Bogleheads

BostonBoglehead · Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 27

Hello Bogleheads, I'm looking for some honeymoon advice. I'm getting married this september and am starting to look at honeymoon destinations. We were originally thinking Hawaii, but being eastcoast based that would involve a tremendous amount of travel time. Since my fiance and I are both busy people we wanted to maxamize the time we are ralaxing, our sights are shifting to the caribbean.
What places have you been to and what would you recommend?
Chris

DSInvestor · Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 2674

Isn't september right in the middle of hurricane season for the Carribean?

toinquire · Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 111

Check out Aruba and an all inclusive resort.

Aruba never get hurricanes.

http://www.arubabeaches.net/ho....-in-aruba/

BostonBoglehead · Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 27

rokid · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 509

I spent my honeymoon in St. Thomas, VI. It was wonderful.-----Jim

dm200

sgr000 · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 292 Location: Boston

Bounca · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 739

flossy21 · Joined: 27 May 2007 Posts: 69

My wife and I were in Puerto Rico at the El Conquistador hotel & casino last week. Very nice place but very expensive. (Beer $5.50, Margarita $14.00, Dinner for 2 - $110+)

We have also been to Atlantis in the Bahamas. Also very nice place but very expensive.

Both these were on corporate sales rewards type trips so the group treatment may be better than you would experience.

My best experiences have been at all inclusive resorts which are more couples oriented.

bob u. · Joined: 23 Feb 2007 Posts: 2365

Chris,

First off, congratulations.

Second, while my wife and I enjoyed our stay in St. Kitts/Nevis, we feel most strongly about Barbados--the people, the food, the atmosphere, the beaches, the safety.

We stayed in the St. Lawrence Gap area. http://www.barbados.org/stlaw.htm

We certainly plan to return to Barbados. Bob U.

chaz · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 6813

I recommend St. Thomas, VI.
_________________
Chaz
"It is better to travel well than to arrive." - Buddha
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TranceLordSnyder · Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 347

I too am getting married soon (Jan 2nd) and we were planning on a Carribean vacation. After looking around, I decided there were too many nice places I wanted to visit, and with 16 days off, staying at one or two places wasn't something I wanted to do. Plus, my fiance is picky about the food she eats, so a lot of food available on the islands doesn't suit her taste. So, we've pretty much decided on a cruise through Carnival. Our intentions are to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico and stay there for a night. The next evening we're leaving from San Juan on a cruise ship that will stop at St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts, and back to San Juan. I figured that would give us a nice tour of the Carribean and avoid troubles with finding food to eat. The ship is at each of the islands for anywhere between 8 and 10 hours.

I also hear Sandals resorts are a very nice places to vacation. Several people have told me about the wonderful experiences they had with Sandals. They are pretty much kid free, have excellent services to offer, and are all inclusive. They specifically offer wedding and honeymoon packages. Check it out!

chaz · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 6813

Ron · Joined: 23 Feb 2007 Posts: 4019

stan1 · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 833

First, can you take your honeymoon in early December instead of September? December is a great time of the year to visit the Caribbean, and prices are at their lowest before the holiday season starts. We often go to the Caribbean for 2 weeks in early December. Prices can be as much as half off full season.

Not knowing what your budget is, one idea on the higher end is Petit St. Vincent Resort in the Grenadines. It is a private island with just a small number of guests. Not cheap, but it would be a very, very special honeymoon.

Another idea is to rent a condo or villa on St. John in the USVI. Check out the Gallows Point Resort in Cruz Bay. Lots of snorkeling, sailing, beaches, and nature. St. John is much, much nicer than St. Thomas. The prices are more affordable than you might think, although expect to spend $200 or more per day on food/drink.

tadamsmar · Joined: 07 May 2007 Posts: 2474

As has been mentioned, the Southern islands are good to avoid hurricane risks. Or, you could take a cruise, the ship will make changes to avoid hurricanes. Or, go later than September.

The Virgin Islands are good. I have only cruised there, never stayed there. You could rent a sailboat with a captain. Or, stay at a resort near Red Hook (like Sapphire Beach) where there is a ferry to Tortola and St John's. The Baths on Virgin Gorta is a good place to visit. Sailing around the Drake Channel area is beautiful.

Or, you can get away from it all in a cabin on St John's.

The Virgins are easy to get too. If you are willing to spend more on travel, a resort with a view of the Pitons on St Lucia is a good choice.

snowbound · Joined: 23 Feb 2007 Posts: 188

Puakinekine · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 468

Many, many years ago we went to St. Bart's for our honeymoon. It was heaven on earth, but I think it has become very expensive.

You might want to re-think Hawaii. September is low season for Hawaii, airfare is cheaper and the resorts have good deals. I don't know where you are on the east cost, but the 9 hour Continental 15 out of Newark is a great flight. It may not take that much longer then waiting for connections to Caribbean islands, etc. It leaves at a civilized early afternoon hour and get's you into HNL about 5:30-6:00, a perfect time to arrive, have a bite to eat and then sleep off the time difference.

The return flight is a red-eye, which I prefer to fly when going east. You may think otherwise. Smile

NateH · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 85 Location: Minnesota

Mrs and I honeymooned on St Lucia, at Sandals. Absolutely fantastic. Our wedding was in November, so we were after the hurricane season.

3CT_Paddler · Joined: 04 Feb 2009 Posts: 1195 Location: Marietta, GA

sgr000 · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 292 Location: Boston

James · Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 22

consider Belize.

specifically, Blancaneaux Lodge and Turtle Inn, owned by Francis Ford Coppola. custom honeymoon packages with time spent at each resort according to your preferences and time frame. Blancaneaux is interior Belize, Coppola's first resort effort and his attempt at recreating a jungle paradise. successful. stunning property in lush setting with cabanas scattered about a series of trails overlooking a river with multiple falls and riffles. Can arrange guided trips to Mayan ruins nearby, horseback riding, caving/canoeing, self-guided river trail hike to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole, wildlife, warm swimming pool in a tropical botanical garden on the grounds, where the staff will bring you cold beers, near the Thai-inspired spa. awesome.

sad to leave only until arrival at Turtle Inn in Placencia on the southern caribbean coast. White sand, beachfront bungalows, nice restaurant, in-cabana romantic dinners, great little funky town a short bike ride away for beers with the locals, snorkeling, fantastic top reef and wall diving (vis out to 120' for us...), beachside bar, pool looking out on Caribbean. service attentive but unobtrusive.

not cheap, but well worth it.

http://www.blancaneaux.com/desk/

my humble opinion only, but you can do far better than a cruise.

wbond · Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Posts: 595

You ought to consider Tobago.

We "honeymooned" here: http://www.arnosvalehotel.com/ New Years (or as they say in Tobago "Old Years") 1997. I have no idea how it is now, but the Crow's Nest cottage was very nice then. The property is secluded and lovely and the restaurant was quite good.

It depends what you are looking for, of course, but if you want quiet and secluded and lovely this is a good option.

stan1 · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 833

[quote=]
My good friend and his wife just returned form a Princess cruise three weeks ago. While they enjoyed the ship and the ports, they said the food was ordinary at best.[/quote]

Depends on your expectations, but we have never found excellent or very good food on any cruise ship with more than 700 passengers. They all try and occasionally do very good, but when a ship has to serve 2000 passengers or more in a 3 hour period the food ends up tasting and looking like something from a nice hotel banquet.

stan1 · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 833

Smurf · Joined: 12 Sep 2007 Posts: 88 Location: Charlotte, NC

I have been all over the Caribbean and it really depends on what you're looking for. If you are looking to relax on the best beaches with perfect white sand then I'd recommend Punta Cana in the DR. It's also probably the cheapest. If you want to go somewhere with good beaches, great food, and plenty of things to do, then I'd recommend the Mayan Riveria. IF you want to go somewhere with ok beaches, but fantastic service, then I'd recommend the Caymans. Whatever you do don't go to Jamaica unless you're armed or looking to do something illegal. It was the worst week of my life.

I've always gone to the Caribbean during hurricane season. I'd just wait and book what you want right before you go. The chance of a hurricane hitting your island while you're there is pretty slim. I definitely wouldn't let it affect your decision.

slick_dealer_05 · Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 131

Dude...do not go there in September since it is in the middle of the hurricane season.
Even if the hurricane doesn't strike while you are out there, you'll be worried about hurricane conditions in the Caribbean from May to September.
Unless your wife is a hurricane chaser, be prepared for last minute changes in your trip.

schulmje · Joined: 02 Aug 2008 Posts: 18

Never, EVER go to a Sandals resort. We went to the one in St Lucia for our honeymoon (and visited one of the other ones on the island) and I will never stop hearing about it from my wife.

My wife still says to this day that they must have the greatest advertising company in the world.

The food is average at best and the whole environment borders on cheesy/trashy. EVERYONE there is on their honeymoon and it is all young couples with many tatoos sitting around the pool, smoking many cigarettes, and comparing notes from their weddings.

Yes, this is very opinionated, but I'm just trying to help.

TranceLordSnyder · Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 347

It's funny I'm hearing comments about Sandals being not so great, yet from people I know, they say it's wonderful. Then again, some people I know insist there is no such thing as an account where you can invest without the earnings being taxed.

I guess it's all about what you've experienced. I guess if all you ever did your whole life was go to a plain old beach near where you live and stayed in a cheap motel, going somewhere else half way decent would always be nice. The only way to know for sure is to go yourself I guess.

As for cruises, I'm not looking for amazing food or anything. Just as long as it tastes ok and fills our bellies. The reasons I think cruises are nice are because you get to experience many different things while on vacation. You have various things to do on the ships like gambling (not that any boglehead would do this), watching shows or movies, swimming, hopping in the hot tub, playing sports I wouldn't normally play, and just doing all of the other neat stuff ships have to offer. Then the ships stop at all kinds of islands where you can get off and do all sorts of activities on each of the islands themselves. You can just check out the beach, check out the local shops, eat somewhere, go snorkeling, take a tour of something. The possibilities go on and on. You'd really have to look into all of the cruise lines and the outings they advertise.

djw · Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Posts: 1169

TranceLordSnyder, I loved your second sentence:

"Then again, some people I know insist there is no such thing as an account where you can invest without the earnings being taxed. "

I spent two weeks on the British Virgin Island of Tortola with a hiking club from the USA. One day, our leader split us into several small groups to search for trails to various remote, uninhabited bays.

As our group hiked along the paved road from our campsite in the general direction of the bay we'd been assigned, we asked every local we passed how to get there. Their answers literally varied from "it's impossible" to "there's a paved road all the way to the beach." Ultimately, we bushwacked our own trail down a drainage gully. Once we were on the beach, we discovered a very nice grassy path that was invisible from the road.

I learned that day to never believe anything that anyone tells me without checking other sources and then investigating for myself.

Back on topic, we've taken three Caribbean cruises (2 Celebrity, 1 Carnival). The website cruisecritic.com is a great source.

We also recommend the 9 Beaches Resort on Bermuda, Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House on St. Maarten, Playa del Carmen in Mexico (cheap shuttle bus from airport, ferry to Cozumel, great bus service to interesting sights all over the Yucatan), and St. Thomas (as others have suggested).