monalua

My fiance and I are planning an August 2004 honeymoon and are considering the Caribbean (along with Hawaii). Neither of us has traveled much, so we are looking for some place "easy" and "friendly" for Americans, if that makes since. What we would like: beautiful beaches (of course), snorkeling, more rural, natural settings, some history/siteseeing. Not as interested in nightlife, fine dining, etc. Just want seclusion and crystal clear water! Maybe some hiking and exploring stuff too. We have a lot more reseach to do, but thought I would see what ideas I can get here first. So far we are considering Bermuda, Anguilla, and Kauai. I have been to Kauai before and ADORED it, however, we want to experience something new together. Any information anyone may have would be greatly appreciated! Where would you go for your honeymoon!?? Thanks!

uh_no_ying1

haven't been to dem all yet, but sounds like yud appreciate St John or the BVI's. i understand bermuda, but anguilla? beautiful beaches and fine dining but certainly not worth snorkeling or exploring nature. its more suitable for a lazy vacation.

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gplimpton

First off be aware that August is close to peak hurricane season in the Caribbean (peak is 1st and 2nd weeks of September, season runs from June-November).
Bermuda, as you noted, fits your criteria well.
Anguilla is fine as long as you're not looking for green landscapes and terrain like you find on Kauai.
Both of these islands are very safe, very friendly, and have high standards of living compared with many other Caribbean islands.
You might want to look into St. John, the British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos and the out islands of the Bahamas as well.
St. Barth is a popular recommendation here but there are several issues which will work against your goal of "some place easy".
Grand Cayman is not rural (at least not the popular hotels. There are some condos and such in less populated areas. No natural island beauty, though).
Aruba is far too commercialized for your description.

Carola22

Nevis might be a very good island for your criteria. It has some good beaches, very friendly people, is not too commercialized, and has a nice rainforest, very good for hiking, in the interior. Also some interesting churches and old ruins.

Carola22

Just want to add that, while we love Anguilla, it probably wouldn't meet your criteria. It has beautiful beaches, the best, and is great for fine dining, but the interior is dry and arid. Not much in the way of sightseeing, exploring or hiking.

sunlady

To meet all of the requirements of beaches, snorkeling, natural setting in the Bahamas I would go to the secluded resort "Tiamo". I believe there are about 10 private cottages on an outisland called Andros. I think it offers exciting personalized water activities for newCaribbean visitors, seclusion, and included meals. Definetly check out their website. Do a google search for "Tiamo, Bahamas", I'm not sure what the resorts site address is.

Wednesday

Although it may not meet your specific hiking or historic needs, I cannot miss an opportunity to talk about St. Lucia. One resort for example "Anse Chastanet" (they have a web site) has rooms in the treetops where one wall of your room is missing and you are high up overlooking the beautiful pitons. It truly looks like a photo, not real. That resort is activity oriented and the owners collect original art and the food is spectacular. They are on their own little cove and offer activities right there. It is breathtaking. The natives are very friendly and happy, I witnessed a neat parade when I was there last with their police who were dressed to the nines. The island can be toured and you will see rainforests and they grow over 300 different kinds of bananas for example. (I believe most are shipped to the U.K.)They have a drive in volcano, and a beautiful botanical gardens with waterfalls, etc. We freely walked the streets in the daytime and bought art and tasted the local flavor. Sailing around the island by boat too is marvelous. There are other resorts I would check out other resorts like "Ladera" which also has awesome views and food. Good luck and have a great time wherever you go !

floridabound

St John would be my choice. We were in your position a few years back and considered many islands. We tried the Bahamas a year before we got married. Harbour Island to be exact. It had a very pretty beach but that's all there was.

Someone, on one of these sites recommened St. John and we perused hotels, villas, etc. for over a year. We opted for a beautiful villa on St. John and we were so glad we did. It was a very romantic honeymoon and the island of St. John had everything. Sparkling crystal clear water, hiking trails, adventure, great shopping, boat excusrions to the BVI's. It was just a fantastic honeymoon.

Bermuda is lovely and also Hawaii but nothing can compare to gorgeous St. John.

I highly recommend you look into the many villas on St. John. Most have a private pool/jacuzzi. There is nothing better than coming home after a day of beaching and making cocktails, turning on the stereo and gazing out at the sunset on your private deck in the pool...Very magical.....

How lucky you are....Please check out USVI forum. It's where I got all my honest advice.......a honeymoon to remember for a lifetime.

lindalou

Hi....cannot agree more with the post from "Wednesday". Should definitely research St. Lucia. Have been there twice, most recently stayed at the Jalousie Hilton (between the two pitons)in April 2002. Beautiful, scenic, lush, historic, great hiking (we're hikers) and locals very friendly. Rooms at the Jalousie are very secluded located on the mountainside each with private plunge pools and great views. There were alot of honeymooners there. Beach also secluded (between the pitons). There is a helicopter pad there that transports to/from airport, otherwise it is about one and half hour drive from airport (very windy roads). Helicopter tour of the island highly recommended. Good luck with your research. Any questions, feel free to reply.

ejcrowe

It sounds like Guana Island in the BVI has what you're looking for, too. It's a privately owned, 850 acre island just off coast of Tortola. The owners are conservationists, so most of the island has been left untouched. They grow a lot of their own produce, generate their own electricity, and have their own reverse-osmosis water plant. There are tons of hiking trails and lots of flora and fauna to see. (When the resort is closed in the fall, scientists from all over world come to Guana to study the wildlife.) There are a handful of beautiful beaches ringing the island, and there are at least two great coves for snorkeling. (There may be more than two, but I only went to those two places.) They also offer sea kayaks, floating rafts, sunfish, tennis, croquet as part of the price. Scuba, water skiing, day trips, sunset cruises, and castaway picnics are also offered for an extra charge. The food is very good--three meals a day, plus wine with lunch and dinner are included in the price as well. Most of the rooms are individual cottages, for a maximum of 30 guests at any given time. check out the website at www.guana.com

My husband and I went there two months ago for our honeymoon and found it perfectly romantic. There were a few other honeymooners while we were there, and we enjoyed Guana's cocktail hour each night, mingling with other guests before dinner. Guana can be pricey, but luxurylink regularly offers weeklong packages.

You can find great reviews of Guana at www.scubamom.com and at www.scubatreks.com--lots of great photos at each site. No matter where you choose to go for your honeymoon, congrats and have a great time!

Cher

St Jonn .... hands down. It's everything you're looking for. Stay at Caneel Bay and opt for the best room there you can swing ... Get a room on Scott Beach.

St. John has some of the most beautiful beaches in the Carribean. Most of the island is Nat'l Park land with lots of hiking. It's lush and mountainous and relatively safe to explore. The snorkeling will be some of the best in the Caribbean. Not much for night life, but there is a small main town, Cruz Bay, that has some fun restaurants and shops. You can also take the ferry over to St. Thomas for some serious shopping (30 min).

I also loved Bermuda; the beaches are beautiful. But if I had to pick between the two for what your looking for (i.e., more rural, natural settings), I would definitely pick St. John over Bermuda.

monalua

Thank you so much everyone! After researching for a few weeks, we are now really interested in St. John! Floridabound, loved your description of coming home to a private pool! =) I would love to hear more about everyone's experiences in St. John. Does anyone have recommendations for condo/villa rentals?! We are on budget, but since we are planning to go in the off season, I think that may help a lot! Thanks for any other advice!

jaclo

Caneel Bay in St. John (bring bug repellent for Noseems mosquitos) or Cap Jaluca in Anguilla are guaranteed to give you a flawless Honeymoon. Congratulations!!!