usvi-on-line
An island that is today what stj was 15 years ago?
I've been living in and traveling the Caribbean for over 3 decades - each island is different and that is what makes them so wonderful to see.
The beaches in Anguilla and Anegada are stunning stretches of white sand and mesmerizing water color.
I have seen the STJ transformation close up and understand your concerns. But very few of the islands have been spared the effects of progress - some from a very different starting point -- but change is everywhere.
St Barths of the 70's was very enjoyable and a recent trip there despite the development was just as enjoyable, and I have experienced that on return trips almost everywhere else too. It is often Paradise again - just years later - and remembering what it used to be like is part of the trip.
I don't really think you can go wrong exploring new destinations - ease of access is certainly something to consider but that same factor sometimes has slowed the effects of progress.
There is good food to be had almost everywhere - the French islands in particular .
Look into Isle de Saintes if you want a step back in time.
Why not just try a different island every trip until you have seen them all and then start over and compare!
The beaches in Anguilla and Anegada are stunning stretches of white sand and mesmerizing water color.
I have seen the STJ transformation close up and understand your concerns. But very few of the islands have been spared the effects of progress - some from a very different starting point -- but change is everywhere.
St Barths of the 70's was very enjoyable and a recent trip there despite the development was just as enjoyable, and I have experienced that on return trips almost everywhere else too. It is often Paradise again - just years later - and remembering what it used to be like is part of the trip.
I don't really think you can go wrong exploring new destinations - ease of access is certainly something to consider but that same factor sometimes has slowed the effects of progress.
There is good food to be had almost everywhere - the French islands in particular .
Look into Isle de Saintes if you want a step back in time.
Why not just try a different island every trip until you have seen them all and then start over and compare!
All of the places suggested above are wonderful, but none of them have the combination of factors that make St. John what it is (or was).
Anegada is gorgeous, sparsely populated--but flat, dry and hot. Anguilla, also flat, has some of the nicest people and beaches in the West Indies, but it has changed dramatically, becoming a super "IN" island in the nineties...mega-villas, mega-money. Nevis retains beauty, history, and good attitudes in spite of the huge hotel,but beaches and snorkeling were never their strong points. Dominica is fabulous, but I've never been tempted to go swimming in the sea there, in several trips (OK, I'm spoiled, living on St. John, but still).
Vieques is pretty cool, and you might certainly want to consider it. To me, the Spanish Caribbean is so different culturally, it's hard to compare.
Virgin Gorda is my most beloved island after my home..it has changed a lot, as well, but a little slower than St. John, and it stil feels more like itself. I'd certainly recommend it if you haven't been there.
I love Bequia, and it might be closest to what you're looking for-- great people, still a very strong identity to the island- but it's hard to get to, and the island itself doesn't have much of a "wow" factor--a little small, a couple of nice enough beaches, enough hills to give it some shape,but ...
I guess nowhere is what it was 15 years ago. Of course, the more an island has to offer in white sand and available services, the quicker it will alter into something different. The National Park on St. JOhn is unique in the Caribbean, and s increasingly important...
Anegada is gorgeous, sparsely populated--but flat, dry and hot. Anguilla, also flat, has some of the nicest people and beaches in the West Indies, but it has changed dramatically, becoming a super "IN" island in the nineties...mega-villas, mega-money. Nevis retains beauty, history, and good attitudes in spite of the huge hotel,but beaches and snorkeling were never their strong points. Dominica is fabulous, but I've never been tempted to go swimming in the sea there, in several trips (OK, I'm spoiled, living on St. John, but still).
Vieques is pretty cool, and you might certainly want to consider it. To me, the Spanish Caribbean is so different culturally, it's hard to compare.
Virgin Gorda is my most beloved island after my home..it has changed a lot, as well, but a little slower than St. John, and it stil feels more like itself. I'd certainly recommend it if you haven't been there.
I love Bequia, and it might be closest to what you're looking for-- great people, still a very strong identity to the island- but it's hard to get to, and the island itself doesn't have much of a "wow" factor--a little small, a couple of nice enough beaches, enough hills to give it some shape,but ...
I guess nowhere is what it was 15 years ago. Of course, the more an island has to offer in white sand and available services, the quicker it will alter into something different. The National Park on St. JOhn is unique in the Caribbean, and s increasingly important...
Aww, c'mon Bev, give us a bit more of the juicy deatils here....pls, pls.bevm wrote:We loved Grenada.
What was Grenada like, where did you stay, etc...
Quit holding out....haha
STJ Villa Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
It's pronounced "Gre-naid-a", and it's at the southern end of The Grenadines off the Venezuelan coast in the Caribbean.
We stopped there on a cruise and really loved it. It's called The Spice Isle because it's one of the world's leading producers of spices (cinnamon, cloves and especially nutmeg). They produce I believe about 20% of the world's supply. As soon as you get to shore you can smell the spices. They permeate the Island. It's mountainous and the beaches were beautiful. I always wanted to go back.
We stopped there on a cruise and really loved it. It's called The Spice Isle because it's one of the world's leading producers of spices (cinnamon, cloves and especially nutmeg). They produce I believe about 20% of the world's supply. As soon as you get to shore you can smell the spices. They permeate the Island. It's mountainous and the beaches were beautiful. I always wanted to go back.
We went to Dominica and it is really beautiful. It is called the Nature Island for a reason, its not really much of a beach island. There are some beaches, but not like STJ. But if you want to hike in a rainforest, hike to a gorgeous waterfall with a emerald pool at the bottom (google emerald pool Dominica) to see the pictures, or swim in a narrow gorge to a hidden waterfall, then you would enjoy it. We even went snorkeling in a crystal clear river and stayed in a rain forest lodge. There's also a boiling lake due to volcanic activity. The people were friendly, and its very low key. Didn't find any snorkeling in the sea.
We went to Grenada quite a few years ago. It is really scenic and beautiful. We hiked with a guide in the rainforest there too. Saw wild monkeys and lots of tropical birds. The beaches were beautiful, but we didn't find any snorkeling. Very friendly people, good food. Lots of spices grown there, and you can tour a spice farm. We toured a nutmeg processing "plant". It was like taking a step back in time with completely manual processes, old fashioned tools, and a "colonial feel" to the operation. They had a terrible hurricane (Ivan) in 2004 and suffered terrible damage, specifically to their nutmeg trees. Many hotels on the beach were closed for quite a while. So I am not sure what its like there now.
The main beach - Grand Anse - is very nice, but had lots of vendors trying to sell you stuff, which I didn't like.
Visited Cariacou, but I didn't care for it too much. Beaches were not great, hotels very run down, and people were generally stand-offish, some unfriendly. (The island is known for this). We stayed at one place that didn't have hot water! It wasn't just broken; they didn't have it at all. After 2 nights of cold showers, we changed hotels.
We loved visiting the different islands because each one has had special things about it that we enjoyed.
We went to Grenada quite a few years ago. It is really scenic and beautiful. We hiked with a guide in the rainforest there too. Saw wild monkeys and lots of tropical birds. The beaches were beautiful, but we didn't find any snorkeling. Very friendly people, good food. Lots of spices grown there, and you can tour a spice farm. We toured a nutmeg processing "plant". It was like taking a step back in time with completely manual processes, old fashioned tools, and a "colonial feel" to the operation. They had a terrible hurricane (Ivan) in 2004 and suffered terrible damage, specifically to their nutmeg trees. Many hotels on the beach were closed for quite a while. So I am not sure what its like there now.
The main beach - Grand Anse - is very nice, but had lots of vendors trying to sell you stuff, which I didn't like.
Visited Cariacou, but I didn't care for it too much. Beaches were not great, hotels very run down, and people were generally stand-offish, some unfriendly. (The island is known for this). We stayed at one place that didn't have hot water! It wasn't just broken; they didn't have it at all. After 2 nights of cold showers, we changed hotels.
We loved visiting the different islands because each one has had special things about it that we enjoyed.
-
cypressgirl
- Posts: 2178
- Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:42 pm
- Location: houston
I spoke to a lady the other day about her VRBO listing for a lake front condo north of Houston. She also really talked up a condo that she recently purchased in a new development in Ambergris Caye, Belize. I am interested in it because it could be an easy 3 or 4 night getaway for us since we can get a direct flight to Belize and take a very quick hop to Ambergris Caye, and have a fraction of the travel time it takes us to get to STJ. I realize there are many parts of Belize that are not vacation destinations, but she really loves this little island, so I'm wondering if anyone has any experiece with it?
http://www.vrbo.com/246022
http://www.vrbo.com/246022
-
Pete (Mr. Marcia)
- Posts: 1471
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:48 pm
- Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Iowaguy wrote a very interesting trip report earlier this year on the Turks and Cacios.
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... ht=iowaguy
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... ht=iowaguy
... no longer a stranger to paradise
-
cypressgirl
- Posts: 2178
- Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:42 pm
- Location: houston
Thanks for the replies, I've been following the 2Gringos blog and they've posted some awesome pics & info. http://2gringos.blogspot.com/
We visited Provo, T & C twice.
The first trip was back in 2003 (I think) which was prior to the giant construction boom. We did a lot of exploring that trip.
The second trip was in 2008 and it was a working vacation. We got to opportunity to see different things that trip.
My quick thoughts on Provo:
The island is relatively flat and dry
The interior area is not particularly attractive, four (or maybe six) lane highways lined with big box supply stores, off-shore banks, service centers
There isn't a town like Cruz Bay to stroll about, restaurants are spread out along the coast.
Lots of great restaurants ranging from conch shacks to high-end.
Welcoming locals
Long stretches of beautiful beaches
Huge condo/resort complexes growing up along Grace Bay Beach.
Many beach front lodging options
We will return to Provo but would suggest anyone considering it to do a lot of research. It is very different from STJ in terms of geography and relaxation/entertainment options.
The first trip was back in 2003 (I think) which was prior to the giant construction boom. We did a lot of exploring that trip.
The second trip was in 2008 and it was a working vacation. We got to opportunity to see different things that trip.
My quick thoughts on Provo:
The island is relatively flat and dry
The interior area is not particularly attractive, four (or maybe six) lane highways lined with big box supply stores, off-shore banks, service centers
There isn't a town like Cruz Bay to stroll about, restaurants are spread out along the coast.
Lots of great restaurants ranging from conch shacks to high-end.
Welcoming locals
Long stretches of beautiful beaches
Huge condo/resort complexes growing up along Grace Bay Beach.
Many beach front lodging options
We will return to Provo but would suggest anyone considering it to do a lot of research. It is very different from STJ in terms of geography and relaxation/entertainment options.