Curacao vs St Lucia
 

My wife and I are interested in taking a 4 day escape to either Curacao or St. Lucia in late August. I know it is not peak season but we have a young kid and it is the first time we have been able to get away in a long time and we just want to go to the beach. It would be great if we could hike a little too. We are looking for a high end resort with a great pool, beach and good local restaurants. I am usually not a fan of the large Marriott or Hilton type hotels but I could be persuaded if one was more private. I am willing to spend 500-800 a night for a nice room.

Questions--which island would you chose and why? Which hotels would you choose? Would you rent a car?

I know I left off Aruba from the options but I think that would be better to visit with our family in a few years when we can stay at a large resort hotel.

Haven't been to St Lucia -- but it sounds absolutely lovely. Curacao would be a good hedge against hurricanes/tropical events as it is outside the hurricane belt.

We were in Curacao too long ago to be of help on the hotel front -- things have changed quite a bit since we were there. But we loved our stay, and I think it would suit your needs.

You didn't say where you are based, or the age of your child. Both can have significant influence on your choice of destination.

If you are in NYC or IAH your choices may be different. With only four days, you will want to minimize travel time and airport-hotel transit time which can be a problem in UVF (St. Lucia). Many St Lucia hotels are 1 - 1.5 hrs from UVF which is located in the SE corner of the island.

On CUR, consider the Marriott.
BGI -- the Hilton. Barbados is rarely bothered by hurricanes.
MBJ -- the all-inclusive Hilton is only 15 mins from the airport and it has a FREE kids club. (Was free three years ago.) MBJ also means a shorter flight from the US mainland.
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13F