Our FAVORITE island (so far) is USVI - St. John. We love it for the magnificent, lush, hilly terrain, pristine beaches which have gentle, clear waters with FANTASTIC snorkeling.

We would like to go someplace different for our next vacation which will be the summer of 2006. I was considering Alaska, but am really not liking the idea of going someplace in the summer where I may need to sport gloves and knit hat (you know, those glaciers)!

Will we love Hawaii? How is the snorkeling from the beach? I've heard the water is rough there... much rougher than St. John? More like the beaches in NJ (where I live)? Is the water there cold?

Which islands would be a tropical paradise to me? Maui? Kauai?

Help me decide!

Thanks!!!

Lisa

Hi Lisa. I'm from NJ too. We love STJ and have been to Maui once. They are much different IMO. Both good...but not that similar.

STJ is a very small island, and it had those fabulous beaches and you can snorkle right from most of them.

Maui and other Hawaiian islands are much larger. The water is a bit rougher too. I did my first snorkle at Molokini which I thought was cool at the time, but not compared to STJ now!

To me, Hawaii is also about exploring & hiking & nature, but also you can have resort time, good restaurants, golf etc. It just seems more commercial and less laid back as compared directly to STJ.

I still want to go back to both! Just probably wouldn't bother to snorkle again in HI. Trish

I hope you get some good responses because I'm curious as well. I've been to Hawaii and LOVE it, but never to USVI. We snorkeled in Hawaii and thought it was great, but I don't have anything to compare that to. We went to Hawaii in March (during rainy season) and it was a little cool in the water but we snorkeled anyway. We are going back next year in May so I'm hoping it will be a little warmer and less rain.

We went to Oahu, Maui, Big Island, and Kauai. Snorkeleing was good on Maui and Kauai, we didn't snorkel on the other two.

We were planning to go to Alaska next year as well, but decided to go back to Hawaii because we loved it so much.

Hi Lisa: We have been to both and agree with tpatricco. Love them both, but they are different. One big difference is the Polynesian vs Caribbean cultures. They each have a different "vibe". Hawaii feels more like home with the same stores and transplanted people from the mainland. There is better dining in Hawaii, although St. John isn't bad. St. John is more isolated from mainstream suburban culture and has more of a rural simplicity. Beaches are bigger and calmer on St. John, but many beaches are calm in Hawaii during the summer, too. The sand is more uniformly powdery on St. John, and can be coarse in places in Hawaii, but soft in others. Much snorkeling in Hawaii is from lava benches and rocks, but from beaches in St. John. However, Hawaii does have some beach snorkeling. We saw lots of turtles and big fish snorkeling in Hawaii, but more brightly-colored fish on St. John. If you go to St. John in summer, you can get some great deals, but you will pay full price in Hawaii. Hawaii has 5 main islands with lots of variety, such as seeing the volcanos, first class shopping in Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, botanical gardens, hiking, etc. St. John has primarily beaches and hiking. If you like St. John, I recommend Kauai - it is the most rural and very scenic.

The ocean is not very rough in Hawaii in the summer. On Oahu, the North Shore beaches, where you can see huge surf in the winter, tame down in the summer and you can go swimming or snorkeling there. Hanauma Bay is sheltered and is always good for snorkeling.
If you want quiet and relaxation, go to Kauai, Maui or Hawaii (Big Island). If you want to do more tourist type things, go to Oahu.

The only similarity I can think of it that they are all beautiful islands!

St. John is TINY and with the Caribbean and English influence.

Hawaii is a group of large islands with a distincly Pacific feel, incredibly diverse history. Plus each island has a different atmosphere and landscape.

Hawaii is a MUCH longer plane ride and time change from east coast USA is what first comes to my mind. As a tropical lover myself, Alaska holds no interest.

So I'm guessing you would love Hawaii, but do yourself a favor & don't try to compare it to an island in the Caribbean. Do a bit of reading and learn about the history and the people. Pick your island(s) carefully. And fall in love with Hawaii for itself!

I should mention I've been to St Thomas/St John, Oahu and Maui.

We have been to both also. We prefer Hawaii over the Caribbean, including St. John. One big difference was the friendliness of the people; In our experience, Hawaiians were much friendlier overall. Just sharing a ride with a cab driver in St. Thomas was very quiet...no conversation at all, no smile, seemed resentful of your presence!

Also, on the caribbean islands you are apt to get approached by poor people wanting you to buy something or rent something, etc. Not so on Hawaii. Much more relaxing!

Also, the beauty on Kauai (north shore) cannot hold a candle to the beauty on St. John.

St. John's beaches are better for snorkeling and the water is a prettier color in contrast with the sand.

I highly recommend you try Hawaii. We have to fly for over 10 hours and it's well worth it for us!

GREAT question! I love both placesYou've received excellent responses.
Please note the follwing responses are IMHO .
only.
Hawaii has a more striking tropical feel/look. I missed the beautiful swaying coconut palms of Hawaii when i was in St John--expected more of that look.
BUT the beaches and snorkeling in St John are better, more consistenly soft white sand and varied fish.
For a look and snorkeling in Hawaii that you'll enjoy, I'd recommend the north shore of Kauai--Kee or tunnels beach. many recommend the snorkeling on the Big Island--west coast nr Kealakekua Bay, etc, tho' I personally prefer Kauai as a destination.
Prices and variety are cheaper in Hawaii (which says how expensive St John is as Hwaii is not cheap). It's not hard to find an inexpensive place to eat in Hawaii, and groceries cost less.
I found the people in St John at least as friendly as in Hawaii. I don't find the folks (not including those who work in tourist industry)in Hawaii any more or less friendly than anywhere else I've been.
There's more to do in Hawaii--on all the major islands (been to Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Big Island)--they are more than just beach/relaxation if you choose).
The culture is different, but you'll find s similar laid back m.o. on both islands have fun researching!

Hawaii water doesn't compare to the Caribbean. Go a few more hours and visit Tahiti. Now we're talking. Expensive, but worth every penny.

I agree with the others. If snorkeling and beaches are mostly what you are looking for then St. John wins out. For a diversified experience then Hawaii wins out. It has much more to do then snorkeling on each of the islands.

Kauai is definitely the most beautiful and as an island (not just beaches) it's much more beautiful then St. John. It has many cool activities you can't get on St. John like Zip lining and Atving etc. Not a lot of night life though if you are looking for that.

The Big Island is the most different with the active volcano, Waipo valley and you'll see many sea turtles. I only saw a couple on Kauai but I did see a monk seal there.

Maui didn't do a lot for me I'd rather be on St. John then Maui but a lot of people like it and it is nice just not great to me. It has more shopping and night life.

I have only been to the Waikki area and Pearl Harbor on Ohau which is a very busy big city and not something I'd travel from Chicagoland to go to exculsively.

One disappointment to me in the USVI was the lack of local fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh water. I understand now that it is because the islands are so small and so much must be imported.

I realized I'm WAY off topic for the snorkeling question (which I'm sure the Caribbean wins on that one) but for bounty of fresh pineapples, papayas, etc. Hawaii (or even a larger Caribbean islands) wins.

There is a definate different feel between the Caribbean and Hawaii. I think Kauai would be the closest to St. John in the fact that it is very lush. Anini Beach is a lot like the Caribbean water, very calm, shallow and beautiful. Be sure to take a helicopter ride on this island!

HI, We just spent two weeks on Kauai.We met a couple from Canada who has been to a different island for the past twenty years. Always looking for that perfect place.They found it on the North shore of Kauai.And they said the beaches were better on StJ.But for beauty, they said Kauai can't be beat. Summertime is best for Kauai waters.Like glass then.We have never been to any other island.The reason being, many, many people say that the North Shore of Kauai is the best place they have been anywhere in the world!So we don't waste our time and money.They( the Canadians) are now going to stay on Kauai for a month every winter.But anyway, if you like StJ, no problem with Kauai- not the other islands!Just Kauai! Have fun!

I agree with most of what has been said. I've been to both Kauai and St. John. Kauai gets 400 inches of rain a year and has literally the wettest spot on earth. St. John gets about 40-50 inches a rain a year and can be dry. So in terms of lushness, there's no comparison. St. John absolutely wins on snorkeling and has easy access to sail trips around the BVI. Food also can be fantastic. Zozos in Cruz Bay is great. Kauai has more dramatic mountains and the Napali coast which has to be the most dramatic and a canyon that is considered the little sister to the grand canyon. St. John is so easy to get to from the east coast and the soft sand and gorgeous views of other islands is remarkable. I love both!