Well, call me biased, but we love the Marriott in St. Kitts and will be returning this summer. Yes, it is rather large, but the rooms are amazing! We did a meal plan once on another island, and found that we could eat more cheaply on our own and you get to experience more of the island when you are not tied down to one resort. The Marriott has a fridge in the room so we kept snacks, drinks, alcohol and mixers. You could also visit a local store for breakfast and lunch stuff to keep in your room. We are not huge lunch eaters, so we could even split a sandwich and be fine. When we each ordered lunch, we sent a lot of it back. We leave from Raleigh when we travel and we have a 6:33am flight with an 1 1/2 hour layover in Miami and will be in St. Kitts by 2:00ish. If you choose this island it is fun to take the ferry to Nevis for the day. I believe they have snorkeling trips on other boats that take you to Nevis. Yes, the snorkeling is ok. We enjoyed a rainforest hike. Also, don't miss hanging out at Turtle Beach for the day in St. Kitts. Hope this helps rather than confuse.

The Marriott is a fine hotel. Yes it's big, yes, it's a chain. Once you get past that you will have great accommodations (the rooms are excellent quality), full amenities (great pool, bars, casino, lounges etc.) It's located in a convenient area. You can use it as a base for exploring St. Kitts (and Nevis). I would also recommend not taking a meal package so you can get out an enjoy. It's unspoiled and the people are very gentle and friendly. No the beaches aren't the most manicured and the snorkelling isn't much but you can do rainforest hikes and see the fort, and a nice batik factory. The southern peninsula is almost totally unspoiled but it has a great road (if you like driving -- you will love this drive). There is a nice snorkel cruise you can take where they sail to a spot off St. Kitts and that's a pleasant day trip. My husband and I are big fans of St. Kitts and you can do as much or as little as you want -- isnt' that the point of a honeymoon? If you have any other questions, just ask.

WOW! Thank you both. You've both been very helpful. No meal plan, one decision made, provided we definitely pick St. Kitts. RDU seems better for us to travel from vs. GSO too.

Thanks.

I'm still pitting St. Kitts against Barbados, St. Croix, and St. Lucia. I mulled St. John, but I think it might prove too frustrating to get to, through St. Thomas. (And St. Thomas was our first choice, but the Marriott is sold out for our dates.)

Decisions, decisions. St. Kitts/Nevis do seem great.

You are talking a pretty long travel day to St Lucia even from NC. Is addition, you will have about a 1-1.5 hour drive from the larger airport depending on where you stay and if you land at the smaller airport, you will very likely have a connection in Puerto Rico. Even if you stay in the southern part of the island, it is still a bit of a drive even to Soufriere from the southern airport. I don't think 5-6 nights is enough for St Lucia. It took us 11-12 hours from our door (near Detroit) to the hotel in St Lucia both of our trips. Long day, but it is worth it if you have more time. Not trying to disuade you about going to STL, just pointing out that it will be a long travel day. Just out of curiosity, why do you think that St John will be too "frustrating" to get to? It is just a taxi and a ferry, not too bad.

Thanks. Yes, additional research is showing that SLU won't solve the logistical issues. So I'll rule that out. (Yey!)

For St. John, I guess I figured the taxi to the ferry with our luggage, plus getting the luggage on the ferry and off of it would be a pain. If everyone says my assessment of the experience is incorrect, I'll reconsider.

You can't snorkel on the Marriott's beach, just to let you know. You can snorkel on the beach nearby at Timothy's beach resort, on the Caribbean side. While the Mariott is very upscale (and very out of place in my opinion on St. Kitts), Timothy's is a moderate property with a great location.

I have been to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, St. John, St. Lucia, Dominica, and also Maui, and Kaui. I liked all of those places for different reasons, but St. Kitts wouldn't be my first choice for a honeymoon. For a honeymoon I would suggest St. Lucia, St. John, Maui, or Kaui. (Yeah, I know, Hawaii may be in the wrong direction for you but just thought I would throw that in!)

My husband and I have been both to St. Kitts and also Barbados (lots of times). Last fall while in Barbados we took a 3 night trip over to St. Kitts and stayed at the Marriott. We loved our room there, the pool area is great too. Water was too chopping when you got to the sea. We went over to the Caribbean side (we could walk it) by Timothy Beach. Calm there, but water was not gorgeous. We also enjoyed the casino at the Marriott and the food we had there was excellent.

St. Kitts is quite undeveloped (although becoming more so now), and only one main road around the island, so you can see it all in a few hours. Not a lot to do on the island.

Barbados is gorgeous and has everything you could as for from gorgeous waters to fabulous restaurants all over. For something small, intimate and romantic, check out Little Arches (10 boutique rooms), 5 min. walk from the beach. Also, lots of villas on the island fit the bill. If you want to write me directly for my Barbados & St. Kitts insider tips, my e-mail is:
swanson@ballardspahr.com
This might help with your decision.

Lois

We visited St Kitts and Nevis for one day each last month and really liked both of them, I suggest you might want to divide your time between the two islands. I was not at all impressed with the Marriott, it's a behemoth with no Caribbean personality dominating a very nice area of St. Kitts. So wish they had built something more in keeping with the surroundings -- much prefer the Curacao Marriott which is smaller and low -rise and just fits in better. I have a free Marriott week but will not waste it on the St. Kitts Marriott. Unfortunately, in St. Kitts there are not a lot of resorts right on the beach. You might check out some of the plantation inns. Nevis has two wonderful properties on the beach, very different from each other -- Four Seasons and Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, both excellent places for a honeymoon. Sorry, just saw that you only have five or six nights so I guess you don't want to split your time. I would choose Nevis and take a day trip to St. Kitts.

We are recently back from 11 nights on St Kitts. (See my trip report) While we didn't stay at a hotel but rather rented a condo on the water (next door to the Marriott) I do have a suggestion for you on St. Kitts. The Golden Lemon Inn is a lovely spot for a honeymoon. They are directly on a black beach with fair to good snorkeling right there. t is a bit away from other restaurants so you might want to consider an all inclusive and the food is good there.

We just had lunch there but I thought it was charming and special and really quite beautiful.They have private villas as well. The staff I was told by other guests are extremely accomodating. They will hook you up with the catamaran trip to Nevis for snorkeling and other adventures on the island. Just another suggestion.

I was not impressed by Nesbit Plantation on Nevis although the beach there was pristine. I thought the Four Seasons to have more character and style than the Marriott on STK. We did think the Monpelier Planttion was quite nice although it is away from the water by 20 minutes so you need to take their shuttle.

Should you choose the Marriott and many people do and love it the advice you were given not to take the all inclusive was good advice. There are several good restaurants within walking distance of the Marriott and lots of cabs to get you to more distant and good restaurants. Spending time on Turtle Beach is a must.
To go to an island and spend your time inside the resort is not giving yourself an opportunity to see and feel and experience the island and its people.
We tried to do just that and if you have a hour spare of so read my rather lengthy report under Reeder. Good luck in making the perfect choice for both of you. H

Thank you, Melissa. I was aware I couldn’t snorkel right at the Marriott, but is Timothy’s honeymoon material? This is a second wedding for both of us. I went to Kauai and Maui for the first one. We’ll go another time…. Just not our honeymoon. I’m interested in hearing more about why you wouldn’t pick Kitts for a honeymoon either. St. John, however, remains a true contender for us.

Today (and I promise, it changes daily), I’m trying to narrow it down from Bermuda, St. John and St. Kitts.

Thanks, too, Lois. A nice room is important to us, especially because it’s our honeymoon. What the smaller inns seem to offer in terms of their being more genuine to the landscape of St. Kitts, I worry they lack for honeymoon reasons. This what you mean, Melissa?

Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. ☺ That’s why I posted.

Thanks, too, Eileen. A Nevis day-trip would definitely be on our agenda if we get to St. Kitts.

And, Reeder, I appreciate the snorkeling tips. ☺ Also, very helpful indeed to let me know there are restaurants within walking distance of the Marriott.

Keep up all the posts. They’ve been very helpful.

Perchy,

I've traveled to St. Kitts numerous times in the past 15 years, and this year made the switch to Nevis. if you are not tied to staying at the Marriott, I would recommend for a honeymoon Ottley's Plantation on St. Kitts, and on Nevis, I would recommend Nesbit Plantation.

We stayed at the Hermitage and I loved it (www.hermitagenevis.com), but if you want to be on a beach I think Nesbit would be lovely. We spent part of two days at the beach at Nesbit and had drinks and lunch there at the beach restaurant. My friends snorkeled from the beach there and enjoyed it. Fish seemed to congregate near the little stone breakwaters.

The best part of Nevis is the friendly warm people. We are definitely returning next year.

Other Nevis options on the beach would be the Four Seasons and Oualie Beach. Oualie is the moderate-price choice, and the beach where most of the water sports are available. See www.nevis1.com and www.walknevis.com for walking tours.

You can fly direct from San Juan to Nevis on American Eagle.

I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself no matter where you go, so don't fret too too much!

CW

I highly recommend Ottley's Plantation to honeymooners. www.ottleys.com

In Nevis I recommend Montpelier Plantation Inn.

Timothy Beach Resort is a very nice property located on the Caribbean (down the street from the Marriott) and next to lots of fun, inexpensive beach bars.

It is not an upscale property, but the rooms are clean and confortable and the staff are very friendly and helpful.

The Marriott is a lovely resort with all the amenities, but make sure you leave the property and explore the beauty of the island.

You can also snorkel at Turtle Beach. www.turtlebeach1.com

You have had so many great responses to your posts! Please let us know what you eventually decide. You have been given lots of good information to make your decision.