Torn Between Islands...
 

Hi Everyone,

I have been trying to plan a vacation for a few weeks now and I just can't decide which Caribbean island I want to visit. My girlfriend and I are in our mid 20's. We have done the party scene already so something with a more relaxing feel is the way to go for us this time. So far, I am torn between the following(not in any order): Aruba(been once and liked it), St. John(never been), Mexico(been numerous times), Antigua(never been), St. Lucia(never been), Bahamas(never been). I am also open to suggestions. Budget is around 2k each person. I am trying to see new places, but I am not opposed to going back to a place I have been. Looking to travel mid May. To help narrow this down, some facts about my travel likes/dislikes:

Likes:

-Modern hotel(we like low rise better but at this point we will settle for high rise). To be honest we would love to be able to open our backdoor and be on the beach. We stayed at the Divi in Aruba and loved that aspect.
-Friendly island, somewhere we can walk out of the hotel at night.
-All inclusive(but does not have to be if restaurants nearby and worth it)/ meal plan would be nice if no AI
-Casinos
-Nice Beaches(we prefer the hotel to have its own attached beach)
-Something to do at night but does not have to be party central! We don't want to be back in the room by 11pm.

Dislikes:
-Renting a car(which I think dismisses St John.)
-Poor service
-Leaving from NY so no connecting flights

Sorry for the long post, but hopefully someone can chime in...

Thanks to all in advance!

Have you considered St. Martin? You would need a car but the driving is easy - one road goes around the whole island. Part of the island is Dutch, part is French so you get two cultures in one trip. Oyster Bay area is nice and Orient Beach is one of the nicest around. Great food, fun shopping, good nightlife and casinos - and you can take a day trip over to St. Bart's.

Think about it!

St. John is way too laid back for a long visit unless you really want nothing but down time. Other suggestions would be St. Thomas and Antigua.

riots on some islands
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...-families.html

Unfortunately, I think I am going to complicate matters and suggest a few other locations because I don't think the ones you are looking at best meet your needs -- check out Turks & Caicos (incredible beach, great restaurants, casinos, easy to get around -- you can walk the beach to many restaurants) Curacao (very interesting Caribbean/European culture, great restaurants, nice "cove-like" beaches, great restaurants, easy to get around) and Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (beautiful beach, less expensive, lots of nightlife/dining choices, but no casinos). In Curacao check out Kura Hulanda Lodge & Beach Club and the Curacao Marriott (but note that KHL is far out of town) in Playa Del Carmen there are tons of all-inclusives but I actually like the resorts north of town better because the beach is nicer (Shangri-La Caribe, Las Palapas), T & C is full of beachfront condo resorts all along the 5? mile long beach. The reason I don't think St. Lucia is a good choice because it is very difficult to get around, very spread out and so you are more resort-bound. On St. John, there really are only a few resorts and they are pricey, it might be too quiet for you. Aruba is okay but you have been; Bahamas -- out islands too quiet and places like Paradise Island and Nassau too built up; we love Antigua but it's full of AI resorts and spread out so taxis are very expensive and tourists tend to be resortbound and I can't recall any casinos. Just my two cents, hope it helps.

This is going to be hard considering likes and dislikes. You might look into the Divi Resort and Casino on St Croix but if you don't want to drive you're sort of stuck there. Also no direct flight from NY. You have to change to American in Miami. I am not a big St Martin fan. Too touristy with cruise ships and awful traffic. You might also check out the Marriott on St Kitts. Large mega hotel and has a casino. Might be a budget buster if you are including air fare in the 2K but they may have some off season packages There is a weekly flight from NY to St Kitts. We love Turks and Caicos. Awesome beach. Again change planes in Miami. Most resorts are condo type. If there is a casino it's new since we were last there. Not sure where it is--maybe Seven Stars resort. The only all inclusive on Provo is Beaches. Really large resort with families, kids etc.

Sounds like Aruba or St. Maarten too me...

If you can get away from the A1 piece, you may also want to look @ Puerto Rico.