Where to go - March/April 2018?
 

My family (wife and 2 adult children) and I are looking for some ideas on an island to go to for a three week vacation in March/April 2018. We have rented houses/villas all over the world and much prefer them to hotels or resorts...we like the privacy. We like to relax, swim, snorkel, deep sea fish, walk and see a few of the sights. Being very near on the beach would be great.

I've looked at several islands and am leaning towards (thought could be convinced otherwise) at: TCI, BVI, and Anguilla.

I would like to keep the lodging cost in the $450-$500 per night.

Any ideas or suggestions would be very appreciated.

Look at villas at Guavaberry Spring Bay or Mahoe Bay on Virgin Gorda the island offers EVERYTHING you are seeking and the villas on those properties are either right on on or within a few hundred feet of great beaches with very good to excellent walk-in snorkeling. Also, Virgin Gorda is linked by ferry to a number of nearby islands that you can easily visit for day trips.

Three weeks is a long time and allows you the time to go to more out of the way places like Virgin Gorda or the Out Islands of the Bahamas. It might be a little bit long for someplace like TCI.

BVI and Anguilla are good choices since they are in "island groups" that would allow you to see other places on day trips or overnight trips. Virgin Gorda as a base would bring in Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola and numerous smaller islands. You wouldn't get bored. Anguilla allows for trips to St. Martin (short ferry) and St. Barts.

VG would be a good choice. The Bahama out island for me personally would be a bit too cool in March but close to ideal in April. Anguilla is nice but pricier for a villa on the beach - not sure how many of those they have. Very different vibe. One is more rustic charming while the other is more chic. Many more restaurant selection available on Anguilla. So if you are a foodie definitely consider Anguilla.

Thanks very much for the information. Would you recommend Mahoe Bay over Leverick Bay? From what I've read Leverick may not be the best location to snorkel and swim, whereaas Mahoe is better for that.

We are looking at Villa Del Sole on Mahoe Bay. Thoughts?

You can't go wrong with Mahoe Bay.

Mahoe Bay = great 3/4 mile long secluded golden sand beach lapped by gin clear calm waters, very good "triple" snorkeling reef that starts just 100' or so off shore that runs the entire length of the bay, western exposure giving you fantastic view of nearby islands and cays as well as the setting sun. Simply put it doesn't get much better anywhere in the Caribbean.

All villas on Mahoe are upscale and either beachfront or beach access (anywhere from 100' to 400' or so from the beach). We've stayed a Beachcomber several times so I can't comment on Villa del Sol other than to say it 's up on the hillside and looks very nice from the outside.

Pick the villa that best fits your needs and budget, honestly, you can't go wrong with any villa in the complex.

Thanks to everyone for your guidance and information. We have decided on Villa Del Sole, Mahoe Bay. We are really looking forward to it!

Any ideas on rental car companies? I've heard good things about Mahogany.

We used Mahogany and had a great experience. I wound up slightly damaging the car (totally my fault) and they were totally fair and transparent about resolving the issue.