suggested caribbean x-mas break for two families with teens
 

Our two families, each with two teens, are finally going to spend a week together over the holiday break.

One family is in Ohio, one is in San Diego. We are all active (swim, snorkel, tennis, etc) and would like a destination with great water and beaches which is not a terribly long flight for either of us....

We'd most like to rent a villa or house.

Thanks for any advice!

Puerto Rico would be a great destination. Especially Rincon or Guanica.
You may also want to look at the Virgin Islands.

Post your question on the Caribbean Forum (use the dropdown box on top left side of page) and you'll get more responses.

Try to give more information on what type of island you'd like to visit (large, small, flat and arid, hilly and arid, hilly and lush, very mountainous and lush - note flat arid islands generally have better beaches than mountainous lush islands), what you'd like to do besides sit on a beach, what your budget is for airfare, villa and food - it can make a big difference as some islands are very expensive. Include specific dates of travel as "Christmas break" has different meanings to different people. Expect to see the highest prices of the year as you are going in "High season" and many places will have minimum stay requirements at that time of year.

You can get an idea of villa prices on varios islands by doing a google search using such topics as "Caribbean Villa Rentals" or Villa Rentals, NAME OF ISLAND".

The one thing you mentioned is you want a destination that is "not a terribly long flight for either of us". Well, anywhere in the Caribbean is going to be a "terribly long flight" for the family from San Diego, there's no getting around that. They may even have to overnight somewhere "enroute". Since one of your party is coming such a long distance you may want to confine your search to the bigger islands like the Dominican Republic, Jamaica or Puerto Rico. These islands are among the closest to the US and are usually reachable non-stop from most Gateway airports. Most of the smaller islands and many of the mid-size islands will require at least 2 and maybe thre connecting flights to reach.

My parents have spent many a winter break in St John, and took the whole family last year for their 40th wedding anniversary. Safety isn't an issue and the "town" is small enough where the teens could have some space but not get too far away. The beaches are GOR-geous and you can snorkel at all of them. There's just enough shopping to tide you over - but head over to St. Thomas (which is much more commercial; also awesome for jewelry deals) for a whole day (which, btw, is where the airport is).

Most of the villas have a pool AND hot tub. My mother has had great luck with this site: http://www.destinationstjohn.com/.

Food is expensive there, but one tip from my practical dad: as one of your carry-ons, pack a cooler with steaks, dogs, chicken, etc. and stow dry goods (pasta, rice, etc) in your luggage to cut down on island costs, buying only your dairy and veggies on the island.

As for tennis, the only "major" resort on the island is the Westin, and they may have some courts?

Another fun thing is to charter a boat for a day, either for fishing or just to see the sights - swimming w/ turtles, etc.

We enjoyed Tortola in the BVIs and also St. John in the USVIs. Although it's not in the Caribbean technically, Bermuda is really nice also.

Thanks - to clarify a bit, I think we would be happiest with a hilly/diverse Island BUT we don't want to have lots of driving (with 8 people) every day to get to the beach, etc.

We have been considering St. John and the DR. Can you clarify which parts of the islands are best for locating a villa for a group like ours?

St. John is a small island and 2/3's is a national park with no housing or resorts in it's boundries so just about any place where there IS A VILLA will be a good location.

Can't help you with the Dominican Republic except to say that's a very LARGE island with a lot of resorts concentrated in the Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and La Romana areas so you might want to concentrate your search to those places.

Also, if you haven't done so already take RoamsAround's advice and post your question on the Caribbean Forum.

Our favorite area on St. John was Trunk Bay - one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. They also had an underwater snorkeling trail there. I agree with the other poster who said to hop the ferry to some of the other islands. St. John is pretty quiet, but in terms of natural beauty, water, and beaches, it's hard to beat unless you guys wanted to go the opposite direction and go to Hawaii. That would be easier for the San Diego family.