Other SAFE islands

LysaC · Post by **LysaC** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:25 am

Oh, we've considered Bermuda cuz it's wicked close but it's not good in November/December. Water waaaaayyyy too cold!

Berlingirl · Post by **Berlingirl** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:37 am

Another Consideration...is Cruise ship loads.

St John...ok, the ships port in St Thomas, lots of cruisers already think going to St John is a big deal, not too many make the trek unless it's escorted and only for a few hours or they've been before and need a STJ fix. So STJ is decently safe. Same with the BVI.

Grand Cayman...Huge Port...7 Mile beach is fairly overrun on any weekday. Outer islands are unpopulated.

Negril Jamaica...Easy...No Port, Way to far away from the ships. Nice.

Bahamas...Most Cruise Lines have their own private islands now so no prob unless your in Nassau and staying at Atlantis on Paradise Island for $500 a nite and you can't find a seat by the pool or on the beach because it's turned into the #1 thing cruisers want to do in the Bahamas. Outer islands are excellent.

Bermuda...overrun in the middle of the week from late April to mid October. Nice if your at a private resort, but take deep pockets.

Mayan Riveria...not a ship in sight, they port on Cozumel or do Cancun. Most resorts have their own water systems...however Lysa, if your hubby gets sick on ST John you could run into that anywhere.

Turks...getting fairly busy cruise-wise. Ouch.

Barbadoes, St Lucia, Antigua, Grenada, they're cruise stops, but not overrun.

Aruba, not overrun, but busy as heck. Great beaches.

Bottom line, to get the St John vacation effect some place else, you've got to get off the beaten track. Travel a lot further and bring more money.

St. John Lover · Post by **St. John Lover** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:12 pm

Plus Bermuda is quite cold in the winter. It's on-season is more the summer months. (If I remember right, it's about the same latitude as New York--it's in the Atlantic not the Caribbean).

bill · Post by **bill** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:29 pm

having been to anguillla, i second everyone's opinion. we had a wonderful time. the beaches and water were fantastic. shoal bay was so beautiful. the color of the water actually made my eyes tear, it was so bright against the pure white sand.

that said, we still keep returning to st john.anguilla is flat and dry and i don't feel has the beauty of st john. also the people on st john are great, not that the anguillans aren't.but if you haven't been i do think it is worth a trip.

bill · Post by **bill** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 11:16 pm

virgin gorda is our second favorite island. very safe. great beaches, good snorkeling. we stayed on mahoe bay at villa open deck. just loved it. check it out. any questions, let me know. good luck

stockman · Post by **stockman** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:21 am

Beeen to both STJ and Anguilla and my favorite is easily anguilla. The most crowded beach on Anguilla will have less people than most all beaches on STJ. If you want a beach to yourself with no other people u can easily do. There is not near as much to do there like shopping, ect. but the beaches and resturants are the BEST in the Carribean.

jmq · Post by **jmq** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:54 am

I second Virgin Gorda as great alternative to STJ.

LysaC · Post by **LysaC** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:15 am

Thank you all so much for the suggestions! Now I have a ton of research to do.

Hubby thinks I'm crazy that I'm already asking questions and researching about a vaction that we won't be taking for another year and a half!

I'm leaning toward the Cayman Islands for the safety and snorkeling but it seems like a pain to get to from Boston. Not many options. Does anyone have any opinions about this? Also, do all the beaches have a resort or hotel on them or are there smaller, quieter beaches to explore?

Thanks again!

Jan&MikeVa · Post by **Jan&MikeVa** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:52 pm

We've travelled to the Cayman Islands three times. Twice via a cruise ship and once for a short 3 night stay.

If ya love the laid back, non built up life of STJ you WILL NOT like Grand Cayman. It's one hotel after the other, with modern souvenier shops, American fast food, traffic lights, and 4 to 6 cruise ships at a time. It reminded me of Miami Beach, too small, too American and very crowded.

Now the out Islands, Cayman Brac or Little Cayman are much more remote and not commercialized. I know a lot of folks that have rented villas on both Islands and have been very happy.

BEST all inclusive resort was on Jamaica in Negril. A place called Swept Away (I think Couples may have bought them out). Talk about SPOILED, now that was a vacation! Check it out!

Good luck and happy planning!!

Jan (aka Charlie)

DiverDrew · Post by **DiverDrew** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:51 pm

My wife and I went to Vieques this year instead of St. John. It has a low key vibe, some good restaurants, and beautiful beaches reaced only by a Jeep, just like STJ, but with a hispanic flavor as the island is off the coast of Puerto Rico.

We stayed at a villa called Casa Ladera. We loved it and are perplexed over whether to go back there or back to STJ.

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 4:21 pm

LysaC wrote:Oh, we've considered Bermuda cuz it's wicked close but it's not good in November/December. Water waaaaayyyy too cold!

I thought the water in Bermuda was borderline too cold to swim in JUNE, let alone December! Of course, that two hour flight from Boston is pretty great.

Berlingirl · Post by **Berlingirl** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:07 pm

We went to Couples Swept Away last year for a quick 4 night getaway...it was fantastic. Great spot on Negrils beach! Loved it. Would highly recommend. The snorkeling was fantastic there also.

Jan N. · Post by **Jan N.** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:03 pm

Berlingirl wrote: The snorkeling was fantastic there also.

Was that snorkeling from the beach, or did you need to take a boat?

Thanks,
Jan

Ina · Post by **Ina** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:42 am

Jan&MikeVa wrote:If ya love the laid back, non built up life of STJ you WILL NOT like Grand Cayman. It's one hotel after the other, with modern souvenier shops, American fast food, traffic lights, and 4 to 6 cruise ships at a time. It reminded me of Miami Beach, too small, too American and very crowded.

Jan (aka Charlie)

not true. We stayed in the North Pointe area, near Rum Point, and that part is very beautifull, quiet and laid back. The 7 miles beach area, yes. All you said. But once you get out of that part, the rest is really nice and quiet and pretty. Unfortunately, alot of people, when they think of Grand Cayman, they only picture the 7 Miles Beach area. But Grand Cayman is so much more.
The Elizabeth Botanical Gardens is pure magical by the way....if you go there, it is a must see, really. And snorkeling at Rum Point is lots of fun. Even if it is windy, rum Point is a protected area and we found always calm.

Ina · Post by **Ina** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:49 am

LysaC wrote:
I'm leaning toward the Cayman Islands for the safety and snorkeling but it seems like a pain to get to from Boston. Not many options. Does anyone have any opinions about this? Also, do all the beaches have a resort or hotel on them or are there smaller, quieter beaches to explore?

Thanks again!

not sure if it changed but I flew from Boston to Miami, and from Miami with Cayman Air to Grand Cayman. It worked out fine.

There are alot of quiet beaches. The Cemetary is a nice one. Great snorkeling from there as well. Some stupendous snorkeling we did at Eden Rock. No beach there, you have to enter the water with a ladder that the divers use as well, but the water is absolutely clear and it is really really great snorkeling. Smiths Cove is also wonderfull to snorkel, it has some picknick benches and a small beach. Rum Point is great, a nice beach, you can get drinks and food there, or just laydown in a hammock and enjoy the rest.

Maybe a bit tacky but we did the stingray city trip, twice. The second one, with Captain Marvin, was wonderfull. its an old guy, but he knows his stuff and it was wonderfull. He had you dive for conch and later while everybody was snorkeling he prepared this amazing lunch with the conch and other stuff. It was great.

I really loved Grand Cayman. is it St John? No. Not even close. GCY is GCY and has its own charm. It has picked up pretty good after Ivan. That makes me happy, I was heartbroken after the devestation Ivan did. And really, truely, GCY is not all 7 Miles beach. We pretty much stayed away from 7MB (we were there almost 3 weeks) and we had a blast. The turlefarm, the Elizabeth Botanical Gardens, the Blowholes, even a visit to Hell, there is so much to see. And not to forget: the Tortuga rum. If there, you must get the special rumcake. Heavenly! I took 4 home with me.

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