Hello everyone,

We've never been to the Caribbean, and are looking for a week-long getaway in mid-Nov. We are looking for a child-free environment (or close to it), good food, good beach, and good pool. Is St. Barts the place for us, or should I take a closer elsewhere?

St. Bart's certainly fits the bill. Other islands that you might also consider are Anguilla, Nevis and St. Kitts. Of course, you can find that sort of environment on almost any island if you choose the right resort.

I think for someone who's never been to the Caribbean, St Barts is a great choice -- beautiful mountains & views; nice beaches; great food. St Johns would also fill the bill. I always hesitate to recommend Anguilla to Caribbean "newbies" (even tho we go there every year & love it) because it's flat, arid & scrubby and just doesn't fit the stereotype of a lush, mountainous Caribbean island. There are beautiful resorts on St Barts & to guarantee a child-free environment, you might want to check out the very reasonable villas available all over the island. Try www.sbhonline.com.

If you go to St.Barts you probably still will not have really been to the Caribbean. It's of course beautiful, sexy, and sophisticated---but for a century it was Sweeden's only colony so there were never plantations or an Island culture. Much more like the S. of France.

Thanks, guys. We're also considering Puerto Rico, as it's an easier trip from NYC. Any hotel recs along similar lines are most appreciated.

In Puerto Rico a wonderful hotel is the Wyndahm El san Juan. I was very impressed with the grounds, the two pools & the atmosphere especially on the weekend. We would go back in a minute!

A couple of points about the child-free environment: Your chances of not encountering many children are greatly enhanced if you choose small resorts that cater to couples. A large US-style hotel (Hyatt, Marriott) will undoubtedly have a childrens' program and even conventions that draw families. Also, traveling over a holiday period will also tend to attract more families. Last year my husband and I were at Caneel Bay in St. John the week before Thanksgiving and also Thanksgiving week. There were almost no children the week before Thanksgiving but the weekend before Thanksgiving the families arrived in droves. You just need to pick your time and resort.

If you are interested in St. Barts I can recommend Eden Rock on St. Jean Beach except that it has only a very small, nothing special pool. I believe the Hotel Christopher has a large pool if that is truly important. St. Barts has many other attractions, namely great food, beaches and shopping. You are correct, however, that St. Barts is not an easy destination to reach. The good news is that many islands require only one change of plane in San Juan and those islands are still relatively easy trips from New York.

In our experience the best food has been on St. Barts, Anguilla and St. Martin. The best beaches are Anguilla, Turks & Caicos, Grand Cayman, St. John and St. Barts, not in any particular order.

You may want to check out the Sereno Beach hotel. It is located on a fairly long narrow beach and the pool is nice. We were there in May and during the week the place was almost deserted. There were several children there on the weekend but not during the week. There is good air connections through St Maarten.