I am about to place a reservation for my upcoming honeymoon for a resort in Anguilla. Before I do this, I wanted to see if anyone here has any other ideas for a honeymoon destination. All ideas are welcome. The list of desired things: - Does NOT require more than 12 hours of flight time! - Is warm (We are leaving October 3rd) - Has a modicum of luxury / privacy - Has activities (snorkeling, golf, sky diving, scooter rentals, jet skis, etc) - No/few kids (I'm not going to Disney World!) Thanks in advance!
We are renting a house in aruba for pretty cheap. Have to walk a bit to the beach but its private, and the house is pretty big. Has a pool etc. Rented from arubahappyrentals.com. I did a ton of research and this fit the bill for us and I had similar requirements. Leaving in 2 weeks, cant wait to GTFO. I suggest using tripadvisor if you havent already to research places that you are going.
Hey Mike - the answer to your question will be based on your budget. Shoot me an email if you have my email address or a PM and I'll give you a ton of ideas.
I agree with Chip. The downside of renting a house is having to find food, cook. I know when I go on vacation the last thing I want to do is cook.
We did 9 days in Jamaica with Sandals...all inclusive, reasonable pricing, just the right about of luxury, plenty of stuff to do, and no kids. Couldn't have been a better destination.
I rent villas often when I travel with a group. I wouldn't do it for my honeymoon for the reasons Paige mentioned. The other downside to renting a house is security. Even on a lot of islands that are safe - i.e. no real violent crime to speak of - petty theft and break-ins are common.
St. Lucia! As a St. Lucian I highly recommend it. Plenty of resorts to choose from, easy to get around, friendly people, great beaches. If you are big into outdoor activities like zip-linging and stuff check out the island of Dominica as its very mountainous.
My wife and I went to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico to an all inclusive resort for our honeymoon this past September. Overall it was a great experience, and knowing you don't really have to spend any money the entire time you're there is great after spending a ton of cash on the wedding haha! Our included excursions to mayan ruins, snorkeling, zip lining, etc.. that you get to choose from. Also our resort was adults only but really that time of year there are not going to be a lot of kids around anyways. Here is the place we went to: http://www.palaceresorts.com/resorts/aventuraspapalace
Couples Sans Souci in Jamaica. Just got back from there beginning of Feb. Nice small resort (less than 150 rooms), golf is included, as well as snorkelling, scuba, other watersports. Food was unbelievably good (no dinner buffets, it was like eating at a 5 star restaurant every night). Setting was gorgeous, as it is an older resort, it wasn't just some palm planted around the grounds, it was a very tropical setting. http://www.couples.com/14cs/index.html Would go again in a heartbeat.
Budget is huge here. We have been to several Carribean islands and all have their niche...aruba, Mayan riviera (by far the best bang for your buck and AI), Barbados, Jamaica, GC...etc Our honeymoon was in French Polynesia specifically Moorea and Bora Bora....absolutely no comparison to any other place I have visited in the world...but not cheap. 10 nights will run about 10-15K (airfare and hotel) with an over water bungalow. Food is also outrageously priced, but if you plan for it ahead of time it will be the vacation of a life time.
I've done the all inclusives and won't do em again. Food is shit and I get bored outta my mind. I just got home sunday from 10 days in costa rica. Rented a car and spent half on the carribean coast and half on the pacific coast. Way better than anywhere I have been this side of the pond and I've been to a lot. Keep in mind that fall is hurricane season in that area. I had to cancel a trip down there once because of that.
+1 I have not been a fan of all inclusives for reasons mentioned above. However, since then I have been to 2 that were amazing and the food choices and quality were great. Couples Swept away in Jamaica and the Now resort in the riviera maya were both excellent. If you chose an AI, just make sure they have al la cart restaurants and not just buffets.
Opinions on all-inclusives vary and it's all in what you make of it. Sandals does a great job of catering to honeymooners and there will be special activities where you'll get hooked up with other honeymooners. Did Sandals in Jamaica (Negril) and heading back to Jamaica (Royal Carribean in Montego Bay) in September. Food was great. Plenty of things to do. Among the other activities/excursions that they have available, get scuba certified before you go and you can go for a nice dive every day. Note...for that time of year, if you're going to the Carribean, don't skip out on trip insurance. Go through a travel agent and let them handle everything. Tell them what you want and they'll give you suggestions. Won't cost you any more. If you're considering going to a Sandals, make sure the agent is a Preferred Sandals Specialist. If you can't find one, let me know - the one we work with is GREAT!
We just booked Secrets all inclusive in Jamaica for our anniversary trip. We've done plenty of cruises and this will be our first all inclusive deal... It was AMAZINGLY affordable, even including airfare.