Trying to decide between the two. Questions: Price for eating out and Safety of Islands

Without knowing what you are looking for in a vacation, I could not begin to answer this question. These are two very different islands. I think it's fair to say that crime levels are somewhat higher on St Thomas, but I wouldn't call either island unsafe, particularly for tourists. Prices for eating out are similar. But I'd hardly use those two criteria as the only or most important criteria for choosing an island.

STT will come across as America extended, where Barbados has been independent from England for nearly 50 years, but which retains a distinctly British feel. People in B'dos are consistently nice and welcoming. If you want the feeling of being truly overseas, you will enjoy B'dos. Wide range of accommodations, restaurants, beaches, sightseeing.

What we are looking for is relaxation and beautiful scenery. I have looked into St. Lucia and Barbados; I believe we are going to go with Barbados, since I have read that crime is up on St. Lucia. I was first looking into a villa; I am now considering Little Arches. Has anyone heard of them or stayed their? My next question is car rental, since the island is so small is it necessary to rent a car for a week? Any advise is welcomed.

We didn't stay at Little Arches but we passed it on the way to Miami Beach. It's a boutique hotel and looks quite nice but it's not on the beach just as an fyi.

If you intend to eat out often I think you would be better off towards the Gap area. There are more restaurants within walking distance and you will be very close to many of the other popular south coast beaches (Maxwell, Dover, Accra). Miami Beach (which is across from Little Arches) was our favorite beach but I wouldn’t have liked to stay in that area.

Oh, if you rent a car I guess it does not matter if you stay near the Gap or Little Arches. I would say it’s a 10-15 minute drive to Miami beach from the Gap area.

We went to Barbados almost a year ago and stayed at the Silver Point Hotel. We wanted something non-mainstream and away from the bustle of everything. That may be the reason why we say definitely rent a car. We drove around the entire island in one day for sight seeing. But we also went out at night and it was nice to jump around town to town without having to worry about cab fare. We also think it cut the cost of many excursions as we were able to get ourselves there as well as find numerous local places to eat that were off in the cut.