Which island for me?
 

Help me out with choosing where to go in the caribbean.
Here are my needs: fabulous, calm water. Great beaches. Excellent snorkeling from shore. Nice scenery would be a plus, but not neccesary (lush foilage vs. desert) Swimming and snorkeling and crashing on the beach would be our primary pastimes. Go-beach vacations are about one thing for us...the beach and the water. Thanks for your input and ideas.

If your looking for quite solitutde and great beaches try St Barths. There are no casinos and not a lot of night life. We were there in May '03 and there were no crowds. The island can be pricey but more reasonable meals can be found. Hamburgers at the hotel were $15.00 and at a local restaurant (LeSelect)$7.00. The island has a very distintive French flavor and is clean and no poverty. That is not to say the island is bland. If you go rent a car for your entire stay. There are two remote beaches (no facilities) that are really pretty and a great place for a picnic and some snorkling.
St Johns has good snorkling and the island is very scenic with great beaches. The island is not commercial.
Grand Cayman has excellent snorkling and scuba with a 7 mile sandy beach, but is commercial.
St Lucia in my opinin is the most tropical island and pretty good snorkling and scuba but more difficult to get around depending where you stay.
If you are not traveling with children Orient Beach in St Martin is a nice long beach. It is clothing optional, but has several beach restaurants/bars and water activities. The beach can get crowded. With a car St Martin is easy to get around and offers a lot of night life and casinos.

I would plug Cat Island in the Bahamas and Anegada, northernmost of the BVI's. Seclusion, privacy and nothing to do but decide which beach to go to that day. By the way, both have some of the best snorkeling we have ever experienced anywhere.

You might also want to research Anguilla, which is right next to St. Martin. That way, you could easily ferry between the two if you'd like a change of pace.

Anguilla or St. Maarten. Anguilla has the best beaches for dazzling white sand, and both St. Maarten and Anguilla have clear, calm, turquoise water. For snorkelling, you might consider a day-trip on a powered catamaran to Prickly Pear and Sandy Island off Anguilla. Nice reefs there in shallow, calm water. Anguilla is more laid back atmosphere, and no topography to speak of. St. Maarten is more action-oriented, with beautiful mountains to backdrop the beaches. We just returned from 10 days on St. Maarten, and we tried a lot of the beaches (there are 37, I think) so you can certainly find one that meets your requirements. Our personal favorite was Mullet Beach, with Anse Marcel (La Habitacion Resort) a close second. Both offer calm, clear water, and white sand. Enjoy!

If you're mainly looking for fabulous water, I would say GC. Try looking for a condo rather than staying in a hotel. Stingray City is spectacular and the island is famous for it's food. Not much in the way of nighttime entertainment, though

Well from the requirements specified (great beach, foliage, snorkeling from shore etc.) I would strongly suggest that you consider Cayo Largo, Cuba. It's an island off the south coast of Cuba and is part of the Archipielago de los Canarreos.
I have stayed at the Melia Sol Club Cayo Largo and it was simply wonderful. Playa Lindamar (the beach) has to be one of the Caribbean's best kept secrets except to us Canadians. IMHO, it is one of the finest beaches in the Caribbean and Cayo Largo itself is a wonderful place for rest and relaxation and a traditional beach holiday. And for sure you won't have to pay $15 bucks for a hamburger.

my dos centavos
Steve