Trying to decide on vacation spot. Anyone who as been tell me about these places.?

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sage seeker

St. Thomas - small island; very hilly; driving on the left; westernized in many ways. IF you go make certain you stay where there is a very nice beach...then you can take the ferry over to St. John for a day trip...or to one of the 'out' islands. Also be certain to dine at Room with a View restaurant at Bluebeard's Castle Time Share...unparalleled eating experience.

St. John: much of it is park reserve land....there are wild donkeys everywhere...[tame acting though]...gorgeous beaches...somewhat expensive.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - haven't been

Grand Cayman - I haven't been but my son has and he loved the Caymans...if you like to dive this is the place to be.

Hawaii - have family members who live there. There are air specials going on now...Hawaii is expensive but sometimes you can get a good deal...particularly on the Big Island.

Cabo San Lucas - haven't been

Puerto Vallarta - much more commercialized than years ago, but still the best of that part of Mexico. Stay in one of the smaller boutique hotels.

Aruba - GORGEOUS island and despite thoughts to the contrary, a safe island. Pristeen....beautiful people; gorgeous beaches, lots to do, nature wise and partying. Will go back again and again!

Turks & Caicos - haven't gone - yet

St. Lucia - going the end of August. EVERY one I know that has gone speak A-1 about this island...gorgeous topography, hilly with valleys; top of the line food, good clubs, nature trails and home of one of the best yearly jazz festivals around.

Antigua - going in August

Fiji - I WISH! LOL
Tahiti - SAME as above

Adding: Saint Martin/Sint Maarten - dually owned island of Dutch and French....each 'side' has its own particular personality. Driving is easy...multiple choices of places to stay....the French side is noted for its beaches and its dining. Grand Case is called the Gourmand Capital of the Caribbean. Go to www.gcbc.com [grand case beach club] I travel to this island at least once every other year [since '88]

Good luck and enjoy!

berlingoffer

Have a look at the islands you list on the page below. Links to tourism sites for more info. Good luck.

Yes I am here!!

Try Tobago. primary lang is English. Old english colony. Not a huge amount of tourist so you can really enjoy the local culture. People are WONDERFUL on the island.

yagman

St. Thomas

Beautiful island. Pretty touristy around Charlotte Amalie but lots of places to eat. You drive on the left and there are NO SHOULDERS on the roads. At times the trees and brush would actually slap the rear view mirror. I like the east end around Red Hook. Fewer people. Can take the ferry to St. John from there. Not nearly as many tourists in St. John so it'sa good laid back day trip. Look at Secret Harbour Condominiums. It's located on an isolated bay with almost no wave action. The water is the warmest I have ever been in. BEAUTIFUL sunsets from the beach. The condos and their restaurant are right on the water.

Grand Cayman. BEAUTIFUL beaches. EXPENSIVE. One of the cleanest islands you'll see. There is a place a few miles off the coast where you can go to swim with sting rays. Really feels weird. You're in the middle of the sea and you're standing on the bottom with the water about waist deep.

Hawaii. AWESOME. Have been to Maui and Oahu. Oahu is more of a party place with lots of shops. Also Pearl Harbor which is interesting. Maui lots of golf and a neat little town called Lahaina. I would recommend the Kaanapali area. Go around November and you can watch the whales.

One place you might consider that is relatively inexpensive and also beautiful is Playa Del Carmen Mexico. My wife and I stayed at the Viva Wyndham Maya about a year ago. Was all inclusive for about 120 dollars a day for BOTH of us. Good food, good beach, good entertainment.

Have fun.

kimmer727

If you take a cruise - you can hit at least 4 of those caribbean islands in one week. It's a great way to travel - I have been on 10 cruises. They will have shore excursions at every port, or you can go off and do something on your own. And all your meals will be included. I think cruising is the only way to vacation!

amaybride

I would HIGHLY suggest Hawaii. Actually the island of Kauai. It is absolutly beautiful. The island is small only about 50,000 people live there year round. One side of the island actually looks like a smaller version of the Grand Canyon. The other side of the island (Princeville) which gets most of the rain yearly looks like a lush tropical area. We stayed in the Princeville area and the beauty and serenity is unbelieveable. If my husband could find a job there we would move in a heartbeat! I guess it all depends on what you are looking to do. Kauai is definetly a more relaxing, chilled, romantic place to stay. There is a zip line activity, helicopter tours, snorkling, beaches etc to do.
We also have been to Ohau and Maui. They are both nice as well. I live in Orlando, FL and when I arrived in Ohau, I thought I had just walked into Orlando all over ago. Very touristy!
Cayman Island...is beautiful. The water was crystal blue. Very pretty island and very expensive!!! I would go back to visit again.

lazybones

punta cana is very build up we were ill while we were there as well, if you have been to other nicer caribbean islands you will not like it here.
just came back from the Maldives that was amazing

ctelly22

St. Thomas was ok, nice beaches, sight seeing was ok, had a lot of shopping. Have been to DR, but went to Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo, not Punta Cana. Heard Punta Cana is beautiful with nice beaches. DR to me was ok, its a third world country so alot of poverty and begging. Santo Domingo had a lot of wonderful historic sites. Grand Cayman very expensive, and not much there, plus its their rainy season. Aruba is the same, nice beaches but very small island not much to do or see. St Lucia I absolutely love, nice island, with a lot of natural sites. The people are very friendly, and there is always a party going on. Went in May returning in august.

GoVisitHawaii.com

Here are my thoughts on the list of destinations:
Grand Cayman - Pretty island....Expensive....Excellent diving and snorkeling.

Tahiti - Bora Bora and Moorea are fantastic. (The island of Tahiti itself, is more commercialized and populated and not as pretty as Bora Bora and Moorea. So, give that particular island a skip.) Very expensive (for example a hamburger and fries cost $27 at one resort restaurant.) Outstanding scuba and snorkeling. It feels remote and posh. Unbelievable shades of blue water and lagoons. If you go, you must stay in an over-water bungalow. At one resort in Moorea we stayed on a beach bungalow and an over-water bungalow and it was like having two different vacations. We really liked the Sofitel properties in French Polynesia.

Aruba - Great chance of sun and breezes that will keep you cool. This will probably be one of the cheaper alternatives. I stayed at the Wyndham and found it to be pretty nice. In my opinion, Aruba is not in the same league as Hawaii or French Polynesia.

Hawaii - This is the vacation destination that I keep returning to. There is tons of great snorkeling, hiking, beaches, cultural events, sight seeing, phenomenal restaurants. Each island has such diversity. You'll find waterfalls, lush tropical rain forests, volcanoes (dormant and active), and tons of gorgeous beaches. The people are generally so nice and friendly - it's that "aloha spirit". For a first time trip to Hawaii, I would recommend Maui or Kauai. Island hopping is very cheap right now (from $19 one way), so keep in mind that it's fairly easy to stay in one location and island hop. I write a blog about Hawaii travel that provides independent news, deals, reviews, advice, etc for someone planning a vacation to Hawaii. I'd like to emphasize that it is an independent blog, e.g. the blog is not trying to sell you something. You can find the blog a www.GoVisitHawaii.com

There have been lots of times that I consider a trip to the Caribbean, because I live on the East Coast and the Caribbean is closer, but once I start pricing it out, I find that for about the same amount of money I could go to Hawaii. Then, it is a no brainer....I go to Hawaii.

Good luck with your decision!

Highly Favoured

You forget to put in Barbados-one of the nicest and have the most friendliest people on the earth.

bel1020

St. Thomas is so much fun! Its where you need to go if you want to combine a tropical atmosphere with and actual cultural expierence. It's not a comercial place so you shouldnt go if your looking for a resort type expierience. There is this one beach called Megan's Bay and it is absolutely beautiful. One of the big attractions their is Coral World, but if I were you I would skip that......its pretty lame.

Chocolit B

Nevis..small, not overated and beautiful full of history and culture http://www.nevisisland.com

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