I'd go to Manuel Antonio Costa Rica or Ambergris Caye on Belize. We also love St. John and Hawaii, but Belize and CR are much easier to get to.

AA direct from Dallas to Belize, I think under 3 hrs. Many great beach options to consider; some closer to the mainland to more easily mix sea land activities and some closer to the reef, but all great options

@ abloom: "I'm still leery of traveling to Mexico's Caribbean for safety reasons and am not interested in Playa del Carmen, Cozumel,"

Not trying to talk you into anyplace you don't want to go, but Mexico's Caribbean side is ABSOLUTELY SAFE! Here is the link to an article with a few facts on safety in Mexico which says in part:

"....from the UN Office of Drugs and Crime: In drug offenses, Mexico recently ranked 12th in the world, and the US 4th. When it came to homocides with firearms, the US ranked 7th and Mexico 17th, (39.56 per 100,000 vs. Mexico’s 20.6). Yes, that means the US has 92% more homicides with guns than Mexico."

"Recent FBI statistics show the murder rate per 100,000 inhabitants in Baltimore is 43.3, Washington D.C. is 29.1 and Detroit is 47. Mexico, however, which suffered an especially violent year in 2008, recorded a murder rate of about 10 per 100,000."

"The US government advises against visiting very specific places where drug cartels are warring over the billions of dollars made yearly trading illegal substances to the United States"

Mexico is roughly the size of Western Europe. Of Mexico’s 2,500 municipalities, only 18 have been considered to be a security problem.......that leaves 2482 very safe options if you want to travel to Mexico......the majority of Mexico’s organized-crime killings last year took place in a mere three of Mexico’s 31 states: Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon.

http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2012/12/safety-in-mexico-reality-vs-sensationalist-media-hype/

Also a map with specific homocide numbers:

http://stanford.edu/~dkronick/mexico_crime/

So take your holiday wherever you like, but don't avoid Mexico out of unfounded fear.

There are no safety concerns in the Yucatan of Mexico but Belize is a memorable destination.

Have not been to Belize, but the beaches south of Playa del Carmen are way nicer than Costa Rica. Although there are some pretty beaches on the Caribbean side.

Manuel Antonio on the Pacific side is actually really pretty. Belize is amazing - a lot of areas have sea grass close to shore but it didn't bother us. The snorkeling at Hol Chan is fantastic. We liked the food better in Belize, although CR is getting better.

Agree with all the suggestions above.
No security concerns in Yucatan is right - some parts of it feel like they were plucked right out of the US with all the malls, large resorts etc. (namely Cancun)

Belize is fantastic - Caye Ambergris is very nice and convenient.

One other suggestion on the pacific side of mexico - Punta Mita (close to Puerto Vallarta) has some fantastic resorts (though they are not cheap). You should not have any safety concerns there either.

Finally - how about Vieques in Puerto Rico? The bioluminescent bay there is an unforgettable experience and they have some very nice places to stay