I am considering a romantic vacation to either Aruba or St. Lucia between April and September of this year, any suggestions or comments would be welcome. I would like to keep the vacation costs between $2,000 -$3,000. thank you

I have been to both islands and enjoyed each one. I do not think you can go wrong with either choice. St Lucia is not as "advanced' as Aruba. If you go to St. Lucia I would suggest that you stay at an all inclusive. I have stayed at The Wyndham Morgan Bay ( this past Jan) and Rendevous ( several years ago). <BR>I would not suggest renting a car in St. Lucia as driving is not safe there due to the condition of the roads. Plan on taking tours. <BR> <BR>Aruba is more commeralized but easier to get around. We rented a car for a week and enjoyed the entire island on our own. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Palm Beach. It has an excellent location. I would not buy their meal package as it is over priced. There are plenty of good restaurants that are easy to get to from the hotel. <BR> <BR>Aruba is more desert and St. Lucia is more tropical. Aruba has more shopping. <BR>Have fun . Sharon

Hi Steve: We have been to both St Lucia and Aruba(twice). Unless you are a scuba diver (Anse Chasetanet) I would diffently pick Aruba over St.Lucia. The lushness of St.Lucia is breathtaking however Aruba has the best overall package. Aruba has fantastic restaurants, great casinos, friendly people and some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. We also enjoyed renting a car in Aruba, snorkling at Baby Beach,and DePalm Island and horseback riding in the National Park. The boardwalk at Palm Beach is full of activity both day and night. Feel free to walk the beaches of take public buses day or night. We stayed at LaCabana Suites but if money wasn't an object i would stay at the Hyatt it is gorgeous. If you do decide on St.Lucia make sure to go to Soufriere to see the pitons and the diamand falls and mineral springs. Karen

Hi, <BR>St. Lucia is a beautiful place, but quite like Jamaica in its OVERALL attitude towards visitors. OVERPRICED FOR EVERYTHING....you pay a great deal for only a so so value! Be careful! <BR>The island is quite tiring to drive, be forwarned. <BR>More Americans will never return to St. Lucia, than will ever go back! Does that say something?

St.Lucia is a beautiful tropical island with many different types of hotels to suit your needs..small,large ,all inclusive,map,quiet,exclusive,and not so.the roads are good by caribbean standards,ie not too many potholes,but the driving is best done defensively! <BR>Aruba is flat,desert like,and not too interesting unless you gamble and just want to hang out on the beach all day.Both islands have good restaurants,although Fodors seems not to have updated their entries for a few years and have some surprising omissions.

Hi Steve: I should begin by saying that I own a travel agency. With my extensive experience I can tell you that St. Lucia outsells Aruba 5-1. There is more to see and do in St. Lucia. It is much prettier. It has mountains, rain forests and beautiful beaches. The food is great on both islands. Hope this helps.

We visited St. Lucia in March and had a great time. I definitely will return. We stayed at the Sandal's Halcyon which was great, but the next time we'd like to stay on the southern end of the island near the Pitons. That end of the island is much more beautiful. We found the locals to be friendly and not pushy. One simple "no, thank you," was enough to those selling things. The other tourists we met in St. Lucia had a similar experience to ours and all said they would not hesitate to go back. We met a man who has travelled all over the Caribbean and he said you wouldn't find an island friendlier than St. Lucia (meaning Aruba may be equal). <BR> <BR>We stopped in Aruba on a cruise in March 1998, we did the Jeep Safari for the day. Aruba was very dry and windy, not what I had expected, it was more like a desert. The nice thing about Aruba is that it is out of the hurricane belt.

Steve: Aruba is very user friendly. The locals are, for the most part, very warm. There is a lot to do and there is always a buzz of activity around the major resorts. The interior of the island is more like Arizona than the Caribbean.For the most part, you can go where you want to on the island without feeling uncomfortable. Hope this helps you.