Best Caribbean Island to visit?

[Datawiz]

Considering a week on an island in the Caribbean vs. a cruise. Suggestions? Looking for beautiful beaches, safety, and reasonable prices.

TIA

[DAB]

pick 2, hope for the best?!

[John Wiz]

Bermuda gives you two of the three... it's not reasonable though.. Although we did a cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda, had the best of both. We could eat and sleep on the ship while in Bermuda and go explore during the day. Also some great diving (or snorkeling if you don't dive)

[Brubie]

We always liked the Cayman’s. Stayed 3 to 4 weeks every year for quite a few years.

[69camfrk]

St. Marten/Martin is supposed to be really nice. Part of the island is French the other half Dutch. Thus the whole spelling thing.

[lspencer534]

St. Johns has beautiful beaches and safety. I'd recommend you stay at Caneel Bay Resort. It ain't cheap, though.

[John Wiz]

Originally Posted by 69camfrk

St. Marten/Martin is supposed to be really nice. Part of the island is French the other half Dutch. Thus the whole spelling thing.

There is still a lot of rebuilding going on there from the hurricane... most of Orient Beach was wiped out.

It's slowly coming back, but still a lot to be done...

[LilRedCorvette]

I've enjoyed Jamaica the times I've been there...well-kept beaches, clear turquoise waters. Ocho Rios and Montego Bay areas are quite safe. Dunns River Falls is a nice place to visit also. Stay away from Kingston.

Have heard good things about Martinique and Curaçao (French and Dutch, respectively), but have not been yet.

[MrPeabody]

Another vote for Cayman.

[Datawiz]

Originally Posted by MrPeabody

Another vote for Cayman.

I've been to Cayman and Jamaica. Cayman was borning, except for the stingrays, cuz we didn't dive. I did enjoy Jamaica.

I will likely have enough hotel points by then to have a free hotel for the entire trip, so one reason I'm trying to do my research now.

[69camfrk]

Originally Posted by John Wiz

There is still a lot of rebuilding going on there from the hurricane... most of Orient Beach was wiped out.

It's slowly coming back, but still a lot to be done...

Didn't know that. One of my buddies here in town has taken cruises there a few times, and he really liked it. He said he preferred the French side a little better than the Dutch side. I think probably for the party atmosphere. What is your take on it? It is somewhere I want to go.

[markids77]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

St. Johns has beautiful beaches and safety. I'd recommend you stay at Caneel Bay Resort. It ain't cheap, though.

Another vote for St. John. We have been to Maho Bay on a couple occasions. It is an odd resort with a strong "eco" emphasis. The entire place is accessed on raised walkways so the flora and fauna are disturbed as little as possible, and the guest houses are actually screen houses which are situated far enough from each other that privacy is assured. You have to be in shape to visit there though... the site is quite vertical so there are stairways leading everywhere. Like from a higher tier there were 300 stairs leading down to the beach.
The food was spectacular and the white white sand and blue blue water all you could ask for.

I understand the resort was damaged quite badly in the last hurricane so I am not aware of the current state of readiness out there but if I were to consider a caribbean trip that would rate highly as a destination.

[lspencer534]

Originally Posted by markids77

Another vote for St. John. We have been to Maho Bay on a couple occasions. It is an odd resort with a strong "eco" emphasis. The entire place is accessed on raised walkways so the flora and fauna are disturbed as little as possible, and the guest houses are actually screen houses which are situated far enough from each other that privacy is assured. You have to be in shape to visit there though... the site is quite vertical so there are stairways leading everywhere. Like from a higher tier there were 300 stairs leading down to the beach.
The food was spectacular and the white white sand and blue blue water all you could ask for.

I understand the resort was damaged quite badly in the last hurricane so I am not aware of the current state of readiness out there but if I were to consider a caribbean trip that would rate highly as a destination.

According to the internet, St. Johns has almost fully recovered, especially Caneel Bay Resort.

[ZipZap]

Don't know what you find as "reasonable", but Punta Cana, DR might fit the bill.

[bsmith]

Originally Posted by ZipZap

Don't know what you find as "reasonable", but Punta Cana, DR might fit the bill.

Worst airport I have ever experienced.
Beautiful place, not sure I would be willing to do that again.

[mrvette]

~40 years ago, the ex and I went to Grand Bahama island, in the BVI's and then across the Drake Channel to PETER island....aptly named......can't swim on the beaches after sun goes lo in sky....SHARKS......

water clear a out of a tap......took a boat around the island and there was this long lean fish WAY in hell lo in the water, in the shadow of the boat we snorkled off, it had a Chrysler star on it's tail.......

We took the hotel 'yacht' a ~27' sloop across the channel to Roadtown Harbor, and sailed around a bit.....left dock about 10 am or so, and came back at dusk, the hotel staff all running around nervous as hell because they thought we lost the boat in a wreck and they all UPSET, and we show on the harbor entrance.....

[StaticCling]

Guy I work with goes to the DR on vacations quite a bit, he loves it there. Nobody suggested Aruba? I've never been, but I hear it's pretty awesome.

[VatorMan]

Grenada. Safe, beautiful beaches and reasonable.

[simpleman68]

I've been to many of them over the last 15 years.

Call me after 6, I'll be out to dinner with Dixie.
Scott

[6spdC6]

Originally Posted by chinaski

Guy I work with goes to the DR on vacations quite a bit, he loves it there. Nobody suggested Aruba? I've never been, but I hear it's pretty awesome.

I have been to Aruba 5 times, all on cruises. Would not mind spending more time there, as we rather enjoyed that place. It got a bad rap because of what happened to that girl a few years back.