lauramsgarden

Any suggestions of where my husband and I could go for a romantic getaway -say 5 nights - that would be easy to get to from Philadelphia, and quiet - we're not really interested in gambling, shopping or golf, but would love quiet beach, kayaking, snorkeling, history nature - affordable luxury if that's not an oxymoron. Thanks

cmcfong

I would suggest Bermuda. USAIRWAYS has a direct from PHL which will get you there in plenty of time. One of my favorite properties is Fourways Cottages, very nice but less expensive than the Reefs or Cambridge Beaches. In town the Royal Palms is very nice and so is the Rosedon. Beautiful place to renew your romance. Enjoy yourselves.

kellybeaches

funny-we fly out of PHL too! So I'm thinkin you probably want a direct flight since it's 5 day's you're talking. Direct flights out of PHL to the islands, from what I've found, are to the following islands: Bermuda, Nassau (New Providence), Jamaica, T&C, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Aruba (aruba in high season) and maybe Barbados (I can't remember). I could be forgetting some but I think I've covered them all. Out of the above places I've been to the Bahamas 3X (various islands), Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, Barbados, St. Thomas and St. Maarten/St. Martin. I would say that St. John fits your bill. It's a direct flight to St. Thomas, and then a quick ferry ride to St. John. If you do a search on this forum or on trip advisor for hotels in St. John you'll find lots of options. It has the white sand beaches, clear blue water, isn't very developed, snorkeling offshore, day trips to neighboring islands, history, etc.

Another option if you're looking to go in the spring/summer months would be to fly to Nassau and then do one of the out islands (Harbor Island, etc). This also applies to Bermuda, as both Bermuda and the northern islands of the Bahamas are cooler in the winter months than the "true" Caribbean islands.

Here are my pics from St. John if it helps at all -note-we tend to rent villas rather than stay in hotels.
my pics:
Part 1:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...Uy=muf3aj&Ux=0

Part 2:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...fromshare&Ux=0

One of our favorite romantic places, and we did this before kids, (and note that this is a bit farther to get to but it it's just the 2 of you it may be worth it as it fits your list nicely) is Stonefield Resort in St. Lucia. You fly through San Juan and then fly to St. Lucia. You may want to look into Jalousie Plantation on St. Lucia, nestled between the Pitons, which is gorgeous. St. Lucia is much more mountainous/lush/rainforest like, but it is very romantic, secluded, rich in history, off beach snorkeling, hiking, etc.
link to our pics:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...fromshare&Ux=0

enjoy!

Anguillagirl

Kelly,
Your slide show was awesome. You can certainly tell how happy you all were and what a great experience it was for your daughter. Loved the pics and very well taken.

OriginalBessian

You could try my corner of the world - St. Elizabeth (St. Bess), Jamaica. It's on the south coast, away from the main tourist belt. There are lots of nice villas and cottages in Treasure Beach, which you can use as a base for exploring the rest of the parish. Treasure Beach may not be that good for snorkelling, but it's so laid back, and the beaches are quite isolated and scenic. And the rest of the parish is great - waterfalls, river, views.

You can check out St. Elizabeth and Treasure Beach at http://www.real-jamaica-vacations.com/st-elizabeth.html

kellybeaches

thanks Anguillagirl! We did have a great time-seems like so long ago now! Actually, I was thinking that T&C or Anguilla would be a good fit too for lauramsgarden. I haven't been to either but have heard good things. (side note-we're finally making it over to Anguilla in May for a day trip-can't wait!)

Lauramsgards, If you're planning on going this year, Cap Jaluca in Anguilla is having a really, really good sale right now, but you have to go by December I believe. Otherwise it's pretty much $700 p/nt (I called), so that might be something to consider while you can get there relatively inexpensively. You fly to St. Maarten direct and then ferry it over to Anguilla.

I've heard that there are lots of really nice hotels in T&C too. You can do a search on Trip Advisor or on this forum for T&C hotels.

Both of those islands are more of the flat scrubby islands with the powder white sand and clear blue water. The air fare to T&C and St. Maarten is about 700 p/person right now, although if you're open to flying out of Newark you can cut that cost p/person in half.

kellybeaches

OriginalBessian, I just checked out your link-it looks beautiful! Reminds me a lot of St. Lucia and Hawaii actually. Can you rent villas in the St. Elizabeth area?

lauramsgarden

wow, thanks so much everyone, that is so helpful. Kellybeaches, your pics are amazing. and your daughter is adorable - thanks so much for sharing. Where did you stay in St. Johns?

kellybeaches

Thanks! We rented a villa on Hart Bay called Andante by the Sea. www.andantebythesea.com. Loved it. There are tons and tons of villa rentals on St. John. There are also some nice smaller hotels. Gallows Point in Cruz bay comes to mind for you. Caneel is beautiful, but $$$.

InTheShade

Tortola has several beaches that you could have all to yourself. I recommend Josiah's Bay Beach, but there are several others that can accommodate you. Tortola is not a commercial island like a lot of the others you'll see on this list. There aren't huge swanky resorts, although there are some very nice small boutiques that are just about all price at $250 a night or less. Many are priced way less. There are no huge shopping areas either. Tortola is about relaxing on the beach, it's more about people and culture than all that touristy stuff. A great place to kick back and have a drink with your significant other. Here's a few links that might help you decide.

www.vacationtortola.com/Best-Beaches.html

www.vacationtortola.com/Tortola-Hotels.html

beachykeen

Look into Anguilla-Cap is my favorite, but also look at Frangipani and Carimar on Meads Bay, and Shoal Bay Villas and Ku on Shoal Bay

kellybeaches

beachykeen, wow-I didn't even think of these places b/c I thought they were $$$$, but I just went online, and they actually are pretty reasonable.
frangipani's rates:
http://www.frangipaniresort.com/Rates.html

Carimar:
http://www.carimar.com/pages/room_rates.html

shoal bay:
http://sbvillas.ai/rates.html

Ku:
http://www.ku-anguilla.com/ku_hotel.htm

worldtravelerwannabe

We did Aruba on a pretty small budget flying Jet Blue. There is a small boutique hotel called The Boardwalk that was very nice, and inexpensive! It was across from the Marriott and a 5 minute walk to the beach (easy walk!). Highly romantic place to go for vacation, as well as relaxing.

We went in October last year, and had 80 degree weather the entire time, with some rain. We love to dive, and it was incredible.

OriginalBessian

Thanks kellybeaches. Yes you can rent villas, mostly in the Treasure Beach area.
As much as I hate sending you to another site (haven't done an accomodation page yet), you can see a fair listing at treasurebeach.net

There are also guesthouses in the Black River and Parottee areas.