Scuba Diving In St. Martin

scuba diving in st. martin

Finding The Perfect Caribbean Villas

Whether you are dreaming of your first villa vacation to the Caribbean or planning your second honeymoon the steps are much the same. First you should have an idea of the general area of the Caribbean you are interested in. This is important because this will affect the cost and nature of your vacation. Villas on developed islands such as Barbados cost more than villas on a relatively undeveloped island such as Montserrat or Saba. Furthermore, each island gives a different vacation experience.

In Barbados, the most popular private villas are behind palm-lined beaches in the western parishes of St. James and St. Peter. For those preferring a resort, “estate villas” now line the golf course at Barbados’s elegant Sandy Lane Hotel with views of the sea from their manicured gardens. In Jamaica, where the idea of villas within resorts also originated, most villas lie on the north coast, some in quiet developments behind Ocho Rios, some on the outskirts of sleepy Port Antonio. Both locations are good for you to held your barbeque party using your Petit Gas Grill.

The Dominican Republic, a new entry on the villa scene, has the largest villa-resort complex so far: 7,000 acre Casa de Campo, with three golf courses, nine restaurants, fourteen pools and lovely beach. Despite its exclusive image, the small island of St. Barts has lately become prime villa-vacation territory. Moderately priced villas are plentiful, and with hotel costs as high as they are here, renting is economically chic.

People looking for a total peace prefer little-known Montserrat, a British island so quiet you can almost hear the stars move across the heavens at night. Tasteful villas dot the hills on the west side, where playing the 11-hole golf course constitutes a day’s entertainment.

In the US and British Virgin Islands you can find reasonable villas from busy St. Thomas to quiet Virgin Gorda. Many have ocean views, a deck, a shared pool and perhaps a state-of-the-art treadmill like ProForm Trailrunner 4.0. If you win the sweepstakes, consider the British Virgin Islands 74 acre Necker Island. This is a complex, completed with ten-bedroom house, tennis courts, swimming pool, secluded beaches, tape-and-film library, helicopter pad and staff of 22, for about twelve thousand US dollar a day.

But the real bargain get away is vurtually beachless Saba. A lush, five-square-mile cone poking from the se south of St. Martin, it’s known for scuba diving and solitude. It’s just a perfect place for you to activate your Kodak PlaySport ZX3. Divers, artists and retirees rent tiny cottages set among tidy gardens. Nightlife consists of stargazing or having a beer at one of Saba’s small hotels.

SCUBA DIVING WITH WHALES SAINT-MARTIN