iroy

We love Aruba beaches. Nice warm, clear water. We went to Curacao once and weren't too crazy about it, the best part was the boat trip to Klein Curacao. It's just that we know Aruba insight out and would like to try something different. What other islands in the Carribean have beaches and water like Aruba, and are safe?
Thanks.

RoamsAround

If you are looking for beaches like Aruba check out any of the coral/limestone based islands such as:

Anguilla - similar topography and 35 of the best whites sand beaches you'll find anywhere in the Caribbean.

Grace Bay on Providenciales (Turks & Caicos) - again similar topography and 11 miles of fantastic white sand beach lapped by bright blue turquoise waters.

Anegada (BVI's) - very remote with some fantastic white sand beaches.

Barbuda - uncrowded remote island with white and light pink sand beaches as far as the eye can see. Go here if you truly want to go to an island where you "get away from it all"

Bahamas Out Islands such as Exuma, Long Island, Cat Island, Eleuthera, etc. will all have miles and miles of beaches surrounded by bright turquoise blue waters.

iroy

Thanks Roamsaround, but what about the water temps and safety...

KVR

Provo, Turks and Caicos and Grand Cayman.

Both Islands are just as safe as Aruba.

Provo is very laid back. Not much nightlife and limited dining options compared to Aruba. Grace Bay Beach is goregous and blows Aruba's beaches away. Though, I do love Aruba.

Grand Cayman's 7 Mile Beach is also gorgeous. Good snorkeling and more things to see and do. Try to avoid Georgetown when the cruise ships are in. Do a beach day at your hotel or tour day instead.

RoamsAround

All of those islands are as "safe" as Aruba, some maybe even more so. Weather depends on time of year. Northern Bahamas can be cool in winter otherwise they will all have "tropical" weather. You can research general weather statistics for just about any island on the following websites:

www.weatherbase.com

www.wunderground.com

iroy

Thanks again, but does anybody know which island has the warmest water end of October, beginning of November. We were freezing in Aruba this February.

doug_stallings

Every island in the Caribbean has warm water at the end of October. Water temps don't start going down until well into December in most cases. You'll see bigger drops in water temperatures as you head further north (the Turks & Caicos or Bahamas especially since they are in the southern Atlantic rather than the Caribbean). Because they lay well into the Caribbean, Grand Cayman and Jamaica usually have the warmest water temperatures.

wmarais

I would recommend Varadero in Cuba. Very affordable with most resorts offering an all inclusive package. Cayo Coco isn't bad as well, a little bit more remote.

All the beaches are white sandy beaches with warm water. Just watch out for a lot of Canadians! lol.

Some info on my favorite resort in Cayo Coco: http://www.trypcayococo.ca

KVR

We go somewhere every year usally the first week of December. Never had any problems with ocean water temps. I do find the pools in Carribean side Mexico to be rather cool during that time of year though.

Odin

Varadero is probably the last place I would recommend, we were disappointed with it, could be we were unlucky with the weather and therefore the beach was not at it's best. Even if the beach was great, the surrounding area was not interesting at all. I also wouldn't recommend on the basis that it's not a place that Americans can easily travel to,if at all.

Have been to Barbados and Antigua at this time of year and the sea was warm. We generally go to the Caribbean somewhere beg November and have no issues with either air or sea temps, however beginning of the year can be a little cool (eg Negril beg March, water was cold but air temps were pleasant).

promisem

We had the experience as you with Aruba and Curacao.

Anguilla and Punta Cana have the best beaches we've seen so far in the Caribbean out of more than a dozen trips down there.

Safety and water temps aren't a problem.

Bassguy66

"Best Beaches" is such a relative term. Wne person seems to think is great, is another person's nightmare. If you want something similar to Aruba, I'd say Grand Cayman is going to be the closest in terms of white sand, clear water, and very safe. There is also a ton of dining choices that are world class. Water should be awesome for temps that time of year.

Provo (Turks & Caicos) beaches are long, white, and breath-taking....but this is a MUCH quieter area and not as much for nightlife or dining choices. I'kk add one more that is known for stunning beaches...and that's Anguilla.

And for the record, even with the islands I suggested above, (which are all considered very safe) you need to use common sense like you would in Aruba.