HELP! My husband and I are planning our first anniversary trip for May. We want something very affordable on the beach...romantic, no kids, good nearby restaurants, snorkling, nature things to see/do, etc. We were hoping for somewhere that neither of us has been, so we were thinking maybe Anguilla? But we really have no idea. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I meant to add that we do not want an all-inclusive place. We tried that for our honeymoon and found that the food was better off the resort!

It's a bit difficult to make recommendations for you since you say you want to go "somewhere neither of you have been" but you don't mention where you've been. Also, while Anguilla might offer much of what you are seeking it really cannot be categorized as "something very affordable" especially if you are seeking beachfront accomodations. Anguilla is generall considered one of the more pricier islands (that's not to say it can't be done on a budget it just means that most of the more well known resorts and restaurants might be out of your price range. It would help if you could be more specific about your budget requirements.

Since you are travelling in May your chances of encountering families with children will be low but in this day and age it no one can gurantee you won't see any children at the resort you finally choose. Even resorts that have a "no-children" policy don't always enforce it. One other thing, families tend to frequent the lower priced resorts so "having something very affordable" only increases your odds of encountering children.

Since you are looking for snorkeling as well as "nature things" consider looking at St. John in the USVI's or one of the BVI's like Tortola, Virgin Gorda or even Anegada.

We're heading to Anguilla in April and we'll be staying at the Rendezvous Bay Resort. I obviously can't give you my opinion on it yet, but it was the most affordable place we could find on what is widely reported as a fantastic beach. We're staying in a villa room right on the beach. That's what is recommended. The garden rooms don't get positive reviews. You should check out the reviews on Trip Advisor. Some of the reviews have pictures of the rooms and the beach.

You are right about that ... I didn't give enough info. Sorry! We have been to St. Thomas, St. John, St. Marteen, Bahamas, Jamaica, Cancun, and Cozumel. We are considering Aruba, Antigua, Anguilla, St. Lucia, or the Caymans. By "very affordable," I just mean not luxury prices. Thank you for your help!

If you're interested in Anguilla, reasonable places include Rendezvous Bay Hotel, Anguilla Great House, Allamanda, Ku, Shoal Bay Villas, Serenity, Carimar, Blue Waters and Turtles Nest. There are a gazillion restaurants, many of which are quite reasonable but you will need a car to get around (& with more than 80 restaurants and 33 beaches, you'll want one). They run about $215-230 a week off-season.