althom1122

My boyfriend and I (in our 50s) would like to go to the Caribbean for a romantic long weekend and need help deciding where to go. An all-inclusive would be fine but we're open to other ideas, as well. Priorities include beautiful beaches, private, quiet, and reasonably economical. Any suggestions for us?

Thanks,
Kare

juliae_mei

What kind of activities do you enjoy? Can you be more specific for a "reasonably economical" budget? Do you want a non-stop flight or will a connecting flight work? How long are you willing to fly to your destination? What is your air departure city? What dates do you prefer, even a month or season will help?

Those details will help to narrow down the options.

blamona

To add to above, so you know, most of the time AI and private and quiet are usually a contradiction.

Also, will your budget include air, food, excursions and activities?

Do you need anything else, shopping, activities, spa?

cmcfong

I took a quick look at your profile and it says you are in Columbia, MD. I am assuming you want to travel now. So, given that here is my suggestion. Fly DCA non stop to Bermuda. Book a stay at either The Reefs, Pompano Beach, Coco Reef or Newstead (call each property direct for the best deals). You can eat on site if you wish or take a ferry or bus to a restaurant. All these properties should be generally adult this time of year. It is a gorgeous time to be in Bermuda. Have fun!

RoamsAround

For a long "romantic" weekend I wouldn't do All inclusive - they are rarely "romantic nor will they be private and quiet unless you go to one of the more very exclusive high end properties (which will probably be far beyond your "reasonably economical" budget whatever that will be. By the way, unless you give us an actual dollar budget we have no way of knowing what "reasonably economical" means TO YOU.

Also, confirm where you'll be flying from and whether or not the budget you gave includes airfare.

Now, for a long weekend choose a destination that you can reach non-stop from your nearest international gateway city as you don't want to spend the better part of two of those (lone weekend) days getting to/from your home. Assuming you are flying from an East Coast city look at resorts in Bermuda, Providenciales (Turks & Caicos), Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas. Theses destinations are all relatively a short flying time from most east coast cities and traditionally have lower airfares.

sharona

My first thought was Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios. I haven't been there yet but some friends raved about it. It meets all of your requirements except perhaps reasonably economical although not knowing your budget it may work. Check the booking sites. Expedia, for example, is offering the lowest priced room with private transfer (I plugged in a random long weekend in October) for $230/night excluding taxes. That rate doesn't include meals but the resort does offer a meal plan if you really want to go the AI route.

An added advantage of Jamaica is you can probably get there on a direct flight. That's important with so few days. JetBlue, USAir and American are the main carriers to the Caribbean from the U.S.

althom1122

Thanks for the ideas so far, and good questions. Regarding budget, I'd say about $1000 not including airfare for maybe 4 nights. We're coming from the Baltimore/Washington area, so could pretty easily fly out of BWI, Dulles, or National (with BWI a preference).
As for activities, we definitely want mostly beach/pool relaxation but we'd also enjoy snorkeling, a town with restaurants and maybe some nightlife.
Timing is tricky - not right away. I'm recovering from a torn disk in my back and have a trip to China scheduled for October (which may have to be delayed if my back's not healed). We may be looking at sometime in November or the first of December.
Thanks so much!

cmcfong

Bermuda starts to get a little iffy on watersports by November. While the weather is still generally mild, the water temps drop. Bermuda's best time to visit is May-Oct. That said, I go every year in December because the beaches are empty, the pools are heated and the weather is great for walking...plus rates are very good! Great budget option and most hoteliers are doing bargain offerings the first week of December. Check it out.

KVR

I would suggest the Jewell Dunn's River in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It's a couples only AI. The first week of December the price should be within your budget. We went last year the first week of December and loved it. I thought the resort was very nice and had it's romantic points. Nice quiet dinners with good food if you wanted and good on-site activities. The weather was perfect. Not too hot, but hot enough for the pool and ocean. There are some great tours and activites off the resort, but I would recommend a tour or hiring a private driver.

My other thought would be a boutique hotel on or around 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Some include breakfast and/or dinner. Great area to walk to restaurants, bars, shopping and entertainment. Look at the Mahekal Beach Resort. This site has good info regarding accomentations.

http://www.locogringo.com/dynamic/lo...cfm?area=Playa del Carmen&type=Hotel/Resort

RoamsAround

Look at Caneel Bay on St. John. You can fly into St. Thomas and take a relatively short ferry ride (maybe 15 minutes) to reach St. john. The resort has 7 wonderful beaches with some very good to excellent walk-in snorkeling. In late November and early December you should have no difficulty meeting your budget.