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We almost went to that Captain Morgan's place in Belize but read too many negative things about it, chickened out and went to Tulum, Mexico instead.
Of course this was on tripadvisor and some people are just too hard to please.

..Since this a Buffett site, why not go where Jimmy goes...St. Barts. It doesn't have to be super expensive and it is by far the safest and most romantic of the Carribean Islands.....I go a few times every year and there are plenty of places to stay for the budget conscious...pm me for more info if you like.....

St. Lucia-- Stay up at Rodney Bay and you'll have lots of choices. Horse back riding, etc., you can also go to the center of the island for the gardens and stuff but you don't need to, Marigot Bay will be enough south without the switchback drives. Early December for sure, just after hurricane season and much, much cheaper than January which is High Season. Pretty easy to fly into Castries. And even though cruise ships do come into the harbor, Rodney Bay is far enough north of them, so the 'cruizies' won't affect you! Day sails (do NOT take the one to Soufriere however, they mostly motor and they overload the boat!!), fishing, beautiful water. Try St. Lucia.

We are doing St. Martin, St. Kitts, Antigua and Anguilla in July so will know more about them then.

If you want to "stay in the US" then St. John, national park, Coral Bay, daysails to the BVI and Jost, stay at the Westin, early December the cheapest time. St. John is beautiful and the snorkeling is the best!! And you can take ferry to BVI, and other smaller islands, for a little change.

We went to Belize several years ago and stayed on Ambergris.

We loved it there. The reef for snorkeling is fabulous. We stayed at a place called Journey's End which was a British resort (the RAF landed in helicopters once a week for R&R)

Took a day trip to the Maruba Jungle Lodge (which was a hoot)

The out Islands of the Bahamas are great too. We stayed at Small Hope Bay Lodge on Andros. That has been several years ago as well though.

I have learned from experience that places we stayed several years ago are no longer the "way they were."

Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen being examples These were sleepy fishing villages when we first visited. Now that they are cruise ship ports they are nothing like they were.

I understand the Bay Islands in Honduras are getting cruise ship ports...so I imagine that they are nothing like I remember them either....

Hope you find a great place to stay!

Thanks again to everybody for their input. I'm a little over 8 yrs away from retiring and then I can start making the rounds! Till then it's one destination a year. If I'm lucky! So I keep making my list, "Places to see before I die". Sounds like the good title for a thread!

I vote for St. John, too. My father got married there a couple of years ago and it was beautiful: quiet, not crowded, and you can still snorkel, fish, shop--quaint, yet tropical. Even though you get there from St. Thomas, it's a completely different place.

I used to go to Isla Mujeres, off Mexico's Cancun coast. Hated Cancun, but loved this little island. However, I've heard it's become pretty touristy, so it may not be a great place to visit anymore.

Good luck and have fun!

BVI
BVI
BVI

Definitely, BVI.

Hi

Still looking for that trip to St. Somehere. I'm looking to take my girlfriend away for a five day getaway. No kids! I don't think I can afford to do Belize right now. Not the way I want to anyway.

A friend told me to try Sandals & Beaches resorts. He said they got a great deal last year and loved it.

I looked at the one in Whitehouse and that looked incredible but might also be a little too much.

Just want to relax, get tan, get wet, get drunk, get full and get....

Any input???? Suggestions????

If you want an all inclusive, try the Club Med in Florida; friends who have been to other Club Meds say it is just like being at an island location, only from NJ you could drive down. Club Meds are adults only(mostly). And a little more upscale than places like Sandals. Excellent French food. I think that one even has golf, they all have different focuses. We aren't the sort of people who would usually go to an all-inclusive, but we met up with a group at a Club Med in May and actually found it quite acceptable. The group is scheduled for another one at Turks next spring.

4 days to Antigua and etcs... (lil' islands)--pray de hurricanes go away!

Have you talked to a travel agent who specializes in this sort of trip? If not, I would urge you to do so as a good agent has been to a great many of the resorts you are looking at and a number of other ones. This means that they can guide you to the best fit for your needs and budget. They also may suggest things you never would have thought of or considered otherwise, such as renting a house in the Bahamas and just living the island life for a week.

SmartWomaninShortSkirt wrote:BVI
BVI
BVI

Definitely, BVI.

yes yes and yes

bixxx wrote:

SmartWomaninShortSkirt wrote:BVI
BVI
BVI

Definitely, BVI.

yes yes and yes

Shhhhhhhhh.......

beachbum13 wrote:Hi

Still looking for that trip to St. Somehere. I'm looking to take my girlfriend away for a five day getaway. No kids! I don't think I can afford to do Belize right now. Not the way I want to anyway.

A friend told me to try Sandals & Beaches resorts. He said they got a great deal last year and loved it.

I looked at the one in Whitehouse and that looked incredible but might also be a little too much.

Just want to relax, get tan, get wet, get drunk, get full and get....

Any input???? Suggestions????

Turks and Caicos

Stay at the Regent Palms. My wife and I have gone there the past 2 years and we love it. They have the most fantastic beaches, it is very relaxing and quiet. About a 1/2 mile down the beach you can swim out and see one of the reefs. The hotel is fantastic.

And it is only about a 3 hour flight.

Check into some more reasonable options in Belize.
We stayed at the Green Parrot- Placencia has one of the areas with nice beaches in Belize (actual sand, and they rake it every morning).

http://www.greenparrot-belize.com/

On a week + trip we:
Stayed at Banana Bank Lodge in Cayo- horseback riding, beautiful jungle setting
Went to Placencia/Green Parrot (GP is really in Maya Beach, a village on the middle of Placencia Peninsula, not in the town of Placencia) where we:
Scuba (through Roberts Grove, but lots of operators in the area)
Snorkeled
Toured a jungle area by boat called Monkey Village- howler monkeys, great birds & wildlife
Went to mayan ruins at Xunantunich- fabulous!
Went to Jaguar Preserve- river tubing, jungle walk
Explored Placencia town - small, but cute
Kayaked from Green Parrot,

Plus lots of lounging around.

Also, 2 nights in Belize City, which at C&R mentioned, is a dump. But easy ferries out to the Cayes, we went to Caye Caulker and had a blast- totally laid back place. We wanted to do more ruins from Belize City, but by the end of the trip I was sick of Jungle adventures and wanted more water, not trees

Cheap flights on USAirways, Philly-Charlote-Belize City.

But if you are looking for a better deal try some rentals- I am currently looking into ones through the VBRO (vacation Rentals by Owner) website for Mexico- there are some decent deals on there, and these will have kitchens etc. and often have fabulous locations. You will need to narrow down to an area to search a little better though.

And for a present on her actual birthday in advance of the surprise trip... you could get a suitcase (or at least a small toiletry bag) maybe monogrammed, with instructions inside 'you'll need to pack this soon'. Or some sunscreen with the same instructions.