Puerto Rico or USVI?
 

My boyfriend and I have airline vouchers to use in the next year and are considering a four night stay in either Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. Virgin Islands...we have been to the Caribbean so we need advice! We're in our late 20s so a little nightlife would be nice...we also want a nice beach and beachfront accomodations (hoping for under $200 per night) that are nice and clean but don't necessarily need to be super-luxurious. Any tips or recommendations would be very helpful!!! Thanks!

Oops...I meant to say we have NOT been to the Caribbean. :)

Time of year makes a big difference. Summer is less money than winter.

Under $200 a night on the beach in USVI [St John or St Thomas] is not going to happen in Winter, and may not happen in Summer either.

Puerto Rico may work, but that is really a low price for beachfront.

Deb

thanks Deb - we were looking at Fall (probably October) and at first glance, Puerto Rico does look to be less expensive.

We are spending 1 night [in March] in San Juan while en route to USVI.

I found this place and it looks really lovely and has good reviews on many websites.

Not on beach but close and the prices are really good. I called them directly and got a better rate than website offered.

Coral Princess Inn; its a small boutique B&B and seems to be in a decent location.
Check it out:
http://www.coralpr.com/

Deb

If you want to have comparable beaches you will need to go to Culebra or Vieques (Puerto Rico). The USVI's have the beautiful white powdery sand & turquois waters as do Culebra & Vieques (sometimes referred to as the "Spanish Virgin Islands"). On the mainland of PR, although the beaches are certainly pretty, they aren't the same.

More Culebra specific info. can be found at http://www.culebrablog.com .

Hi ChrisOH:

This is really funny. I was just having this conversation with someone who had not been to the Caribbean or other "beachy" places before. They wanted to know about beachfront in St. John. I told them that there are not that many places available and sometimes people don't really know what it usually entails. One, the mosquitos love the waterfront. There are about 50% more mosquitos near the beach after sunset than just about anywhere else on island. Two, the sand fleas or "no-see-ums" love waterfront too. Unless you're surrounded by tiki torches and a good breeze, you're dinner. Such is the sad truth about paradise. Now, if you are talking about a stretch of beach where there's good breeze exposure and not much vegetation (i.e. Aruba but then there are other possible predators)then bugs are not so bad. I do not know much about Puerto Rico, but St. Thomas actually has a bunch of fun, relatively inexpensive beachfront resorts. Look into Secret Harbor, Bolongo Bay and Sapphire Beach. St. Thomas may be a great deal for you as it combines a little nightlife and plenty of awesome beaches both there and on St. John (very easy day trip).