Tropical Island Trip HELP
 

Hi everyone! My friend and I are planning a tropical island trip in the middle of May when our spring semester is over (we are both college students). We're looking for recommendations on places to go and any advice you have!

Some details about our trip:
- It will probably be 7-10 days in length
- We are currently looking into Caribbean islands as well as the Bahamas and possibly Hawaii (wide range, I know)
- It will be just the two of us, we are both college-aged women
- We will not have a car, so will be relying on public transportation and bikes to get around.

Here are some things we're looking for:
- Picturesque white sand beaches with clear turquoise water (nice beaches is a priority)
- Jungles and waterfalls
- Good food
- Not too many crowds

ANY advice or recommendations is helpful. We're pretty flexible on our list, we mostly just want to be safe and explore the island/lay on the beach for a week. We are also both very active and happy to walk/bike/hike long distances!
Thank you!

It's going to be very difficult to find an island with "white sand beaches" and "jungles (actually called rain forests) and waterfalls. Islands with white sand beaches tend to be the flat and arid limestone & coral based islands while dense rain forests and waterfalls are found on the more mountainous volcanic based island which mainly have darker sand beaches.

The Bahamas consist of 800+ islands and cays, just about all of which have wonderful white sand beaches but they are pretty flat, arid and scrubby so you won't fund the "jungles and waterfalls" you crave.

Now if you are willing to consider islands with darker colored sand (say light gold, beige or brown colored sands there are plenty of destinations where you'll find rain forests and waterfalls.

So you need to tell us if you'll make a concession on sand color.

Now, in order to make meaningful recommendations we need some additional information:

First and foremost you'll have to let us know what type of budget you have for airfare, accommodations, food and activities - it helps if you can break down your budget into categories rather than giving just a total number. Please give a specific dollar range, not some nebulous terms like "affordable", "won't break the bank" or "not too expensive" as are meaningless without a dollar point of reference. Tell us too, where will you be flying from as airfare from some locations can eat up a lot of one's budget.

You did not mention where you are flying from so no idea if you can get a flight to Guadeloupe (you also did not mention if the island had to be English speaking). Guadeloupe is two islands in one so you do get the white sand beaches (St Anne) and the hiking/walking/rainforest/volcanos plus great snorkelling. The French are crazy about cycling and the roads are very good.

http://www.guadeloupe-parcnational.fr/fr

It is similar situation with Martinique, the north of the island is volcanic with dark sandy beaches and a volcano, waterfalls, jungles etc with the south having beautiful white sand beaches.

St Lucia has beige/golden sand beaches in the north and the Pitons in the south, for hiking, walking etc. Grenada has the stunning Grand Anse beach with a rainforest interior, great for hiking, people are very friendly.

Some response notes! :

Yes, preferably the island be mainly english speaking. My friend speaks Spanish but I do not!

White sand is not crucial, we're definitely flexible on that. Mostly just looking for the beaches and the swimming to be nice.

You still haven't given us a budget nor have you told us where you are flying from so making specific resort recommendations is difficult.

That said, since you are willing to be flexible with sand color you might want to look at St. John (USVI's), Virgin Gorda (BVI's), St. Kitts, Nevis, Grenada and St. Lucia. All have attractive beaches, a semi or very lush interior and the "good food" you crave.

<Yes, preferably the island be mainly english speaking.>

I think Hawaii fits a lot of your wish list. Oahu is the island easiest to do without a car.