Virgin Islands, etc

[Coffee Warlord]

So, me and the wife have planned going Somewhere Really Freakin' Nice as our belated honeymoon this summer. Two of her sisters have already committed to taking the kid, freeing us to go party.

Originally, it was gonna be back to Hawaii. Flights there, however, have skyrocketed. So, I was looking at a few other locales in the category of "Relax in a gorgeous climate pool/oceanside and drink fruity cocktails all day".

Which led me to look into the Virgin Islands (prolly US, though I'm not opposed to the British VI). Anyone have some firsthand experience there? Or some suggestions for other similar resort type, relaxing vacation spots?

[Pyser]

amazing. I was just gonna post something nearly identical to this, asking about Mexico...

[Apathetic Lurker]

Both of you.....go to St Bart's

[bryce]

It depends on how much you want to spend and what kind of activities you want. For many years I made a habit of visiting a Caribbean island. Here's a brief rundown of my experiences:

Bahamas - my favorite. Easy to get to. Atlantis is expensive, but Paradise Island is more affordable. (They are a cab ride apart, maybe 15 minutes, if you ever want to stay at one and visit the other.) Great beaches. Water sports. Casinos. All at both.

Caymans - VERY nice. Great beaches. Quieter in terms of activities. The most romantic, I'd say, of the places I've been. Almost exclusively couples.

USVI - I went to St. Croix, which is the poorest of the three USVI. St John's is the nicest and most secluded (but also most expensive.) St Croix has a casino. St John's is more 'natural' - huge nature preserve there. The STX beach isn't as nice as Bahamas or Caymans (lots of seaweed.)

Jamaica - my least favorite. Too 'busy' and loud. I've never been on a cruise, but this is how I picture one - cramped, loud, restaurants felt cafeteria-like (I did the all inclusive, which I don't recommend at all, at least not here.)

In a rush right now, so excuse the choppiness. I can answer questions or maybe help out more later if wanted/needed.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Been to the Bahamas and Jamaica.

In both cases, once you are on the resort, comparable.

Jamaica is far more volatile. We were warned repeatedly not to leave the resort, and if we choose to, remember it's at our own risk. We didn't leave. The two things that stick out in my memory about Jamaica, besides the resort-

1) There is no middle class. The drive from the airport to the resort, you were passing tin huts that served as housing for a family of 8, and on the hill behind it was a mansion.

2) The roads. No true intersections, just "round-abouts". So instead of turning left, you rode the outside of the circle 3/4 of the way around and turned right. However, these had no signs/restrictions.

Along with that, I remember a sign that said

1998 - 487
1999 - 503
2000 - ???

How many road fatalities will result this year?

That was there way of telling you to slow down.

Bahamas - a few times we got a cab from the front desk and went into downtown Nassau, walked through the markets, took a boat over to Atlantis (we stayed at Sandals). If you want to do more than lay on the beach, Bahamas over Jamaica.


Edit to add: Make sure any resort you choose is couples only, and not family oriented, if you are looking for more quiet/relaxing.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Chuck Norris visited the Virgin Islands. They're now known simply as "Islands".

[chesapeake]

My wife and I had our honeymoon at the Sandals Resort at St. Lucia. We had a fantastic time and I would recommend it highly. It is an all-inclusive resort, which is very nice. You know all your costs up front.

[dfisher]

Been to the Caribbean a few times:

St. Thomas - first trip and still my favorite. We rented a car and were able to see it all. Magen's Bay is gorgeous; one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. You can also do day trips to St. John (via ferry) and the BVI (via tour). A trip to the BVI to see the Baths is a must. St. Thomas is very Americanized, and I felt comfortable walking thru town shopping.

Dominican Republic - went via cheapcaribbean.com; wasn't the best resort, but it was nice; I've never seen so much trash lining the roads as I did on the way to our resort (we stayed all inclusive).

We also have been to Sandals three times:

Antigua - We went here on our honeymoon. It was a little disappointing. The expansion to the resort wasn't finished, but we stayed on the new side while construction was ongoing. The room was spectacular, but all the noise hurt the quality of the trip. It's not a private beach so we got hit up by vendors every 5 minutes. Food was subpar. The bartender's idea of a frozen margarita was tequila and ice. Due to the construction, we got a voucher good for 5 free nights at any Sandals resort.

Bahamas - nice resort that has it's own private island. We were able to go here for free because of what happened on our Antigua trip. Awesome food. We will be going back to the Bahamas some day with our daughter.

Jamaica - We stayed at Ocho Rios on the hillside villas, which made getting to the beach a pain. It was a nice trip, but not spectacular.

[Flame Eater]

Been to St John three times. Always went camping (Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay), but I always wanted to stay at Caneel Bay (very shi-shi fancy).

Luxury Caribbean Resorts & Beach Vacations | Caneel Bay | Luxury Virgin Island Resort & Getaway (www.caneelbay.com)

[Neon_Chaos]

Boracay, Philippines.

There are a couple of pics from my old vacation thread:
Vacation - Boracay Beach Pics - Front Office Football Central (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=71258)

The place is awesome, the water is the clearest you'll ever see, and the sand is fine as baby powder.

I'm headed there this April for my honeymoon.

[Cuckoo]

Spent a day in St. Thomas as part of a cruise last year and just loved it, our favorite place on the itinerary. Beautiful, beautiful beaches. The one we enjoyed the most was Coki, a really small one. It was gorgeous, had good snorkling, and a really cool native guy that sold fresh fruit smoothies with rum (of course). Plus, when we were there, the crowd was small, and it felt like a private beach for us.

[CU Tiger]

St Maarteen....rent a house...not a resort..thats the benefit.