The beaches and water around Penang, Malaysia were so beautiful and the water so warm. We also loved the beaches on Bedarra island,Australia.
You want quiet and laid back, and beautiful blue water?
Great Exuma.
No beach was ever crowded, and twice – on two different very long, beautiful beaches – my little group had it all to ourselves. I felt like Gilligan. This was at peak tourist season, mind you.
No stoplights, no nightclubs, no chain stores, great people, and excellent VRBO deals (although we stayed at Grand Isle – fantastic!). Rum Punch and made-while-you-watch conch ceviche at the chat’n’chill, and Santanna’s cracked lobster down on Little Exuma!
Bonus: Swimming pigs.
@Postmodern I just looked up Great Exuma. Oh my gosh, STUNNING. Thank you!!
Great Exuma. Sounds great.
Now it will be crowded. 
@crknwk2000 , glad you like it. It’s a little more difficult to get to than other places but worth it IMHO. Please come back and provide a trip report wherever you choose! If you decide to go PM me and I’ll tell you how to get to one of those secret beaches – the one my friends still refer to as “Postmodern’s Beach”.
@Happytimes2001 , you know what they say: Great Exuma is great, Little Exuma is little, and the other 363 Exuma islands are waiting. (Actually I just made that up.)
@BunsenBurner I debated before I posted and that is why I don’t rave about the small hotels I love on tripadvisor. But I think the people here deserve the truth!
@postmodern You are a better person than I am. I’m saving the really special places. Too easy to go somewhere 10 years later and find it crowded with people and tons of garbage. I promise if we ever visit to treat it with care
Tickets and hotel are booked! Will let you all know after July 4th where we went and all about it. Thabks so much for all the great suggestions!!!
We are an adventurous family, and we absolutely loved St. Thomas and St. John.
We stayed on St Thomas near Red Hook and rented a Jeep to go all over both islands (there is a ferry that runs between the two). We bought snorkel gear and took it with us and snorkeled all over. You can start with some snorkeling right off the popular beaches and then work your way up to Waterlemon Bay.
You can visit cinnamon plantation ruins, the Rastafarian farmer’s market, take a boat tour to BVI, visit Charlotte-Amalie and the sites there. We took some Enos with us, pitched them between the trees on the beaches, and often saw just a handful of other people on the beach. It was paradise.
We spent 11 nights because I was scared 2 weeks would too long, but we easily could have stayed a few more days.
I’ve been to most islands in the Caribbean, and these were my favorite hands down.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. We found some areas to save money and some things where you really need to splurge, and I’m happy to share what we learned.
@brentwoodmom we also love St. John and as soon as Caneel Bay reopens we are going back.
I wouldn’t hold your breath on Caneel Bay. I’ve on some St. John forums and it’s really a mess. No progress at all and a lot of politics going on as far as the rebuild.
We’re not going to the BVI’s. Maybe next time, esp with all the great BVI info on this thread 
Why the suspense?
@crknwk2000 Totally missed your last post that you had already booked. Hope you have a great trip wherever you picked.
I’m dreaming about nilla killers at Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke now.
@crknwk2000 congrats! can’t wait to hear about it!
@MomofWildChild that’s too bad. Such a special place.
I have not read through but either Tahiti or cinnamon bay in St. John
We just got back from…Great Exuma in the Bahamas. We were there for 8 nights and @Postmodern we can’t thank you enough for all your tips and suggestions. We LOVED it! It more than checked my two major boxes: totally uncrowded, the clearest bluest of blue waters. I’m not sure if I’ll ever go to a prettier place. And SO COOL (I mean, not literally because it was quite hot), but so fascinating. Since it was so uncrowded and untouched in many ways and so vast (ocean and sand bar wise) it almost reminded me of a tropical Death Valley during low tide when you can walk out for miles and miles, truly like you were walking on water. We stayed at Paradise Bay in Rokers Point which was low key and lovely, right on the beach. Wonderful, wonderful crew working there. We of course did the boat excursion through the cays and “swam” with the pigs, hung with the iguanas, “swam” with the sharks (nurse sharks who are docile 99%–unliked the sharks who attacked and killed that pour woman from Torrance last week) and saw Thunderball Grotto, but our most fave were: Coco Plum Beach at low tide and Forbes Hill Beach at any time. Also, our own beach at Paradise Bay was amazing. One lovely beach after the next. Food is not inexpensive and is not amazing, but we weren’t there for the food. Mama’s Bakery’s rum cake WAS quite amazing (no weight lost on this trip ; ) I’m pretty jealous of you East Coasters who have this relatively close to you. Living on the West Coast, it’s a bit of a trek, but TOTALLY worth it. We did meet several Europeans at our hotel, many of them very seasoned, avid travelers. They said Exuma was “next level” (direct quote from the newly married Spanish couple : )
So, if any of you are looking for amazing beaches, gorgeous swimmable water, really nice people, consider Exuma. Thanks for ALL your tips!!! Maybe the BVIs will be next : )
Wow @crknwk2000 , that is so great to hear! Its always nerve-wracking when you recommend something like a trip – you never know if people will like the same things you do. (I’d be so jealous, except we are going to Bermuda tomorrow.) I am so glad to hear it.
I may never give truly good college advice, but at least I had one minor contribution in my time here. Thanks for calling me out so I could see your post.