Caribbean Recommendation

We have been to Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica a few times and I am looking to explore some of the other Islands.

We prefer to rent an apartment or house as we have found all inclusive hotel experiences not to our liking.

I think we will need to transit via one of the main islands and am wondering if anyone has any suggestions.

I have heard the British Virgin Islands are worth considering.

If you don't fancy the Liat (or other) Island hops then you could look at doing the hop at the EU end to Saint Martin / Sint Maarten as there are direct flights from CDG and AMS with AF/KLM (and you can do the 'reverse' ex-EU trick by booking from London-AMS/CDG-SXM as it's usually cheaper than AMS/CDG-SXM !).

Have done hotel stays there in the past but our favourite was a Villa stay at Green Cay Villas, effectively you rent one of the several 3 bedroom villas they have and pay/take as many or few of the 3 bedrooms as you need with the others staying locked (and nobody else in them) then having rest of the villa to yourselves. Inside the gated Orient Bay with shops, restaurants and lovely beach a 10 minute stroll down the hill or a short drive round to Grand Case for another of the stunning beaches there. A trip on the regular ferry service from Marigot across to spend the day on the island of Anguilla is an absolute must. Of course Anguilla itself would make a lovely holiday spot in it's own right with stunning beaches but can be expensive finding somewhere to stay.

That's if you haven't already done St Lucia,Tobago and Grenada yet with VS!

It depends what you want. LIAT isn't something to experience after a long flight unless you are properly prepared for all it has to offer!

Some suggestions that are direct or a stop off with BA/VS:

Grenada is a beautiful island but it isn't huge. It is though steeped in history and most of it quite recent. It has some amazing beaches and Grande Anse is probably one of the best in the Caribbean.

St Lucia should certainly be on your hit list - if you get the opportunity take the helicopter from the airport to your residence. Explore the rain forest, beaches and beautiful villages.

Then there is: Anguilla, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Turks & Caicos are all places you can completely get away from the crowds. Although to be fair, there's a secret on every island in the Caribbean, you've just got to know where to look. Barbados is one of my faves but my heart lies with Antigua.

British Virgin Islands has our vote! An absolutely stunning collection of islands. Having visited most of the Caribbean over the years its the one place we keep coming back to time and time again.

...and you don't need LIAT to get there.

There is a direct (non-stop) service from ANU that takes an hour gate-to-gate. It even has an on-board bar service...not quite the UC bar...more like a large cooler of beers and water wedged between the back seats!

Thanks Christo, can you provide more details of the ANU collection.
We generally travel Late February / March but are looking at Late January next time, any comments?

Of course!

The schedule is designed to link up perfectly with the BA & Virgin flights from Gatwick. From memory it runs on Fridays & Saturdays.

The company is VI Airlink - http://viairlink.com/

You used to have to book through a UK travel agent but you can now book direct which is much cheaper - https://viairlinkweb.intelisys.ca/ or drop Vina an email, she is always very helpful - [email protected] - its a family business so its usually her son or husband flying the plane!

We have used them 6 times so far and they have been excellent every time. Usually there are only 4 or 6 people so they use their Beech Kingair A100 - feels just like a private charter, just at a fraction of the cost.

As for timing, we find January to be a really nice month. We used to go in May which is slightly hotter (not necessarily a good thing!) but now go in January each year.

It depends what you're after as to which island it would be best to stay on. And also whether you're looking for a villa, hotel or beach-club style resort. We're always on a boat so move around most of the islands.

...if you want a real depth of BVI knowledge in terms of accommodation / activities etc then have a look at this forum: http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/ ... bvi&page=0

Similar to this forum, people are very friendly and happy to help and share their knowledge and experience.

I absolutely adored St Lucia, especially the Soufriere area as opposed to say Rodney Bay. Would highly recommend! VS/BA would get you there without stopping if I'm not mistaken.

Slightly out of the ordinary, and may well not be your thing -- hubby and I went to Grenada a couple of years back, and stayed on a catamaran for a week (with the owner couple who did the sailing/skippering, and also fed & watered us for the week), which enabled us to visit Tobago Cays, which was a once in a lifetime experience. I was quite apprehensive before the trip, since we are not all-inclusive people, and I also suffer from motion sickness quite easily, but I really enjoyed the trip.