akshay2801

Hello, I am really confused about our 1st week....we are spoilt for choice....!!

Cuba, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Turks & Coicos, St. Lucia.... and many more

Is Anguilla easily accesible from Miami/Orlando?

diann24

RoamsAround, yes when I said "we" I was referring to u.s citizens not them as I know they are traveling from Asia. I was not clear and I was not referring to them specifically.

You are right Canada would be there best bet to get to and from there.

Akshay, This is the the first compromise--there will be many you are not married yet. LOL. Think about how you are going to get to cuba as Roamsaround says it won't be easy to get to and from there via Miami. All islands you mention are easy to get to and from Florida no problem.

I was in the Turks and Caicos for one week 13 years ago. Unless it has built up quite a bit which is possible it was a very quiet island with beautiful water color. Other than that there was little there my husband did dive there. St. Lucia is a tropical island green a volcanic island. The beaches were not that pretty there but the terrain was very nice.

If you went to Anguilla you can take a short ferry ride to St. martin about 45 minutes you would have easy access to another island. I mean just as a day trip. Not to stay. You know I would stick with Cayman Islands. 7 mile Beach is lovely, and there are a lot of restaurants to choose from. It is a good choice.

RoamsAround

No, Anguilla is not easily accessible from the Miami or Orlando. There are no non-stop or direct flights from Miami or Orlando to Anguilla. You basically have two options: 1) Fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico and get a connecting flight to Anguilla or 2) fly into St. Martin then take either a ferry (30 minutes) or island hopper flight (7 minutes) to Anguilla.

I understand your dilemma regarding island choices - it happens to all "first time Caribbean visitors" since everyone is looking for that "perfect" island and we've all been through the same situation. I call it the "Are the beaches better on the other island" syndrome. The truth is there's no one "best" island, only different islands. That's the beauty of the Caribbean. So, don't fret, pick one island for this trip and go enjoy yourself. You have a lifetime of travel ahead of you, the other islands will still be there - you can visit a different one on your next trip.

A few last hints, since you'll be coming a very long way from Asia and you want to travel via the US choose one of the larger islands that you can reach non-stop from Miami. Doing so will reduce your overall travel time and give you more time to enjoy the island you picked. Second (and this has been mentioned to you numerous times in the above responses) since you are traveling in February take the Turks & Caicos off your short list. They are interesting islands but a bit far north and could be cool at that time of year. Choose an island further south to increase your odds of warm weather. Lastly, heed my earlier comments about the difficulty of getting to/from Cuba to the US - choose that island only if you are willing to travel to/from that island from a country other than the US.

Odin

Cuba has fantastic beaches in Varadero but the hotels and food leave alot to be desired. Havana is definitely worth seeing but not sure that a city vacation is what you had in mind, since you also mention Grand Cayman, Anguilla. It is not the easiest of destinations to combine with the US.

Easier islands to reach from MIA are Antigua, Barbados, St Martin, Grenada, St Lucia and couple others.

diann24

Ahh Grenada the spice island. Very lush, monkeys in trees and it is where they make many spices---Friendly warm people.

I was in Turks and Caicos right after early January and it was not cold it was probably 80's I would not call that cold-

Anitguia has a Sandals resort which is A/I. It is located on Dickenson's Bay which is a gorgeous beach. I have been there and had a nice time. I have friends who were married there. I would expect they would cater to newlyweds.

RoamsAround

January and February temperature in the T&C can vary greatly. Here's some statistics:

January -
Highest ever recorded - 85 F.
Lowest ever recorded - 62 F.
Average Daily - 77 F.
Average Daily High - 80 F.
Average Daily Low - 73 F.

February -
Highest ever recorded - 85 F.
Lowest ever recorded - 65 F.
Average Daily - 76 F.
Average Daily High - 81 F.
Average Daily Low - 73 F.

OP will have to decide for himself if those temperature ranges are warm enough to warrant coming all the way from Asia. If it was me, I'd go further south.

diann24

Aren't these typical weather temps for most islands? In Jan or Feb? OP needs to decide what they want specifically--temps do not define my destination as long as it is not "cold." I do not consider these temps "cold." I am not a "quiet island" person and the temps are not that relevant. T&C was just to quiet for me. Some love it there--I can see them liking it there especially after a long flight. Lots of down time. resting relaxing. It might work well for them.

akshay2801

hey, so finally i need to decide between Anguilla and Grand Cayman islands for our first week stay...we are looking for relaxing beaches,nightlife and adventure sports ..so could you please share your views on the respective locations,..also we would like to know the accessibilty to these islands from Miami and if its worth a week long stay!

RoamsAround

As already mention in my earlier response getting to Anguilla from MIA is not easy. You basically have two options: 1) Fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico and get a connecting flight to Anguilla or 2) fly into St. Martin then take either a ferry (30 minutes) or island hopper flight (7 minutes) to Anguilla.

You can fly non-stop from MIA to Grand Cayman so that island is easier to get to.

There's very little nightlife on Anguilla and you won't find many, if any, "adventure sports" on the island so if those things are important to you pick Grand Cayman.

NOTE to diann24 - it's not the "average temperature" in the T&C's that's a concern but the temperature ranges. It has dropped into the 60's F. during January/February and that's "cool" in my book. OP is traveling halfway around the world to honeymoon in the Caribbean (in February) so that's why I and others will suggest going further south. Why risk cool temperatures if you can mitigate that risk by going a bit further south.

diann24

Roamsaround, Looks like T&C is not even an option--- for OP.I am coming from JFK/EWR east coast, where even 60's is a heat wave to me.(In Jan) I was there only once early Jan. and it was nice. Yes further south is certainly a guarantee of warmer weather--

Ashay stick then with Grand Cayman. Anguilla Is very quiet. If you want to really see 2 or 3 islands you could get to St.Martin take a ferry to Anguilla for a day trip even to St. Barts from St. Martin but I would recommend just staying in Grand Cayman. Do you really want to jump around that much after the long flight? There is not much to do in Anguilla in terms of excitement. I think your best choice is Grand Cayman from MIA.

After deciding on the island have you chosen a place yet to stay if you chose for example the Cayman islands? I think that would also determine which island--First things first--

amer_can

Gr. Cayman is a wonderful place to dive, snorkle, relax. 7 Mile Beach is the place!! The Westin..great, Villas of the Galleon, super condos, easy access to town. Ritz Carlton Hotel is not on the beach but across the road, the RC condos are on the beach. Same with Marriot, but with no condos. Good restaurants available along West Bay Road. Driving is "on the wrong side" but with most rentals being No. American cars. Nice Botanical Garden.Lots of banks!!Condos!!Cruise ships!! Jewelery stores!! but great sunsets and maybe you will even see a green flash. I have seen 2!! Love GC as you may be able to tell. Oh BTW the Cayman $ costs 1.25US$.(unless the gov't has changed that) Everything is imported and therefore somewhat dear if you are looking for bargins.