KonaMom

We are planning on a trip to the Caribbean for the first time and are just starting to get info as to the best place to go, time of year, what to do and stay. My husband was told that for first time visitors, St. Thomas is the best place to go. We like to snorkel a lot and would like to do sight-seeing. We usually vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii and like the warm dry weather, great beaches and snorkeling. What are the pros and cons of staying at an all-inclusive resort? Thanks!

blamona

Best snorkeling n order:

Bonaire (not great beaches)
Roatan Honduras
Belize (okay beaches)
Cozumel Mexico
St John Virgin Islands
Cayman islands
Turks and Caicos

I personally find AI to be worth t if you drink a lot, if not, not so much.

RoamsAround

Add Virgin Gorda to the islands with very good snorkeling.

To answer your question about "what time of year to go?" - it depends. If you live in the northern hemisphere and want to get away from cold, ice & snow go in the winter but expect to pay highest room rates of the year and encounter highest number of tourists. If you are willing to travel in the summer months you'll find find lower room rates and more families. Go in late Spring and Fall (except Thanksgiving) for low room rates & few tourists. Avoid Late August through end of October as that's peak hurricane season when many resorts & restaurants are closed.

As for "what to do" - varies from island to island but usual activities include scuba diving, water sports, deep sea fishing, hiking, sailing, kayaking, exploring, etc.

PhillyBob1

Given it's a first for you..I'd suggest St John..You can always go over to St Thomas for shopping or some historical thrills..You can also take day trips to Virgin Gorda,Tortola or many of the smaller islands..A good way to do it is on a day sail or power boat..It will stop at a few good snorkeling spots as well as somewhere like Jost Van Dyke for lunch. I used to live on St John and can recommend either renting a cottage or staying at a place like Gallows Point.A rental car is nice but St John also has a pretty good public transit system to get to most of the beaches...Have a blast..Bob

Odin

Re: AI pros and cons, we are not big drinkers but occasionally take AI simply because of the convenience. We probably have a couple of cocktails plus beer/wine with meals, sometimes not even that. Some hotels are not near anything, as we have a busy work life, we are too tired to be looking for restaurants every day, of which some can be disappointing, some islands are very expensive to eat out all the time. On some islands it is simply not necessary to take AI or it might not even exist. We would not take AI options in places like the ABC islands, Negril, French Caribbean, Grand Cayman etc.

Grand Cayman has great snorkelling, beautiful 7 mile beach, lots of restaurants, good range of accommodation but it is expensive.

St Lucia has beaches that might remind you of those on Big Island and reasonable snorkelling around Anse Chastenet and Anse Cochon. The scenery is beautiful. There are many choices of hotel depending on budget and would recommend at least a meal plan, especially if your hotel is in the south.

KVR

My "best" snorkel list is a little different than Blamona's. I would go with Grand Cayman first and then Cozumel second. We've found good snorkeling in the Riviera Maya area of Mexico, but you have to travel off the resorts to locate it.

I am probably one of the few people who was not impressed with the snorkeling in St. John. I have just found better elsewhere. A trip to St. Thomas would not be my first choice for a Caribbean vacation destination or snorkeling. That island has had it share of issues.

We have done many AI vacations. We like it because it's convenient and less expensive than non-AI vacations. It's good if you like to drink a lot and not picky about the food. Usually, the more lux the resort with multiple dining options the better. The Sandals resorts are an exception. Some destinations are better than others for that choice. Some destinations do not offer an AI choice and some that do really shouldn't.

For a first trip that involves snorkeling, I would go with Grand Cayman. Stay on 7 Mile Beach and go with a snorkel tour that also takes you to Stingray City. There are no AI's on 7 Mile Beach. The food and drinks can be quite expensive there. Condos with kitchens are most people's choice.

Bassguy66

St Thomas is NOT the place to go if you want great snorkeling.

IMHO, St John & Grand Cayman are two of the best I've seen, with Belize & Riviera Maya not far behind.

Two places I haven't been yet, but have reputations for world class snorkeling are Cozumel & Roatan. I have a feeling Roatan is my next destination, as it has a reef just off the beach there that looks amazing.

For a 1st trip, I'd say St John or Grand Cayman would be great choices. Biggest difference is that GC is built up more, and you will find accomodations on beautiful Seven Mile Beach. In St John, you will either get a condo or villa, and explore different beaches every day in your jeep.

PhillyBob1

Having been to GC many times..I would suggest staying on the northside. There are some villa/cottage rentals and also some small guest houses on one fair sized hotel..When you get out on the west end of the north shore, the reef is from 20-50 yrs off the beaches..Not much to see on the flats on the way out but just swim or climb over the rock reef and it can be very rewarding..You can always rent a car for a day or two to go into town for shopping, go to 7 miles beach,the turtle farm ect. Usually when I go..when I land,,I get a small rental car..stop for food and drink and head to the northshore..rarely going into Georgetown except for a concert or special event..Have a blast..

KonaMom

Thanks everyone for the awesome information and recommendations! Please keep posting anything else you can think of. Thanks for the help!!!

TPAYT

I will also agree with St. John or Grand Cayman.

St. John you will need a car for very easy driving around to the different beaches & restaurants.
Grand Cayman, Seven Mile beach is very built up but has so many restaurants & shops and easy driving that it might be more comfortable for a 1st visit. A boat trip to snorkel with thee sting wrays is always a hit even if it is touristy.

Also both of these are easy to get to. Some others we like just take too long with too many plane and/or boat changes.

We had to laugh---after snorkeling on St. John our daughter was at another island site the next year. When she jumped in her head came out of the water and she said, "this isn't snorkeling, it's just swimming!"