Lu_Dallas

My husband and I want a romantic get-away. We have been to St. John and loved it, not so much with St. Thomas. Love Cozumel, not so much Cancun. We are looking for turquise water, snorkeling, good food (vegetarian) and drinks. We don't care much about night life besides a relaxing bar. Would prefer to more adults-only scene. We would probably rent a jeep to explore the island. We want some luxuries, some nature, a nice mix. Price isn't too much of a concern. Thinking about May, leaving from Dallas. Should we go to St. Lucia? Turks and Caicos? Any other ideas? Prefer the English Speaking places but not a must. Also, this will be a 4 or 5 day trip. Thanks! Lu

Lu_Dallas

Also, I forgot to add we are in our early 30s.

KVR

St. Lucia and Turks and Caicos are totally opposite Islands. T & C is flat and has crystal clear water. Very good snorekling. Grace Bay Beach is gorgeous. Soft, white, sugary sand. If you liked Cozumel and St. John, you'll enjoy T & C.

St. Lucia is lush. Full of flora, fauna, mountains and waterfalls. It is a beautiful Island. The beaches are a medium brown and the water a nice sapphire color. There are a few black sand beaches also.

From your criteria, T & C sounds like what you're looking for. Do a search for posts by Blamona. She's the T & C expert.

Caribzack

On Turks and Caicos look at The Somerset , Point Grace or Grace Bay Club. My choice would be The Somerset , have stayed there many times and love it. Beautiful condos, great pools, wonderful staff , excellent on site dining plus many others to walk to...
We've been to St. Lucia as well...Turks wins hands down for the beautiful 12 mile beach, walking for hours is so wonderful.

virginia

ditto what kvr & czack said, plus provo has dozens of restaurants within 20 mins of each other while st. lucia is a much larger more spread out island. driving around is challenging by most accounts.
neither are spanish speaking islands. for spanish & if price is no issue then look at maroma beach hotel. there are a couple other high end resorts in the area if this interests you.

Lu_Dallas

Thank for the great advice!

CGS

I have to put in a contrary opinion. We have been to Turks & Caicos twice and did not like it either time (don't ask then why we went back the second time - long story!). It is true that the beach and water are spectacular. Also, the restaurants were good and the resorts are quite lovely (we stayed at The Sands, which we liked very much - we had our children with us - there are probably better places for just a couple). But we thought the rest of the island was very unattractive - it is flat and dry and has no interesting scenery, and when we went there was construction going on everywhere you looked. We did not find the snorkeling (which is what we went for) to be as good as we expected. I do not mean to dispute the opinion of anyone who likes the island, because it does have its good points and everyone has a different thing they are looking for in a vacation. I know many people love T&C. But you shouldn't think that if you like St. John (which we do!) you will like T&C. They are very very different.
I would enjoy hearing more about St. Lucia, which we've never been to and have always considered.
Whatever you choose, have a great trip!

bellaboo

St Lucia is spectacular....lush, mountainous, green, exotic.....the water is crystal clear, and their IS good snorkeling. Stay in the south near the pitons, that's a must.

blamona

I love St. John, to me St. Thomas is a means to get to St. John. Loved Cozumel, liked Cancun when I was young and single.

I love love love T&C. Grace Bay Beach is amazing. Water so mesmorizing, you'll be hypnotized. Prettiest turquoise anywhere, and I've been everywhere. 8-)

There are some excellent snorkel spots-I've snorkeled with turtles, sea eagle rays for hours, even the occassional shark. There are 2 major spots to snorkel off the beach, the rest is clean non rocky/reefy sand. You can also find giant red starfish, and flamingos in ponds!

I agree the main part of the island is scrubby and flat, but there's plenty to explore: some beaches have giant conch shells, Blue Hills has colorful beach shack restaurants. Sapadilla Hill has pirates carvings from the 1700's of treasures that have never been found. There are caves. You can ferry to North Caicos and explore plantation ruins, and explore the stunning coves and cliffs of Middle Caicos. You can fly to Grand Turk for the day, snorkel with stingrays, and walk Front Street with houses made from old pirates ships, lighthouse, an old prison and excellent museum (which includes Senator Glenn landing after orbiting the moon, and the world's largest collection of messages in bottles)

You can explore by boat the gorgeous beaches of uninhabited cays, that will take your breath away. You can dive for conch in waist deep water, or snorkel for sand dollars.

The restuarants are excellent, my opinion, better than St. John with amazing settings. All of them offer selections for Vegatarians, or are the chefs are willing to create it. But keep in mind, the are in general more upscale and expensive than what you would find on St. John.

The resorts are all luxurious, in numerous price ranges. I would pick West Bay Club for what you're looking for. they are running some great specials, with 4th night free, etc.

KVR: I consider that a compliment--thanks! I consider you an expert on AIs!

Caribzack

Blamona is right on...she also loves The Somerset, 1 night free too.
www.thesomerset.com

blamona

It's true, I do love The Somerset! ;-)

KVR

CGS, don't feel bad because T & C wasn't one of our favorite Islands either. I did love Grace Bay Beach and the color of the water, but didn't like the no nightlife/shopping aspect, lack of AI hotels, and really needing a car to get to various resturants. We also didn't care too much for the snorkeling. I think scuba diving would have been better.

We did enjoy St. Lucia. Very tropical. Lots of flora, fauna and waterfalls. However, the beach and water were not all that desirable. We did find things very spread out except for the Rodney Bay area. We stayed at an AI and did several day trips to see the Island. Airfare to St. Lucia is much more expensive and since it's farther out, a little harder to reach, but worth it. We also didn't care for St. John either. We are more of a Mexico couple, but we did like Aruba very much. There are just tons of things to see and do in those destinations that are not all water related.

If your interested I have our St. Lucia pictures posted at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

(Thanks Blamona)

1venus

Having been to all the placers mentioned, except St. Lucia(Will have to add to my list) T & C is a flat dry rock. Not at all like Cancun,Cozamel or St Thomas & St. John, not much vegitation of any kind. Aruba is also a desert, but they have lots of cactus & thorns. The snorkeling & other activities make it a great choice for the beach person. Snorkeling is our #1 activity, Aruba wins, hands down! Prettiest island-St Thomas or Hawaii. If you like flora & fauna big island of Hawaii has a great variety. But the water isn't as pretty as the caribbean & the water is sooo cold, you have to have a wet suit to stay in very long.
All islands can speak english since there are loads of tourist every year from the english speaking countries.
Most places also offer veg dishes, with no problem. Food is the most expensive in Aruba.
We stayed at a great B&B called the Starfish villa on the island of Provo. Good thing since there was nothing to do after dark. Our B & B had a pool and a "Great Room" where we could watch DVD's on a hugh screen & we had access to the kitchen. Our own private beach & Kyack. On our last night our host made us Choc Chip cookies from scratch! They made our trip great! Just sharing this so you will know if you go to T & C to get a nice place as you will spend more time there than any other island. Also as a heads up- the ferry ride over to North Caicos was nice. But the rental cars over there are terrible. Only one choice and it was worst than any teenagers car we see in the states. Also you can not see the flamingoes closer than about three miles. Just a little pink dot in the camera lense. Don't bother is what I am trying to say, unless you want a very small deserted beach all to yourself.

BellaClaire

I'm going to T&C for the 1st time in April - can't wait! Based on what you are looking for - have you thought about Anguilla? Perhaps Ku on Shoal Bay East? I was there in February - it's BEATUIFUL!!!!!