scunnin934

I need a little help my daughter wants a family vacation for this Christmas and trying to find the best location that the weather would grants us in the month of December 16th - 22nd. We are flying out of Cleveland Ohio. Items that I am looking for family fun at the hotel, e.i beach / pool. Adventures that a 10 year old girl and wife would enjoy outside of the resort. Budget range somewhere $5,000 Some places I have looked into recently: St. Lucia, Grand Cayman Islands and Aruba. Open for any ideas!!

Thank you in advance!

RoamsAround

All the islands you mentioned will be "warm" in December, all have beaches and all will have some resorts with pools. On average in December you can expect to find daytime temps on all three islands to be in the low to mid-80's F. For all practical purposes there won't be more than a 3 to 5 degree difference in average temperatures between your northern most island (Grand Cayman) and your southern most island (Aruba). Aruba, however, will probably be a bit more breezy but all three islands will have what is know as "Christmad Winds" at that time of year.

Of the 3 islands on your list Grand Cayman has the best white sand beaches, followed closely by Aruba. St. Lucia's beaches, while picturesque, will have darker sand (think shades of brown, gray and even almost black). The only white sand beach on the island is man-made.

Aruba is very "Americanized" with plenty of high rise full service resorts, fast food restaurants, shops and lots of night life. It is a relatively flat arid island.

Grand Cayman is also relatively flat and arid. It too has a more cosmopolitan feel with plenty of shopping, restaurants and large full service resorts. It is probably the most "expensive" destination on your list.

St. Lucia is the larges island on your list. It is very mountainous and lush with dense rain forests and waterfalls. Things are very spread out around the island and driving can be a challenge as the roads are narrow, twisty and go through steep mountains and passes.

You should have no difficulty finding multiple resorts in your $5,000 budget range. If, however, that budget number includes airfare you are going to find more options on Aruba and St. Lucia than on Grand Cayman. On the other hand, if you would consider staying in a rental condo then Grand Cayman will have lots to choose from in your price range.

Hope this helps.

scunnin934

Thank you for the response!

mnag

I would recommend Grand Cayman. Look into the Westin or even better a two bedroom condo on 7 mile beach. GC has sting ray city which is a unique experience as well as an extensive botanical gardens. Also, there is a wonderful turtle farm on GC that our daughter loved when we visited a few years ago. Tons of restaurants (some of the best in the Caribbean). It is likely a more expensive destination overall as compared to St Lucia and certainly more than Aruba.

Odin

St Lucia does have natural golden sand beaches in the north, Reduit Beach. The manmade beach referred to in the above post is at Sugar Beach, which has imported sand but it is not the only light sand beach on the island. For stunning scenery, St Lucia is recommended.

rogandgee

St. Lucia would cover all your needs but you will have to firm up accommodation soon because you have picked the beginning of the peak season. St. Lucia experienced record visitors in 2014. Odin above is accurate with his remarks about the beaches. If you want a picture of Reduit Beach in Rodney Bay, let me know.

jacketwatch

Consider Saint Maarten. There is a ton to do there including exploring both the French and the Dutch sides. The beaches are nice and the shopping is great and you can take fairies to go to Anhuilla or other Caribbean islands that are close by. Also you have a wide variety of different restaurants and for fun just Google the Saint Maarten airport and see what it's like when a plane flies it. .

jacketwatch

Well voice recognition failed again. Meant "ferries" and "Anguilla"