Anyone been to the Caribbean?

[squibber]

I am getting the itch to go to a Caribbean island for a week, possibly in March. I have been to a few islands while on a cruise. I am not sure if we will do all inclusive. We don

[LennG]

Squib

Like yourself, we have been to just about every main island in the Caribbean--several times, but all from cruising, so we have never stayed overnight, let alone a week at one. . Again, like you, we do not beach, snorkel or do anything in the sun. We tour, we shop and I love to take pixs, so we explore. In the grand scheme of things, MOST of the Caribbean Islands are all about the same. They have marvelous beaches, lots of lush greenery, mountains, and many, many poor people. In the past, when we explore the islands, we usually take a tour with some locals who are always around the docks. Problem is, my darling wife always gets car sick from those winding mountain roads. Since we don't do all the water stuff, and we have been to many of the islands 2,3 4 times, we swore we would try to avoid them at all costs. But, the itch to cruise again is strong now, so we are booked on a couple of cruises going to several ilands once again.

Anyway, the islands that we MIGHT recommend
#1 Aruba, not really a Caribbean island, but without a doubt, a great place to stay for any amount of time.
Grand Cayman--we actually enjoyed our time here and wouldn't mind going back
Curacao--sort of out of the way type of island, but a lovely place to explore
Trinidad is also a very nice place, especially during their carnival season
We have been to St Thomas many times. If you go back, go to the aquarium (you need a taxi to get there), but it goes down under the water and you can watch the fish without snorkeling.
Barbados is also nice, but the town is small. People here are great, friendly, and helpful.

Ones to avoid, anywhere in the Bahamas. Just very pushy people and lots of crime
Dominican Republic--phooey
Puerto Rico- If I never set foot on this place again, I'll die happy
Grenada-- Just really not much to do
Tobago ( partner of Trinidad, but so far behind in terms of tourism. We did not like this palce at all.

[squibber]

Lenn, Thanks. Good info.

I did some research but have yet to decide on an island that is beautiful, fairly safe and also has a variety of things to do besides taking in beautiful beaches and eating good food.  I can find some activities online but will we enjoy them?  Who knows. Maybe Florida is the best bet but you could get a cold snap there in
March.

Grenada intrigues me because I read they grow almost all of their own food there and the restaurants are amazing but as you said, not much to do.

Cura

[Sem]

Flew down once to St. Thomas/St. John back in the late 90's.  We rented a car for the week we were there, and one day wandered down to the south side of the island (ST), and watched the cruise folks mill around the outdoor market. Crowded. Not our thing.  Spent some time at the east end of the island (Red Hook), much quieter, some good restaurants there and they didn't do ID checks on our kids, who were 14 and 17 at the time. We let them each have a drink with dinner. Had dinner one night at an Irish bar/restaurant called Molly Malone's, where I had perhaps the best Irish stew I've ever eaten. Not sure if it's still there though. One of the highlights of the visit was snorkeling at Coki Beach, Kind of a smaller, mostly locals beach (the two afternoons we went there we were the only white folks there). Snorkeling around some of the just-under-the-surface rock formations and caves was amazing, with all sorts and sizes of tropical fish. Hint - they really love canned Cheese Whiz. Beware though many of the women at the beach were topless. Our 17 year old son got an eyeful    Also, there were a few "food trailers" serving eats on the beach, including one vendor that did steak and lobster and brought it to our beach blanket. Almost every day we'd stop at a small road-side fruit stand manned by a young 15-ish year old girl to buy soursop. We got to know her somewhat and asked her to recommend a good, non touristy restaurant, Without hesitating she told us about Cuzzins, a local favorite. We had a very good meal there.
A one day visit, by way of a sketchy overcrowded boat, to neighboring St. John was way more laid back and fun, though touristy. 

We've also been to The Cayman Islands. Went with two other couples back in the early/mid 90's. I remember far less of that trip - the rum was flowing the entire week. If you go there go to Hell, it's a tourist trap, but quite amusing. Especially if you talk the the devil. Great Rum Cake....everywhere on the island.

[DaveBrown74]

Squibber,

My faily and I have been to many different places in the Caribbean over the years and are big fans.

Our favorite island is probably Anguilla. The beaches there are magnificent, which is a huge factor for us, and I would also say the food is way above average. Food in general in the Carib is touch and go, as is the service, but Anguilla is very solid on both fronts. There are plenty of great places to stay there at different price ranges.

Another island we like a lot is Turks and Caicos. It has a drier climate than most of the other islands, which is very nice. We splurged when we went there and stayed in the Aman resort for a few days. Man was that nice, but the bill at the end was ugly. There are definitely cheaper options on that island that are still very nice.

Other places we have been: St. Maarten, Antigua, British Virgin Gorda. All of these are good options as well. The food was pretty bland in British Virgin Gorda, but it was beautfiul there.

Overall the Caribs are great. To have that kind of experience just a few hours from the Northeast is a huge asset. These trips can definitely get expensive, but if you're strategic in how you plan the trip they don't have to be too bad.