I know ive asked this, but im still confused! <BR>I have almost booked grand case beach club. But now all I hear is the crime, and traffic, and bad snorkleing in st. martin. Im looking at places like BVI, anguilla, antigua, st. thomas, st. kitts.............ETC <BR>All I want is too feel safe, sit on the beach, eat good, snorkle, shop, all of that. <BR>Im having a Nervous breakdown here. Can anybody help me find an island. I also want an island where I can take excursions to other islands. Thanks! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Try the BVI. There's very little crime. I've stayed at Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda, and Long Bay Resort on Tortola and liked both.

Try Aruba or the Caymans.

Hi Jeremy, Eleuthera is a safe island to visit, very little traffic or incidents of crime and a population of less than 7,000. You also have 2 neighboring islands to explore that are a water ferry ride away. Spanish Wells, a fishing/boating community and Harbour known for it's famous Pink Sand beach, are the other islands that complete Eleuthera. For more info about the islands , feel free to email me.

Hey Jeremy... Check out St. John! I spent two weeks camping there with a bunch of twentysomethings, and except for wild donkeys it was totally safe. The snorkeling was great, there were bars, good food, etc. And the best part is there are so many things you can do! Many, many great beaches and snorkeling spots, hikes, tours of ruins, archeological digs, sailing trips, day trips to the BVIs (Virgin Gorda is a must) or St Thomas (to shop). I would say traffic is definitely not a problem because development on St. John is limited due to the National Park. <BR> <BR>I don't have much to compare St. John to because the only other islands I've been to besides the USVI and BVIs are the Turks and Caicos. I'd say the beaches at T&C are a little bit nicer (whiter sand and less waves), but there's more to do on St. John... <BR> <BR>Anyway, good luck finding a place. Make sure to let us all know what you decide! <BR>-julie

Yea ive been to provo before. I think so many people go to st. martin that if im careful i wont be a crime victim. Not only does st. martin look like it has nice beaches, it also looks fun and if i want to get away, i can go on many day trips. However, im going to ask my TA about the BVIS, ive heard aruba is too american and it not close to other islands, and caymans is too disneyland for me. But st. john and and the bvis are on my list for sure. Have any of you been to st. marti??

Thanks for all your help! Ive never heard of eurethra(sp) but ill check ot out!

<BR>Hi Jeremy, <BR>For what you describe, try either St. John or Grand Cayman. Snorkeling great from either. St. John more lush & hilly, but beaucoup mosquitoes! Either would make a great soft introduction to the Caribbean, get your feet wet so to speak. <BR>As you get more experienced, venture out into the less westernized islands, then the less modern. Don't get yourself all waxed about the perfect vacation because that's elusive & subject to personal interpetation. <BR> <BR>Bahama out islands would be a good choice too. Bimini & Long Island are both cool. <BR> <BR>If you choose Cayman, plan to spend an afternoon at Rum Point to lay in the hammocks under the rustling palms & watch the colors of the sunset. You can't actually see the horizon from there, but the setting is very easy on the brain. <BR> <BR>Of course if you want gourmet food & shopping, go ahead & book St. Martin. Great island, but since you're shaky about your first trip, I'd recommend start off low key. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Jeremy, <BR>Booking a trip shouldn't be this stressful! The point is relaxation, right? Have you checked out Grenada? Laid back atmosphere, friendly people, nice beaches, good food, easy cruising through the beautiful Grenadines. Better yet, take a Windjammer cruise (www.windjammer.com)!

St. Martin has the pretties beaches. We were there last February and will be going back this January. We rented a car and this made it very easy to get around. We preferred the French side for shopping, eating, etc. St. Martin has the most beautiful beaches, great food, and we found it to be very economical. The snorkeling is not too good. Grand Camen has GREAT snorkeling, but EXTREMELY expensive and not worth the buck. St. Lucia has great snorkeling, however, it was not too easy to get around (this was about 5 years ago). St. Lucia is also very tropical. We did an all inclusive when we were here so we didn't rent a car and did our day trips thru the hote.

Jeremy, <BR>Grand Cayman is hardly Disneyland!! It is the safest island in the caribbean!! There is no crime and no poverty!! The snorkeling and diving are the best. Great restaurants and tons of things to do. Yes, it's expensive, but as your soon to find out, You get what you pay for!!!

Jeremy, <BR>I agree with some of the other posts that the BVI or St. John may be a good bet. We haven't been to St. John, despite extensive research on my part, only because we are recluses on vacation, and think it may be a bit too busy for our tastes. We love the BVI. If you pick a spot that has a lot of amenities you'll have easy access to activities, both land and sea.Bitter End is pretty active, Biras Creek and Little Dix looked really nice also. These are on Virgin Gorda, but as youv'e seen there are very nice places on the other islands too. We've aloway found the people friendly, very little crime, good beaches and snorkeling. I agree with the person above that after you go once, you'll begin to refine your selection, by your preferences. Good Luck. <BR>Dawn

I know Cayman is nice, but I just didnt feel like i was on an island when I was there. It was all white buisness men walking around, the roads were like any US residential neiborhood, you get hardly any culture, the only thing I really liked about cayman was the black coral artist store. Amazing. The 7 mile beach was crowded in most places.

<BR>Jeremy, I agree about SMB. Quite beautiful beaches but often so crowded. If you head east to Boddentown it's much different. Wonderful snorkeling, laid back. <BR> <BR>Since you seem set on a different island, consider Barbados, maybe the Gap area. Some funky little hotels there & it should be plenty ethnic/cultural for you. Lots of music, great beaches. You'd be disappointed in the snorkeling tho. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Thanks. You guys on this board have benn most helpful. Barbados seems nice but from what i hear, its not near many other islands for excurions, and it doesent have mountains or good snorkling. I think the bvis and st. martin is what ill narrow it down to. St, john looks great but all i hear is the westin has a poor beach, and caneel is sold out, and gallows point has no beach.

<BR>From Barbados, you can do daytrips to St. Lucia or St. Vincent, both of which would be plenty ethnic --- SV is a rasta island & you'd probably love it. Would be a short flight --- an hour I think. No ferries. <BR> <BR>Or get up early & join a charter to Union and/or Mayreau. You have breakfast there, then spend the day sailing the Grenadines, snorkeling heaven. Flight gets you back to Barbados about dark. <BR>