i'm thinking about surprising my husband with a week trip the end of May. We'd be using aadvantage miles and so far I know we can get to either St Lucia, Granada or Puerto Rico. We'd want to rent a house/cottage/villa rather than stay in a resort or hotel. We enjoy being in a quieter part of the island although with restaurant options close by. We like to have a kitchen for light meals, will go out for a nice dinner once while we're there but prefer to try to local inexpensive options for dinner.

This is what we like and why. Beautiful beaches, white sand, clear water, not too rough. Snorkeling, hiking, perhaps a day with an adverture tour going caving, etc. We like enjoying the locals, not tour packages or all inclusives for us!!

Can anyone give advice between these island on where we can find this and for the least expensive. I'm thinking less than $100/night unless we can find another couple to join us and then we'd need a two bedroom for say $150/night or so. Thanks for the help!!!

For what you're looking for, I highly recommend Grenada. It and St. Lucia both offer a lot of what you're looking for, but where the roads and other parts of the infrastructure in St. Lucia are generally of poor quality, they are of a high standard in Grenada.

Lance AuX Epines (LAE) is a nice, quiet residential area of the island and there might be a few places at the top end of your price range there. Check out the LAE cottages. If you travel with another couple, the Gardenia Cottage is a 3 bedroom villa with small pool within walking distance of a beach and a couple of restaurants that rents for $950/week. I can't recall the website for either place-sorry!

If you travel with another couple, you should also check out www.SpiceIsleVillas.com because they offer at least 2 villas that would be in your price range--under $1000/week.

If you don't mind being at an isolated hotel, check out www.lasagesse.com. It's right on a beautiful beach with a good restaurant on site. I think prices in the offseason start at $85/night. No kitchen here, but possibly a small fridge in the room.

There's also a wonderful family on Grenada who rents out two floors in their home. The website is www.GrenadaGold.com and I think rates start at $65/night for a couple with a full kitchen, access to the family's pool, a really nice looking space, bedroom, bathroom, and wireless internet access.

There are lots of guesthouses on the island, but many of them are along the Grand Anse area, which is the busier part of the island. That being said, it's not like being in Aruba or Miami Beach kind of busy. These guesthouses will almost invariably be under $100/night and offer a kitchen or kitchenette. You can find some by looking under Accommodations at www.grenadaexplorer.com

I'm heading back to Grenada for a second visit this May, and this time I'll be there for a full two weeks. I can't wait!

Ditto the above recommendation, and also suggest you look at Coral Cove. It's on the Lanse Aux Epines peninsula, but on the Mt. Hartmann Bay side (facing east). Very pretty small resort in a residential area with pool and a good snorkeling beach. In May, you'd pay $80-$90 a night for a cottage fully-equipped with a kitchen. I stayed here a LOOOOONG time ago, but it still enjoys a good reputation for clean, basic accomodations in a nice setting.

Sky Auction may have Lance Aux Epines available. Check your dates and see if you can snag a deal. We're headed there in June and snagged a sweet deal even with all the taxes and charges.

Thanks so much for the info from everyone. That really helps! I'm sure I'll have some other questions once I start getting into the planning more. All the places mentioned look great. Decicions, decisions!!