Hi all. I am really in need of some detailed insights as to the best island to visit during the tail end of hurricane season (end of Oct, Nov).
What we are looking for: beautiful beaches with calm water, snorkeling, diving (maybe), local food and restaurants (don't need 5 star), self catering affordable (meaning a villa to rent), outdoor activities like mt biking, hiking.
Mostly just want sandy beach with calm clear Caribbean water. Nice friendly people and pretty safe.
What is the best place to go? We sort of ruled out SXM due to lots of night life hub bub that we don't need.
Concerned that St John will have many places closed, same with BVI. So, if there are other recommendations on islands, I am all ears!!

Thanks all!

I would think most restaurants would be re-opening by the end of October in BVI and St John. St John restaurant opening/closings can be found on www.stjohnspice.com <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

St John has the best beaches and snorkeling compared to Grenada and I believe most everything will be open. But really St John almost feels like you're still in the U.S. Grenada has some nice beaches also but also has rain forest, rivers and waterfalls. It's south of the hurricane belt and has more Caribbean vibe compared to St J. People are friendly. For quiet beautiful beaches and snorkeling I'd recommend St John. For more adventure and Caribbean immersion I'd recommend Grenada.

You might look into Anegada.

Virgin Gorda would get my vote. Everything should be open by the end of October, there are great beaches that are almost empty. Look at the villas on Mahoe Bay if you want to be able to walk to one of the really nice beaches with a nice reef to snorkel right out front.

Having enjoyed both, personally speaking I'd opt for Grenada for all the reasons already mentioned.

The falls and the rain forest are must-sees and LaSargesse, too, though it's been a while since we've been there so I may have forgotten the correct spelling. We were also able to tour the cocoa and nutmeg factories and believe it or not, this was very interesting but I'm not sure they still offer these tours.

Our trip to St. John was nice and there were a lot more physical activities - snorkeling, biking, hiking, climbing, etc., not to mention climbing the stairs at Mahoe Bay since we opted for the eco-camping there, and much as we enjoyed the former Grenada was really one of our very favorite and most restful vacations ever. We stayed on Grand Anse Beach and loved both our hotel and the beach. Good luck because both are beautiful - what a tough choice to have to make. But someone's gotta' do it, right?

Whatever you ultimately decide on, I hope you have a great trip.

looking forward to a late winter trip to Antigua (first time), but we hold BVI as our benchmark for the vacation place we think is our favorite.
fwiw - we were land based for the most part, rented a one-bedroom apartment in Cane Garden Bay for 8 nights. charted a boat and captain (Big Sexy) for a day to hit the Soggy Dollar, then over to the Willie T in the afternoon. can't wait to return, next time will either be on a cat with friends, or split the trip into 3-4 days on each of these islands: Tortola (CGB is a blast - happy hour every day at Myetts, burgers at Stanleys!), Jost Van Dyke (gotta get back to the Soggy and Ivans), and Anegada (need some serious chill time and lobsters).