We are late in making our holiday travel plans this year but have found two villas that are still available. One is on the east end of St. Thomas (Estate Nazareth) and the other on St. Martin (Dawn Beach Estates). We have made a few trips to the caribbean (Tortolla, St. Croix, Turks & Caicos) but have never visited either of these two islands.

There will be 8 of us travelling including 4 young adults (19 - 23) and their parents. Total cost (air and villa rental) is about the same for both options, so which would you choose?

Perhaps this will help: Both islands are fairly well populated and get lots of tourists so they are even on that score. St. Thomas is a bit more "lush" than St. Martin but neither is thick with vegetation and rain forests. Both have their fair share of duty free shopping. St. Thomas has more picturesque beaches and better and more snorkeling opportunities. St. Thomas is very Americanized while St. Martin offers both a French and Dutch ambiance. While both islands have plenty of restaurants St. Martin gets the non if you are looking for gourmet dining.

In short, one is not necessarilly better than the other, the islands are just different.

RoamsAround summed it up pretty well. You can also do some island hopping from each. From St. Thomas you can day trip to St. John, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda. From St. Martin you can day trip to Anguilla, Saba, St. Barths, and St. Kitts/Nevis. What kind of activities are you looking to do on your trip? You'll want to rent cars on your trip as well to fully explore whichever island you end up on. There is a lot to see and do on both!

Baie Rouge Beach on St Maarten is one of the prettiest beach I have ever stepped foot on. And my feet have seen many. If you choose St. Maarten dont miss this beach.