About a month ago, I asked people to help me decide where to go for my last week of vacation (at the time, I had four days left, but I picked up another comp day for working while I was in Arizona). It also needed to be cheap – around $800 for four nights.

There were some great suggestions. Former Times-Picayune Travel Editor Millie Ball suggested Charlottesville. I do want to go down there and see the new visitor center at Monticello and also go to Thomas Jefferson’s retirement home, Poplar Forest. But that strikes me as more of a weekend trip. Ditto travel guru extraordinaire Pauline Frommer’s suggestion of Annapolis or Shenandoah National Park - we may go there over Thanksgiving, depending on what plans our families have. I also seriously considered Nova Scotia, where I’ve never been, to see some fall foliage.

In the end, I picked…..St. Vincent & Bequia, in the Caribbean! Ok, so it kinda busts the financial parameters that I originally set. But I’m already going down to Grenada to do a story, so it made sense to tack on some days and explore a few more islands. St. Vincent and the Grenadines are known for sailing and snorkeling – and guesthouse prices seem fairly reasonable (under $100 per night).

If anyone has been to Grenada or St. Vincent/Grenadines and has some good suggestions, let me know!