I've been to St. Lucia and Playa del Carmen.

St. Lucia was okay.

Playa del Carmen was awesome. Beautiful beaches, laid back, fun little town, close to some fun touristy things to do, short ferry ride to Cozumel. The only thing is, you'll want to check out the beaches there; they had a hurricane a coupla years ago that really hit some areas hard and I'm not sure how they've recovered.

lynz you should talk to the girls who just came back from living in belize. they'll give you the skinny.

Costa Rica.
LOVE IT. Depending on where you Stay it can be pretty cheap. Costa though is getting more touristy. Certain area's of course.
I would move there in a heartbeat! I loved it. & of course it all depends on what you are looking to do.

I was all over in Costa Rica, and I absolutely LOVED it. I went in November (which is an important detail, because it was the tail end of the rainy season. Everything is cheaper then, but you will most likely get more rainy days than dry ones...but it doesn't always rain all day.) I especially loved the west coast town of Santa Teresa (near Mal Pais), and the southern town of Quepos, which is near Manuel Antonia National Park (it's a rain forest). We stayed at a hotel owned by witnesses in the area. The food is great, and the bethel branch is awesome. You can get by with knowing little to no spanish, but it's def. a plus. If you want to explore or relax, CR is the place to do it.

I've also been to Belize in March, and... it's wasn't nearly as pretty as Costa Rica. But if you have can scuba dive, Belize has the Blue Hole, which is like the #2 dive spot in the world.

i been to belize. it was pretty cool. good hiking and swimming there.

if you want to go to DR cheap as a VIP let me know