Where should i go for my Sept 06 Honeymoon?

February 3, 2006 3:39 PM

Where should I go for my Sept. 2006 Honeymoon? I think we want to go somewhere in the caribbean...

We are getting married on Sept. 16th 06 and my only responsibility in planning the wedding is to plan the honeymoon. I dont really have what you would call an unlimited budget. We had originally discussed going on a cruise, but we have since decided that we would like to just go to a resort. Some where in the caribbean. I was looking into it some and i think we would enjoy Sandals resort or something similar. Any experience with Sandals?? If not sandals, what other resorts or islands would you recommend???

posted by Bjkokenos to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

Everytime someone asks me for a vacation recommendation, I say Banff, Canada. I realize you're thinking tropical, but give the North a chance. ;-)
posted by frogan at 5:46 PM on February 3, 2006

Banff, Canada is pretty awesome. Lake Louise, too.

I'm not a fan of all-inclusives - we like Barbados a lot and had a great time trying differrent restaurants and exploring the island (in addition to the usual carribean stuff.) There are tons of great places to stay in many price ranges - we found where we stayed (the Colony Club) via expedia.
posted by drobot at 5:49 PM on February 3, 2006

First few Caribbean thoughts in random order:

Biras Creek in the British Virgin Islands. (small resort)
Caneel Bay in the US Virgin Islands. (bigger resort)
Horned Dorset in Puerto Rico. (food, drink and beach, and nothing else)

I don't honestly know what a Sandals costs to know if these are in the right ballpark or not. The good news is that September in the Caribbean is off-peak (but still a fine place to relax).
posted by I Love Tacos at 7:35 PM on February 3, 2006

Isn't it hurricane season in September in the Caribbean? Aruba is mostly hurricane-free (except for last year, while my parents were there), though. My parents had a nice time, though they thought being there a week was too much. They also don't do water sports and so get bored on the beach easily.
posted by Airhen at 7:53 PM on February 3, 2006

Airhen: July through October are all hurricane season there. It's fine if you hit between hurricanes (though you're right, they should have a plan B, and pick something that allows penalty-free cancellation, if they go there.)
posted by I Love Tacos at 8:46 PM on February 3, 2006

Hurricane season is also off-season for the Caribbean. You can get some amazing deals. I used cheapcaribbean.com to help plan my recent wedding and honeymoon. We got married 3 weeks ago in St. Croix and honeymooned in St. Thomas and St. John. I highly recommend St. Croix if you like laid-back, non-touristy places. If you feel more comfortable around lots of tourists, especially the cruise-ship kind, St. Thomas is better. We stayed at The Buccaneer in St. Croix for our wedding night ($400+/night) and opted for a more low-key place in St. Thomas called the Green Iguana, which is a neat little hotel/guesthouse on the side of a mountain.

Don't count out the Mediterranean. There are some very nice places in southern Spain and Portuagal. Fly in, stay a few days in place and the hop on a cruise ship and check out Malta, Egypt, Turkey and Greece.

Another nice location that is inexpensive is Thailand.
posted by camworld at 9:11 PM on February 3, 2006

We stayed in St Lucia in mid November, the hurricane season officially runs until the end of November there. We got rained on for 6 days in a row.

But I would still go back, a wonderful, relaxed and varied island.

We arrived back at Gatwick at 5:30AM into -3C. Ouch.
posted by hardcode at 4:47 AM on February 4, 2006

If you're not American, the Melia Cayo Guillermo in Cuba is fantastic.
posted by antifuse at 4:57 AM on February 4, 2006

In my experience, Hawaii (Maui) is a LOT nicer than the Caribbean. Probably more expensive, but you could probably do it for around a grand each. It might be worth it to go to a non-resort on Maui rather than a resort in the caribbean.
posted by callmejay at 7:55 AM on February 4, 2006

Went to St. Martin for our 1st anniversary and stayed at the Oyseter Bay Beach Resort. It was really great. We went in September as well, and the weather was warm and beautiful. The resort was awesome, great service, great restaurant, right next to Dawn Beach (ask for a room with a view) a few little beach restaurants, the pool ws great, and happy hours were too. Its on the east side of the island all alone, rather than gathered with most resorts near the noisy airport.

Delta flies direct in there from Atlanta, try to go direct rather than through San Juan. Also flights from Charlotte.

Here is the best info on the island & travel to it. I recommend paying the $10 for the secret site if you choose to go to St. Martin.

Also here is a great message board.

I can't wait to go back!
posted by Chuck Cheeze at 9:21 AM on February 4, 2006

Honeymooned in St. Lucia and it was paradise...specifically, Ladera for part of the time and Ti Kaye for the rest. Absolutely fricking amazing.
posted by jeanmari at 9:44 AM on February 4, 2006

When I went to Culebra, off of Puerto Rico, it seemed like the perfect honeymoon place to me. It's a small island with amazing beaches, some quite isolated. There's snorkeling, and it's right near Vieques, so you can do the swimming in bioluminescent bays.

I stayed at Club Seabourne, and the house restaurant served some of the best meals I have ever eaten. There are no phones and TVs in the rooms, and I'd imagine that in September, you'd have the place to yourself. They say they offer honeymoon deals, too.

Overall, I recommend both Culebra (fly through San Juan or Dorado on mainland P.R.) and the hotel itself.
posted by anjamu at 11:14 AM on February 4, 2006

Vieques, off Puerto Rico, has some great small options. Check out Travelandleisure.com. Also, the Concordia eco-tents sound dreamy to me, in a low-budget, low-impact way.
posted by eve harrington at 8:16 AM on February 5, 2006