West Coast US and Carribean
 

Hi all,
My wife and I are travelling for 3 weeks to the US around Xmas and were hoping to spend a week in the Carribean.
Ideally fly into LA then maybe do Vegas and San Fran.
I guess for the Carribean we were after some recommendations, ideally a nice hotel that has an amazing white sand clear water beach. Wouldn't mind a place that has decent night life too, with safety in mind. We don't mind splashing out a little bit.
Also appreciate any advice in terms of logistics for the U.S. eapecially as we plan on doing lots of shopping. Is LA best for shopping over San Fran/Vegas? We were thinking maybe leave LA to the end of our trip after the Carribean as not keen on lugging suitcases around.
Appreciate any help.

Christmas is one of the busiest and most expensive times of the year in the Caribbean and many resorts get fully booked up to a year in advance so don't delay too long making your plans.

Also, it's a long way to travel from the west coast USA - there are no non-stop flights so getting there will entail at least one, maybe two, intermediate stopovers (possibly even an overnight stay while on route). Airfares from the west coast will not be cheap so factor that into your plans.

There are scores of islands and hundreds of resorts to choose from so it's difficult to make suggestions without knowing your accommodations budget and what type of experience you are seeking. Once you decide on the island you want to visit do a simple google search for "Resorts on NAME OF ISLAND" and you'll find lots of helpful information. Also, if you go to the TripAdvisor website you can read reviews for all the resorts/hotels on the island you select.

Since you want "white sand" look at Grand Cayman - it's probably one of the islands easiest to reach from the west coast. You'll find white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, hotels/resorts in a variety of price ranges, plenty of restaurants, good night life and it's one of the safest islands in the Caribbean. In short it ticks off all the things you've mentioned.

Aruba also has white sand beaches and scores of hotels/resorts in all price ranges so it too has what you are seeking.

Anguilla has 35 spectacular white sand beaches but getting there from the west coast will be very time consuming (at least 2 days travel, maybe 3).

Lastly, both LA and SF offer great shopping opportunities - one isn't better than the other they are just different cities but they'll have many of the same stores.

It's a lot easier to get to a vacation spot in Mexico (Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta) from West Coast US (I'm in Seattle) than it is a Caribbean island, which means longer and more involved flights.

Appreciate your advice. Yes definitely are finding the good hotels are fully booked.
Will take a look at Grand Cayman. Think we may luck out!

I would recommend Sandals Monego Bay. Very nice resort, good night life. Friendly staff.

I think combining California with the Caribbean doesn't make sense. What about California and Hawaii? Where are you traveling from?

I agree. From a LA/SF/Vegas trip, adding either Hawaii or Mexico makes a lot more sense than trying to get all the way to the Caribbean.

LA/San Francisco/Hawaiian island or Mexico.

One week in each.

Skip Las Vegas.

<We were thinking maybe leave LA to the end of our trip after the Carribean as not keen on lugging suitcases around.>

Definitely NOT that plan! Seriously. :-)

Why would you go to San Francisco & Las Vegas... then fly ALL the way to the Caribbean... then back to LA???

Where are you coming from?

(just guessing but usually this itinerary is asked about by folks from either Australia or the UK)

Yes Christmas time COULD be expensive but that depends where you choose to stay. The islands offer many options.

If you want to consider the stunningly beautiful and romantic St. Lucia, visit my personal travel blog at:

https://www.travelblog.org/Central-A...og-788144.html

Good luck.