Picking the right Island - Please Help
 

I have spent a fair amount of time reviewing the Fodors website (and others) in an effort to find the right island for the upcoming 10 yr wedding anniversay - but I am struggling. Can you help with suggestions-comments.

Here are the relevant preferences/particulars.

A) The trip is in early May 2007.
B) Relatively short trip - 5 days tops.
C) Becasue of B) we don't want a destination that will take a lot of time to get to.
D) Features we are looking for
nice hotel
spa facilities
nice resturants
decent shopping
nice beaches
E) I don't know where I fall on the all-inclusive vs not all-inclusive issue
F) Kids are staying at home
G) Fairly generous budget. I don't know if I can afford the Ritz or Four Seasons - but I can handle one level down from that.

For a while - I was infatuated with St Lucia - but now I think it may be too far. Then I moved on to Aruba. Now I am toying with Bermuda and St Barts.... Ahhh... to many choices.

Please comment.

Hi, one other piece of information that you might want to provide is your departure point. Since travel time is a consideration for you, it might help people identify locations that are served by non-stop flight. I'm going to St. Lucia in December from the Washington DC/Baltimore area, and because I have connecting flights, I will spend significant parts of two days travelling. My flight down arrives late afternoon, and my flight back leaves around 2:30 pm. I went to Barbados a couple of years ago, and the travel time there was about the same. Having said that, Barbados might be a place you want to consider, if the travel time is not too extensive for you. This topic is very subjective, but I think the general impression of most people is that the beaches and shopping in Barbados are preferable to those in St. Lucia. Barbados also has a variety of upscale accommodations and nice restaurants. I'm sure there are some spas there too. BTW, I'm trying St. Lucia this winter primarily because I heard about the BodyHoliday at LeSport a couple of years ago, and I have really wanted to try it. It is an all-inclusive spa resort (I usually don't do AI). I chose Body Holiday because of the spa and range of activities, and also because it is a place that is supposed to be good for solo travellers. I have read some mixed reviews though, so if you are looking for a true five-star or close to that level resort, BodyHoliday may not be best for you. Good luck with your decision.

I can't believe I forgot to mention the departure point!

We live in Northern Virginia. My airports are Dulles and Washington National.

St. Barth's is not particularily easy to get to as you first have to make your way to St. Martin. From their it's either fly an island hopper to SBH or take a ferry.

With only 5 days you should probably want to limit your search to islands you can reach non-stop from the gateway city nearest your home. As beachdreams3 pointed out it would help if you gave us that recommendation. In most instances those destinations will be one or more of the following: Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Antigua, St. Lucia, Aruba and Grand Cayman. If you are considering an island not in the Caribbean you can include possibly Bermuda, Nassau and Providenciales (Turks & Caicos). Of those, you'll find the best shopping on St. Thomas, St. Martin and limited but good shopping on Bermuda and Nassau.

I forgot a few things in my last response:

1) Bermuda may be too cold for consistent beach weather in early May since it is much further north

2) I've considered Aruba a couple of times myself; the long white sand beaches and dry weather really appeal to me.

3)Grand Cayman and/or Turks and Caicos may be other places to consider for nice beaches and good accommodations; the travel time there may be less too.

4) BodyHoliday is adults only (no children under 16 except in the summer when the age is 12), which may be something you find appealing since you are leaving your own children at home.

Aruba will take a while to get to from DC area. It will be hot and the beaches and dining are great. The shopping was not that great.

I think Bermuda would be wonderful. It is a quick hop from DC. It has great dining. The beaches are beautiful. There is good snorkeling. The shopping is pretty good. (The town is cute).

If you want spa services, I would recommend a full scale hotel like Elbow Beach or the Southampton Fairmont. Elbow has the best beach. I have not stayed here, but I have been to their beach.
If you want a smaller hotel, the Reefs was excellent. The food was very good.
The water temps may be cooler than summer time, but it will still be a nice time to go. There will also be fewer children because school will be in session.

I would look into all the places that have a direct flight to cut down on travel time. Puerto Rico, St. Thomas(you may want to look into St. John as well).
We are going to the Cayman next year, so I can't comment on it yet, but I picked it because it looks like a wonderful destination. We are staying at the Marriott because of points. It has just been refurbished. The Westin and Hyatt are supposed to be great and there is a new Ritz there too.

We fly out of NY/NJ so I'm not sure if the following destinations would be easy for you. I would think that whichever place you pick, there wouldn't be too many kids in May.

British Virgin Islands (have been on an anniversary trip with husband - loved it):
www.peterisland.com
great beach, good food, but no shopping. they have a spa which was still being built when we went but now is open.

Turks and Caicos (have not been but going next month on an anniversary trip)
www.gracebayclub.com
my understanding: great beach, great spa, great restaurants but little shopping.

Bermuda (have not been - would love to go - question is would it be warm enough to swim in May? - here's the resort I'm eyeing)
www.pompanobeachclub.com
my understanding: great beach, don't know about the rest.

Grand Cayman (we were there in April, stayed at the Hyatt)
There's a Ritz, a Hyatt and a Westin...
Very nice beaches, lots of restaurants and shopping, very commercialized if you stay on 7-mile beach.

All these hotels have reviews from travelers on Trip Advisor. Definitely lots of choices. Good luck!

I've never been, but my brother-in-law goes to St. Barts every year and would like to retire there, he loves it so much. It would be great for a romantic 10th anniversary. It is on the pricey side, but maybe you could find a hotel within your budget. St. Barts also has great shopping.

We were in St. Barts last May and it rates right up there with one of our best trips yet. Being French, the food is fabulous. Everyone is so polite and nice! We rented a villa for $2300/week. If you want to be directly on an idyllic beach, here is where I want to stay next time:
http://www.st-barths.com/ilets-de-la-plage/index.html

Barbados is great for what you want. Check out Coral Reef Club. Family-owned for 50 years, and the caring shows. Low-rise or cottage style bldgs. on beautiful grounds, nice beach. www.coralreefbarbados.com Fine dining at both hotels and independent, good shopping and sightseeing. From Dulles, American can get you in by around 1 p.m. You can be checked in and on the beach by mid-afternoon.

Anguilla is known for its beaches and awesome restaurants. Check out Cap Juluca, Cusinart.

Rholt try Bermuda. Stay at Cambridge Beaches or The Reefs.....shopping in Hamilton is nice. Both hotels have nice restaurants and a spa as well. My wife and I have been to Bermuda 3 times and we are going back soon. If not Bermuda take the AA flight from
DC to Sazn Juan then to SXM. You arrive around 2 PM. Take the private charter from SXM to AXA and stay a few days at Cap Juluca then take the boat back to SXM and stay a few days at La Samanna. Go shopping in Phillipsburg. Have lunch at Tropicana in Marigot. Have fun. Good luck.

Last month I stayed at the Fairmont Royal Pavillion in Barbados for my honeymoon. I believe it was a little less than $400/night and all rooms have oceanview balcony. I highly recommend it! Dining in Barbados is pricey but wonderful.

Bermuda can be a little more expensive, but it's so worth it and it's easy to get to. The attire is a little more dressy at night than some of the Caribbean islands. The men tend to wear collared shirts and slacks and the women wear more elegant casual clothing. You don't see shorts at night. Due to the time of year, there shouldn't be many children around.

Yeah.. I am leaning hard towards Bermuda right now. Can't beat the under 3hr non-stop from Washington-National.