Mary

My husband and I are looking for an all-inclusive in the caribbean. Please help me decide between the following islands:<BR><BR>Turks &amp; Caicos<BR>St. Lucia<BR>Jamaica<BR>Bermuda<BR>Antigua<BR><BR>We are in our mid 20's and are looking for a resort that offers great food, beautiful beach right in front of hotel, nice facilities. Hills . . lush . . . tropical <BR><BR>With this in mind can you guys give me your suggestions/comments on which island to pick?<BR>Also, please feel free to recommend me an All-inclusive resort.

Sun Ray

Mary, I honeymooned this past year in Antigua and we really enjoyed this island, and the resort. We stayed at Sandals Antigua. The beach it is located on is beautiful, the grounds are great with lush tropical surroundings, good food, nightly entertainment, plenty of land/watersports, etc. We really enjoyed, would recommend it and plan on returning. <BR><BR>Antigua, the island itself, is not hilly/lush tropical. If you are looking for that I would recommend St. Lucia or Jamaica. St. Lucia is not known for it's beaches, so if looking for a great beach than I would go with Jamaica. A great resort there would be any of the Couples resorts but particuarly Couples Negril, for the best beach hands down! They also have great food, nice grounds and a great staff. You can't go wrong. <BR><BR>I can't comment on T&amp;C or Bermuda, never been! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

xx

&gt;&gt;&gt;beautiful beach right in front of hotel, nice facilities. Hills . . lush . . . tropical = <BR><BR>Jalousie Hilton on St. Lucia which offers an all-inclusive option if you'd like. <BR>

Mary

Mary: For a lush, tropical atmosphere that is hilly, I'd recommend the Jalousie Hilton on St. Lucia. It's actually kind of moutainous and very beautiful. It is pricey so if you don't mind that, a lack of nightlife, or a lack of restaurants off-site without an hour or more worth of travel, I'd definitely check into it. <BR><BR>Jamaica also has the landscapes you're looking for. T&amp;C and Antigua are flat in comparison. Not sure about Bermuda.

Mary

Just to clarify, there are probably more restaurants off-site in the vicinity of the Jalousie than nighlife options. Many of the small estates (inns) near the Soufrierre area have quaint little restaurants. There is also Ladera and The Bang nearby. It's a very quiet area of the island.

Tom

Jamaica or Antigua would be the unquestionable leader in terms of nice islands and AI'S. We have been to both and stayed at Sandals. They know the expectations of their guests and have a complete range of activities for your leisure time. Therefore, they have the most complete AI vacation package. Nice accomodations, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, unlimited drinks, entertainment, watersports, land activities and the playmates, who are at the disposal of any guest. They know what a vacation should be like. No hassles and you don't have to bring your wallet along to dinner or to the beach. Very enjoyable.

Todd

The question is how hard does your wallet get hit to begin with. AI are great but if they cost 5 to 6 thousand per couple (including air fare), there is not much left in the wallet to bring.

Bermuda

Out of the island you mention....Bermuda by far....beautiful, it looks like a picture postcard and the people are so wonderful. The only other island that compares is St. John, USVI in my opinion.<BR><BR>Both island are super clean with magnificent beaches (St. John has better beaches). Overall, a top rating compared to the others you listed.

Tom

Todd, <BR>We have done both AI's and non-AI's. Kept our receipts from all the non-AI's and compared at home. We were surprised to find that we actually spent more on the non-AI's. We did not include the shopping my wife did to keep it balanced.

Mary

Tom: We did the same with the exact same results as you. Not to mention, we typically had more fun at the AI's yet they can be just as relaxing.

John

I would also have to agree with Tom and Mary. We have done the same. As far as $5,000 to $6,000 for an AI, not sure which one but seems overpriced. A week at Sandals MoBay, with airfare should run about $3,500 t0 $4,000 depending on departure city and season.

GM

Our fav is LeSport, St. Lucia, which includes 2x daily spa treatments per person, 3 meals + high tea (and tea time does not mean just tea - the drinks are wonderful), plus tons of activities - if you want - or if you don't want.<BR><BR>No need to worry about tabs, or tipping the wait-staff / massage therapists, or paying transfers.<BR><BR>Check out their website - it's not any media hype, everything is true and even better in person.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.

guy

My wife and I went to the Grand Lido chain in Jamacia last yr and it was fabulous. We stayed in the San Succi (sp) resort in Ocho Rios. The food was great, plenty to do and the staff was very friendly. The only draw back was the trip from the airport to the resort was 2 hours. But after a couple of Red Stripes it's not so bad.

Eric

Spent as much money at non AI's ??? What ????<BR><BR>I've stayed at a number of huge all- inclusives in Jamaica (RIU, Couples, etc...) They are great, but very expensive. My wife and I recently returned from Great Bay (Treasure Beach JA) and stayed in a charming little cabin for $40 per night. We ate great fish dinners in a little restaurant down the road for $5 each and drank $1 Red Strips. I think the whole week (including plane tickets) cost about $700 (US) each... It was the best vacation I have ever had in Jamaica - far more authentic, private (and romatic) than any of the all inclusives we have visited. The all-inclusives are a nice way to live like a king for a week - but they are kind of like landlocked cruiships. I don't visit a foreign country to hang around with a bunch of spoiled, drunk Americans (I can stay home for that). <BR><BR>To really get a real taste of an island, get away from the AI's... You won't regret it.<BR><BR>Good Luck,<BR>Eric