Need vacation recommendations!

[LC]

Hi all,

I'm a long-time lurker, and occasional poster.

Hubby and I are looking for a different vacation spot this year. We love St. John and will definitely be back, but want to try out somewhere new. We love the laid back feel of St. John, and want another similar carribean location. Great beaches, lush landscape, and it's important that we feel safe. We're 29 and 30, love to hit the beach bars, but are definitely not late nighters.

Any thoughts are welcome - I love hearing about people's fave vacation spots!

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[flip-flop]

Done & would do again in a heartbeat:

- Bermuda (in warmer months, the weather is similar to NC)

- Key West or Islamorada Key in Florida

- Playa Del Carmen

Would LOVE to do:

- Nevis

- Bequia

[LC]

Thanks, guys! We actually did Bequia last August. It was a great trip, but Hurricane Dean reared his ugly head...made for a little more stress than I like on vacation.
I posted a trip report on here, because I knew most people said Bequia was like St. John, and I thought the forumites would be interested. It is breathtakingly beautiful. We did a day sail to Mustique, and it was fabulous - I've only seen views like that in the moveis. Downsides were that it's a TINY island. Provisioning there is laughable. Very expensive (case of Heineken $40). Can't say I ever felt 100% safe there. But it was still a great trip and I'm glad we went - if either of you ever want more info, let me know!

Flip-Flop - We've never been to Mexico...so you liked Playa Del Carmen? It does look beautiful. Is it crazy touristy, though? What are your favorite things about it?

thanks again!

[Nic in KC]

Not Flip Flop,but we've traveled to Playa Del Carmen many times due to the affordable cost and ease of travel from the midwest. We love it. The actual town of Playa has some touristy shops, but it's nothing hugely touristy. You walk through the town on foot, several restaurants in that area etc. There are some small boutique hotels, but I've never stayed in them. We always stay at an all inclusive that isn't right in town and then go into town a couple of times during the week. Farther down the Mexican Riviera are Tulum and Akumal which are definitely not touristy, small Mexican village feel. The beaches are gorgeous down there in a different way than St. John beaches. Snorkeling off the beach at one hotel we stayed at was wonderful in one area that no one was ever in because it was kind of secluded. We will likely have our next beach vacation down there after we go to St. John in May. If you have more questions, just ask!

[LC]

Thanks for the reply, Nic. So the beaches in Playa are nice? And swimmable? I should say "floatable", since I don't do any swimming, per say, just hanging in the water.

Do you have a certain hotel that you prefer? Let me know if you do, seems like there are quite a few options there.

[b-as-u-r]

How about Anguilla? I haven't been there in quite some time but my friend's sister just built a villa there and says that it's fabulous and the beaches are incredible. Actually, the thing I remember most about the island was how beautiful the beach was at Shoal Bay. You could always do a day trip to St. Maarten if you enjoy shopping or just to do an island hop. Just a suggestion. Happy travels. Ali~

[AquaGirl]

We have been to Nevis 3 times and really loved it. It is very laid back with gorgeous scenery. It is hard to explain, but it just is very islandy and has a wonderful feel to it. Everywhere you go, you see Mt Nevis (sometimes the top is in the clouds) and lush greenery. We have done some hiking every trip and the the forest is just beautiful - very jungle-like. They have monkeys which you see frequently around the island. The beaches are not the white sand like St John, but there is a very long pretty beach with some excellent casual places to eat/drink (tables in the sand, shack-type places). The people are very friendly and it has a West Indian feel, which is very different from STJ. There are some neat places to stay - historic inns with fantastic food and service. One of my favorite places is Mt Nevis Hotel that has efficiency type accomodations with a fabulous view over to St Kitts. We stayed in a unit where you could sit up in bed and look out over the channel and it was so beautiful to just sit and have morning coffee. We drove all over Nevis and felt very safe. The downside of Nevis for us is that the snorkeling is just so-so. You can also take the ferry over to St Kitts, which has some nice beaches, and some great sightseeing (old fort with great views out to many islands). I highly recommend a visit to Nevis.

[Nic in KC]

Sorry to be late in responding...the beaches in Playa are very swimmable/floatable. More waves than St. John, but one resort we stayed at had very calm water. The resort chain that I'd highly recommend is any of the Iberostar resorts. They are beautiful, good food, good service etc. The resort that I'd recommend if you can get a good price is Barcelo Maya on the Colonial side. It is a little farther from town, but a large complex. Good a la carte restaurants and the buffet food was good. I didn't have any complaints about the quality of the pool, rooms, or anything, but the staff were just so/so. We found a couple of great staff members and the rest seemed upset with their jobs. Normally the service is outstanding in Mexico. It's definitely different than St. John, but thinking about it is making me want to go. The pico de gallo, guacamole, chips and Mexican rice are things that just aren't as good on St. John!