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Picking the Best Carribean Island
Posted on 1/9/18 at 10:32 am
Posted on 1/9/18 at 10:32 am
I saw some people talking about this not to long ago on the travel board. I wanted to get some suggestions for Carribean Isalands. Im looking for something tropical and not too commercialized. Nice non-crowded beaches and good food.
3
Posted on 1/9/18 at 11:03 am to Barracuda
A good “general” rule of thumb is if you want something less commercialized, eliminate the islands with major cruise ports and start your research from there.
After that it depends on lots of factors
-do you an all inclusive or do you want to explore off resort
-do you care about shopping, night life, casinos, etc
-do you care about snorkeling and/or diving
-what’s your budget
-do you care about high end dining
-where do quality of beaches rank compared to the above
-how comfortable are you with renting a car and exploring on your own
These are just a few questions to nail down what might be best for you
After that it depends on lots of factors
-do you an all inclusive or do you want to explore off resort
-do you care about shopping, night life, casinos, etc
-do you care about snorkeling and/or diving
-what’s your budget
-do you care about high end dining
-where do quality of beaches rank compared to the above
-how comfortable are you with renting a car and exploring on your own
These are just a few questions to nail down what might be best for you
This post was edited on 1/9/18 at 11:05 am
Posted on 1/9/18 at 11:12 am to Barracuda
St. John
The BVI
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Anguilla
St. Barths
St. Kitts & Nevis
Anegada
Those would be my "best" and least commercial list. I hear that Montserrat was incredible before the eruption. I listed Anegada separately from the BVI because it's not only a fantastic island but it's easily the least commercial island I've ever visited. Staying there for five days in June.
The BVI
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Anguilla
St. Barths
St. Kitts & Nevis
Anegada
Those would be my "best" and least commercial list. I hear that Montserrat was incredible before the eruption. I listed Anegada separately from the BVI because it's not only a fantastic island but it's easily the least commercial island I've ever visited. Staying there for five days in June.
This post was edited on 1/9/18 at 11:14 am
Posted on 1/9/18 at 11:21 am to Bruco
Im really looking at airbnbs right now. I really just want a place where we can go to the beach and drink all day and then have some good food somewhere on the island. I'm talking beach bumming for an entire week. Snorkeling would be cool. Don't care about shopping or nightlife. Exploring an island would be cool too if it has waterfalls and those kind of things.
Posted on 1/9/18 at 11:24 am to Barracuda
Well then.
Jost Van Dyke. It's a different party every day at Soggy Dollar with the day trippers and there are some very good restaurants on the island (if they're all open again). The beaches (White Bay in particular) are spectacular and you can ferry to other BVI islands or St. John easily for a day trip.
White Bay
The view of Great Harbor from the villa we rented last June.
Jost Van Dyke. It's a different party every day at Soggy Dollar with the day trippers and there are some very good restaurants on the island (if they're all open again). The beaches (White Bay in particular) are spectacular and you can ferry to other BVI islands or St. John easily for a day trip.
White Bay
The view of Great Harbor from the villa we rented last June.
This post was edited on 1/9/18 at 11:27 am
Posted on 1/9/18 at 11:26 am to VABuckeye
What is the overall condition of the islands right now? When do they expect to be fully recovered?
Posted on 1/9/18 at 11:30 am to hiltacular
Tough to say. I know St. John is still in bad shape. The Westin and Caneel Bay won't reopen until sometime in 2019.
White Bay villas sent me a reopening email last week. I think they have 3 or 4 villas ready to roll again. The beach bars are the easy part. They're all wooden structures. Anegada didn't catch nearly the hit as the rest of the BVI do to its' distance from the others which is why I suggested it.
I'll ask some friends down there how it's coming along.
ETA: Just texted a friend on St. John how it's coming along. Response was that there is a ton of work to do and many challenges.
A buddy that owns a condo in Grande Bay (in Cruz Bay) says that he's hoping the condo will be done by March 1st. It had to be completely gutted. He was lucky. Grande Bay didn't lose any roofs but still suffered extensive water damage.
ETA: I haven't checked much on some of the other islands (like Anguilla). It's just too depressing. They all got hit so hard.
Soggy Dollar appears to be fine but the Sandcastle Hotel on the property is still closed. Foxy's is rebuilding but mostly functional. I think Ivan's is the same as Soggy. Bar open but the campground is still closed.
The Willy T on Norman Island was destroyed and is beached. Word is that there is a replacement coming but no set time frame yet.
Virgin Gorda was devastated as well.
Here's a link outlining what's open and closed currently in the Caribbean.
Current Carribean Status
White Bay villas sent me a reopening email last week. I think they have 3 or 4 villas ready to roll again. The beach bars are the easy part. They're all wooden structures. Anegada didn't catch nearly the hit as the rest of the BVI do to its' distance from the others which is why I suggested it.
I'll ask some friends down there how it's coming along.
ETA: Just texted a friend on St. John how it's coming along. Response was that there is a ton of work to do and many challenges.
A buddy that owns a condo in Grande Bay (in Cruz Bay) says that he's hoping the condo will be done by March 1st. It had to be completely gutted. He was lucky. Grande Bay didn't lose any roofs but still suffered extensive water damage.
ETA: I haven't checked much on some of the other islands (like Anguilla). It's just too depressing. They all got hit so hard.
Soggy Dollar appears to be fine but the Sandcastle Hotel on the property is still closed. Foxy's is rebuilding but mostly functional. I think Ivan's is the same as Soggy. Bar open but the campground is still closed.
The Willy T on Norman Island was destroyed and is beached. Word is that there is a replacement coming but no set time frame yet.
Virgin Gorda was devastated as well.
Here's a link outlining what's open and closed currently in the Caribbean.
Current Carribean Status
This post was edited on 1/9/18 at 11:54 am
Posted on 1/9/18 at 11:58 am to VABuckeye
Anguilla is doing pretty well.
-Shoal Bay East was largely spared, in fact it gained sand. Basically everything is up and running.
-Meads Bay is in decent shape. Frangipani is open. The Carimar never really even closed. Four Seasons is opening in March. The beach restaurants like Ocean Echo and Jacala are open. Straw Hat is about to open. Not sure about the Mallihouna Resort.
-Rendezvous Bay was hit hard. Cuisinart will be a while, but my favorite beach bar, the Sunshine Shack is back open and the beach looks great on that stretch.
-Cap Jaluca is closed till next year. They were actually scheduled to close after the high season for a full renovation after being acquired by Belmond anyway, so they basically just decided to get going on that early.
-The restaurants and bars in Sandy Ground all appear to be open or putting on the finishing touches.
The recovery has been amazing, especially considering that places like Meads Bay only got power back with the last couple weeks.
-Shoal Bay East was largely spared, in fact it gained sand. Basically everything is up and running.
-Meads Bay is in decent shape. Frangipani is open. The Carimar never really even closed. Four Seasons is opening in March. The beach restaurants like Ocean Echo and Jacala are open. Straw Hat is about to open. Not sure about the Mallihouna Resort.
-Rendezvous Bay was hit hard. Cuisinart will be a while, but my favorite beach bar, the Sunshine Shack is back open and the beach looks great on that stretch.
-Cap Jaluca is closed till next year. They were actually scheduled to close after the high season for a full renovation after being acquired by Belmond anyway, so they basically just decided to get going on that early.
-The restaurants and bars in Sandy Ground all appear to be open or putting on the finishing touches.
The recovery has been amazing, especially considering that places like Meads Bay only got power back with the last couple weeks.
Posted on 1/9/18 at 12:07 pm to Bruco
Thanks for the info I have a trip planned there for OCT and really had no idea if I was going to keep it planned or not.
Posted on 1/9/18 at 12:44 pm to Bruco
Funny you mentioned Anguilla. I just got an email from Brett at Elvis' Beach Bar and he says they're doing great.
Posted on 1/9/18 at 1:48 pm to VABuckeye
Looks like Elvis’s is doing great. They had a big screen projector going on the beach for the game last night per Facebook
Posted on 1/10/18 at 9:19 am to Bruco
We had a blast in Turks and Caicos. I did a review of it a few months ago.
Posted on 1/10/18 at 9:40 am to VABuckeye
What about the islands such as the Corn Islands, San Andres and Providencia?
Posted on 1/10/18 at 8:45 pm to Barracuda
How about Ambergris Caye, Belize
Posted on 1/10/18 at 9:00 pm to Mark Makers
Or Roatan but I wouldn’t put either on a best island list. Ambergris Caye has terrible beaches compared to most islands.
Posted on 1/11/18 at 12:27 pm to Barracuda
quote:
Im really looking at airbnbs right now. I really just want a place where we can go to the beach and drink all day and then have some good food somewhere on the island. I'm talking beach bumming for an entire week. Snorkeling would be cool. Don't care about shopping or nightlife. Exploring an island would be cool too if it has waterfalls and those kind of things.
My family and I are very much, "off the beaten path" type of people. We enjoy raw/natural beaches, local food, and zero crowds. Eleuthera, Bahamas has some great VRBO/AirBnB rentals. We typically rent a house on Winding Bay for the week and see zero other people on the beaches we visit. The island is big enough to provide diverse areas with fantastic snorkeling opportunities.
The downside: it isn't flashy or "popular". Groceries are expensive compared to what you are used to paying in your local Megalo-Mart.
But the fishing/water sports are fantastic, beaches clean and empty, and there are just enough local restaurants cooking damn good food to keep you fed on those nights you don't want to cook. The north end of the island has a good touristy community (Spanish Wells) for shopping/hanging-out if you get board and want to hang out in a bar for the day.
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