I have been on 1 cruise...and I would never go again. Why? Because you are on a schedule 24/7. Get in line to eat, get in line to get a drink, get in line to get off ship, get in line for EVERYTHING....so if you don't like crowds, cruises are not for you. Not to mention that as soon as you find a nice little beach, get your toes in the sand, and lift that tropical cocktail to your lips, it will be time to head back to the ship....YUCK!!

As far as where to go, really depends on many different factors. If you can be specific as to what activities are a (must), and what type of budget you have, then I'm sure several folks here can make some reasonable suggestions. We just need to know what you like and dislike on an island vacation.

At this stage of the game, I'd head to the library and get a stack of guidebooks. These forums are great for help once you have a general idea where you want to go. I find them less useful for a totally open ended question like this one. Truly most any of the islands have some of what you request. The one thing I wouldn't do is take a cruise. For the reasons mentioned above.

Oh and if you are open to this, I'd include the Caribbean coast of Mexico in your search. There's good food and good diving both ("Mayan Riviera", Playa del Carmen, , akumal, Tulum, Cozumel). And more reasonable prices generally speaking than the Caribbean islands.

If you are wanting to dive, I would rule out the cruise. You probably won't have enough time in any port to accomplish much. I feel cruises are a necessary evil. After doing many Caribbean land vacations, there are just some Islands that are much more difficult to get to and more expensive than others. A cruise can help "catch" some of those Island. However, I am finding that air getting to PR for some of the Southern/Eastern cruises is going to cost more than the cruise itself if you don't have points or miles.

Since you mostly listed activities and diving, I would look at Grand Cayman, Turks and Caicos or Cozumel for diving. The Mayan Riviera, MX area has abundant and excellant off property activites. Can find good diving in that area also.

We aren't divers, but, just returned from two weeks on Bonaire.

We really like that island. It's easier if you have a car, especially if you want to dive.

Literally dozens of dive sites that you can walk into, no need for a boat.

Wonderful restaurants. I'm amazed at the number of excellent restaurants on such a small, relatively unpopulated island.

Not much for beaches though. If really nice beaches are a big priority, Bonaire probably isn't for you. Although it's easy and not very expensive to split your trip between either Aruba or Curacao and Bonarie.

We are on the opposite trend- spent years going to Bonaire and Curacao and now we are in love with the Big Island and going back for the second time in less than a year. Hawaii and the Caribbean are very different experiences, as you know. For my first trip to the Caribbean 20 years ago I was disappointed because I expected Hawaii (I went as a kid). By searching out somewhere very different in the Caribbean, I found and fell in love with Bonaire- nothing like Hawaii but a wonderful destination for adventure and diving.

I second the recommendation for Bonaire if you are interested in tons of amazing scuba options. If you have only been diving in Hawaii, Bonaire diving is completely different in that you don't see lots of big turtles, rays, etc (if you see one on a dive in Bonaire it is special, where my experience in Hawaii is that turtles, rays, and other big stuff is plentiful.) What you will see in Bonaire is gorgeous coral reefs, amazing colors, and lots and lots of cool little fish and other critters.

Bonaire is an excellent spot for novice and experienced divers with the easiest shore diving around. I did my open water certification and advanced certification on Bonaire through Toucan Divers at the Plaza and highly recommend them. We also had a great experience with Buddy Dive on our 10th trip after 9 trips using Toucan (we just changed dive ops because we rented a house much closer to Buddy Dive.)

The main rental vehicle is a Toyota mini pickup truck that has a rack in the back for your dive tanks. Throw your gear in, pick up some tanks and set off around the island to different dive sites. Boat diving is also great here, and it is a wonderful spot for night dives because the navigation is easy.

On shore, Bonaire feels like the Southwest plopped next to a crystal blue ocean with rocky terrain and tons of cactus. It is very rugged and beautiful in a way that is completely different than most people's view of the tropics. The main town is adorable and friendly and filled with dining options.

Bonaire is also known for excellent windsurfing on Lac Bay- a huge shallow bay with constant strong breezes. There are a couple of windsurf shops, a small beach, and a fun beach bar there. Even if you don't windsurf, it is a fun place to spend the day sunning, wading, watching the windsurfers, having cocktails and lunch- just don't go on a day that a cruise ship is in port. The cruise passengers fill up the entire spot. Bring lots of sunscreen because the sun in Bonaire is intense.
There is great hiking in the Branderis National Park, great snorkeling for the non-divers, and good boating. Kite boarding is popular too.

JeanH is correct- there are lots of restaurants in the main town, Kralendik, plus options for local food if you seek them out. Many lodging choices from resorts to private villas. For budget accommodations (if you don't like crowds) check out Bonaire Town Homes- basic but super clean little villas in the town with a wonderfully nice owner and great prices. We saved money by staying there for years and grocery shopping to make our own breakfast and lunch. Once we got older and more financially able to afford it we started renting ocean-view villas through Bonaire Pros and/or Paradise Rentals (both companies do a great job).

Tourism is a big part of Bonaire but the tourists are mostly Dutch families or divers and it is pretty low key and never feels crowded or annoying (except on cruise ship days- sorry cruisers but the crowds off the ships really change the feel of the island). The one drawback is that you won't see long sandy beaches- there are some small beaches and coves, beaches at resorts, and Pink Beach. It's also fun to take the water taxi to Klein Bonaire (uninhabited island) for a day on the beach and snorkeling.

Check out BonaireTalk- a forum of Bonaire lovers with tons of advice on the island.

I also loved Bonaire (but I love all the islands) and agree with the comments about great food and diving. It's not a typical Caribbean island, meaning the landscape is cacti and iguanas. We rented a jeep and drove through the Washington/Slaagbai national park where we saw a wild boar and pink flamingoes. It was a highlight of the trip plus there were small secluded beaches for swimming. Although there aren't any sandy beaches to speak of, you will find good swimming spots all around where you can climb into the water.

The best diving I have done so far has been in Grand Cayman however, with scuba diving offshore. The problem is with the divers that come from cruise ships who are on a schedule and are also not experienced or have not dived for many years so the dive operators tend to plan the dive site around them. As a novice diver this might be ok for you.

Thanks for your input everyone!

To elaborate on what would be the 'ideal' location for us, it would include:

-Good diving (doesn't have to be world class, as I am a novice and will probably not be going diving more than 4 times in a weeks stay)

-A decent (meaning at least 3 or 4) selections of non-commercial restaurants with GOOD food (preferentially good sea food). *Will to pay for it, but would like a mix of high/low end.

-Some restaurants/bars in walking distance to our hotel

-Would prefer to be in a place where we aren't reliant on a car when getting to/from restaurants, etc.

-Shopping is NOT a factor, we don't shop on vacation.

-We prefer unique, funky places that have more to offer than the cookie-cutter touristy stuff.

-We've been to Tulum in the Riviera and really enjoyed ourselves, but being that there are SO many places we have still not travelled, we'd like to experience something new, thus why I've narrowed my search to the Carribean.

-If we could have it all, we'd have a good beach (with good swimming), good snorkelling and diving, a decent place to stay (doesn't need to have a pool or be 5 stars, but would like a bar/restaurant), good food from the locals and restaurants, some fun (non-commercial bars), a relaxed atmosphere (not bogged down by thousands of tourists), pretty landscape with some greenery, something unique that we wouldn't be able to see/do anywhere else.

Hope this helps! =) Sorry for the novel!!!!

I still go with my original recommendations of Grand Cayman and Cozumel especially for diving. Just avoid the main towns when cruise ships are in, which is easy enough to do. Been to Cozumel x 4 and Grand Cayman x 2 and multiple other places. The best snorkeling to date. However, loved the Sian Ka'an Biosphere in the Mayan Riviera. I'll thrown in St. John, USVI. If you liked Tulum, then you'll probably like St. John. It's not as touristy. I personally, didn't like it nor did we find good snorkeling there, but other people rave about it. Could have been just our trip.

We didn't care for the snorkeling in Curacao. The beaches are not long stretches, but small coves/inlets. Mostly on the West side. You do need a car there to get around to everything. The sand is made of crushed coral. A little harsh on the bare feet. We did an intro scuba dive at the Sea Aquarium, which was the highlight of our trip. We missed out on snorkeling at the tugboat, which I read was really good.

Also, If you're interested I have most our vacation and snorkeling pics posted on our site at:

http://kvrlvnphotogallery.shutterfly.com/pictures/5

I have up to 2006 and I'm still in the process of downloading the rest.

Not wanting to rent a car places a big restriction on the choices of island IMO. Not sure why people don't want to rent a car, I could not be without a car in Hawaii and it's the same for me in the Caribbean. Without a car it's hard to get to the unique funky places you want.

In Bonaire you can walk to restaurants from your hotel (eg Divi Flamingo which is where we stayed) but we needed a car to tour around the island and snorkel in different places.

In Martinique and Guadeloupe, both these islands offer everything and more but you need a car (& a little French). They have hiking & great outdoor activities, great beaches, snorkelling, scuba, great good etc.

Curacao you need a car to reach the gorgeous beaches such as Groot Knip and the snorkelling spots. You need a car to get to some restaurants.

Maybe St Martin, you can walk to restaurants in Marigot or Philipsburg but for diving/snorkelling etc a car is nice to have to reach those places.

Grand Cayman diving was great, but it's not a pretty island.

St Lucia is a pretty island and you can walk to restaurants in the Reduit Beach/Rodney Bay area but the dive sites are in the south of the island. If you stay in the south, transportation is necessary to reach the local restaurants and driving in St Lucia can be challenging if you are not used to driving on the other side, plus roads are full of potholes and windy and the other drivers are crazy. If you don't mind eating in the hotel you stay in & perhaps taking a taxi to local restaurants, you could have almost everything (Check Anse Chastanet Hotel or TiKaye for example). Anse Chastanet has a marine national park right off the hotel beach.

I don't like to drive on vacation. Heck, I don't like to drive at home. That said we did rent cars on Bonaire and Curacao. Bonaire is really easy driving. Not much traffic, the main roads are pretty decent, if narrow. However, we stay close to town to be able to walk at night. I don't want to worry about having a few drinks and driving home.

We got along fine without a car on Jamaica, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Grenada. Also, in Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (although we did rent the first trip, it was a pain). Leaving today for Belize. No car, and we'll be there for three months. Not even renting a golf cart. Cabs, bikes and walking.

After hearing more in what you are looking for....Grand Cayman seems to fit your wants perfectly. Easy to get around with no car, gorgeous beach with a ton of lodging choices, restaurants are top notch (definitely pricey), 7 Mile beach has soft white sand AND excellent snorkeling....and GC offers some of the best diving in the Caribbean. Grand Cayman can get congested on cruise ship days, but it's very easy to avoid. I recommend northern 7MB for a more remote feel, but the further you get away from the crowds, the more you'll miss not having a car. Something needs to give a little here.

I'd look into renting a condo right on the beach, and maybe 2/3s of the way north from town....this should give you access to some restaurants to walk to, and still be on a great stretch of beach.

Thanks everyone!

From what I've gathered, Grand Cayman and Bonaire may offer what I'm looking for. We aren't strictly opposed to renting a car, I just don't want to be reliant on driving for every little thing we want to do...

As much as I love diving & snorkeling, and would love to try Bonaire.....the reason I don't is because of the lack of nice beaches there. Just something to think about as I know you did mention that you would like a nice beach.

Good luck with your choice!!