I am curious to find out where would be considered by far the top 3 caribbean travel destinations? With examples of why and what can be done there please?

So many different tastes for everything! There are hundreds of islands there-each has a unique personality.

Why don't you tell us what you like out a vacation, then we can recommend a place. Please as specific as possible. (budget? off the beaten path? food? activitities, nightlife, etc.)

well that depends on your criteria.
and what you want in a vacation.
each caribbean island is unique and you can Break them down as follows:

Turquoise clear water/white sand beaches
RELAXATION.
1.Turks & Caicos
2.Anguilla
3.Grand Cayman
4.Bahamas Out islands
if you want lush caribbean scenery/tropical feel
1.St Lucia
2.St John
3.Jamaica
IF you want activites/nightlife
1.Aruba
2.ST Martin
3.ST Thomas
4.Barbados
Upscale/clean
1.St Barth
2.Grand Cayman
3.Bermuda - not caribbean but close enough.

You all are absolutely right...I wasn't specific in what i'm looking for because i would love to go to 3 places that will offer me a little of everything scenery, night life, culture, etc. As close to everything as possible

My top 3:
Grand Cayman - has it all, depending on what part of the island. Excellent snorkeling.

Bonaire - Best snorkeling of anywhere we have found in the Caribbean.

3rd - hmmm, those 2 are so outstanding that the rest we have been to just melt into a 3rd favorite.

Grand Cayman not handsome at all (imo). Fine beaches and snorkeling. Some good restaurants. Virtually no beautiful or lush scenery (very flat, etc)

it basically comes down to personal preference.some people love GC and wont try another island while others would never go back.
the islands that have the very best white sand beaches & gin clear waters Anguilla, Turks& Caicos and GC (Aruba has the white sand but the water is a deeper turquoise blue) these are arid coral based islands with little to no natural vegetation, the mountainous volcanic based islands such as ST Lucia Nevis,St Kitts and Martinque are known for their lush landscape BUT also have darker sand and darker & murkier water due to the runoff. ST John probably has the best combination of mountains and nice beaches.
when choosing a caribbean island, I prefer the nice white sand beaches to the mountains any day.

Barbados is good for the first-timer, as it has some of everything the Caribbean has to offer, except a volcano. Lovely people, wide range of hotels, restaurants, sightseeing, nitelife, beaches, watersports. See www.barbados.org

Overall, Barbados.
For drop dead gorgeous beaches with wade-in snorkeling, St. John.
For French chic, St.Bart or Martinique.
For unspoiled Caribbean in a lush green tropical setting, Grenada.

From my compiled research i have found that jamaica, bahamas are the forerunners. They are pretty much ranking number one in every travel facet for providing the most well rounded packages. The third spot seems to be where all the disarray comes in GC comes into play if one is interested in snorkling and scuba diving. Other than that there is not too much mention of GC in reports about top caribbean travel...Bermuda is mentioned a bit as well...i guess the question is of the two which is better...Help!

I would suggest that you don't equate popularity with top destinations. Which is not to say that I don't think Jamaica or the Bahamas aren't great places to visit. But they, along with Aruba and the Dominican Republic, have more large resorts with large numbers of hotel rooms than most other islands. Which is why you'll find so many travel packages to those particular destinations.

Even among those, it's less usual to find travel packages with the "best" resorts on those islands (and of course "best" means something different to everyone). You're less likely to find a travel package to Goldeneye, Strawberry Hill, The Caves, or Jamaica Inn on Jamaica, for some examples. Probably not to the One and Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas, either.

Sounds like you're trying to find "groupings" of islands, maybe some hopping?

In general, the groups are easier to stay in, for example, you can't comfortable randomly pick 3 different islands and get around them without being a hardship.

For example, a great intro grouping, would be Anguilla/St. Martin/St. Bart's. You get everything but good snorkeling with all 3-Anguilla is flat, dry , stunning blinding beaches, St. Martin is hilly, great shopping, action, and St. Bart is very chic and expensive. Very easy to get around between the 3, and through in Saba to boot.

Another option is to pick a big "hub". San Juan, St. Martin, Barbados, and Antigua are good "hubs" to hop around. San Juan can be combined with almost everything but Bahamas and T&C. Barbados can be combined with St. Lucia, and even St. Vincent and Grenadines.

You still have to be more specific about YOUR tastes.

Ask 30 people what the favorites are, you'll get 30 different answers-if you pin it down, we can help with your tastes.

ejcrowe also makes a good point-what gets the most people doesn't neccessarily equate to best, sometimes the easiest.

My top 3 based on what I have visited over the years......
1. St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Each island in the chain has something different to offer. I would use Bequia as my baseline and travel to the various islands in the chain from there. beaches, mountains, true Caribbean culture yet(for the most part) unspoiled by mass tourism
2.St. Maarten/Martin with day trips to St. Barts, Saba, Anguilla. Shopping beaches, gambling. All very nice places and I do enjoy visiting but now a bit too touristy and commercialized for my taste with the exception of Saba. Love that island because it is so unique and different.
3. Grenada/Carriacou. Beaches, mountains, green, shopping. For a happy medium would probably suggest this as a good destination for all a person might be interested in.

Jamaica
Los Roques
Marie Galante and Isles des Saintes

I am looking for destinations that have excellent night life, good spas, gift shops and leisure activities. I would like to know where you have experienced your best vacation trips and what you have done. To give me an idea of the possibilities. Thanks a million for all your help thus far!

1.Grand Cayman-If you have kids and want plenty of things to do.We snorkel,so a good place to snorkel is high on our list,GC offers this also.

2.St John USVI-Great for beautiful beaches and good snorkeling.IMO-STJ is more fun for adults as it does not offer alot of activities for kids.Although,kids would probably enjoy the Westin's water trampoline.This island is more beautiful than GC (mountainous and lush).

I do not have a #3 as my true favorite place is not in the Caribbean!

Christie

Thanks a million christie this really helps! Did you find GC expensive. A few people on this site have mentioned it is commercialized, "touristie" and expensive (postings about GC). Did you find this to be the case? No, i do not have children but that is good to know.

I did not see snorkelling listed as a priority. For nightlife and a good package, you might try Aruba- lots of gambling and interesting tours there. St. Martin has the gambling/shopping vibe going. I do think St. thomas could be a possibility too as it has shopping, tours and nightlife. Barbados is very cultivated with great beaches and restaurants. If you go to grand cayman, you probably should try to stay on 7 mile beach and you'd definitely find food, nightlife and a spa at the larger hotels. Good luck.

thanks a million! I truly don't want to snorkel...i'll keep your suggestions in mind

qt,

Sorry,I never answered your question...I just noticed it.

We really liked GC..we did not find it as touristy and commercialized as Aruba.The nightlife was perfect for us...not too much,just enough.

Yes..it is expensive,but worth it IMHO.You can find good,cheap places to eat though.Chicken,Chicken is less expensive and good.We ate at our condo to cut down on costs..or if we were out,we packed a cooler of sandwiches for lunch.Or went to Subway or Mc D's as our kids are a little picky.

We did tend to splurge at dinnertime though.

The restaurant selection is very good.I felt that the good food was worth the money.

Have you made a decision on where you are going?

Christie