Big Island or St. John?
 

My husband and I are planning a trip in March. We want a warm romantic place with opportunities for outdoor activities during the day such as hiking and kayaking and of course great beaches. We've been to Kauai and loved it, but want to try somewhere new. Can anyone tell us how Hawaii compares to the Carribean?

The most wonderful part of the Caribbean in my opinion is that crystal clear turquoise blue water that is always the right temperature!

Not trying to be critical of Mindy, however, the waters in both locations stay fairly constant. Mindy is correct about the turqoise waters of the Caribbean vs. deep blue waters of Hawaii. I know this won't help much but both are nice and offer different settings. I prefer Hawaii due to lush landscape and wider variety of things to see and do. The one advantage the caribbean has (depending on where you live) is it usually takes less time to travel to your destination. Based on the activities you've listed, Hawaii sounds like a better choice (IMHO).

My Husband and I honeymooned on St. John and LOVED it! It's very romantic and not as touristy as the other islands. It is 2/3 national park, and has tons of beaches. There are lots of trails for hiking that lead to secluded beaches. It is a small island, but still has a lot of great restaurants. Check out... www.stjohnusvi.com<BR>Amy

The Carribean is definitely the WINNER!<BR>Less travel time, more quality time, the water is unbelievably beautiful vs Hawaii and you can hop from one island to another for variety. St Thomas, Barbados, St John...No contest.<BR>YOu will absolutely return over and over again. Unlike Hawaii. HAVE A WONDERFUL BEAUTIFUL TIME .

Gee, ditas, I went to St. John once and swore I'd never go back.<BR>That was 15 years ago....and I haven't gone back.<BR>But I've been many other places which are a whole lot better....I've been to Hawaii 4 times (all the islands), Tahiti, Bali, Australia (northern Gold Coast), Greece, and the Seychelles.<BR>St. John's is pretty to look at. But it lacks many things that these other places have in abundance. The biggest thing SJVI lacks? Charm. It's a poor island, natives don't like Americans, and they're almost hostile at times.<BR>Too many other nice place to waste my time on the USVI's!!

How does travel time and cost factor into this decision? Are east-coasters favoring St. John and west-coasters favoring Hawaii?

St. John is a dump. A pit. Don't go there. Go to Hawaii.<BR><BR><BR>"St. John - Detriot with palm trees" - Ernest Hemingway

This must been when Earnest was going nuts or on one of his drug binges. Where is the sea in Detroit? Where are the Sky Scrapers on St John? Where is the pollution on St John? I have just retunred from St John and it is a beautiful island. I have never seen such white sand and blue water. But to me the island was boring, If you like books, beaches, and beer, then St JOhn is for you. If you want to relax and do mostly nothing then go to St John. St Thomas is a dump but there are many things to do there.If you need a bunch of activites on your trip stick with the big Island.

Hey Z------It was a joke, DUH.

Since you've already been to Hawaii, why not try something different? I love the Carribean because of the diversity in its people. All the islands have their own charm and influences. I absolutely LOVED St. John, we went snorkeling there- you just had to stick your foot into the water and BAM! there were dozens of beautiful little tropical fish swimming around you. Plus, we took underwater cameras for snorkeling to Trunk Bay, (don't miss it!) and got some great shots of brain coral. It was incredible. Aruba was also sensational. We went on a cruise, so we got tasted a little of everything.

I have been to hawaii a couple of times and to many carribean islands. HANDS DOWN HAWAII WINS...not to critize some of the other messages, but there is no comparison...Hawaii is much more beautiful and offers more things to do than any carribean island. It is not an east vs. west coast issue. I am from Connecticut and we are going to Hawaii next week. The beauty of Hawaii outweighs the extra travel vs. the carribean.

I love the Caribbean...from a cruise ship. There really isn't a place that I have seen that I would want to spend more than a couple of days, St. John included. Hawaii on the other hand is wonderful. The Big Island is very different from Kauai, just as the other Hawaiian islands are different from each other. The Big Island has nice beaches along the Kohala coast, cute little towns like Kona, lush tropical waterfalls, steep cliffs, gorgeous valleys on the Hilo side, the tallest mountain the world and the big plus, a growing, glowing volcano. What could beat it?

We've been to St. John several times;Kauai once. Love them both! The beaches in St. John are better but the scenery was better in Kauai. Sorry haven't been to the big island (its on the list though!) St. John is small and very laid back. A fun beach, snorkeling vacation. Hiking is better in Hawaii (at least Kauai) We took a charter boat trip in both islands -both were great. Snorkeling in St. John was easier to me. Many of the reefs in Kauai were extremely shallow. You don't necessarily feel as at home in the Caribbean. We like both but they are different.

I have cruised the Caribbean several times. I agree with a previous poster about not liking one island enough to want to spend more than 2-3 days visiting. St John is beautiful and St Thomas, Tortola and St Croix (DON'T BOTHER!) are all just a ferry ride away. However, Barbados is nowhere near St John as someone stated above. I will be going to Hawaii for the first time ever in April, so I sure hope it's worth the mega-flights!

If you like poverty and slums, you'll love St. John (yes, it really is there, just like on St. Thoams, and the driving is lousy!) If, however, you like a GREAT standard of living, with fantastic scenery and roads that are easily navigable, then Hawaii is it!!