I was back in the Andaman Islands in November. There was some unsettled weather around the time of the cyclones in the Bay of Bengal but just around now everything's perfect. Neil Island is the perfect romantic retreat: you should stay at Pearl Park which has the most beautiful gardens and is right next to a quiet beach. The most amazing thing is, though, that Long Island seems to have been dropped from the latest Lonely Planet guide book, possibly because of some uncertainty about accommodation/whether camping is allowed, but there is a new resort there called 'Blue Planet': they only charge rs300 for a thatched room and they have a lovely little restaurant built around a big old tree. They can also arrange camping trips to Lalaji Bay and to other islands, so you don't have to worry about whether camping is permitted (at the moment) or not.

You really shouldn't miss out Long Island even if Lonely Planet does! It's one of the most interesting of the islands with a lovely community life and lots of unexplored forests.

You should go to the Andaman Islands if you want a complete rest from the 'hassle' of being on the mainland; nobody really bothers you! I say that as a single woman traveller!