$7,000 Carribean Honeymoon
 

My fiance and I are trying to plan our honeymoon and are overwhelmed by the choices. Our max budeget is $7,000. We would like all inclusive, romantic, upscale, "boutique" like accomodations. We are shying away from Sandals. We think there may be to much "organized fun" and the resort will just be too big and too commercial. After the craziness of the wedding we just want to relax and be alone together. We will be flying out of Atlanta, GA. We are young (25 and 32), so we would prefer a place with no children and a similiar demographic crowd. Any suggestions?

When are you looking to go?

We want to go to the Carribean, but have no island prefrence.

Tell us more, since every island probably has something for you.

Are you stuck on AI? AI and upscale and romantic really don't go together, although you can find something that includes maybe meals, or drinks and meals.

Tell us more of what you like, islands are all so different from each other.

Palm Island in St. Vincent and Grenadines is inclusive.

Veranda in Turks and Caicos is low key, upscale and AI. Veranda has an all adult section, but the main restaurant has children. Direct flight from Atlanta is bonus.

Lower budget but gorgeous beach and excellent food AI is Club Med San Salvador Bahamas. There are some kids, but few and low key.

Parrot Cay has meal plans, would make a terrific honeymoon.

Anything in Anguilla, while not AI, makes an excellent honeymoon--Cap Jaluca, Viceroy, Cuisinart.

look at galley bay on antigua. or palm island resort in st. vincent & grenadines. or almond beach club or colony club on barbados. jamaica inn on jamaica.
on maya riviera:
http://www.zoetryresorts.com/Paraiso/index.html
or while not all inclusive i've always thought this resort looked terribly romantic: http://www.maromahotel.com/web/ocan/maroma.jsp

We are not set on AI, it would be nice to have breakfast though. We are drinkers, but don't want to go to a "party" resort. If there is a night life on the island, I could see us going dancing once or twice, but that's not high on our priority list.

We want upscale, however not stuffy. We are very laid back and really just want to relax in our bathing suits most of the week, dressing up for a romantic dinner a couple of times.

We love food. It doesn't have to be fancy. I imagine walking down a beautiful beach, stumbling across a shack, and having amazing seafood and a few beers.

A place with a little culture and/or history would be nice, maybe ruins or great local traditions. If I do want to leave the reosrt I want to go see something - not go to Senior Frogs.

The most inportant thing is romantic. I definetly want to go to a place where we do not have to leave the resort (or the room for that matter) all week if we don't want to. And I have always dreamed of one of those private dinners on the beach.

I know my budget is limited, but a girl can dream :)

Hello,

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials.

Virginia gave some great suggestions (especially zoetry)

Might I add Moon Dance Villas Cliffs
http://www.moondanceresorts.com/cliffs/crystal-dawn/

They have villas, suites and rooms in Negril, Jamaica it offers the charm and style of a swanky boutique hotel yet stays true to the area. It is also all-inclusive and comes with persoanl house staff who really become family. It's in Negril where some of the best beach access and aesthetics are in Jamaica. If you want seclusion but still have the abilitiy to get some culture, see some sights and comingle you may want to try Moon Dance. Not only is the 4 acre property wonderful but the staff are genuine and a cut above the rest. They aren't snobbish at all. Heck I ended up booking my trip via the owner....it took me a moment to realize this very cordial unpretentious, cool person was the owner. Oh and it is well within in your budget. You may also want to try Geejam in Port Antonio, Jamaica. That one will definitely bit into your budget....but like you said a girl can dream. I hope you have a blast where ever you go!

@Felice_Reeves - Moon Dance is a wonderful suggestion! It is so nice and inexpensive that it scares me. What is the catch? Is it just new and trying to promote itself?

@Virginia and Felice_Reeves - Zoetry is beautiful! And they are offering such amazing spaecials we may actually be able to afford it! Have you stayed there? What is the atmosphere like? Is it close to anything?

Can we talk you out of going All-Inclusive? The last thing I would want on my honeymoon is a ton of other people around.

How about something like this in Negril Jamaica www.tensingpen.com ?

Oops, saw your second post. Most definitely give consideration to Negril. I think Moon Dance is out of your budget, but Tensing Pen is not. There's a very nice continental breakfast included. It's kind of like a swanky 'swiss family robinson' styled place. Incredibly perfect places to lounge on the cliffs, swim in the sea, small pool, nice restaurant (but not AI).

I also toured Moon Dance on the Cliffs in Negril this past summer. It is an AMAZINGLY gorgeous property. What do you mean "inexpensive"? I thought it was a high-end place, are they running specials or something?

@suve - I looked at it really quickly at work and I thought the rate was per night, not per person. lol. Yes, it is pricey. Tensing Pen is fantastic and for sure in our budget. It doesn't have a beach though. Did you stay there? Did you miss the beach? How close is it to restaurant and shopping?

What about Barbados? We spent half of our honeymoon at Fairmont Royal Pavillion, and every room is beachfront at fair prices. No breakfast included though.

Cap Juluca in Anguilla serves complimentary continental breakfast/coffee on your patio each morning. We made friends with several young couples, some honeymooners, and they had organized boat/snorkle trip that was sooo much fun. Parts of Anguilla are very casual with beach bar you envision, but thats not walking distance from Cap unfortunately. I think Cuisinart resort is walking distance from Bankie Banks bar though...

I'd maybe focus your seach on places you can get via direct flight from Atlanta, since you don't want to spend to much time travelling/connecting (I didn't anyway).

Its overwhelming narrowing down, but at least you have a healthy budget! :)

No it doesn't have a beach, because Tensing Pen is "on the Cliffs" in Negril. it's overlooking the ocean (and has ladders for ocean access), cliffs or about 40 feet or so.

There is not really much "shopping" in Negril, it's just not that kind of place.

Actually I stayed next door at Mirage (because I was traveling solo and on a more limited budget), but the other 6 couples in my group stayed at various cottages at Tensing Pen, so I spent a lot of time there and saw their *incredible* accomodations*. Yes, it's close to lots of nice restaurants (Ivan's at Catcha Falling Star, Alices', Sharks, LTU, Sips & Bites, etc.) and easy taxi access to the beach and other restaurants in the area.

Negril is a very special place and not your typical destination.

Take a look at Sandals before you make your decision. If you want to just veg out look at Sandals Exuma . All I can say is wow. It used to be the Four Seasons . Sandals Royal Bahamian is a real calm place to relax also. The property is not as large as Exuma. There is also an offshore island at the Royal Bahamian. Check out tropictravelonline.com there are some good forums on that site.

www.zicasso.com ·

could put together some great custom packages for you...

www.luxurylink.com

Has some great deals like Round Hill in Jamaica amazing

historic lots of variety Dunns River Falls Blue mountains

www.couples.com Swept Away Negril for AI best rated romantic

So Happy Hunting and Congrats!

If I could redo my honeymoon I could go to Guana Island. Although no ruins etc there is plenty of romantic activities including a castaway picnic.

http://www.guana.com/

I also like all of Blamona's suggestions. Also check out biras creek on Virgin Gorda.

Thank you so much for all of the suggestions!! I think we are going to go with Caneel Bay on St. Johns.

@mnag - Guana is AMAZING

The Crane on Barbados....depending on what time of yr, it can be a great deal

I kinda doubt Caneel is the place you are dreaming of. There are better options, many named above. I think you will be let down by Caneel for a bunch of reasons that i wont go into here.It ismore manicured than what I sense or intuit that you want... and the rooms, while expensive, are very basic. ON-site dining options are limited (and i pesonally dont think they are standouts ). But the beaches ARE gorgeous, as they all all over the island.

"We love food. It doesn't have to be fancy. I imagine walking down a beautiful beach, stumbling across a shack, and having amazing seafood and a few beers"

The above dream image could be true in some places, but definitely NOT at Caneel Bay. But, you could take away food from the restaurant there and find a quiet beach.

i LOVE St John, BTW (especially the Coral Bay end) and many people love Caneel...i just dont think it's what you are picturing.ANd since you are seeking a 20-30 age demographic, as you say above- majority residents on Caneel will be somewhat older.

Am i missing something-- still dont see an anwer to the first question (Jimmie) above: WHEN are you going? This will affect the price yo ahve to pay.