Which island is best with teenagers
 

We are thinking about planning a caribbean vacation in June with two teenagers ages 15 and 16. They are active and want to experience a little bit of everything. We are also interested in some sightseeing. Also, are we better to look at all inclusive resorts are stay at a villa? Which is more costly? Finally, at this point we do not have passports so maybe looking at an island within the u.s.

Welcome to Fodors!

Without passports, you can travel to the USVI. Each island is different and you will need to explore the differences to determine which is the best fit for you and your teenagers. St. John is the most natural, least developed island. The cruise ships dock at St. Thomas which is the most developed island and has more shopping and other activities. St. Croix has it's own charms but would not be my top choice with teens.

A villa rental or other accommodation with a kitchen might be a good choice if you want to save money on meals and snacks by preparing your own. Prices are high on the islands because virtually everything is imported.

There is lots of information about each of the islands stored in the archives here. You can do a search at the top of this page and read trip reports and other information about the islands and then come back to post if you have more specific questions.

www.maho.org Westin St John spg.com magenspoint.com another
great option at St Thomas shopping activities a little better.
Went there in the mid 1960s as a kid used to own a condo there. My brother and I would rent Mopeds and have the run of the island GREAT fun! Happy Travels

you should probably go ahead & get everyone passports. it expands your travel options tremendously.
if you don't you can do usvi or puerto rico.
i think it might be a waste to do all inclusive as one of the main reeasons to go it that booze is included. your kids obviously won't be drinking, so a villa or condo might be a good choice. on the other hand it means you still have to shop, cook & do dishes on your vacation & you may not want to do that.
it would help if you tell us where you'll travel from, when you'll go, your hotel budget, and what exactly your kids will enjoy doing.
if you don't get passports i'd suggest puerto rico or st. thomas. (st. john is very quiet & i've not been to st.croix)
if you do get passports i'd look at maya riviera in mexico. (cancun south to tulum) very safe!, Tons to do, lots of reasonably priced all inclusives with activities kids might enjoy.
fyi - while kids on mopeds might have been ok in the 60's it is NOT a good plan these day.

Thank you everyone for your comments. I think we will go ahead and purchase passports to expand our options. My kids have said they would like to go to the beach, snorkel, sight see, go to a rain forest, and see volcanoes. Quite the range of activities. Another option we have considered is Costa Rica.
We will be traveling in June and leaving from Minnesota. I have no preference on a villa or all inclusive. Our budget is $6,000 for everything, if possible? Any suggestions?

for volcano you are limited to costa rica, st. lucia & montserat.
rain forests - puerto rico, costa rica, grenada, dominica, guadaloupe, st luica.
st. lucia would offer all but it's very expensive to get to.
costa rica would have tons to do but air is close to $800/pp
san juan would be around $450-$500
cancun on air tran from msp $475ish - no rainforest or volcano but has ruins to tour, ziplines, atv rides through the jungle, caves & cenotes to explore, good snorkel, nice beaches and hotels are amoung most reasonable in caribbean.
more mex info at locogringo.com
if you want info re costa rica you should post a new question on the latin america board.