Hi,

My husband and four children vacationed in maui during christmas last year and absolutely loved it!!! My problem is we probably wont be able to afford airfare this year to go back so were looking for an alternative in the caribbean that would be a close second. We loved snorkeling and nice beaches. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks,
Susan

The Caribbean is gorgeous. No doubt about that, but Hawaii has it's own distinct beauty that goes beyond just a beautiful beach and ocean. I'm definitely not taking anything away from the Caribbean because there are so many places that I love there too. If you love snorkeling and nice beaches and want to go to the Caribbean, I'd say go to Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, St. John, St. Maarten. You really can't go wrong with any of the islands in the Caribbean as far as nice beaches and snorkeling, but then you must ask yourself what kind of surroundings you would want to have on the island you choose. Some islands are more touristy than others. Hope this helps.

The islands abc mentioned, other than St. John, do not resemble Maui in any way. Barbados reminds me of Maui, Virgin Gorda, some of the smaller islands in the Grenadines, Grenada reminds me of Maui in spots. Certain spots in St. Lucia can trigger a memory altho I'm not wild about ST.L.

Good luck, I'm sure you will love the Caribbean as much if not more than Hawaii.

I just want to clarify that in my first post, I wasn't comparing any of the islands I mentioned to Maui or any Hawaiian island. As I said, Hawaii has it's own beauty. I just wanted to mention some islands in the Caribbean that I know have very nice beaches and have great snorkeling. I agree with what CF says about the other islands too.

One more thing, I can't really say that I like the Caribbean islands more than Hawaii, though they are beautiful. I just agree with CF that some of the islands in the Caribbean can resemble those of Hawaii, but barely.

Depending on the area of the country you live in, airfare to Caribbean islands can be the same price as airfare to Hawaii. For example, flying to Grenada cost more than Honolulu last time I checked. If airfares are the only thing stopping you, I'd look into it a little more. I lived in Hawaii for several years, and nothing I've seen in the Caribbean comes close to what I experienced in Hawaii.

Thanks for all the info,

I guess like everyone I will continue to watch the airfare rates to hawaii
Susan

IMO St. John has the most gorgeous beaches. I also like it because it's quiet and uncrowded but at the same time has enough visitors to support several good restaurants. Accomodations (with the exception of the 2 major resorts) are relatively inexpensive compared to other Caribbean islands.

St. Johns has had a ton of break-ins in hotels and condos. It may be pretty, but it sure ain't crime free...

If you go to St Johns or anywhere in the Caribbean try the "jerk dog, rat or cat" dinners.

Yummie!

The ONLY decent island I can recommend for your family would be Grand Cayman! The other islands are slummy and disgusting and can't hold a candle to Maui beauty wise!!!

generally speaking, the Carib islands with the best beaches are not the same islands with lush greenery and rainforests. So it may depend on what's more important.
If you want superb beaches, it's hard to go wrong with places like Anguilla or Turks and Caicos. For other scenery, however, forget it - they're not much more than big sand bars.
If you want something resembling lush tropical greenery with waterfalls and beautiful birds and plants, some of your best bets will include Dominica (probably THE most beautiful, but with few beaches & all mediocre), St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe and St. Kitts/Nevis and maybe Saba (NO beaches at all - go here if you like hiking and quiet!).
St. John in USVI, and Virgin Gorda in BVI, offer a pretty nice combination of both.

Doug, You've obviously never been to Bermuda, Barbados or St. John. None of those islands could be described as "disgusting and slummy". By the way I'm sure I could find a disgusting and slummy area in Oahu with no problem.

I think Bermuda is without a doubt as pretty as Maui, even more so. They are very different with different climates and topographies, but Bermuda is gorgeous and the beaches, IMO, are far superior to those in Hawaii.

I've been to St. John and I don't think the terms disgusting and slummy are TOO far off base. The population of St. John is limited to a small part of the island since 75% of it is national park. And in the inhabited areas it's pretty sad. And not very safe.

I'm surprised to hear so much about St John being unsafe. You want unsafe, go to Jamaica. St John is totally safe, as long as you take precautions you would take anywhere in the US. It's a sad fact of life that if you walk alone late at night in ANY city in the US - you are putting yourself in an unsafe situation. The same holds true in ANY island of hte carribean - repeat - ANY ISLAND OF THE CARIBBEAN! If you're smart, you'll be absolutely safe in St John.

That said, St. John is BY FAR the most beautiful island in the carribean. It has unbelievable beaches and great lush green scenery.

St. John's may be beautiful but it is far from safe. The previous poster is correct, break ins in hotels and rental condos is a HUGE problem and they have swept it under the rug so as not to scare the tourists away....

I said it before and I'll say it again - if you're smart - you'll be safe. All the islands in the caribbean can be dangerous - and trust me - Jamaica is by far THE most dangerous.

Just go there, be smart, and have fun.

The resorts in Jamaica are ok because they have fences around their properties and keep the riff-raff out. However, St. Johns and the rest of the Virgin Islands have a big crime problem. Our own Navy won't dock there anymore. What does that tell you???

I would have mentioned Bermuda too except for two reasons - 1) it's not in the Caribbean 2) in December it will most likely be too cold for watersports. Though it does have beautiful beaches.

Grand Cayman and St. Barts are NOT unsafe at all!!!