We woke up every morning. Had breakfast in our bathrobes on our balcony, played tennis, lay on the beach, went sailing on a catamaran, then maybe got massages, took showers and started drinking and had dinner somewhere and found a place to drink and walk on the beach..and we loved every day.

take a look at Long Island - cape santa maria. The beach bungalows are literally on the beach and the beach itself is I think one of top ones in the Caribbean. You will be hard pressed to find a more non-touristy place. Another option is Eleuthera...plenty of villas in your price range. You should stay in the Governors harbor/Central eleuthera area. Again a very non-touristy island. In general all the bahamas out islands may fit your criteria and budget...its a matter of picking the one that sounds most appealing.

I'm not sure if you have traveled already, but anyone else in the same situation, I recommend Mango Beach Inn B&B, very nice and very affordable.
http://uptodatestlucia.com/listing.php?id=626

Stayed at La Cabana Beach Resort (http://www.bluegreenonline.com/explo...px?ResortID=46) in a 2 bedroom combined vila. It was really quiet and relaxing. We had our own kitchen and dining room in the villa, so most nights we ate in and were happy with not beig bothered. I highly recommend if you plan on having a quiet trip :)