Which Island to Visit
 

Hi,
This may be too broad of a question, but I am hoping someone who has been to many islands can help me. My husband and I will be going away for 1 week next April or May for our 10th anniiversary, we are in our late 30s. After much discussion we think we will end up in the Caribbean (although Cabo and Hawii are on our short list also).

A few criteria
* We are going to mostly relax at the hotel - we want a nice pool and beach front
* Other than snorkeling (would love to see turtles) we are not really into any water sports
* Would like to rent a car for a day and drive around and see something (nature formations and/oristorical sites), so we want a safe island
* Nightlife would be nice but not a must
* I would not say money is no object, but we are not looking to go lower end either

I have been to Nassau/Paradise Island, Grand Bahama Island, The Dominican, Jamaica, Aruba and short visits on a cruise to Grand Cayman & Roatan. We are not looking to repeat what we have already done. I would consider an all-inclusive but am still undecided.

I was considering St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos (although I have heard there is not much to do there other than the beach). Thoughts on these or other suggestions.

nature formations and/oristorical sites = nature formations and/historical sites. Sorry for the typo

I think Cabo Sasn Lucas or Hawaii are worth serious consideration. Those are two favorite places of mine.

Where are you coming from? Does the flight time/cost sway the decision?

What about Riviera Maya?....beautiful beaches....Also you can visit Tulum,and Playa Del Carmen...also great beaches and fun excursions.

My first thought was Barbados. You can swim with turtles and rent a car for the time you want to explore.

The Caribbean side of Mexico would have the Mayan Ruins and Historical sites. You can swim with turtles in Akumel about an hour outside of Playa del Carmen. I do not rent cars in Mexico, but some people do.

We are scheduled for Cabo this December. We have been going to the Caribbean side of Mexico for the past 10 years, and have been to PV once, so wanted to try something different.

St Thomas and St John are worthy of consideration. The end of April is the height of Carnival on St Thomas. Great snorkeling. St John is largely national park. Not a great all-inclusive spot as there are too many great bars and restaurants to sample. ;-)

I am traveling from Boston. The Caribbean would be a bit cheaper and closer to fly than Hawaii or Mexico on the Pacific side. We are planning on going for a week.


I will check out the Caribbean side of Mexico, I had not even considered that. I have been to Cozumel for a short trip on a cruise, but I was young and only went to bars :)
St. Thomas and St. John were high on our list because from what I can tell they are very safe.

Thank you, these are all very helpful.

Barbados is good option,beautiful calm Caribbean beaches on the west coast (St James, St Peter), nightlife around St Lawrence/Gap, historical buildings eg Sunbury Plantation House, nature formations eg Harrisons Cave, easy to drive around and the east coast is windswept and beautiful, great for excursion in a rental car.

Grenada as well, less developed than Barbados but local people are really friendly, beautiful island, beautiful beach at Grand Anse and some good hotels too, can't think of historical sites though however the island itself is very pretty and easy to drive around.

Antigua as well, has stunning beaches but the island is not as pretty as Barbados or Grenada, Nelsons Dockyard is very impressive. There are many islands that would fit the bill.

My wife and I went to St. Martin ( French side) a few years ago and really enjoyed it. We had delicious meals at the restaurants in Grand Case and enjoyed the beach at the Radisson Resort in Anse Marcel. However, there are hotel options in Orient Beach and Grand Case as well. We rented a car one day and drove around the island and you can take day trips to Anguilla and St. Barth's as well.

I agree, Hawaii is a LONG way from Boston to go for only a week. I'd save it for when you have more time.

St John is a very beautiful island!

Definitely do look at Mexico, flying into Cancun, then going on to somewhere like Isla Mujeres or the stretch around Playa del Carmen on down to Akumal/Tulum.