Destination wedding, Sandals honeymoon -- which islands?
#1
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Destination wedding, Sandals honeymoon -- which islands?
Hello everyone,
I am getting married next August. My fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our family for 1 week, and then want to hop to another island for our honeymoon for another week.
We think we want to get married on St. Thomas/St. John, so we can visit a couple of different of Virgin Islands, and also so our family will have plenty to do. We also think we want to do a Sandals for the honeymoon. We are deciding between Sandals Grande St. Lucia, Sandals Antigua, and one of the Sandals in Jamaica. I have read all the positive and negative reports on Sandals, so PLEASE give advice only if you've been to these properties. Which one has the best, biggest pool and beach? Which Sandals is the best in Jamaica? (I know St. Lucia is not known for its beaches, but for lush, beautiful scenery.) And are these good, diverse choices for wedding island vs. honeymmon island? Thanks for your help in advance!
I am getting married next August. My fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our family for 1 week, and then want to hop to another island for our honeymoon for another week.
We think we want to get married on St. Thomas/St. John, so we can visit a couple of different of Virgin Islands, and also so our family will have plenty to do. We also think we want to do a Sandals for the honeymoon. We are deciding between Sandals Grande St. Lucia, Sandals Antigua, and one of the Sandals in Jamaica. I have read all the positive and negative reports on Sandals, so PLEASE give advice only if you've been to these properties. Which one has the best, biggest pool and beach? Which Sandals is the best in Jamaica? (I know St. Lucia is not known for its beaches, but for lush, beautiful scenery.) And are these good, diverse choices for wedding island vs. honeymmon island? Thanks for your help in advance!
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Are you aware that August is hurricane season? You're taking a bit of a risk with scheduling such an important trip at that time of year.
Antigua is very good to explore outside of the resort, and so are St. Thomas and St. John.
Antigua is very good to explore outside of the resort, and so are St. Thomas and St. John.
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Yes, I do realize this is hurricane season, but because of the jobs my fiance and I have, August is our best bet for 2 weeks off together.
Thanks for your tips.
Please, anyone who knows anything about these Sandals resorts, feel free to let me know which islands/resorts are the best.
Also, which island (where there is a Sandals for our honeymoon) would be the easiest and cheapest to get to from St. Thomas? (if that is where we end up having our wedding...)
Thanks for your tips.
Please, anyone who knows anything about these Sandals resorts, feel free to let me know which islands/resorts are the best.
Also, which island (where there is a Sandals for our honeymoon) would be the easiest and cheapest to get to from St. Thomas? (if that is where we end up having our wedding...)
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For information / opinions about Sandals resorts, you might want to check out www.tropictravelonline.com - tons of information there about various Sandals resorts, including trip reports, photos, and bulletin boards.
As for which Sandals is the "best", that is entirely subjective. We have visited most of the Sandals resorts in Jamaica, and in our opinion the "best" by far is Royal Plantation ... but it is a very small upscale resort (less than 80 rooms), small beach, all a la carte dining (no buffets with the exception of Monday night beach party), very quiet and peaceful, no real organized activities, no real nightlife. Completely different than the other Sandals we have visited. What does "best" mean to you? If you want lots of organized group activities, night life, casual atmosphere, etc., Royal Plantation is clearly not going to be the "best" for you, even though I think it is the best - in that case, you'd probably prefer to look at Sandals Dunn's River or Sandals Montego Bay, for example.
As for which Sandals is the "best", that is entirely subjective. We have visited most of the Sandals resorts in Jamaica, and in our opinion the "best" by far is Royal Plantation ... but it is a very small upscale resort (less than 80 rooms), small beach, all a la carte dining (no buffets with the exception of Monday night beach party), very quiet and peaceful, no real organized activities, no real nightlife. Completely different than the other Sandals we have visited. What does "best" mean to you? If you want lots of organized group activities, night life, casual atmosphere, etc., Royal Plantation is clearly not going to be the "best" for you, even though I think it is the best - in that case, you'd probably prefer to look at Sandals Dunn's River or Sandals Montego Bay, for example.
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Hi Honeymooner 14. I was married last October at Sandals Negril. I too had read all the positive/negative reviews, and I have to admit that I was kind-of concerned. However, the resort was absolutely beautiful, we have fantastic wedding photos!
We had family staying at Beaches Negril, which is about a 20-30 minute walk. We did run into some native Jamaicans, but no one caused us any problems, and we saw a lot of wildlife.
My best advice is to be realistic about the what you expect. I am so happy that I decided to get married there, it was the best decision we could have made.
We are going again for 4 nights this year, to arrive August 22nd. (He is not going to know until the day we leave, it is a surprise!)
~*Good Luck*~
We had family staying at Beaches Negril, which is about a 20-30 minute walk. We did run into some native Jamaicans, but no one caused us any problems, and we saw a lot of wildlife.
My best advice is to be realistic about the what you expect. I am so happy that I decided to get married there, it was the best decision we could have made.
We are going again for 4 nights this year, to arrive August 22nd. (He is not going to know until the day we leave, it is a surprise!)
~*Good Luck*~
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honeymooner, I was married last October at Sandals Antigua. They did a wonderful job with the ceremony and our pictures turned out beautiful.
The resort was perfect for a honeymoon. It has a real laid back and romantic feel to it. The beach is long and deep with powder-like sand and very calm water. The buildings are only 2 stories high and almost each block has it's own pool area with a whirlpool. The main pool with the swim-up bar was not large and you can't see the beach from it, which is a drawback for some. There is one pool that is beachfront.
The food was always good and drinks were plentiful. We enjoyed the watersports most of all and there was nightly entertainment every night. Once a week they put on a beach part also.
If you have any questions, please ask! Congrats and enjoy whatever you choose!
The resort was perfect for a honeymoon. It has a real laid back and romantic feel to it. The beach is long and deep with powder-like sand and very calm water. The buildings are only 2 stories high and almost each block has it's own pool area with a whirlpool. The main pool with the swim-up bar was not large and you can't see the beach from it, which is a drawback for some. There is one pool that is beachfront.
The food was always good and drinks were plentiful. We enjoyed the watersports most of all and there was nightly entertainment every night. Once a week they put on a beach part also.
If you have any questions, please ask! Congrats and enjoy whatever you choose!
#9
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We were married and did our honeymoon at Sandals Royal Caribbean this past March. Can't say enough about the place. It was all it was described as on their web site and more.
A little more upscale and laid back than Sandals Mo Bay but you can use the facilities at both.
The place was spotless, the food excellent and, the staff extremely friendly and helpful.
I would reccomend one of the concierge rooms because of the little extra perks that the concirge can provide along with 24 hour room service and a special lobster dinner that is not offered to regular guests. Feel free to e-mail If we can answer any other questions about Sandals RC.
A little more upscale and laid back than Sandals Mo Bay but you can use the facilities at both.
The place was spotless, the food excellent and, the staff extremely friendly and helpful.
I would reccomend one of the concierge rooms because of the little extra perks that the concirge can provide along with 24 hour room service and a special lobster dinner that is not offered to regular guests. Feel free to e-mail If we can answer any other questions about Sandals RC.
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Jan 25th, 2004 06:42 PM