Can I ask you where you are flying out from?

We are flying out of North carolina either from Greensboro or Raleigh. I also forgot to mention our honeymoon will be in April, 2013!

hi NC, welcome to fodors & congratulations.
if you want to snorkel eliminate jamaica & dom rep.
st lucia is a bit difficult. roads are not good. honestly i'd save it for a future trip when you have more caribbean experience.
grand cayman would be a great choice. seven mile beach is beautiful & great for walking. there is lots of good walkin snorkeling. plenty of good dining options. some of the clearest water in the caribbean. american will fly you from gso or rdu for $510 through miami using 4/6 to 4/13
westin casaurina or gc marriot will fit your budget. westin is well reviewed by fodorites (we rented a villa when we went so no personal recommendation) has ac, room service, is on really good part of the beach & has a nice spa. as you mentioned a walk through garden area you should check out the botanical gardens. another tourist highlight is stingray city where you can swim with & pet the rays.

Thanks so much! I'm looking into those hotels! I am curious about the romantic feel of the hotels? They definitely are not couples only. I'm thinking private dinners and outdoor spas. I think I have expectations, but I do want our honeymoon to be romantic!

Also consider the Caribbean Club on Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach. Doesn't have a Spa , but they can arrange for a masseuse or you can patronize the Ritz or Westin's Spas. The on-site restaurant, Luca, is one of the better on the island, the beach is phenomenal and the rooms are better than any hotel's.
http://www.caribclub.com/Pages/Default.aspx

For St Lucia, I would suggest Anse Chastenet Hotel which is on a beautiful dark sand beach with incredibly clear water and good snorkelling right off the beach. It's in a very romantic location. It's rather hilly though but the scenery is amazing. Also Ti Kaye, again in a gorgeous setting with (lots of )steps down to beach which has good snorkelling and the food is very good here.

The diving in GCM was great & some of the best anywhere that I have done & was the sole reason for me going, food was great, very very hot dry & arid & crowded/busy.

I've really been tracking on Anguilla lately. Looks like the perfect location for everything you've mentioned.

Grenada's not the "sexy pick" on this thread. But, I just got back. It was my 7th island and by far the best I've been to. It is, however, the "True Caribbean" experience. Incredible food. Wonderful people. It is not that developed, but they have some nice resorts for people that are on a honeymoon. Depends on the budget, but check out Spice Island, LaSource or La Luna. I use Trip Advisor all the time, so it's a great place for research as well.

Good luck.

trip advisor has it's place i suppose, but it's so impersonal & has lots of onetime only posters, not to mention no attempt to keep advertisers off it's boards. really, fodor's is the only place you can have a real conversation with real people about your travel plans.

Virginia: I like Fodors for the interaction and sense of community, but you're selling TA short. They have forums similar to this that can be quite lively and helpful (depending upon the island and topic), not to mention if you email people you get responses back in a very "user friendly" format in your mail box, a feature I don't see here. Plus the rating systems and reviews, and how they group them by restaurants, hotels etc., are very useful.

I find both useful for what they're intended to do.

I absolutely love Anguilla. Check CuisinArt, Viceroy and Frangipani. A lot of people like Anacoana. If you want a more lush island, look at Nevis (Four Seasons or Nisbet Plantation), or the BVI's.
And the tripadvisor forum is very helpful when you have narrowed down the islands

Virgina, where did you rent a Villa in Grand Cayman?

Odin Have you been Tikaye Village or Calabash Cove resort? I'm curious about the beaches. I know they are small, but will we still get the same affect?

Grand Cayman will fit your bill, although we are not Westin fans down there. Awesome restaurants, nice beaches, beautiful water and fantastic snorkeling. My recommendation is Cheeseburger Reef. The coral formations are not that far out and you will see turtles. The fish are not afraid of people so they will not run for cover.

nc: This wasn't on your list, but you might consider the USVI. USAir flies directly to St Thomas and all your other priorities can easily be met either on St Thomas or St John.

I've been to Ti Kaye but not Calabash. Ti Kaye is on Anse Cochon which is quite long, down alot of steps, far end is the best spot for snorkelling. It's fairly remote.
Although I love Anguilla (& all the islands for that matter) I don't remember how good snorkelling was and Grenada was not that great for snorkelling. GC was very good for snorkelling/scuba but the island itself was not beautiful. St Lucia & Grenada are beautiful but not as developed as GC however they have much more Caribbean flavour.

I would echo Odin's comments, but you wouldn't go to Grenada for snorkeling alone. It was ok, not great. You'd go there if you wanted an adventure. Lush mountains. Beautiful beaches. Incredible food. I've read many, many comments from very seasoned travelers who have been to many islands (this was my 7th) who've said it was their most enjoyable trip ever.

virginia, There are *forums* on Trip Advisor, just exactly like here at Fodor's. Only broken down into smaller specific destinations. Also there is a PM feature, so you can privately email other contributors for more detailed discussions off-line.

Lots of people don't realize that TA isn't just the "reviews" section.

NCgal,

Just a suggestion but you might want to include the Caribbean coast of Mexico (Mayan Riviera) in your search. There are many places that offer everything you are looking for for less money than an island. assuming you mean $4-$5000 for your budget you can definitely do luxury in Mexico for that amount. Here is a good list of some of the choices.

http://www.fivestaralliance.com/luxury-hotels/267/north-america/mexico/playa-del-carmen?keywords=&facet=true

Hope you find the perfect place.

ncgal, we rented 2 br/2bath near rum point http://www.grandcaymanvillarentals.com/villa-listing/thatch-hill
the pool was nice to have. the interior colors are not as crazy as they look in pics. is approx 2 mins drive to rum point. is maybe 45 mins to georgetown/seven mile. snorkeling was pretty good from our beach. we were very happy with our location on the quiet end of gc.

Virginia,

Quiet sounds great! Although we really don't want to be driving. I am considering the Marriott, but am so worried about it being crowded and having too many children and not enough couples amenities.

Room service seems really hard to come by at many resorts. Am I missing something?

Also, I hear the beach is small at the Marriott? Has anyone experienced that?

Yes the beach is small at the Marriott. I have seen that, was there last December (didn't stay at the Marriott but passed it).

May I'm missing something but what is the appeal of room service in such a hot climate, personally I don't like the idea of food in my room esp in the tropics. Driving gives so much freedom and choice of accommodations as well.

I have never stayed there so I am not certain it is in the price range you mentioned but I think so- have you looked at Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda? We were on the island two years ago and loved it. It fits most of your criteria. My husband and I got married and honeymooned on St. John in the USVI 11 years ago but rented a villa for the space and privacy- you might check the prices also at Caneel Bay on St. John. I do think either place have a more romantic honeymoon setting than some places. Best wishes!

What about Turks and Caicos Islands ( Airport code PLS)?

I have never been there- it has been on my bucket list for years- but I think TCI sounds like a great idea, too!!! There are many here like Caribzack who will give you great advice but you might want to start another thread with "TCI" in it to get them to chime in.
I hope you have a fabulous honeymoon!

I would suggest virgin gorda for your honeymoon (biras creek). Another suggestion would be peter island. Also I agree with the Anguilla suggestion (Cap juluca would be amazing though not sure it fits in the budget). We recently returned from Grand Cayman and in my opinion although we enjoyed it and the island meets your snorkelling and restaurant criteria I don't think it meets the romantic criteria (it feels a bit over developed to me).

Caribzack,

I am interested in the Turks and Caicos and have looked at the Veranda resort. We are worried about the family feel for the honeymoon though.

There are many villas to rent there, but we don't want to be that adventurous so we're looking for a hotel or resort with various restaurants and a spa there or within walking distance. If you have any suggestions within our budget please please let me know!

The most romantic and perfect honeymoon spot would by far have to be Casa Colonial Boutique Hotel in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The spot is picturesque, with the private jacuzzis and brunches on your balcony to the beach front spa gazebos there is nothing better for relaxation. They have amazing restaurants right at the hotel, a bunch of spa treatments and the place is not packed or filled with children.My favorite bar is by far the rooftop pool bar, you will have to check it out. I highly recommend staying there and they have honeymoon packages on their website also.

When I'm looking at beaches and clear water I would go with Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, or Grand Caymen, but I'm not seeing quality resorts that are within our budget and romantic in those areas.

I like the amenities at the Excellence Punta Cana, but I have read that its on the "atlantic side" of the island which I am confused about and have not heard good things about the food.

I feel like we could give up something on our list but I'm not sure what

just curious- did you rule out Virgin Gorda or do not want to even consider it?

Turks and Caicos has tons of quality resorts in all price points, there's not a bad place to stay.

You must might have to give up some of your list such as room service, as not many properties offer it unless it's on the top of the pier.

Off peak you can get a gorgeous luxury room somewhere for your budget. Peak usually ends a week after Easter (as families travel during spring breaks) so you may be able to find something terrific in your price.

Check out West Bay Club on Turks and Caicos. They where running specials for a 1 bedroom (full living room, kitchen, etc, gorgeous!). They are right in front of an off the beach reef for snorkeling, and the beach is 12 miles long! TCI has some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean, and the clearest water of any island.

Other things TCI offers for ultra romance, some of the best spas in Caribbean, you can also set up a romantic dinner on the beach with tiki torches, etc, and you can also rent a small skiff to explore stunning beaches on uninhabited cays.

I do think virgin Gorda would also make a stunning vacation, but Little Dix Bay may not be on your budget. You could maybe find a private villa, but be warned, some of the lessor priced ones don't have A/C or just in the bedrooms.

Contact West Bay Club directly to see if they can honor some of their recent specials. Just mention you heard about those specials on Fodor's.

Tell us what you think of WBC, it's luxury without the price tag.

PS being foodies in Caribbean will cost you. Budget $100-200 per couples for dinners at the nice restaurants. Other islands to consider since your foodies, Anguilla (only missing the snorkel part of your list) St. Bart (missing snorkel and budget) and St. Martin (missing snorkel). They have the best restaurants in Caribbean.