Please Help-So confused about where to go!
 

Ok. Here's the deal. I have been driving myself absolutely nuts trying to find the perfect island in the caribbean for my husband and I to go for a 4 night vacation--to escape the cold bleakness of NYC. (FYI, we are 30 yrs old and newly married. We have been to Jamaica and Belize and want to go somewhere new). <BR><BR>I have researched every island and as soon as I think I narrow it down, I read something that changes my mind. I have been comparing information/travel talk from where2stay.com, fodors, frommers, concierge.com, and just about everything else. My poor head is about to explode. This is what I am looking for:<BR>1. Beautiful water and beaches<BR>2. Great snorkeling<BR>3. Great fishing for marlin, sailfish (I love to fish)<BR>4. Beautiful, classy, fun resort, great pool--nothing stuffy<BR>5. Casino for my husband<BR>6. Horseback riding<BR>7. Not interested in spending &gt; $500/night--but will if the place is right.<BR><BR>Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!<BR>

Turks and Caicos has items 1,2,3 (not sure about Marlin but people who I know who are into fishing say the Bone fishings is the best in the caribbean),4 ( I would suggest The Sands - others may have other siggestions),5 (small Casino at the Allegro resort (which is OK but nothing special),6 (there used to be horseback riding - not sure if there still is),7 (certainly some of the resorts are less than $500 a night)<BR>

With the exception of the casino, Grand Cayman might work...Or maybe Caneel Bay in St John, again, minus the casino. As you probably know, most of the caribbean islands offer chartered boats for Marlin, but fishing for specific species is always seasonal. The best Marlin waters in my opinion are Hawaii (for size)or Mexico (for numbers). Hope this helps.

HI JVan,<BR><BR>I agree 100% with JMM. Turks and Caicos meets all of your requirements!<BR><BR>1)Beautiful water and beaches= I challenge you to find more beautiful beaches than Turks and Caicos. Grace Bay in Provodinciales where all of the main resorts are, is absolutely stunning. Breathtakingly gorgeous. Calm waters, a million hues of turquoise, and sand so white and soft it feels like powdered sugar.<BR>2. Great snorkeling= Water clarity is superb. They have off shore snorkeling on a few areas of the beach, but the best is right in front of Coral Gardens resort. This is the Bight Reef area. Great coral, fish, turtles, sting rays, etc, etc. Plus they have various excursions for reasonable rates where you can go out in a boat to other reefs.<BR>3. Great fishing for marlin, sailfish (I love to fish)= When we went, we talked to a guy in the casino (takes care of requirement #5). He had gone fishing that day and caught two marlin. Said the fishing was some of the best he has done in the Caribbean.<BR>4. Beautiful, classy, fun resort, great pool--nothing stuffy= Hmmmm...well, there are a few great resorts on Grace Bay. The Sands, Point Grace (a bit pricey), Coral Gardens (where the great off shore snorkeling is), Grace Bay Club (pricey), Ocean Club and Ocean Club West, to name a few.<BR>5. Casino for my husband= Small casino in the Allegro resort, open to all guests of any resort. Most if not all resorts have a shuttle directly to the Allegro. Standard casino games: blackjack, poker, slots, etc.<BR>6. Horseback riding= I don't know much about this, but I am pretty sure they have this available. Hopefully someone else will answer this one. Check www.wherewhenhow.com for this info<BR>7. Not interested in spending &gt; $500/night--but will if the place is right.= You will have many options way under $500 a night. All except two resorts I listed (Point Grace and Grace Bay Club) are well below that figure for a one bedroom suite. You could probably pay this easily for a bigger room or a villa at these resorts, but you could stay inexpensively as well.<BR>I don't know what Point Grace and Grace Bay Club charge, as I knew it was out of our league, but I am pretty sure you could stay there for what your budget allows (off season more likely).<BR><BR>Plus, with more direct flights getting there is pretty easy from NYC. If you are only going for 4 nights, you certainly don't want to spend a lot of time traveling.<BR><BR>You will love Turks and Caicos!! I am counting the days until we return in July!!<BR><BR>Have fun and good luck.<BR><BR>Denise

Wow, thanks for all the advice!! I hadn't really considered Turks and Caicos, but I am focusing my research there now.<BR><BR>I had been seriously looking at Curacao (mainly due to great snorkeling, water activities and nightlife). Would you all recommend T &amp; C over Curacao?<BR><BR>Again, thanks for the advice!!

Hi JVan -<BR>Actually, my suggestion to you would be Curacao. We think it is the perfect island. Period. We stayed at the Marriott, which has beautiful grounds, big beachfront, casino in the resort, wonderful pool, beautiful rooms. Lots of sightseeing, i.e. hato caves,catamaran cruises, snorkeling, diving and other water sports. If you are a Marriott Member, there are special perks.

Been to both islands. Curacao has more exotic charm - the town is like a minature dutch city in the caribbean BUT T&amp;C has MUCH better beaches and fishing. (Grace Bay on Provo has been consistantly rated as one of the top beaches in the caribbean.) All the beaches in Curacao are small. Shopping (if that matters to you) would be MUCH better in Curacao. So I guess it depends on what is most important to you. Also Curacao would probably be a longer flight ( I say probably because it depends on connections and such.) I doubt that you would go wrong with either choice.

My Husband and I honeymooned in Curacao in November. We fell in love with the island and also styed at the marriott. The Hotel is amazing. Intimate, romantic, Amazing pool and view and one of the cleanist resorts we have ever been to. Night life, shopping, swimming with Dolphins, day trips to Aruba it is all there. I can't recommend it enough to you. Beach is a little rocky going in but then it is fine and clear! Not salty like aruba either!!!<BR>GO to Curacao and experience the warmth of the dutch influnenced charm