Why is this so difficult?
 

I've never been to the Carribbean and I have been researching "the island" for weeks already. I'm looking for clean, safe, not too touristy, not crowded, scenic (lush better than desert), good roads / taxi services (so that I'm not confined to the hotel), island.<BR><BR>Thought about Anguilla but heard it was very expensive and not too lush.<BR><BR>Thought about St. Lucia but heard that it didn't have good roads and taxis were expensive.<BR><BR>Thought about St. Barths - heard this is expensive but fits many of the criteria - this may be the one (please confirm).<BR><BR>Thought about St. Thomas (Ritz Carlton) but heard it wasn't too safe and would be confined to resort (although a top class resort).<BR><BR>Thought about Aruba but its a desert and too Americanized.<BR><BR>Thought about Grand Cayman but heard it was too crowded, expensive and just a bunch of condos.<BR><BR>Can anyone stop the madness (I know I may be too hard to please / searching for perfection). Any suggestions would be appreciated!<BR><BR>Ed

Ed, you may as well stay home!! With that out of the way, only St. Barts and Grand Cayman have the BEST standard of living, but St. Barts is very hilly, so the "road" question could be a problem! There has also been a recent water shortage on the island, so you better investigate that one before you go! Other than that, I would turn around and head for the islands of Kauai and the Big Island in Hawaii!!

Barbados has excellent roads, some beautiful beaches and is clean and safe.

We're using similar criteria and we're seriously considering a trip to Grenada - you might want to take a closer look at it.<BR><BR>

How about St. John?

Seems like you are spending lots of time listening and relying on "rumors" rather than getting the facts. Each island has its pluses and minuses but when thinking Carib, I think beach! Decide what you DO want and go from there ... all the rest falls into place! My take is that Anguilla can be expensive if you take the "high end route." There are plenty of moderate places to stay as well as inexpensive restaurants (altho have to admit I didn't try any!). Think it is pretty much on a par with St. Barth's by the way if you take the high end! Taxis are outrageously expensive, I think, and it pays to rent a car (but that is true for many islands!). Don't know who told you that you couldn't leave the Ritz on STT. They know not of what they speak! Out on quiet East End with easy conveniece to Red Hook for ferrys to St. John and the BVI's. You heard right about Aruba but maybe worrying about roads and infrastructre that's a good place! All American highrise hotels with lots of timeshares between tho! And since it is your first time, maybe the "familiarity" would give you the comfort level you seek. St. Lucia not a destination that I would choose, but others love it. St. John roads might freak you out - hilly curvey with drop dead views!! Picking an island is a tradeoff! You have to decide what you want the most and what you will compromise with! Why not a cruise, altho they are NOT for me, you could make several stops and check out what makes you feel "good" and would like to return to!

Thanks for the feedback “anonymous” – wanted more info on St. Thomas. We were thinking that we stay at the Ritz (because it’s such a nice place) and venture to STJ and BVIs for the day. If I stay at Ritz at STT, how safe would it be to venture out to the East End and the ferry to STJ (and come back later at night)? - Do I need a car to do this? I’m okay with it but my wife would be “freaked out” if she was approached by aggressive panhandlers, taxi drivers (who want to take your luggage) – especially on our vacation. How long does it take from the Ritz to STJ and BVIs? Must a car be rented to explore STT and STJ? Thanks!<BR><BR>Ed<BR>

Ed, "Anonymous" above is WRONG about St. Thomas! You will NOT want to leave the grounds at all -- certainly not to go out and explore a place that looks like THAT!! Yes, the Ritz is a gorgoues, secluded property and you both will love it, but just don't plan on leaving the grounds!

I am "anonymous" - sorry for the mispost and can't figure how it even happened. Rather than getting into a battle with "Tim" who obviously has a grudge, let me tell you about the Ritz. <BR>It is a magnificant property with outstanding service and possibly unparalleled on St. Thomas. It is on the East End with only a short 10 minute or less ride to Red Hook. I have not yet encountered a panhandler, aggressive taxi drivers (other than in Charlotte Amalie where everyone is asking if you want to go back to the ship brings a smile and a "no, thank you."). Sure, Charlotte Amalie can be an adventure and not one that you would do at nite alone on the back streets of CA! <BR>The Ritz has great proximity to some good restaurants on East End but the taxi ride to FrenchTown or even Town for a couple of the outstanding ones can add a bunch to your dinner tab! You definately will want to explore the island - maybe spin around one day to the scenic high points and the taxi drivers on both STT and STJ would be most happy to accomodate if you didn't want to do the rental car routine. Those places on island that you may not want to explore are easily identified. St. John is a 15 minute ferry and, depending on the island, the BVI's can be about hour away depending on boat and destination. (I would taxi to the dock rather than try to find a parking place and pay for parking) or you can take the rental to St. John on the car ferry - but check with the agencies - not all allow it! The Ritz has fabulous day trips on their cat, Lady Lindsey, with even a full day to Jost (definately a winner!) and a wonderful sunset cruise! Of course, you would use due caution where ever you go but St. Thomas is NOT the kinda island where you will want to stay holed up on your resort! If that were true there would be a proliferation of all inclusives like some other islands and there are only two. I happen to enjoy my time on St. Thomas (and I do spend a lot of time there!) and have never felt threatened or even intimidated! If you decide, go to www.scubamom.com and read her review of the Ritz - but be aware that they are explanding and also building a Ritz Club next door but that should not impact upon your stay! And I seriously doubt that if St. Thomas were such an awful island, high end developers (like the Ritz and Four Seasons) would not be investing in high end places on the island!! It is a busy island, in some places, it does have tons of socio-economic problems and it has its quirks. But, the good hardworking island residents are wonderfully friendly and welcoming. We are hopefully headed there for Carnival in a week or so and I can't wait to get back on island!! You might also want to check out www.caneelbay.com on St. John - those 7 wonderful beaches on property are hard to beat!!

Hi Ed: You seem very nervous about choosing a Caribbean vacation. I have been lucky enough to have been to many of the islands your are thinking about. Based on all your criteria I can remove almost all of them off the list. Aggressive peddlers in Grenada,St Lucia,dry islands like Aruba , Curacao and Margarita Island, rough roads in St Thomas, Dominica, expensive taxis in Grand Cayman. The one island that might satisfy all your needs would be Barbados. It is lush, beautiful beaches, easy to drive around on your own and the people are not overly agressive trying to make a living. Barbados in my book is not a 10 out of 10 in any specific area but overall it is a very reliable destination. There is good variety of hotel and restaurant choices for different budgets and lots to do from water sports to taking in some history. We are heading for Jamaica in May but I don't think you would even contemplate that island!!Karen

Larry, yes Barbados has good roads (but most are poorly marked), some beautiful beaches (I agree) and is clean (mostly but not like Cayman or Aruba or even Cancun) and safe (mostly petty theft &amp; daylight beach muggings, guess you were lucky). I agree it's one of the better islands but everyone's experience is different.<BR><BR>Dan<BR>

Thanks to all for their suggestions and thoughtful insight. I read some posts about Barbados and some said it was not as safe as some of the islands that I was considering. I think I'm leaning toward St. John or Anguilla. Anguilla offers safety and not a lot of people (which I like) - how about St. John - is it crowded / touristy being that it's a small island?<BR><BR>Ed

My vote is for St John. Check out "police blotter" in St. Thomas in VI Daily News. Quite a bit of activity. Fly in then ferry out. You can see all the other island from St. John. If you like resort type accomodations, Westin or Canaeel Bay. You will have peace of mind. Peaceful friendly island-close to all.

St. John is not as busy as some of the other islands especially in the "off season." Since most of the island is Nat'l Park, those areas do remain undeveloped. The beaches are lovely and the roads certainly are exciting! It is lush and tropical often with grapetree leaves right down to the beach line. Great snorkling from some of the beaches and easy access to the BVI's. Anguilla, on the other hand, is not very lush and green. Driving was easy except there are NO signs but the Islanders are ever so friendly when you get lost! We often went in search of our nite's choice for dining during daylite so that we wouldn't get lost at nite! The beaches are wonderful there also but I didn't find the snorkling as good as on St. John but then we didn't go to the recommended beaches for that. Easy convenience to both SXM and St. Barth's for day trips too via ferry or plane. I definately think that the dining was better, overall, on Anguilla than St. John. Many people opt for villas or self-catering on St. John since the resorts are limited. Caneel Bay is wonderful; on Anguilla, you may want to see if Cap Juluca is offering any "specials" - someone posted that they were offering rooms @$300 a nite but that seems hard for me to believe. It is wonderful! There is also some villa/resorts there too. Hard for me to pick one island over the other for beautiful beaches!! Food nod goes to Anguilla; resort nod, Anguilla. You can fly directly to Anguilla (AXA) by transferring in SanJuan while to get to St. John you have to fly than ferry to STJ.

I would be bored stiff in Anguilla or St John for a week and I don't have nearly as many prerequistes for an island as Ed!!!!!

Go to Aruba.....you want to go to <BR>a Caribbean island but you do not want<BR>the inconveniences that come w/ most<BR>of these. Like you, we searched &amp; searched. For a beach holiday we love Aruba!

Have been to Grand Cayman several times and am going again next month. I have never found it to be crowded and there is virtually no crime. Do not know about the price of taxis because it is a very easy island to navigate around in and a jeep is only $235 a week. They have beautiful beaches and I have yet to find a bad restaurant. It is really a great choice for a first trip to the Caribbean. However, my first trip to the Caribbean was Aruba and we loved it too. It is a desert island, but the resorts are lush and green. The only downfall to Aruba in my book is the wind. And some days it is not as bad as others. While we were there, there was only one really bad wind day. The one thing Aruba has going for it is that it is out of the hurricane belt. Believe me, you will just have to pick an island and go. You cannot go by what you read that someone else likes. We went to St. Lucia because everyone on the boards was raving about it and it was the vacation from hell for us. I would never return there, even if you paid for my trip and gave me money to spend!!

Check out St. Kitts. It is volcanic, the roads are okay with plenty of helpful taxi drivers, and it is not touristy at all. Eating out is not expensive (lobster, fixings, and drinks for 4 adults = $100 USD). There is alot to see and do. <BR><BR> Depending on where you are coming from, it is easy to get to. There are charters from the east coast, midwest and Canada. Otherwise, American Airlines (of course!) has several daily flights from San Juan, with just over an hours flying time.<BR><BR>I do not feel uncomfortable walking around SK. Crime is something they take very seriously and they still carry out public hangings for certain offenses, so crime is pretty well deterred. Of course, you must use common sense and not display flashy jewelry or lots of money or walk in back alleys at night, but those are precautions I would take anywhere.

Ed, I have a really good suggestion based on your criteria, Harbour Island in the Bahamas, small intimate hotels right on the most amazing stretch of beach, great food, and lots of things to do.<BR><BR>The island is small only 3 miles by a half mile so you can walk anywhere and there is no crime on island so you can walk anywhere day or night.<BR><BR>There are lots of taxi's and each ride is $3.00 per person anywhere you go on the island. The roads are fine, so you should not have any problems.<BR><BR>You might try the website for the island www.briland.com (say Harbour Island fast 3 times) Briland is what the natives call the island and they are Brilanders.<BR><BR>Lots of interesting history to the island and it looks like a Martha's Vineyard of the Carribean, lots of flavor to the island and warm welcoming people.<BR><BR>Have a wonderful time on your trip wherever you choose to go.<BR><BR>tweedy

Thanks again for all the good suggestions! I've narrowed it down to either Anguilla, St. John, Harbour Island. Any comments on selecting between those finalists?<BR><BR>We may be bored after a couple of days - how's the travel options to other islands from these three? With Anguilla, we could ferry over to St. Thomas. St. Thomas can be reached by ferry from St. John. Don't know too much about traveling to &amp; from Harbour Island. Which island is safest? cleanest? the one with the least people? (sounds like Harbour Island for the least people).<BR><BR>Ed

Hi Ed, ... From Harbour Island, you can ferry over to the 110 mile long island of Eleuthera in just 10 minutes on a water taxi. A rental car is a must to explore the many caves and beaches on both the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. For accommodations in Eleuthera, Cartwright's Cottages in Tarpum Bay offers fully furnished cottages fully equipped with kitchen a/c t.v and very close to local food markets as well. Sights to see, Lighthouse Beach in Bannermantown, Glass Window Bridge near Gregory Town, Ocean Hole in Rock Sound Preachers Cave in N. Eleuthera the the Island School in Cape Eleuthera and the once famous Cotton Bay Cub are a few major attractions to explore. Email me if you need any additonal info. You will have a great time here.

Hi Ed - I may be wrong but I don't think you can take a ferry from Anguilla to St. Thomas. If you can, it would be an awfully long trip. I know that you can take a ferry to St. Martin, and possibly St. Barths, from Anguilla though. We are headed to Anguilla and then St. Barth's next week. We have never been to Anguilla but this will be our fifth trip to St. Barths and I can't say enough good things about it. I would definitely recommend it over St. Thomas (I've been there and it doesn't compare to some of the other islands). From what I hear Anguilla is another great island, that's why we decided to try it. Good luck!

I think Ed meant to put "Anguilla to St. Martin." No can do a ferry between St. Thomas and Anguilla. But ferry between St.Thomas and St. John (and a trial run of a ferry between St.Thomas and St. Croix for the month of April). Also easy access by public ferry to the BVI from the USVI. You can ferry between St. Barth's and St. Martin (to connect to Saba) from Anguilla.

As far as "high end" on St. Thomas as Karen W mentioned, well, the Ritz has a new resort on Jamaica as well, so what does THAT tell you?!? N O T H I N G ! <BR><BR>As for Anguilla -- yes, it is a quiet island, but it also is flat, scruffy looking, dry and UGLY, depsite the "world-class" resorts on the island! If you're looking for natural beauty this is NOT the place either!!

I may be too late-- but I think you got off track... St. Barts is the best!

I did hear about St. Barts but heard something about people being "high filuten" over there (as opposed to Anguilla which is also an expensive island but people are friendly and that "attitude" is less prevalent). I know this is generalizing but does anyone have comments to support/counter this?

<BR>re: the comment about GC being just a bunch of condos. That's the best thing about GC, IMHO. I'll take SMB with miles of condos (& restaurants, etc in between) over Cancun or Aruba with their miles of HIGH RISES & mega resorts. <BR> <BR>Most of the condos on GC are very upscale, nicely furnished, beachfront & come with daily maid service. Many are fabulously landscaped. And with a kitchen you can save a ton on at least one meal a day plus keep snacks & drinks. I hate to go in search of 3 meals a day. Eating out 3x a day will make me sick, sick, sick & my husband fat, fat, fat. <BR> <BR>No, I don't own a unit or a timeshare. But if I did, GC would be the place. <BR> <BR>About it being crowded --- guess that just depends on when you go to any island. The biggest problem on GC is the traffic & the cruise ship people. We've learned to avoid peak traffic times & stay out of the harbor area when the cruisers are swarming. <BR> <BR>Since you've zeroed in on Anguilla & St. John, Anguilla may be scrubby but I think it's a superior island as far as cuisine, friendliness, water & beach. Yes, it's scrubby but the wind blows the mosquitoes & bugs away so that's a fair trade. <BR> <BR>St. John is great though, better snorkeling for sure.

St John is really so wonderful -- the Westin resort is nice & has taxi service <BR>outside your door at all times. The island is beautiful, not commercial although the roads are a bit hilly & windy - but normally people drive slowly anyway. Check out stjohnusvi.com for a lot of helpful info, including ferry schedules. There are also a number of trips to BVI and other islands. St Thomas is too touristy as far as I was concerned. In SJ there are no panhandlers and the taxi drivers just want to give you a ride and really are not aggressive. The beaches are clear, blue & secluded and the locals are all very friendly - mostly I found they were those who vacationed there & never wanted to leave! We will be regulars to return here!!

Ed, Don't mean to confuse you more... We were in St. Barts for our honeymoon in May 2000. We didn't find it stuffy or pretentious at all. The natives were very friendly and helpful. You would probably want to avoid staying at LeToiny, however, which seemed a bit too hoity-toity. Check out Hotel Isle de France on wheretostay.com. We stayed there, and it was amazing. Right on the beach. Food is incredible all over the island. Beautiful beaches, great shopping.

Hi Ed: <BR> <BR>It seems like you need some background on the atmosphere on each island to find out what is right for you. From there, you can choose a resort that has the amenities you need. <BR> <BR>You might want to read a book called "Rum and Reggae" that discusses each in detail. Here is the link to Amazon: <BR> <BR>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...858631-0238414 <BR> <BR>Also, consider your travel time to each island and check the flight times. This rules out a lot of places for us because we are not willing to spend 12 or more hours getting somewhere. <BR> <BR>--Lara <BR>

First of all. Do not listen to anything that Tim has to say. His opinion means nothing! He has not clue. I lived in St Thomas and worked at the Wyndham. Took the ferry at night all the time to St John. There are no pand-handlers and there is no reason to get worked up about crime, etc. Just use your common sense. But please have enough sense to not listen to Tim. He has given his opinion one too many times. Good bye Tim!

Lisa -- DROP DEAD!! My opinion is FAR more valid than yours anytime!! And you will find that MOST people agree with me about St. Thomas!!!

Ed-- That Rum&Reggae book can be found at www.rumreggae.com. You can read portions of it on the site. <BR> <BR>I think you had things sorted out well in your original post. Go with Anguilla or St. Barts-- St. Thomas, Aruba, Grand Cayman- are all just average and for the common tourist, in my opinion. (I've been to St. Thomas and G. Cayman; and a friend honeymooned on Aruba and wasn't overly thrilled.)

Thank you all for your very informative thoughts & opinions. It's going to be Anguilla with St. John slated as the next trip! Anguilla may not have a lot of lush scenic beauty. But from what I hear, if you just want to relax, enjoy very good food, not worry about crime & panhandlers and want to be able to drive around the island on good roads, this is THE place to be. Yeah, it may be somewhat expensive, but for my first Carribbean island, I want not to be disappointed. I can always go to St. Martin if I'm bored out of my mind. Looking forward to it soon! Thanks again for all your help. Feel free to post other thoughts here to help others who are seeking that "perfect" island. <BR> <BR>Ed

Ed, hope you'll post a trip report upon your return -- good or bad!

Hopefully, you haven't left yet...To help with you vacation: You need to get on Island Time and learn to relax. <BR> <BR>There are pluses and minuses to every place you go. Depending on who you are, there is a paradise for you. You sound very particular, you may not find what you're looking for in the Caribbean! <BR> <BR>Have you considered Polynesia? Seychelles? Smaller Hawaiian Islands?Something a bit more removed from the hordes of people crowding Jamaican beaches? Maybe an area that's a bit younger in colonized history? Because that's the only way you will probably get a untouched, good roads, inexpensive treatment you are looking for. <BR> <BR>The standard of living in the Caribbean is not nearly what it should be. There are increasing amounts of poverty. Very few people go beyond the resort barriers. But that's just part of any country. There's the good, and there's the bad. <BR> <BR>But all of it is beautiful! Where ever you go Ed, Come to not expect anything...and you'll be pleasantly suprised.