Aruba, Curacao or St. Lucia?
Jun 15th, 2003, 04:50 PM
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Aruba, Curacao or St. Lucia?
My fiance and I will be traveling for our honeymoon February 2004. We will be traveling from Sunday to Saturday, and are debating between Aruba, Curacao and St. Lucia. We are late-20's and while we aren't scuba divers, we do like snorkeling, kayaking, etc. We are looking for a good blend of a laid-back vacation, with some good night-life and fun, 1/2-day adventures. We more than likely will *not* be going AI, as we both want to experience a little more "local" flavor than simply found at a hotel. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Jun 16th, 2003, 06:10 AM
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I've not been to Curacao, so my comments are limited to Aruba and St. Lucia. First of all, they are two very different islands. Aruba is flat and very arid, St. Lucia is covered with rain forest and is very hilly, with mountains in the south (the Pitons). Aruba's scrubbiness results in some pretty amazing beaches and water colors, while St. Lucia's volacanic origins are seen in its darker sand beaches and darker-looking water. Aruba is much more highly developed--one strip of it is covered with high rise hotels and condos, but there is a low-rise strip, too. (I stayed at the more intimate Bucuti when I was there, which has fewer ameneties that some of the chain hotels, but more than makes up for it with local color and charm.) To me, it feels more Americanized. There IS local culture to be found on aruba, you just have to look a LOT harder for it than you would on St. Lucia. It's an easy island for getting around and there is lots of nightlife here.
st. Lucia's mountainous terrain can make a 15-mile drive last over an hour on its twisty roads. it's difficult to spend a lot of time sightseeing and lots of Americans prefer not to drive there. There are more nature day trips available than there are shopping opportunites or other kinds of sightseeing. Good nightlife can be found a few places on the island, but from my experience it wasn't prevalent. That said, in my opinion it's a more romantic island than Aruba, and I would definitely recommend staying in the south end near Soufriere and the Pitons for a gorgeous landscape if you choose St. Lucia. Depending on your budget and what you're looking for, I would recommend Jalousie, Anse Chastenet, Ti Kaye, or Ladera here.
Whatever you choose, enjoy and have a great honeymoon!
st. Lucia's mountainous terrain can make a 15-mile drive last over an hour on its twisty roads. it's difficult to spend a lot of time sightseeing and lots of Americans prefer not to drive there. There are more nature day trips available than there are shopping opportunites or other kinds of sightseeing. Good nightlife can be found a few places on the island, but from my experience it wasn't prevalent. That said, in my opinion it's a more romantic island than Aruba, and I would definitely recommend staying in the south end near Soufriere and the Pitons for a gorgeous landscape if you choose St. Lucia. Depending on your budget and what you're looking for, I would recommend Jalousie, Anse Chastenet, Ti Kaye, or Ladera here.
Whatever you choose, enjoy and have a great honeymoon!
Jun 21st, 2003, 05:03 AM
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We really appreciate your thoughts! We just booked Aruba - We are looking for a bit of nightlife, and we'll be coming to the island during the first part of Carnival, which we couldn't pass up. Thank you again!
