USVI, Bahamas or Hawaii?
 

My husband and I are planning our first tropical vacation (we are in our thirties). October or early November are our only options. Wants: safe, relaxed,white sand. Interests: shopping, good food, golf and sightseeing. Better hotel preferred. Torn between U.S.V.I., Bahamas and Hawaii (in that order). Has anyone been to all three? Cheers!

I've been to all three. Hawaii has no 'white sand' beaches, though compared to the USVI's and Bahamas it has better shopping, food, and sightseeing hands down. And overall it's safer than Nassau/Freeport and St. Thomas/St. Croix.
The beaches in the USVI's and PARTS of the Bahamas are better than Hawaii's best beaches IMO, and the water's prettier and warmer.
But you won't find Hawaii's great range of world class hotels (at much lower prices than Caribbean) and better overall food in the Bahamas or USVI's. A few very nice hotels like Ocean Club and Ritz Carlton exist, but there are 12 world class hotels in Hawaii and oodles more good restaurants and sights.

BUT: if great beaches are your #1 priority, the Caribbean is superior.

I agree with rwilliams - We had the same dilemma, we actually booked the 4S Maui then cancelled after 3 weeks and changed it to Anguilla. We live on the East coast and its a looooong way to travel. After doing further research I have found that the water is not as clear or as warm in Hawaii and it much more touristy. After seeing the kind of money that it would cost (and we are not cheap) it seemed like along way to travel and a lot of $$ to go to a place where you go to the pool and sit in traffic in a rental car. We are beach people so the switch was easy. This is just my honest opinion, as I know many think Maui blows the caribbean away and vice versa.
If you are interested in USVI I would look into St. John and some of the Bahama out islands. I have never been to St. John but so many people on this board say how beautiful it is. I don't know about golfing on St. John so maybe what you are looking for is the Ocean Club, sounds like it fits the bill for you. We just returned form the Bahamas last month and it was beautiful - the water is crystal clear and the sand is gleaming white:) There is a nwe Four seasons hotel that just opened in the Bahamas (I can't remember which island) but you may want to check that also. Here are a few websites for you, first try www.fourseasons.com and check out the new Bahamas location. There is also www.islands.com, just type your destination in the search bar and you will get all kinds of info and links to other very useful sites. Good Luck!

I haven't been to Hawaii, but I've been to U.S.V.I. 2x and to the Bahamas.

Other than a tiny cay we visited, the Bahamas did not appeal to me the way other carribean locations have.

But I love to snorkel. The U.S.V.I. has great snorkeling and awesome hiking. There are also interesting ruins.

The water and the beaches are beautiful. The water is calm---much calmer than Hawaii I understand.

I did not spend much time on St. Thomas, but my understanding is that St. Thomas does not have a problem with violent crime. On St. John, you are only likely to see some petty stealing, which is easily avoided by taking ordinary precautions.

I don't go to the U.S.V.I. to shop. However, last time we were there, we were with a large group. The rest of them went shopping just about every day at St. Thomas---and seemed to think we were nuts for missing out on all the good shopping. They got good deals on some nice jewelry, clothes---and alcohol. We actually did buy a couple of very good $4.00 of rum at the Starfish Market in St. John.

I don't believe there is any golf on St. John. Our friends took the ferry over to St. Thomas (inexpensive 30 min. to hour ride) to play there. The course is supposedly tough but also quite beautiful.

The food is great---but it's not cheap.

With that said, the food is pretty good in the Bahamas too.

The beaches in the Bahamas are decent---but not as beautiful as St. John. Golf may be better there. We did do some shopping, but it was unmemorable.

you may want to try a different island we are going to punta cana domincan republic in august for the fourth stray year we go to an all inclusive resort call barcelos at bavaro beach they have five hotels and fifteen restaurants in the complex the water is crystal clear they have all the water sports you can imagine the have a nice golf course the have a casino they have horse back riding and they have a flee market were most tourist shop and most important the price is cheap compare to other island the place is relatively safe the hotels have their own security people on the premises and most of the tourist here come from the us

I have been to all three. St. John is hands down my favorite island anywhere )but I haven't been to Bora-Bora yet). It is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and 2/3 of it is National Park. Go as far into November as you can to avoid hurricane season - by mid-Nov the weather is usually very nice. The beaches are just incredible with great snorkeling. The shopping is limited, but if you stay at the Westin, they have unlimited ferry service to St. Thomas. Bahamas were nice, although to avoid mayhem, you have to travel to the out islands, and that can get pretty pricey. I'd never stay in the Nassau area again. Hawaii is beautiful, especially Kauai, but the above posters are correct, the beaches are more beautiful in certain areas of the Caribbean. Going there again in Dec (because I can't get a timeshare exchange into St. John). If you pick Hawaii - go in Early October before the big onset of the rainy season. I'm expecting to get wet in Dec!

You might look into the Turks and Caicos - GORGEOUS beaches and waters, mid to late Nov would get you out of hurricane season and into nicer weather.

We've been to all three. This winter we are going to Kauai. This will be our second trip to Hawaii. I think, however, for you I would choose the USVI. You will get the best white sand and there are many nice hotels from which to choose. Hawaii is beautiful, but the Carribbean has more of a 'tropical' feel to it. The USVI is famous for it's beaches and St. John is 2/3 national park. It's just a short ferry ride between St. Thomas and St. John, giving you the opportunity to visit two islands. We are not golfers, so cannot comment on that. People talk about the crime on STT, but if use your head, you'll be fine. The food is not what draws people to the USVI, but it really is beautiful and very relaxing.

Having lived in California, we used to vacation in Hawaii every year. Now that we live on the east coast, the Caribbean is our vacation destination due to proximity. Hawaii is lovely, my favorite being Kaui. Having said that, I think the beaches in the USVI and Bahamas (the out islands) are superior. The water clarity is unbelievable and warmer. I would beg to differ with a previous poster about the range of accommodations available in the Bahamas and USVI. There are fantastic places to stay. The new Four Seasons resort, which was supposed to have a phenomenal golf course, is on the island of Exuma in the Bahamas. St. John in the USVI's is very nice, but no golf course, and your choice of "better" hotels is limited to either the Westin or Caneel Bay, unless you want to rent a villa and some are fantastic but not right on the beach. The Bahamas has some very nice places to stay, but unless you go to the out islands, you have many more people around. Our islands of preference are Cat Island, Crooked Island or Stocking Island, which is just off Exuma. If you want a wider choice of luxury places to stay, check out Anguilla. Cap Jaluca, Cove Castles, Mallihouna (sp?) are very luxurious. Anguilla, however, does not, at this time, have a golf course. It really is a toss of the coin!!!

The top end hotel selection in Hawaii is better than that in any resort destination in the world.
The Caribbean has several great resorts, but not the same density of world class accomm's in one area.

One of the reasons that I gravitate towards the USVI is that it has more to offer with respect to villas. If you think you would be interested in staying in a villa instead of a hotel, then the USVI is a great location.

However, since you mentioned hotel, maybe Hawaii would be more for you.

My Husband and I have been all over in the caribbeam and we always gravitate back to St.Thomas and St. John. It is our favorite place in the world. We are in our early 30's and love the atmosphere and beaches. St John is like no place else in the world. The USVI offer so much to do and to see. That gets our vote!