Help planning honeymoon in St. Lucia

Old Apr 30th, 2006, 12:06 AM
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Help planning honeymoon in St. Lucia

Hello,
I'm in charge of planning our honeymoon (so I'm not in the way while my fiancee plans the wedding!). I've never been to the Caribbean, and my ideal vacation is really in Europe or Patagonia (I'm from Argentina). But she wants to go to the islands, and I agree that backpacking is not the way to go for a honeymoon. Anyway, I think I can enjoy myself in St. Lucia, there seems to be enough going on beside beaches. The problem is, she really wants the white sand and the turquoise sea, and I've read we won't get that there. Could you suggest any solutions to my dilemma? Any other island where I can get the hiking and the nice beaches? or some other island that can be combined easily with St. Lucia?
Thanks!!!
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Old May 3rd, 2006, 01:11 PM
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Barbados and Martinique both have some nice beaches and are both close enough to St. Lucia to do a "combo trip." You can take a short flight (30 minutes or so) from either or a ferry from Martinique.
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Old May 3rd, 2006, 03:33 PM
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Thanks for your reply! I was worrying I have broken an untold rule of the site, and will never get a response!
I've read so many mixed reviews of Barbados that I'm not sure about going there; we considered Martinique as the only place to go, but we feel that our French is too poor to spend our whole honeymoon in a French island. I'm also looking into St. Vincent or Grenada to combine with St. Lucia, for a couple of reasons: we're going in hurricane season and we'd like to stay as south as possible; we'd like to go to "low-profile" islands (we're kind of phobic of crowds). So I'll keep researching!
Thanks again,
Ezequiel
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Old May 3rd, 2006, 05:42 PM
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We recently went to Antigua, stayed at a small resort - Galley Bay. It is on it's own private beach , white sand, turquoise water. It is a small resort, only 70 rooms. If you are looking for a place with night life this may not be for you. A very romantic place! By the way our flight stopped in St. Lucia before going on to Antigua, so you may be able to do a combination of the two.
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Old May 5th, 2006, 10:51 AM
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I was looking for the same thing adventure hiking/romantic white beaches..I actually came very close to booking a trip to St Lucia, but then found www.jaguarreef.com in Belize. It has tons to do but also seems romantic..I gess there are Cayes off shore that have the crystal clear water..I will be going the first week in June!
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Old May 5th, 2006, 11:31 AM
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St. John, known for its beaches, has the Reef Bay trail - one of Caribbean Travel & Life's top ten hikes. There's also the Cinnamon Bay trail, the Annenberg ruins, and other ruins nearby. Kayaking in the mangroves is available on the east end of STT, a short ferry ride away.
Shouldn't be too crowded in low season, but of course the hurricane threat is there.
Jim
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Old May 5th, 2006, 11:32 AM
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Just reread your post -- my post assumes that you are willing to drop St. Lucia as a destination. It can't really be combined!
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Old May 5th, 2006, 04:23 PM
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If she wants white sand beaches with turquoise water, I would nix St Lucia right off the bat. The sand ranges from brown sugar color to grey and this makes the water appear darker. It is however a beautiful islands with lots of interesting things to do. Might also want to look at The Grenadine Islands. Beautiful beaches and low key if you don't want to be in an area with crowds. It also meets your "farther south" criteria.
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Old May 6th, 2006, 04:35 AM
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Thanks so much for all the ideas!
So many places look good that it is really difficult to set for one. With respect to your suggestions, I think Antigua, Belize and USVI are farther north than we like. I know my hurricane's concern is probably exagerated, since getting the right insurance should guarantee our trip. Anyway, I'd rather not deal with it if we can avoided, we live in the Midwest and already have our share of "fun" with severe weather - tornadoes!
So far, I think we're set with 4-5 days in Ti Kaye in St. Lucia, I was showing pictures of the place to my fiancee, and pointing to the brown sand to check for vetoes, but she's delighted!
Now I have to add another 4 days or so nearby, so still looking into Martinique, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados or even Grenada. My guess is that if I found the right place in any of these islands, the brown sands of St. Lucia may become more of an issue and we'll end up switching completely to the new place, but that's ok with me too.
Thanks again to everybody!
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Old May 6th, 2006, 05:03 AM
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You should definitely look more closely at Grenada, either as a single destination or as a combo with St. Lucia. LIAT right now is offering ridiculously low one-way fares among islands of the eastern Caribbean--I just got St. Vincent to Grenada for $33 per person, including all taxes.

Anyway, Grenada offers many beautiful beaches that are close to, but just a shade darker than, white. Grande Anse beach is considered among the loveliest on the island. You can find lots of photos at www.grenadaexplorer.com of various beaches, hotels, restaurants, tours available, etc. Grenada isn't quite as mountainous as St. Lucia, but it offers lots of great hiking opportunities, lots of waterfalls, and a beautiful, lush interior.

On Grenada, take a look at LaLuna (much more expensive than Ti Kaye, but with similar cottage set up, all with plunge pools), Calabash, Bel Air Plantation, La Sagesse, or even Twelve Degrees North, as a variety of more intimate places to stay that will give you varying degrees of seclusion and privacy. They're as little as $125/nt for La Sagesse to as much as $300/nt for La Luna or Bel Air.
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Old May 6th, 2006, 10:25 AM
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Unfortunately Grenada is not quite ready so for a honeymoon, don't risk it (but keep it in mind for future). Antigua has gorgeous beaches with the sand and water she is dreaming about and some really lovely hotels.
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Old May 6th, 2006, 11:13 AM
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jecrow, I wonder why you say that about Grenada. There are at least two regular posters here who have been to Grenada more than once since the hurricanes and they have reported that the island has really bounced back. Have you actually visited, or are you relying on second hand information?

Ezequiel, I am at the height of planning my trip to Grenada for this coming July. We'll be in the area for two weeks and my extensive research shows that the island is ready and eager to play host to guests. We're also planning to take along some school supplies and/or children's clothing with us to donate. You should do your own research to see if Grenada is right for you.
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Old May 6th, 2006, 11:48 AM
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Thanks for the new input. I should have said this earlier, but I'm planning for 2007... Hopefully any damage due to the hurricane will be fix by then.
Now I'm a little embarrased about planning over a year ahead, but truly my fiancee is doing the same with the wedding and got me in the mood ...
ejcrowe, thanks for the info, I've read some of your other postings and you seem to be very knowledgeable about the islands, I'll be looking forward to read your account of your future trip.
jecrow, when you say Grenada could be risky for a honeymoon, do you mean the present situation due to the hurricane, or in general?
Thanks again for all your advice,
Ezequiel
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Old May 6th, 2006, 01:38 PM
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Ezequiel: I have relatives who live in Grenada. Although the tourism industry is bouncing back, it still has a ways to go. I know that you want your honeymoon to be special so my suggestion was not to chance it. My family tells me in 3 years' time, the infrastructure, flora and landscape will be back to what it was pre-Ivan.
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Old May 16th, 2006, 12:17 PM
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Take a look at www.youngisland.com -- just off the coast of StVincent - -an easy plane ride from SL via Caribbean Star
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