My husband and I are looking for a fabulous place for an Oct vacation for 5 days. We LOVED Caneel Bay (the cottages so close to the water, the service, the island itself)and are so overwhelmed by choices. Price is not really an issue on this trip since it is our 20th anniversary. Any and all suggestions appreciated!

Depending on where you are coming from you may find PSV is difficult to reach in one day. It's also closed in September and October so you probably will have to cross that destination off your list for this trip.

Nevis offers you a choice of excellent upscale resorts including Four Season and Nisbet Plantation Beach Club (both on the beach) or Montpelier Plantation (a truly wonderful mountainside inn). The island is lush, has an excellent variety of dining options and some very picturesque beaches however they do have darker sand.

Grenada is the largest island on your list. It too is a little difficult to get to. It is very lush but is somewhat undeveloped when compared to St. John or Nevis. I don't recal there being any resorts on Grenada on the par with Caneel Bay and the Four Seasons.

Of the islands on your list Nevis may be your best option.

Then I recommend either Nisbet (my pick) or the Four Seasons on Nevis, or Spice Island or LaLuna on Grenada. Both are lush, volcanic islands with plenty to do (or not!).

Haven't been to PSV, so can't help you there, but it seems like a fairly long trip to get there and you would probably need more than 5 days to get your enjoyment out of it...

Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada might work for you. Very upscale on a very nice beach, but not the snorkeling of Caneel. Gorgeous island.

Having stayed at PSV 3 times, while it is wonderful for relaxation, you really need at least 5 full days there. That means a 7 day trip with transportation. It is worth it. You will maybe gain 1/2 a day going to Nevis. Granada is as long a trip as PSV and Spice Island is nice but not as nice as Nisbet, in my opinion. Both Nevis and Granada have lush tropical parts of the island where PSV is more sand and crystal clear water.

I'm with StanKase on this one. As much as I love PSV, it's not possible in October and not really feasible with only 5 days.

With that short a time, I think you should concentrate on islands you can get to easily (preferably on a nonstop flight), though you don't say where you live, and that's really important.

I'd suggest you add some other islands to your list, such as Barbados or even Jamaica. Round Hill, Jamaica, might be good for you or else Coral Reef Club, Barbados. Both might have good off-season rates.

Realize that strong hurricanes are most prevalent in September and October, so be sure to buy insurance in case your trip is stormed out.

And I'll second the choice of Coral Reef Club. And Barbados is wonderful!

I agree with the others--5 days is simply not enough time for a place like PSV. And since Grenada takes almost as much time to get to, it's also best left for a trip with more time at your disposal.

Depending on where you're traveling from, however, Nevis could suit you just fine. When we flew from the northeast, connecting in San Juan, we were checked into our hotel and relaxing out by the pool with rum punches in hand by 2:30pm. As others have suggested, Nisbet would be a great choice. If you don't need to be on the beach, then Montpelier is also a great choice.

I've never been to PSV, but Nevis and Grenada are two islands I loved visiting. If you do make it to Grenada one day, consider Spice Island Beach Resort. I disagree with other posters here and think it's quite a bit more upscale than Nisbet or Caneel.

Because you only have five days, I would choose Nevis. My husband and I spent a week at the FS, but wish we had stayed for 2 weeks.
They have a beautiful lobby where you check in sitting on a couch with a drink. This is a five-star hotel in a five-star location.
Even during high season, we never felt it was crowded. The pools were serene and beautiful.

The service was impeccable as we were greeted by name everywhere we went within hours after checking in. Around the pool, cold water (including cucumber!) was constantly being poured and a staff member appeared with towels as soon as you walked out to the pool to make up a lounge chair for you.
It was so magical. We can't wait to go back.

Thanks, everyone, for all your comments. We live in upstate NY,so we have to fly out of Albany or drive to NYC,which is usually the best option bec of time & $$.
Do you think we should just wait til November to diminish the hurricane risk or is Barbados & Jamaica too far south?

Hurricanes are much more rare in Barbados than Jamaica. Waiting till later is even better. Early December is the beginning of the drier season with perfect weather in the Caribbean, and rates haven't gone up yet.

I don't think you have any pressing need to put off your trip, unless that's what you want. While it's true that the risk of a hurricane is less the later in November that you travel, there was a tropical storm in December last year. If you choose Barbados, then xkenx is absolutely right that it's less likely to be hit by a strong hurricane (because it's about 100 miles further east than any other Caribbean island).

FYI: December is not "drier". Water temps are cooler then, meaning they are less likely to spawn a hurricane. A big misconception is that the hurricane season in the "wet" season. There is no seasonal monsoon season in the Caribbean. You're as likely to get heavy rain in January or February as in June or July.

Acutally, Barbados has roughly 1/3 the rain in the winter as summer, and Jamaica 1/2. For both islands, Sept, Oct, Nov are the wettest months. See the reference websites below.

http://www.accessbarbados.com/barbados_climate.php

http://jamaica-guide.info/weather/rain/

I thought Grenada was an absolute paradise! Spice Island resort is nice and so is La Luna. Air Jamaca services from NYC nonstop. Just my two cents!