looking to do a trip at the very end of August, would like opinions on great places. Conditions: budget is NOT a consideration. scuba. overall nice-ness, i know a lot of the islands are not all that nice. I've been to, and therefore don't really need an opinion on: US Virgin Islands, British VI, ST. Maartin, St. Barts, Trinidad, Kitts, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Antigua. Thanks in advance.
My family went on a Caribbean cruise many years ago. I haven't been able to keep all the islands straight in my head, but there was one that I will never forget. I will never set foot on Saint Lucia again. When we were there my dad tried to hire a cab driver to take us on a tour of the island. However after we were all in the car the driver didn't want to take us where we had asked. So my dad had him stop (after driving about 10 yards or so) and we all got out. The driver then wouldn't unlock his trunk with our bags in it and said he wanted to be paid for a full tour. My dad of course was very unhappy with this since he only drove us a few yards. They argued for a while and then some police officers came over... and took the side of the driver! My mom eventually just gave the guy some money so we could get away and we spent the rest of the day on the boat.
I used to go to aruba A LOT until about 8 years ago...It was brilliant. In the past few years a lot of hotels came there though so i recon it'll be too busy for my liking. Haven't been in the BVI yet but Jost van Dyke looks absolutely stunning and without too many tourists
I don't really like the FL keys for diving, the water is usually a bit murky. Oddly, on our last cruise Acapulco had the cleanest looking water, but it is a bit built up for my taste. St. Lucia is not too tourist friendly, when I went there 10+ years ago the house I was staying at had an armed guard 24/7. Cayman is nice for the snorkeling, but it is pretty crowded on 7 mile beach. I like St. Thomas the best of the islands I have been to, but it is a pretty limited list. I have heard good reviews of St. Barts. I doubt there is too much difference between the USVI altogether. How about Fiji or Cayman Brac (I think I saw a nice show on that on the travel channel)??? BT
try bonaire, which you may be familar with since you've been to aruba, or roatan in the honduran bay islands. great reef diving in honduras
I can only second that... The place is really sweet. However, you can't stay too long, the island is rather small ! Wonder if they upgraded the rooms in the last 2-3 years, as they were in dire need of a renovation.
Jost Van Dyke is my favorite place in the world. Not sure I'd spend more than a couple of days there though, I usually stay at Caneel Bay on St John and boat to Jost. Caneel doesn't suck either.
I just got back from Dominica a few weeks ago. It's a small, often overlooked island but with plenty to offer, in my opinion. It's called "The Nature Island" for good reason. Holy crap, there's rainforests and nature everywhere. Lots of hikes available, you can see boiling lakes and stuff like that. I had a great time there, and the people there are friendlier than on St. Maarten (been there, too) even though St. Maarten is called "The Friendly Island." Just a little thing I observed If you'd like any pics, or have any questions, I'll try to help
For some of the best diving experiences try Saba. I visit Barbados each year and while it is not known for its diving it is a great vacation spot.
LPI was crystal clear with the reef nearby, even at depths over 15 feet. Quite a few divers around too. They were over-run by a hurricane within the past few years and since have renovated everything. My wife and I were there last summer and our hut was mint. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
