octhoneymoon04

*NOte; this is a repost from theknot.com honeymoon message board...A bride advised that I post this message here on this board too, due to the great responses and assistance she continuoulsy receives on here from many season travelers....So I would Like to formally say hello to everyone I am a new comer to the board! Thank you all in advance for your help


Our honeymoon Location changed and now we are stumped...

We originally had planned and was set to pay for our St. Lucia Sandals grande honeymoon but as I dug deeper into my research on the location and the resort, my excitement to go to St. Lucia depleted. I just found to many mix reviews for the resorts + food + entertainment on the Island and for the price tag associated w/ the trip we did not want to add another nail bitting decision to our wedding planning anxiety list

Also, we realized that St. Lucia is not a location to go to if you want a great night life .......but it is a great spot for relaxation/beautiful surrondings. However, the future husband and I would like to have a mixture of all of this (esp. night life entertainment) therefore we decided to back away from this Island (for now).

Now I am looking into other safe Islands to travel to during the month of October and November. I love the following locations: Barbados, Bermuda, and Aruba.

With the wedding closing in I desperately need some thorough advice, opinions, and leads on these location.

I am in the begining stages of researching on these locations and I am begining to feel pressured. I feel as if I am cutting it to close. I was hoping that enough "fodorer's" would reply to this posting with some leads which will ultimately cut some of the independant leg work for me.

FYI: here are some of the sites I have already hit for references: Honeymoon bio, travelchannel.com, reviewed a few reviews from trip advisory and did a search on the knot for postings on Barbados, Bermuda, and Aruba. I have found good info regarding Aruba thru theknot so far but very few on Barbados and Bermuda.
I would love to hear from first hand Barbados, Bermuda, and Aruba travelers too, Regarding: 1. On locations, 2. sites on the Island, 3. food diversity and options, 4. expectant total price of trip , 5. to go with Inclusive or not.

I do apologize about the length of this posting...pls don't disregard posting due to lenght ...this soon to be Honeymooner really needs help today

Thank you all for your assistance!

ejcrowe

Though I have only done some research & reading and not visited (yet), it seems to me that Aruba is the best choice for your honeymoon based on your criteria. Of the three islands you mentioned, it has the best combination of nightlife and being outside of the hurricane belt. On Aruba you have access to casinos, local bars, live music etc for your nightly entertainment options, not to mention lots of restaurants that are relatively easy to get to.

Of the places in Aruba that appeal to me, the Bucuti Beach Resort is at the top of the list for its romantic and secluded feel, as opposed to the large, bustling, full-service high rise resorts. The new Tara suites in particular look quite lovely. check out the website at www.bucuti.com. There are lots of folks here who love Aruba who can give you more info on the other hotels there. No matter what, I hope you have a great honeymoon!

Diana

I would agree with ejcrowe that of the three choices you mention, Aruba has all that you have asked for.

LOTS of nightlife, lots of things to see and do and many very good restaurants.

I never stay at all-inclusives as there are always lots of good places to eat on every island, and if the AI has crummy food - as many of them do - you are stuck.

H20LVR

I have been to both Barbados and Aruba. They are both outside the Hurricane Belt. My choice for a Honeymoon would be Barbados. It is beautiful, green, tropical and has beautiful beaches. It also has plenty of great romantic restaurants and nightlife. Well Aruba is a desert with white sandy beaches. I live in Arizona and was very disappointed in the Island. It was drier and flatter than Arizona. Don't get me wrong it is a great party place with beautiful beaches, but it does not compare to the lush green tropical landscape of Barbados. If you want a beautiful setting for your honeymoon choose Barbados. Aruba is more a place to go party with friends. Hope this helps!

melfaber5

I have been to Aruba before with my family, and rarely ever left the resort because we did all-includive. We had a wonderful time. If you are about sight-seeing and things like that, I don't think Aruba is the place to go. However, if you are like me.....want a beautiful beach, beautiful water, few (if any) bugs, and great weather, this is the place to go. I am honeymooning in September and ran into the same problems you are having. Everywhere I wanted to go......Hurricane/Rainy season. So, that is how I decided on going to Aruba again. My soon to be husband and I will be staying at the Bucuti in the new Tara Suites for 10 nights. They seem to be JUST what I have been looking for. I am getting really excited!! If there are any questions you have for me, don't hesitate to e-mail me at [email protected]. I know I always appreciated when people left an e-mail address with their comments....Good luck!

H20LVR

I guess it all depends on if you want to leave the resort or not. I suggest that you check out www.barbados.org. This may help you in making a decision. Also look at the Little Arches, http://barbados.org/hotels/littlearches

It is a very romantic Boutique Hotel and of course Carambola and the Cliff Restaurants Both very romantic, set up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. They light up the sea at the bottom of the cliff and feed stingrays. Very beautiful and memoriable.