I am trying to plan a post Bar exam vacation for my wife and I, and can not decide where to go. I always take anonymous internet reviews with a mountain of salt, but I figure recommedations from Dopers have to be reliable.
Where would you go in the Caribbean for a relaxing beach holdiday of about a week? We are looking for somewhere not too crowded, and a relaxing atmosphere. Some nightlife would be welcome, but is not needed every night.
One of my very favorites is Anguilla. There is little or no nightlife and the most gorgeous beaches I have ever seen. Better than Tahiti IMO. There is one very high-end hotel on the very best beach, (which may actually have some entertainment, not sure as we never went there) but there are lots ‘n’ lots of villa-type places for rent. It is extraordinarily quiet and has, surprisingly, some top-notch, exquisite restaurants. It’s also one of the safest places you can go. It’s a small island, everybody knows everybody else, so any wrongdoing would be quickly found out. (Obviously, you don’t leave your diamonds or your pricey camera lying out on the beach – some other tourist would probably swipe it.)
Very quiet. The residents even speak quietly.
Were the villas stand alone operations or part of a resort? Having access to a pool would be nice, along with a few other resort ammenties (thinking a massage is going to be in order).
We go to the island of St. Croix in the USVI. It is one of the three USVI. The other two are St. Thomas and St. John. St. Thomas is very touristy and is a big cruise ship stop. St. John is mostly a national park with a few exclusive hotels and resorts.
St. Croix is the largest of the USVI in size. It is mostly rural but there are two large towns on the island. They have everything there like good bars and restaurants but it certainly isn’t in your face. You really need a car to do much. There are many beautiful white sand, blue water beaches and you can usually have some of them to yourself most days. Otherwise there might be five or so people within sight on one of the larger ones. The USVI are a U.S. territory and that has some advantages as well.
There are a lot more Caribbean islands than most people realize so the choices are vast. I have heard good things about St. Lucia for instance and it is a small country of its own.
IMHO you can’t beat St Martin. Fantastic food, beautiful beaches, friendly people, easy to learn roadway system, a French side and a Dutch side-each with its own unique things to offer.
I like St. John…you can rent villas or condos there, and many of them have pools. But if it’s just the two of you, a whole villa would probably be a bit much, as they usually sleep 6 or more. There’s the Virgin Grand, if you want more of a hotel-y thing, but the best beaches are in the park on the North side, for the most part. As Shagnasty said, it’s about 2/3 national park, which is cool because there’s not much development by the beaches. They have some picnic tables and parking lots back in the trees. Good snorkeling, not very crowded in summer, there’s some nightlife if you want it, but it’s low-key.