Need help with beach trip...
 

I live in DC and my Girlfriend and I want to go on a 1 week beach vacation where we can just relax. We don't like big resorts and were thinking about the Carribean or Mexico. We also are on a strict budget so we just need a no-frills place with AC, a great beach, and few people. Any location reccomendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Personally, I love St. Maarten. :cool: 1) you can drink the water, 2) you can find secluded beaches, 3) the food is GREAT, 4) the weather is usually terrific, the people are wonderful people. That's just my opinion. A lot would depend on when you want to go....

Where would you stay in St. Maarten? Would you rent a car? Would you stay at two different places if you were going for 6 nights?

Cuba :rolleyes: - sorry about this...

Dominican Republic is nice and cheap. Many hotels have "all included" offers.
I was in Cabarete for two days and liked it, nice beach. It's at the North Coast ... nearby is Sosua, a little more touristy. Your dollars go a looong way..!

How about Grand Cayman? There's a great five-and-a-half-mile-long beach (called "Seven Mile Beach" in a triumph of advertising over accuracy) with a bazillion places to stay on that side of the road (walk out your back door onto the sand) or the other (slightly longer walk, obviously). They cater to all budgets and tastes. And you can always head over to one of the fancier ones to hang out in the lobby and pretend you're really staying there if you want to.

Vieques is shweet. Not too many people around, and most of the hotels are nice and small.

For something closer, look at Isle of Palms or Kiawah Island near Charleston, SC. Outside of spring break/Easter, Spoleto festival, and summer, my guess is that neither would be too crowded.

I agree with St. Martin stay on either side of the island, yet be sure to get a picture at the signs from one part of the island to the other... and rent a scooter to drive around the whole island, it doesn't take very long, much better than a car.

It was fun to eat at some of the local places off the road, that you would never find without a scooter.

Also look for the wild boars getting into the trash cans, always an adventure. I loved this place.

Think about the Grenadines.