I've browsed some of the forums here and done some research, but I think I need some help still to narrow this down! My price point is up to $2,000 including airfare. This eliminates St. Barts, Anguilla and probably most of the US Virgin Islands (not sure if some of the British are more affordable?). I'm not bound much my schedule so I can book out if I need to do that to meet my price point. Here's what I am looking for:

-I'm a solo female traveler. I'm not going for the purpose of meeting other singles, so I'm looking to avoid "meat market" but also looking to avoid "exclusively couples/families" where I feel out of place. If raging nightlife, party atmosphere with casinos/clubs/raucousness is a 10, and non-existent, shutdown by sundown, no-person-in-sight is a 0, I'm looking for between a score of 3 to 7, max.

-Island offerings: I am partial to the less populated, off-the-beaten path, rustic type, but not totally remote. Perhaps this feel could be achieved more by way of accommodations than the location itself? I want at least ONE amazing, pristine beach with white sands and those endless, shallow turquoise waters in walking distance from where I am staying. I'm also looking for a couple cool eco-tourist sites, whether they are snorkeling sites or cool rock formations or a cenote, or something... A scrubby, flat desert with nothing but beaches and resorts does NOT sound fun for me.

-Walkability/safety: I know I can go to beautiful resorts that are safe on the resort grounds but I'd like to be able to explore a little by myself instead of having to book an excursion to do that. So having spots on the island that I can walk, bike or scooter to would be nice. Some islands are less populated and beautiful but so spaced out you have to taxi everywhere and can't really walk, bike or even scooter to destination or establishment to establishment. Are there any Caribbean destinations where you CAN?

-I'm not bent on any particular kind of accommodation. I can go from rustic B&B (outdoor shower? sweet!) to vacation rental (I can cook) to boutique hotel (yoga and a thatched roof beach bungalow, anyone?) to sprawling resort (although potentially eliminated by my aforementioned caveats) but I'd like to be walking distance to that pristine beach, even if it's not part of the accommodation's premises.

Past experience: Sometimes it helps to understand what people are looking for if you know how they feel about where they've been. I've only been to Puerto Rico before, not solo though. We stayed at the Windham Rio Grande resort. After a day of that, we decided we needed a rent to car if we were going to see a substantial amount of anything else. There are tons of AMAZING things to do on PR, but they are very spaced out, and in between destinations you have either developed but impoverished areas or flat out rural areas. Some of the rural drives we had were breathtaking, but I'm not looking for that for this trip. My only other caveat is that it seemed the coastline north of Fajardo is mostly honey-colored sand/dark blue Atlantic waters, not the coveted white sand/turquoise waters you get farther south. We did venture off to the island of Vieques, although I don't recall it being very walkable either (we had to take a taxi from where the ferry dropped us off to the beach), but the beaches there were the coveted type, and not heavily populated. We snorkeled at an old dilapidated pier and we could see one of the other smaller PR islands across the way. Local teens were on horseback, establishments had open air entrances. I loved that flair. PR overall is really an amazing destination, but to me it seemed even on Vieques, car was a necessity for the tourist. Without, we would have been very much confined to the resort, and I do not want to have to rent a car for this vacation. San Juan/Old San Juan was awesome for their historic sights and walkability. Are there any other places like that, perhaps on a smaller scale, that also come with an exquisite beach within walking distance, in the Caribbean? Anyone?

Please help my selective self find the right Caribbean destination! Thank you!

Where are you flying from, how long a trip are you planning and when will you be making this trip? All will have a bearing on cost.

Assuming a typical 7 night stay your budget is low for the Caribbean even in "Low Season" for a single traveler. Depending on your point of departure you could use up anywhere between $500 to $800 of your budget leaving with only something like $170 to $215/day for accommodations, food, local transportation and activities/excursions. remember, on most islands the daily room rate is augmented by local taxes and possible "Service charges" or "Resort Fees" which could add 10% to 20% to your published room rates.

You are going o have to make some serious concession as many items on your wish list are mutually exclusive. For instances you said "A scrubby, flat desert with nothing but beaches and resorts does NOT sound fun for me" yet those are the islands that will have the white sand beaches and bright turquoise waters you crave. This means you've effectively eliminated all of the Bahamas, the Turks & Caicos, the Caymans, Anguilla, Anegada, Barbuda, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

The more mountainous/volcanic islands like St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Dominica, Nevis and St. Kitts all have dark sand beaches (think grey, browns and even black). and lack the snorkeling which interests you.

You also said you are partial to the less populated, off-the-beaten path, rustic type, but not totally remote". By definition islands "off the beaten path" are going to be remote. Sorry, but that's just the way things are. The less populated islands the more things will be spread out meaning you'll need adequate transportation to get around if you want to venture away from your hotel. Anyplace that's within walking distance of restaurants, activities & points of interest isn't going to be remote.

I doubt your budget will give you a room in a "sprawling resort"or even on a beach and still leave you enough for food and activities. You are looking more at B&B's or Guest Houses (on the plus side you can find those on any island).

In your post you eliminated the US Virgin Islands but you might want to rethink that. If you set your sights realistically (i.e. staying in a guest hose) you should look carefully at those islands (especially St. Croix as it's the least expensive of the group). You'll find light golden color sand, turquoise waters and some good snorkeling.

Another island to look at is Antigua with it's 365 beaches you sure to find one near where you are staying but it has limited snorkeling.

St. Martin might be a good choice. Look for accommodations in the Grand Case area - it's a nice "town' with plenty of nearby shops and restaurants plus a nice beach. you'll need transportation to reach other areas around the island.

Speaking of transportation, bicycles are not a viable means of transportation on most islands unless you are an avid cyclists in excellent physical condition. The roads are narrow, twisty, filled with potholes and there are no sidewalks or bike paths. Besides what will you do wen it rains? On the island where I live locals only bike early in the morning when it's still relatively cool. The only bikers you see during the day are tourists in sweaty clothes walking their bikes up a steep hill with anguished looks on their faces. Pretty much the same caveats for using scooters to get around.

So, you need to do a little more research so you can make your wish list a little more realistic.

Good luck in your search.

You mentioned "cenote ". How about Tulum?

Negril Jamaica ticks off most of your boxes.

you might look into the beach community near the town of tulum in mexico. there are some places with hut/cabana like rooms right on the beach. you can walk to some of the little restaurants. mostly young people stay in these. you would be able to take the bus from cancun airport to tulum. very safe area so long as you use a tad of common sense (no fancy jewelry or cameras left laying about)
if this interests you post a question on the latin america board so those who go to the area frequently can give you more specific advise.
this page might start you off
https://www.locogringo.com/results?c...D%3A11&q=tulum

How about this? http://www.smallhope.com/rates.html

Roamsaround: So there are no locations in the caribbean that do not have one really nice beach that also are not totally scrubby and flat with nothing else to see but more beaches, basically, right? I don't need 365 beaches to choose from. I just wanted one, maybe two really nice ones in addition to an eco site or something else to see...that other thing doesn't have to be snorkeling, it was just an example.

Maybe what you are trying to say is that what I am looking for ideally does not exist in the caribbean. That's certainly an acceptable response to my points if they are mutually unsatisfiable. After all, I'm posting here to get personal guidance from those who have experience as I don't have a lot of it and reading island descriptions off a page leaves out a lot of important points that may impact one's experience. There certainly is a middle ground that falls between 'deserted island' and 'Cancun' on the spectrum of remote to highly developed, but maybe I just can't afford it and/or maybe they are all spaced out as you say and biking or walking or even scootering is not an option. That's OK. Just trying to understand what I am working with here and what certain islands can or cannot offer.

I mentioned I did not provide dates as my availability is flexible. I am coming from New York and I will probably only stay for 3 to 5 nights. So far air has been between $300 to $450 looking in the spring. I only took USVI out of the running for price point because I thought they would be too much from the research I have done so far but if you are saying give them a look, I will. I thought even B&B or rentals would be out of my price range there. I will check out Grand Case and Antigua too. Do you have any experience with the BVI?

I have been looking at Tulum as other responders have noted. That may be my best bet if I cannot get the other things I seek anywhere else. MX and DR and Jamaica certainly have the beaches and things to do....WAY more than I would need for my stay, so I was hoping to find something on a smaller scale but maybe it just doesn't exist. I would prefer to walk around an all inclusive resort on an amazing beach and take an excursion off resort than be on a less populated island where the beach is 'meh' and I have to rent a car to see anything else.

Having just come back from Vieques, and visiting my daughter for a month over the holidays, I'm ready to talk it up. The beaches on the south shore are incredible, snorkeling fantastic. The town of Esperanza has lots of restaurant options for any budget. Yes, you're right, transportation is always an issue. I stayed for awhile (10 days!) at the Hacienda Tamarindo (http://haciendatamarindo.com/) and can't say enough about the place. They would help you with every detail of your trip once on the island, especially as a single woman. The bioluminescent bay on the south side is a sight to behold; go during the new moon. Wild horses all over the island. Nice nightlife in Esperanza; it's between your 3 and 7... You can fly Cape Air from San Juan, PR, or find your way to the ferry in Fajardo and pay 2 bucks! Either way, Tamarindo will pick you up. They have single room rates, as you'll see. Or you could stay at the hostel at Lazy Jacks in Esperanza if you want to rough it!

Lazy Jacks hostel has a "women only" dorm room. http://www.lazyhostel.com/index.html
I know from experience (all the nights I was there late) that it would be the unusual nite, not the usual, as they imply, when they'd have a DJ blasting. You would certainly be in the center of the action.

I didn't say there are no places for you, only that since you do n't want a scrubby, flat, arid island you'll ruled out the majority of the islands that have "white sand". I also told you the very mountainous islands will have dark sand, which you may not like. I suggested that if you'd accept "light golden sand" there are a few islands you should consider.

Yes, the BVI's would work but other than Tortola you'll find the cost and time to get to them may be over your budget and allotted time.

Don't discount the USVI's - they have a lot to offer, are easy to reach from NY at relatively competitive airfares. To maximize your budget you need to look at islands you can reach non-stop. Anywhere requiring a connecting flight will use up a lot of your travel budget and may require an over-night stop adding to your room costs.

Have you looked at Negril? I know I already mentioned it. It has what you describe in the 7-mile beach, although the AIs are mostly in Bloody Bay, you could stay at a regular hotel with a meal plan right in Negril (somewhere like Charela Inn).

Suze- (so much difficulty posting from an iPhone) I am traveling for work and I have not had a chance to research all of the recommendations but I will certainly check out Negril. I had checked out a really cool spot with cabanas built on a rockwall but I have to continue my search.

Jamoof - I have been to Vieques and loved it! But alas, I did want to see something (similar but) different this time.

Roamsaround - I did not discount the USVI for any other reason than I didn't think I could afford it so I will give it a look. Some people are bent that they are $$$$ in reviews. I'm really only trying to understand what is mutually exclusive versus what is just hard to find when it comes to the things I want. I know a lot of Caribbean locations with white sand beaches are also scrubby and flat without much else to see geographically, and eliminating them in fact eliminates a lot, and that mountainous often have dark sand. But as non-existent is not the same as unlikely, that distinction is all I am trying to gather here from your feedback or anyone else's for that matter. That walkable town that is neither 'remote' nor 'overpopulated' may just not exist in any capacity while also being in walking distance of a white sand beach, and also having something other to see than beaches. Maybe this is an obvious oxymoron to experienced travelers but it was not to me.

I will continue to research based on everyone's suggestions until I'm satisfied or exhausted, either way. I did get some time yesterday to look at Antigua and it looked like it met a lot of my tastes, BVI too and I will look at USVI and Grand Case.

Researching a small list is a heck of a lot easier than researching a large one so I appreciate all the recs and info and I will get to research them fully when I am back home.

What time of year? Still didn't answer that-- your budget will only work during hurricane season- Summer and Fall.

3-5 nights won't give yu enough time to do anything but beach Jamaica is huge, at least 2 hours to excursions from Negril (3 From airport?).

Negril dies seem to be close to what you want, but will have trade offs-

I've traveled alone to many of the islands (I'd say I've been to about 75% if them)

For me, I would not go to Negril by myself-- (not because it's nevpccessarily dangerous, but you get approached all the time, and if alone......) venturing away from the resorts and places to stay I wouldnt alone there. I'm well traveled, if you're not- definitely no!

Tortola (BVI) would work except for time spent there) St Croix too, but 3 nights is not enough (5 you're still talking only 3 days anywhere)

Yu um would fit most of what you seek-- again, there are vendors that will approach you all day, and 5 nights is really not enough (it's about 90 minutes from airport, so forget the day going and day coming back- 3 days is not long to explore)

If you added more nights, I think Roatan (Honduras) would be a perfect fit for you.

Antigua is a little far for 3 nights- you'd get 2 days out of it

For expansive long endless turquoise beaches you've ruled out the islands that have them-- the "postcard" beaches are the flat dry scrubby ones--Bahamas, Caymans, Turks and Caicos, Anguilla. All but Bahamas are in general the more expensive islands in Caribbean.

So you need trade offs. You need more nights. Probably a little more budget.

Being solo, you need less rustic, as it wont be close to anything (and you want to be safer!)

Roatan and Mexico are cheaper destinations, if you can add a couple more nights it might be closest to what you want.

Have you put a few days in on a search engine like Expedia or American Airlines, etc? It seems there are plenty of places in the USVI for under $2000, even a couple of all-inclusives, for 5 days...

We liked the Buccaneer Resort on St Croix for our family trip last June. It has everything you mention, except you would want a cab to go into town, as it is not walk able. Or you can rent a car for a day, which is what we did to explore the small island and to visit the rain forest.

The Buccaneer has three beaches, and snorkel trips launch from their dock to the national preserve, Buck Island. A full breakfast is included in their beautiful dining room overlooking the old plantation grounds and the water. There's also tennis and golf. Rooms have fridges. Theres a snack bar at the pool, an oceanside restaurant, and a full-on dining room in the main house. A sundries shop has reasonable prices, also there's a spa and a higher end clothing shop.

The property had been a sugar plantation, and a cattle ranch before that. It has been owned by the same family for many years, and the resident owner is justifiably proud of it. She gives walking tours of the property each week, after a hosted reception for all the guests.

Search under my name for more information on it. Several Fodorites are big fans, too.

Contact them directly to see what kind of rate you can get. They negotiated with us, because we needed three separate rooms, and we were very glad we chose it. Their customer service is awesome.

http://www.thebuccaneer.com/

Exuma Bahamas is a great spot that may fit all your needs. I have a friend that lives there and we are visiting again in March. A 3-7 range fits us too because it will be me and my younger daughter and a friend of ours, so we will probably do lots of exploring by car and by boat, doing more of a nature trip than the clubbing, but there is some nightlife there.

For a single traveler some of the smaller islands may be better for safety reasons. Looking at VRBO and Craigslist I did see what I considered reasonable accomodations - $500.00 and up for a weeks stay.