vjd3

My girlfriend wants to do a week on a tropical island in late November ... Virgin Islands, Carribean, etc. Can anyone recommend an all-inclusive resort that has a good selection of restaurants and accommodations? We'd like to spend about $1k apiece, including airfare from Boston.

TIA,
Vic

95 C4 (sold!)
99 C2 cab

Tom W

My wife and I have been to two resorts we recommend:
Anse Chastanet and Young Island

Both are isolated resorts that are great for relaxing on the beach with scuba or snorkeling to add some entertainment.

Mike in Chi

I echo Tom recco on Young Island.

also check out Petit St. Vincent and Cap Jaluca

http://www.psvresort.com/ http://www.capjaluca.com/

More than a thousand, but she'll love you for taking her there.

Bob Dennis

I'm heading to Caberete, Dominican Republic tomorrow (looong trip from Seattle). There are some new resorts with VERY competitive pricing. Our hotel (considered "expensive") is running about $600 for 10 nights for BOTH of us. This is not all inclusive, mind you, but Caberete is a fun town with numerous restaurants. I know there are several resorts in the D.R. (Club Med, among others)...

Wait!! I just recalled an article from last Sundays NYTimes on good deals in the Carribean... For the D.R. they quoted: "Viva Tangerine, scheduled to open Nov. 1 on a 361-foot beach in Cabarete, a North Coast wind-surfing town. From Jan. 3 through 31, double rates will start at $174, and from February through April 10, $190, including meals, drinks and wine, 24-hour snacks, aerobics, nonmotorized water sports, nightly entertainment, dance lessons, yoga and meditation classes, and programs for children from 4 to 18."

See the full article here:
NY Times - Carribean deals

DJF1

Get on a cruise... It is by far the best value for money if you want quality and a complete Caribbean package. That said you got to be carefull on who you choose to suit the style you want... Trust me it's my business to know

rodC4S

Bitter end resort in British Virgin Islands. Dont bother with USVI if you want a little peace and quiet.

www.beyc.com

If you learn to sai, you could cruise all the islands. Else the ferry service is OK. Check out foxys on Jost Van Dyke, one of the most famous beach bars/restaurants ever.

BVI gets my vote every time.

Mike in Chi

Vic

Knowing Danny, he'd show you a great time.

And being shipboard in international waters, I think he can perform marrriage ceremonies.

Chris C.

Anse Chastanet is unbelievable, but will take most of a day to get there and with meals run a lot more the $1K.

For an inexpensive jaunt, try the DR...I stayed at the Riu Palace Macao all inc including a bar in your room, it's safe, and they have an awesome beach and a lot of activities. You stay in the "compound" but there's a little town and it's all about the beach.

Evan

I totally agree with rodc4s.

BVI is the best. Greatest vacation we ever took. Foxy's is a hoot.

We stayed in Tortolla. If you want queit and laid back, this may be for you. Not to mention Bamba's full moon party at the shack.

Heh, just to get away that far down is mind soothing anyway. You really can't go wrong.

chris walrod

I second what Danny says about cruises. You get a little of both, cruise and resort island time. The only cruise I have been on was for our honeymoon in '99 with Carnival. We did a 7 day eastern Carribean and had an absolute blast. A quality experience.

Danny, lets get a group-buy going for a cruise. We can get all the Rennlisters together for a week. I can see it now. All inclusive, including the Bruce Anderson rebuild class, and the Andial dyno sessions. Oh wait a minute. a vacation is supposed to be a get-a-way from all of this....

jago

if you want any privacy, nix the cruise. they can be lots of fun, but you make certain concessions, like dining with strangers, getting skunked for the good deck chair spots, questionable entertainment, and usually winding up on crowded beaches. not too mention the occasional bouts of nausea or a wave of belly bugs hitting the whole cruise..
if you guys are party-ers then you'll have a better time on a ship.
good luck!

laurence '97 C4S

St Barts is where we go, IMHO. French isalnd so the food is fantastic. Not a big island, so therefore not crowded. Great harbor. We stay at Manipany, which is very nice (but pricey). Last time we were there (which is awhile ago) Diana Ross was our neighbor.

Jon 'Bama

forget all inclusive

this time of year you can get a house on the beach, to yourself with maid service in the BVI for a week for about what you want to spend. My wife and I spent a week on Tortolla 4 years ago and a week on Virgin Gorda 3 years ago during Thanksgiving week. The weather was perfect and because of the time of year, uncrowded and cheap. Go to Gorda if you want relaxing/Romantic or Tortolla if you want a partying experience

Both were great Vacations, Gorda being my favorite vacation ever


Jon

DJF1

It all depends. That is exactly why i said that selection of the cruise is important. There are cruiselines and cruiselines and much like Hotels big differences in quality, type and style. That is I'm afraid the common mistake among people categorizing the cruise experience as the same style for every cruiseline where the reality is far from it. It is certainly not the same staying at the Mandarin Oriental and the Motel 6.
Cruiselines are different and have very different segments. For example if you are a party goer my ship is the wrong choise for you. That is why selection is so important. Probably judging from your comments you went to the wrong ship for your preference and that is very unfortunate. I can tell you cruiselines and ships that you will not get skunked as you said for a chair around the pool, I can tell you of ships that you can have a private candle light dinner served by your butler in your veranda, ships that have even gym equipment and jacuzzi tubs in your private veranda or ships that you can dine just the two of you in a Michellin star restaurant aboard that ship, having food that would cost you upwards of $300 per person without wine on land for maybe a 20 dollar tip for your waiter...
How about questionable entertainment? What would you think of being able to watch a Cirque del Soleil show for FREE on a ship?
As for crowded beaches...all you need to do is ask the helpfull front desk staff and they will point you to remote locations that you will see noone. Trust me they do know of such places...all you need to do is ask...

As for the wave of belly bugs....Pleeease... I'm sure you are refering to the famous "Norwalk like Virus" or commonly called the stomach flu. Yeah that was a big flop by the media who are hungry for news...
When you think that every week upwards of 50000 people are on a cruise of some short then the 1% getting the stomach flu all of a sudden is not that bad is it? Especially if you think that how many times in a office envinronment you get the flu and how many get it in proportion to the floor that you work on?

I've been working on cruiseships for the past 16 years of my life. I do not make a point to advertise who I'm and which cruiseline I work for on this board as there is no point and I do not want people to think i'm steering them to my cruiseline , which by the way I'm very proud to be a part off.
I do however have a more unique so to speak knowledge of a cruise so i would be glad to suggest in private a line that would be suited for you.
Selection is critical for maximum enjoynment according to your preferences.

As for the islands of the Caribbean you can say I've been to all of them
Price is king for the selection of a resort and quality is not always there especially if the price is too good to be true. I've seen resorts that are marginal to say the least and the brochure makes them look so good. But I'm biased you might say as my proffessional standards do not let past my eyes to many things that probably a person not in the business will not even see them. My favorite island on the Atlantic is Bermuda with close second St.Barts. I also like the French side of St.Maarten ( St.Martin) as well as Aruba and Curacao. The rest of the islands are hit or miss an exclusive private small island would be a good romantic experience but according to your taste your milaege may vary. For example a resort that stands out in my mind is the Half moon bay resort in Jamaica, exeptional place but the island is a damp and in my book dangerous for your safety.
Or the 4 seasons in Nevis , close to St.Kitts is outstanding but at what price...
Do the reaserch at length to avoid dissapointment. Some resorts may send you videos which is more graphic for you to get a feel of the place.
Good luck!

jago

djf1,

re cruises, no offense, i agree that for a price, you can have it all, but considering the guy's budget..1000 pp including air , i'd be betting that they'll be running for the good deck chairs.