iamsharkbait:
You are definetly right about the shopping in West End and Coxen Hole, but it was the closest we have found to everything we both enjoy so far. I am refering to your average Mexico-trincket shopping, not a Sax on the island. Thanks for the reply. Those third worldish islands are most often the best.
I suppose it depends on how you define shopping. Some women are serious shoppers and are looking for good prices and duty-free Gucci handbags. Cozumel offers serious shopping like St. Thomas including jewelry, designer handbags, shoes, perfume, cuban cigars, etc.
Everyone has given you good suggestions - although I once paid $26.00 for a hamburger at the Westin in St. John and didn't find St. John an inexpensive destination. I think St. John is by far the most beautiful Carribean island, but didn't recommend it because we spent $8000 on a family vacation there.
Cozumel is not like any other part of Mexico. Some people don't like the sometimes over-agressive merchants, but I like the industriousness of the local people. And the hotels are spotlessly clean. The food is surprisingly good and often cheap. The diving is absolutely better than Roatan and arguably Belize. There are plenty of non-divers at the resorts for spouses to hang out with. That's an important consideration too.
Cozumel, Belize and Roatan share the same reef system. You might consider Belize since it is similar to Roatan and you haven't been there. I found the diving better than Roatan with more fish and healthier reefs. Cozumel offers more dramatic diving and more options for the non-diver.
I was very impressed with St. Croix. It has easy diving (shore or boat), wall diving (shore or boat) and one of the best night dives I've done at Frederikstead Pier. Beaches are similar to St. John, but not as clean. Christianstead offers nightly entertainment and good restaurants along the boardwalk. The town has a lot of old architecture dating back to 1680. The hotels are inexpensive and if you want to go condo, you have a lot of choices. There are 2 Super K-Marts so you can buy groceries and supplies a lot cheaper than on many islands. The tap water is safe to drink. The culture is varied with many Americans as well as Europeans and native Crucians. I met several Dutch expats there. During our visit there was a street festival with Moko Jumbie Dancers:
http://www.st-croix.net/fun/mokojumbies/index.html Folks were grilling outside and selling dollar hamburgers. I think St. Croix is the best kept secret diving destination.
