Carribean Suggestions PLEASE!

[candyapples1]

I'm trying to plan a Christmas get away to somewhere in the Carribean. Here are some specifics: must me safe, not overly expensive, nice beaches, not too touristy, and must have scuba diving. Dad likes to tour and look at historical downtowns etc, Sister likes to lay on a quiet beach, Mom and I like em both. Any suggestions? Friends have told me Ponta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Cat Island, Bahamas were nice?
Please help me out so I can book ASAP.
Thanks

[Rik Brown]

Both places you mention might work fine. For safety sake, its hard to say what really goes behind the scenes. For each country, I would read the U.S. State Departments analysis available at their website:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...w/tw_1764.html

That should give you some idea about what local problems exist in each country.

-- Rik