My wife and I (we are in our mid 30's) are planning our first trip to the Caribbean and can't decide between Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, St. Lucia or St. Martin. We are looking for someplace that is romantic, has great beaches, decent options for activities & nightlife, shopping would be a nice plus but not an absolute necessity, while still being somewhat secluded/private. I'd love to hear your opinions; especially if you've been to more then one of the islands that made our short list!!! Please advise.

Stay at Le Meridien L'Habitation Le Domaine on St. Martin. It's located at the bottom of a horseshoe-shaped cove and is surrounded by hills on 3 sides -- and is one of the nicest properties on the Island. St. Martin is known for it's beautiful beaches (you could go to a different beach every day) and fine restaurants (just about everything under the sun) and some good shopping too. There's the "day trip" option as well. St. Martin is very close to Anguilla and St. Barts.<BR><BR>Not much doing on Antigua, although if you want to spend a week in total seclusion and relaxation, try Galley Bay.

My husband and I have been to Antigua twice (not really because we loved it so much, as we got a free week's stay due to a hotel snafu the first time). Both times we found ourselves feeling a little isolated because to get anywhere you have to take a taxi, since they don't have public buses. The beaches/weather were good. The people there are fairly friendly. The food was pretty ordinary (but we are admittedly picky about the quality of our meals.)<BR> On the other hand we LOVED Barbados. Very nice, friendly people, better quality food, plenty to do if you want to sightsee etc. The "duty free" shopping is not a bargain there, however. We stayed for a week at the Bougainvillea Beach Resort on the south side of the island. (By the way we do not have unlimited funds, so if you have tons of cash you can find a great place to stay anywhere!) We were very happy with the accomodations, beach, etc.<BR>Enjoy your trip...

as soon as you specified "somewhat secluded/private", that short lists gets even shorter. The winner would have to be St. Lucia. None of the others come close to meeting that criteria, although I'm sure you can find some quiet spots on any of them. Of course, the more secluded/private, the less nightlife options you'll have. Then you'd probably go with the most crowded, least private places - St. Martin, Aruba, Barbados.

I would have to agree with Paul. We go to the Caribbean every year and St. Lucia has been the most beautiful so far. Great views everywhere you look, we just spent our 25th Anniversary there. Email me if you like.

Thanks for the information, I believe my wife and I are leaning a bit towards St. Lucia (possibly Sandals).<BR><BR>Any additional information will certanily be appreciated!!

John, wonderful choice! But if seclusion and romance are high on your list, you may want to do more research on the south part of the island, perhaps Jalousie Hilton, Mago Estate, Anse Chastenet, or Ladera. Sandals is in the north part of the island--the busy, less tropical part. I’ve actually never been there so maybe the resort itself has what you're looking for. But really, the terms romance and seclusion go hand-in-hand with the south part of the island.

We Stayed at the Sandals St.Lucia Golf Resort wonderful place. Very large and spacious. Food was great and we will return there in Feb. Emile me if you like information!! Happy Travels.

Hi:<BR>My favorite is Barbadoes. Nice <BR>people, great beaches and great <BR>weather with great breezes.<BR><BR>Antigua beautiful but primitive.<BR>St. Martin and Aruba very busy and <BR>commercial with gambling casinos.<BR> Have fun. Ellen

Try Turks &amp; Caicos, Tortola, or St. John. St. Martin sucks, it's barren, dry &amp; dirty. TCI is paradise with little tourism, very safe &amp; clean. The water is like glass, very blue &amp; clear. Tortola is very lush &amp; beautiful but the water is a little rough.

I would choose Bucuti Beach Resort in Aruba, it is quiet secluded while you have the Aruban nightlife and shopping just minutes away. The beach at Bucuti is half a mile wide and white. Check it out at. <BR><BR>www.bucuti.com

Hello!<BR><BR>Glad to hear you are leaning towards St Lucia. We have been twice and stay at Rendezvous, a resort for couples only. We have five children (now grown) but we love the peacefulness and pampering of Rendezvous and the staff there are exemplary. We will return there again. Food wonderful, entertainment fun, beach bar and swim up bar the best! Orange flag in the sand and they will bring you whatever you want to drink and being all inclusive it is the best!<BR><BR>We love the North end of the island, and have had fun exploring the south as well. If you like relaxed and not so formal Rendezvous is a great place. They have formal and casual opportunities. For Valentine's Day they surprised us with a complimentary sunset catamaran, steel drum rum cruise.<BR><BR>Have fun. Be sure to get to know the locals. They are wonderful.<BR><BR>The Foxes

You will enjoy St. Lucia. Our hike through the rainforest with a guide is such a lovely memory. We rented a villa at the Windjammer. It was incredible! It had its own splash swimming pool and had an incredible view. Enjoy!