curiousgirl964

I am planning my honeymoon for early Nov and could use some advice. My fiance and I are hoping to be away for 10 days and are looking for somewhere romantic with beautiful beaches and good restaurants. We don't need a lot of excitement but would love to have a few options on things to do such as biking, tennis, a town to wander in, or other small excursions. Some nightlife would be nice but we're not the disco type. We'd like upscale accommodations but don't want to go overboard. As a frame of reference we were at the Hilton in Barbados last year for 8 days and loved it.

We are adrift a bit with all the choices in the Carribean but have started to narrow things down. I'd love some feedback on St. Kitts/Nevis, Virgin Gorda or Antigua. In Antigua we are looking at Galley Bay; in Nevis we're looking at Nisbet Plantation. Any other recommendations? What about in Virgin Gorda? Any thoughts on staying in Nevis vs. St Kitts? Anywhere else we should put on our list?

Thanks for any help.

curiousgirl964

Forgot to add St. John to the mix.

Jimmie

I would check into Caneel Bay (St. John), Little Dix Bay (Virgin Gorda) or a split between the two. Villa rental on Mahoe Bay, Virgin Gorda. Four Seasons Nevis. We had a great time at Nisbet but I wouldn't say their rooms are super upscale -- perfectly nice, though. STJ, Virgin Gorda and Antigua have better neon blue water beaches than St. Kitts or Nevis.

StanKase

Caneel has it all except for night life. They often have a 2-4 piece combo that plays but only a dozen or so guests sit around with a coctail and enjoy/ The tennis complex is very good. Food has gotten very good again. Beaches are quite nice. I would suggest you stay in the Hawks Nest section and request the second floor and and and end room. You may just get it since it is a long stay. If you splurge reserve Cottage 7 but ONLY rooms C. D. E. F/ If not available upon on check-in request Hawks Nest as back-up. Cottage 7 has larger rooms with lovely fews but cost about $100/night more than Hawks Nest but it's your honeymoon.Of the places you mentioned it is the only location with good snorkeling off 6 of the 7 beaches.

beachplum

I wasn't excited by Antigua altho there are some lovely spots. You may have checked but since you mention tennis, one should definitely check out Curtain Bluff for that. Virgin Gorda has lots of options and among my favorites are Biras Creek and Peter Island. There is one tennis court at Biras and a couple of nice ones at Peter Island. Complimentary Boston Whalers to putt about North Sound is fun at Biras but neither has a town to wander into unless you take a ferry to Tortola but lots of excursions, sailing, etc. There are bikes provided on property. Night life is pretty subdued. Early November should be pretty quiet even at Little Dix which can be very busy with children but SpanishTown isn't really a "town" except for some limited shopping. Of course Caneel is the choice on St. John by default. It is a wonderful property. You might miss the phones and the TV's but I never did! No biking, good tennis facilities, a round robin weekly where the community is welcome to mix it up a bit. Cruz Bay is nearby for dining options and there are plenty of excursions, hikin g in the National Park and daily activities available. Altho Caneel at one time years ago had bikes on property, they stopped that long ago and St. John might not be the best place for that considering the roads, hills and switchbacks. Only other place that I recall bikes was at Jumby Bay on Antigua.

Knowing

We were at the Hilton in Barbados last year, too! We also loved it and rate it as our #2 spot. We will be spending some time there again this winter on our way to Palm Island. We love Antigua, but Nevis is our all-time favorite! We stayed at FS and honestly that would be my suggestion for you. Nisbet doesn't have any of "luxury" that the Hilton did(or that the FS does). Nevis is such a jewel and has so much natural beauty that is unparalleled. The historic plantations are fun to eat at, and there are the remains of sugarcane fields. It really is a perfect place for a honeymoon.

eileen

I respectfully disagree the with previous poster, luxury is how you define it. Stayed at Nisbet in April, visited FS, so underwhelmed by FS, if you want to be beachchair to beachchair at the pool and lots of kids, well then it's the place for you but that is not luxury to me. Nisbet's service was incredible, the rooms are charming and romantic, the beach uncrowded and plenty of overall space throughout the resort because it's only 36 rooms. If you define luxury as flat screen TV's in the room, then yes, Nisbet does not fit the mold but if you define it as incredible service by people who genuinely seem to care about you, lots of space, great food, peace and quiet and a beautiful and charming facility then it does. And in answer to your first question, definitely stay on Nevis rather than St. Kitts. We split our time because we had points to use at the Marriott, but next time it will be all Nevis.

Nevisian

Geez Eileen, do you have stock in Nisbet? I've been reading your posts for the last nine months and you have nothing good to say about the Four Seasons. You always end up by saying that the kids bothered you and that there was no beach chair for you... The hotel you stay at serves it's guests. Hotels are not there for you to pop in and enjoy the amenities that the paying guest are...paying for. All the hotels and Plantation Inns on Nevis do their utmost to be accomodating to outside guests. As Nevisians we have our chioce of enjoying them all - but - You cannot expect five diamond (4S) service at 4S if you are a guest at Nisbet. You, in fact, are intruding on their paying customers. There is no better resort on St.Kitts/Nevis than the Four Seasons if you want to be pampered in 4S style. There is no better resort on St.Kitt/Nevis than Nisbett if you want to get away from it all; including T.V. Give the devil her due, Eileen and let the resorts have their own particular personalities. If you like Nisbet: good for you. I like them both. I recommend them and/or the Hermitage for any traveler to this beautiful island.
Curiousgirl964 - try Nevis over St. Kitts for romance. 4S is an elegant property and the only 5 diamond resort in the Caribbean. You can even rent a private villa - some with their own pools. Nisbet Plantation is on a quiet side of the island and quite laid back. As Eileen noted there are only 36 rooms splayed out from the great house to the beach. There is a fresh water swimming pool at the beach and a great beach bar (where we have Sunday brunch when they have room to accomodate us). The Hermitage is a mountain plantation situated in a valley garden. The rooms are a conglomeration of chattel houses and plantation out buildings. It is very hammock and palm tree seclusion. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptuals. FYI I arranged for our States-side office manager and his fiance to be married at the 4S and they have been back to celebrate two anniversaries. You might want to consider that idea as part of your criteria.

Jimmie

Both Nisbet and 4S have pics of their rooms on their websites, so OP can decide if they (esp. Nisbet) meet the definition of "upscale."

curiousgirl964

This is all great info. I'm going to do some price checking. Since this our honeymoon, we're not above splurging but in case we decide the top of the line places are, in fact, "over the top" for us, are there any recommendations on "second tier" spots. Since we are booking a little late in the game, I've been seeing prices up in the $700-800+ per night for an ocean view. That may wind up being a little steep but we'd like to be able to wake up and see the ocean, if we can swing it.

Last year when we went to Barbados we got an amazing deal. Looks like we won't be as lucky this time. I suppose that's what happens when you try to plan a wedding in less than 5 months.

eileen

Gee Nevisian, you must have stock in the FS Nevis. I enjoy a nice Four Seasons as much as anyone, Four Seasons Punta Mita is spectacular and my all-time favorite beach/golf resort. On these boards people are asked to respectfully state their personal opinion and I have done so. Yes, it's true I was totally underwhelmed by the FS Nevis and I find it to be a poor value. In fact, for some reason the facilty seems to be going downhill, the golf course in April 2007 was in terrible condition compared to April 2006, and this should not happen when they charge $180 a round. I have had, however, some very nice meals at Mango. And yes, I enjoyed Nisbet and I think it is unfair to say Nisbet is not "luxury." The FS is not for everyone. Nisbet is not for everyone. The original poster asked for a romantic destination, upscale accomodations but not going overboard. Nisbet fits those criteria. Maybe to some FS does as well. I am not alone in my opinion, read the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Nisbet on tripadvisor and then read the mixed at best reviews on the FS. And since you must live on Nevis, I am sure you know all the wonderful people who work at Nisbet. They deserve the accolades.

Sheckyd

Hi curiousgirl964,
Just wanted to give my two cents on the topic. We're getting married Sept 30th and are in the final stages of booking a Caribbean trip for a honeymoon. (Thursday Oct 4th - Oct 11th, and yes, we are getting "cancel for any reason" trip insurance! only approx $100 each person, prime time hurricane season in October!)

We've been doing a ton of research over the past few weeks. Reading tripAdvisor, Fodors, talking to friends who have been to the Caribbean, travel agents....and finally decided to pull the trigger on the Virgin Islands.
We're doing a split between Virgin Gorda (Little Dix Bay Resort) and St. John (Caneel Bay). Sister resorts, both resorts are owned by Rosewood Resorts.

Our other options were Anguilla (Cap Jalupa, but it's closed in October as are some other resorts on that island), Turks and Caicos (decided on Virgin Islands because we wanted green mountainous islands) and Grand Cayman, Aruba, St. Kitts. All sound awesome, but you eventually just have to pick one and go with it and don't look back! From the islands you were listing, you can't go wrong. We have friends going to St. Lucia and others going to Nevis, both sound great.

We're just finishing up with the travel agent and will be confirmed this week! Virgin Gorda is in the Brittish Virgin Islands, http://www.littledixbay.com/index.cfm and Caneel Bay on St. John http://www.caneelbay.com/.
They have a private ferry that runs between the two on Mondays, Wed, and Friday. (departs Caneel at 8am for Little Dix, and departs LD for Caneel at 2:30pm)
Little Dix sounds more luxurious than Caneel. From what we've gathered in these and other forums....Caneel rooms are nothing to write home about, but you get 7 amazing beaches and all the amazing surroundings of St. John. Also, CAneel has just undergone recent interior renovations on all rooms (finishing this November), but to just step out of your room onto the sand, we're giving it a shot.
They are somewhat expensive resorts but it's our honeymoon and we're splurging


Please let me know if you have any questions, I can give you any other details I found in our weeks of research.
Thanks!
-Sean

curiousgirl964

Thanks for all the advice. My fiance and I decided to go for Galley Bay in Antigua. The hotel is running a great special and the reviews on trip advisor are great.

One follow up question: We are probably going to book a Deluxe beachfront room but I was wondering if anyone knows how they compare to the Premium beachfront suites. Should we be seriously considering upgrading?

StanKase

If you enjoy snorkeling just know Antigua has almost no decent places. That aside the island has some lush areas and a rental car for a few days may be enjoyable to see the scenery.
TripAdvisor comments on Galley Bay would be worth researching comments of 2006-2007.