So Virgin Gorda might be a good choice for you, though there are also some nice places on Tortola. The difficulty is that Virgin Gorda is both expensive and fairly difficult to reach; you have to fly to St. Thomas or Tortola and then take a ferry, which can easily cost $700 each round-trip (or more). But you could try staying at Guavaberry Spring Bay, which has small apartmentlike units near Spring Bay (like the Baths).

But if you have never been anywhere, I think it's likely you won't have a passport, which would put the BVI out of reach since they are a foreign country.

In that case, I'd recommend St. John, which is easier and cheaper to reach but has few on-the-beach lodging options, particularly in the lower end.

Believe it or not, $3,500 is not that much money for such a vacation when it includes airfare and hotels. And February is the highest of high seasons. Even a nice all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic might not be possible for that budget during high season.

Beaches in Mexico sometimes are too rough for snorkeling, but i would also try Playa del Carmen area there - Excellence Playa Mujeres, Royal Hideaway Playacare, and Zoetry Paraiso all have fantastic all-inclusive rates, without being tacky all-inclusive.

Where are you flying from - it could make a big difference in how much of your budget you will spend on airfare? To reduced flying costs look at destinations you can reach non-stop from your nearest International Gateway Airport. These will probably be destinations like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cancun, Playa del Carmen (just south of Cancun) and Cozumel. Going to the smaller islands will add a lot to your airfare.

Honestly, for your budget you are not going to find many, if any, places with "not a lot of people" as those (i.e. secluded resorts) are generally going to be way out of your price range unless you visit places like Belize, Roatan and maybe Costa Rica so be prepared to make some concessions in your "wish list".

I'm from Maine but will be leaving from Logon airport.

How is Cozumel for a vacation spot?

Lots of people go to Cozumel for vacation and have an enjoyable time so on that basis they'd say the answer to your question is "very good".

My point being that one destination is not necessarily better or worse than another - they are just different.

From your original post you are looking for:

1) Beautiful sandy beaches - almost every Caribbean destination has these.
2) Nice food (but not fine dining) - here again you can get that anywhere.
3) Kayaking, sightseeing, fishing - again you can do those things on just about every Caribbean destination.
4) Nice people - the hospitality business is overflowing with friendly and helpful people. If you are "upbeat and outgoing" you'll find the people you encounter will treat you the same.
5) Don't do nightlife - while some destinations are noted for having an active nightlife and others are more quite - you can easily avoid nightlife anywhere you decide to go.
6) Crime - there's nowhere that's 100% crime free but if you use the same common sense you do when traveling around your home state of Maine (or anywhere in the US) you'll be just fine.
7) Not a lot of people - that's already been covered in previous responses - generally speaking the few people there are the more expensive a resort will be - unless you are traveling so far off the beaten path that you are going to some truly "undiscovered" (think third world) destination. I doubt you'd want to visit such a place on your "first vacation" in 22 years.

That leaves two items: 1) Snorkeling and 2) Budget

Snorkeling - not every destination has good snorkeling - as has already been mentioned the British and US Virgin Islands have very good to excellent snorkeling and you'll find some decent snorkeling around Cozumel. As a general rule you'll find better snorkeling on the flatter and arid coral/limestone based islands that have shallow waters and near shore reefs. The more lush mountainous volcanic based islands will have little to no snorkeling.

Budget - while you can generally find accommodations in most price ranges on every island some destinations are noted for being more expensive than others. This is where you are going to have to make your biggest compromises. Since you are planning to travel in February (one of the more expensive times of the year in the Caribbean - especially if you are going during President's Week) you should try to get some idea of airfare to some of the destinations you are considering. Airfare is going to eat up a significant portion of your budget. I'm guessing you'll spend about $1200 to $1500 just for airfare. That leaves you with $2,000 (or about $285 to $300 per day) for everything else for a typical 7 day trip. As mentioned in other responses, that's not a lot of money for the Caribbean in February so you are going to have to make some trade-offs as to location and style of resort.

Again, look at destinations like: Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Dominican Republic and Jamaica - they are very budget friendly destinations and often you can find good airfare prices. Avoid islands like St. John, Grand Cayman, St. Bart's, Anguilla as they are among the most expensive destinations in the Caribbean.

We've been to Cozumel 4 times. As a vacation spot, we loved it. Will it meet your criteria? I'm not to sure. The snorkeling is great, the food is quite good and inexpensive, but beaches can be a little iffy. Lots of iron shore in that area, which makes the snorekling so good. However, there are beach clubs with great sand and Chankanaab park is an awesome place to spend the day in a beach chair soaking up the sun and doing some snorkeling.

Be careful with hotel location. Some are quite far from the town of San Miguel. You'll end up paying lots of money in taxi fares to and from.

Here's some things that you can see/do in Cozumel. We've used this company several times with no problems.

http://www.cozumel-tours.com/?gclid=CL6UneSz_LUCFWGrPAod5TsAIQ

Guess I’ll have to up my Vacation allotment to atleast $4500

If you do raise your budget, I think you'll be a lot happier, but you may be able to do it for less. Sometimes you can do better in the Caribbean by buying a package from a company like CheapCaribbean.com, which sells both Mexico and Caribbean island packages.

Here's the thing: I'm so hesitant to recommend a mediocre all-inclusive resort to you since you have never been to one. I have no idea if you'll just be dazzled by the beach or disappointed that it's not a 5-star establishment.

Why don't you look at the Riviera Maya. You might very well like the area around Playa del Carmen. There are some great but not too expensive places. You fly into Cancun and take a transfer (so budget for that), but if you stay near Playa del Carmen, you can walk or take a quick taxi ride into town for dinner, or perhaps eat at your resort. There are both simple, inexpensive places as well as big all-inclusives nearby. The Riviera Maya also has a lot of splashy 5-star places, but they are probably out of your budget range.

One thing that does make this harder is that you have to fly from Boston. That limits your nonstop possibilities and makes it more expensive; flying in February makes it MUCH more expensive. You can also cut your costs quite dramatically by flying after Easter or in January (particularly if you go between New Year's Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend (but you have to finish your travel before the holiday weekend to avoid the crush and costs). This particular 2-week period is usually cheaper and quieter. But definitely keep looking. You might find a happy medium. I'm going to the Dominican Republic tomorrow and have a 4-night package for less than $1000 per person with air and transfers.

I have a Friend that has a Travelers club memebership and recomended the Hard rock Hotel in Punta cana.has anyone on here been there before and could give some insite.

Thank you.