Anyone with favorite Caribbean destinations?

[Tony Radford]

I plan to take my wife and adult daughter somewhere in Caribbean this summer. Did the Costa Rica thing and wasted some money on Aruba. Anyone have any particularly splendid destinations? Been looking at St. Lucia, Barbados and Granada. I like a spot with an "island flavor" to it.

[Wayne Maybury]

I am no expert but my wife and I loved St. Lucia. We stayed in a bed and breakfast type place in Marigo Bay. The people are very freindly and the island is absolutely beautiful. St. Lucia has all of the modern conveniences without the exaggerated over development that is so common in other places.

Wayne

[CobraEd]

Absolutely love Bermuda. have been there 7 times since honeymoon in 71. Low key, beautiful beaches & water, rent the scooter as soon as u arrive as that is the best most fun way to go wherever you want, whenever you want on the whole island.

my three kids heard me and my wife talk about Bermuda their whole lives. As soon as they were old enough to drive (rent scooter) we had them there. Now they all love it as much as my wife and I do. As great as Bermuda is overall, getting to your destination riding along the roads overlooking all the turquoise/aquamarine beaches on the scooter is half the fun!!! speed limit is 25 kph, so it is very leisurly. no big cars or trucks, they are not allowed. No highways, they are not allowed. Only little two lane "Bermuda" roads. No highrises allowed either. They are very conservative and try to maintain their nice simple/elegant lifestyle without any ostentatiousness (sp?). Not much of a party/nightlife island but tons to do during the day. Good restauraunts for meals and dinners.

http://www.bermudatourism.com/index.aspx

Great friendly people. very high standard of living, no unemployment, very upscale. Their per capita income is 50% higher than ours.

From Wikipedia: "Bermuda's per capita income is approximately 50% higher than that of the United States; according to the Bermuda Government's Economic Statistics Division, Bermuda's GDP was $5.85 billion in 2007, or $91,477 per-capita, giving Bermuda the highest GDP per capita in the world.[2]

The affordability of housing has become a prominent issue over the past few years. The CIA World Factbook lists the average cost of a house in June 2003 as $976,000,[1] while real estate agencies have claimed that this figure had risen to $1.6 million by 2006"




So, do u get the impression that I like Bermuda ???? :-)


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[Tony Radford]

So Ed, what do you think of Bermuda? I'm not sure about that one. Is Bermuda flat like Barbados? I want the native islander flavor - the "undeveloped" ambiance, and I know that exists in St. Lucia. Little bit of hills, jungle, beach etc.

Wayne, I've only been in St. Lucia a couple of times for meetings with the local ministry. Didn't get a chance to do any touring. The drive from the south end where the jet port is up to the north where the hotels are was a bit long from what I remember. But unlike business, vacations aren't really about convenience.

[CobraEd]

There is good island flavor, but yes, it tends to be a little flat, there are hills all over, but no mountains.


.

[Gunner]

Were you going to fly or cruise, Ed? If cruise, have you cruised there before?

[CobraEd]

no, we are not big cruise people. We like to GET THERE !!!!!


.

[Gunner]

We like cruising but it's for reasons other than getting to destinations. My comments would have been about cruising - nothing to add. Have a great time. It looks like our vacation this year will be visiting exciting, scenic... Connecticut.

[392cobra]

I really enjoyed The British Virgin Islands.

Stayed at the Bitter End Yacht Club on the North Sound of Virgin Gorda.
Stayed there a week before doing a bare boat charter from the Yacht Club of a 30' Cutter rigged sloop for another week.Sailed all through the BVI.

Lots to do either on land or water.
http://www.beyc.com/
http://www.b-v-i.com/virgin.htm#Bitter%20End

[snakebittexan]

Try St. John or Nevis. Nevis is unspoiled and "undiscovered," St. John is also quiet and laid back.

http://www.stjohnisland.com/

http://www.nevisisland.com/

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone.

[Dan40]

I like all the islands of the Caribbean except Jamaica, and its not that bad. But the wife adores Aruba, 1st and Barbados 2nd. I also like Grand Cayman as a cruise stop but wouldn't want to spend much time there.
I find the people of Barbados to be the most outgoing and friendly. And both the local beer and the local rum are good, maybe too good,,,,,,,,,,,naw, just good enough.

[Mark IV]

St. John.

Unspoiled and relaxing. The guidebook says "Nightlife?.....bring a book!"

And you are still in the USA!

[Cobravii]

I am no stranger to the carribean and I love it BUT here is a place you may want to check out.
My wife and I LOVED it. It is on the Pacific side but you would swear you were in the carribean and has huge history.... the Pearl Islands... or Isla Perla!

http://travel.webshots.com/album/576032542WxOgoV

Also, Bocas del Toro is cool but in my oppinion is strictly for relaxation...

http://travel.webshots.com/album/576030324mkjwwl

BTW, these are my personal albums and you may have to jump through to get what you want.

Pura Vida!!!!

[UKjohnnycobra]

If you want "unspoilt" you might like to try Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic). It has great diving (if thats what you like), and most of the island is rainforest and is a world heritage site. No resorts, so you take the hotels as you find them. English spoken. Volcanoes, hot springs, great hikes.

I also agree with the vote for BVI.

[Dirty Harry]

My wife and I have been to about all the Caribbean islands. We really like Grand Cayman and have been back 3 times. We love to snorkel just outside the back door of the Eden Rock Dive Shop. You can also send a postcard to your friends and the postmark says, "Hell." There is a really interesting turtle farm. You can take a side trip to Sting Ray City and let the sting rays rub up against you while you're feeding them. They're very friendly. My wife informs me that the shopping in Georgetown is good, too. Seven Mile Beach is about what it sounds like. There is an airport, but we've never flown into it, so I don't know anything about it.

[Tony Radford]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'm angling towards a destination that has a jet port served by Delta (frequent flyer miles), so that eliiminates a few. There are so many possibilities. We did Aruba and really didn't care for it, primarily because of the constant wind and lack of topographical excitement. We're currently focused on Antigua. There will be four adults, so we'll need a couple of rooms or suite. We're not scuba folks, so beach, snorkeling, food, nature hikes and casual local culture. Not really looking at the big resort scene, but I'd like to avoid the dump. I know that describes most of the area. I hate having so many choices.

[trularin]

The bed at the hotel.

[Ralphy]

Met a guy in the airport once, who did fiberglass work for Hatteras. He had been to damn near every island in the world. He liked Guadeloupe Island in the Caribbean because of so few tourists and untouched.

You can get a one two punch by flying into St. Thomas and staying at St. Johns. They are connected by a 45 minute ferry ride from Red Hook. St. Johns is about 80% park land. Both are very hilly (mountains) being they are the high points of a volcano. St. Johns has a beach that claims to be the most photographed view in the Caribbean, Trunk Bay. Snorkeling is offered there. Also Magens Bay is great on St. Thomas. You can rent a car and ferry between islands.

Delta can get you there also. A very interesting airport, the runway goes up hill when you land.
Have you ever tried renting private condos? Check vrbo.com.

Trunk Bay St. Johns, the clearest water I ever saw! I think the islands in the background are the BVI's. The picture is probably untouched, that is the color.
http://soulofamerica.com/soagallerie...runk-BayTB.jpg

Megans Bay St. Thomas, at times is very unpopulated a very long deep bay. You have to cross over the mountains to reach.
http://www.vinow.com/podcast/wp-cont...gens-bay40.jpg

[charlandk]

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I am also looking for a tropical vacation. Looking for great beaches, food and sun. Most important to me would be sporting activities. Love beach or pool volley ball. I am not one to be able to sit on a beach all day. Bores the crap out of me. I am always on the move and looking for exercise and physical activities.

[PoppyMod]

Originally Posted by Tony Radford

I plan to take my wife and adult daughter somewhere in Caribbean this summer. Did the Costa Rica thing and wasted some money on Aruba. Anyone have any particularly splendid destinations? Been looking at St. Lucia, Barbados and Granada. I like a spot with an "island flavor" to it.

I don't see St. John's in the list. Do the research. It has some of the best scuba and snorkeling around. You can stay in a time-share, The Westin, stay in an eco-park or camp in Cinnamon Bay (here you want cabins # 1, 2, or 3). The view when you wake up is of the water's edge.
You fly into St. Thomas, take a ferry from Charlotte Amalie, or taxie across country to Red Hook and pick up a Ferry, which is a much shorter ferry ride, but, you see where the locals live.
St. John is not over-run with commercial big box hotels, only The Westin.
We've camped ( not the camping you are most likely familiar with) we rented a time-share over looking the island, and we've stayed at the Westin. There a number of "fine" dinning selections. Just don't go in hot months (Ju, Jul, Aug). May or September are better.
Check it out too!