My fiance and I are looking to take a 10 - 11 night honeymoon. Hawaii seems way overboard in price. $8k-10K in the end. Therefore, the Caribbean seems the next best choice. Date is late Sept into Oct. I have priced the Fairmont Royal Pavillion and its sister The Glitter Bay. With air, hotel and transfers approx $4,500 (not bad). My question...Is 10 nights to long on this island? How is the food? My fiance does not eat red meat or seafood. How are the prices overall for dining? I understand that the West Coast is more exclusive and expensive. That is fine, but for an occasional change is it convenient to get to Bridgetown? Do you know anything about the Colony Club Hotel? Any opinions/suggestions are appreciated. <BR>We also considered breaking it up with an island hop to St. Lucia, but honestly, I am not as impressed with what I am reading and seeing. The North part seems less appealing regarding accomodations and the South seems beautiful but to desolate. Any thoughts on this? Feel free to email me at my hotmail address as well.

Hawaii is great. Can't go wrong.

Barbados is spectacular. Night life is in the St Lawrence Gap area. Clubs, galleries, etc. Excellent dining.<BR>Would highly recommend getting a villa instead of hotel. Good bargain considering what you are budgeting. They all should come with maid, cook and probably your own pool. It will give you more privacy and control over your husband's diet. Cook will prepare meals that you want.<BR>Give it a shot !<BR>

Thanks CTem.<BR><BR>Actually, we are not budgeting $4,500. I just figured airfare from NY and accomodations at the Royal to be around $4,500 for 10 nites. I expect tospend approx $6,500+ for the trip. We feel compelled to stay on the west coast of the island. Have read some good things about the Colony Club as well. Do you know about this place.<BR>I guess the question is, if Barbados would cost approx $6,500+ for 10 nites and Hawaii cost $8k for 11 nites which do we do?

Hi David,<BR><BR>My husband and I have been traveling to Barbados since 1986. Started out with only 1 week, and this last trip stayed 3 weeks. We still find something new to see or do. It's 167 sq. miles so large enough to get out & explore once you are finished with the beach.<BR><BR>The Royal Pavillion is lovely (the newer of the 2 properties you are looking at).<BR><BR>The food is wonderful. There are many excellent restaurants on the west coast all with spectacular settings & gourmet food. Not sure if she doesn't eat red meat or seafood what you like -- pasta? If so La Terra is a wonderful gourmet Italian/Mediterranean restaurant and most seem to have some pasta dishes.<BR><BR>An attorney I work with stayed at the Colony Club when they went in January a year ago & it was wonderful. The recently finished a multi-million dollar refurbishment, so it should be excellent.<BR><BR>We spent a week in St. Lucia one trip & finished in Barbados. It rained the entire time in St. Lucia -- they get a LOT of rain there. We stayed at Ladera right by the Pitons, but it was hard to enjoy with so much rain. Roads were horrendous (Barbados is much nicer).<BR><BR>Write me directly if you have more specific questions. Lois

Lois,<BR><BR>Thank you very much for the reply. I did send you an email already. It should be in your box. let me know. Thanks for the details. I suppose 10 nights would not be to long from what you are saying.<BR>The Colony Club did send a brochure and it looks very nice. I have read better things about CC than the Fairmont Hotels. would we need a car?<BR>I still am craving Hawaii (Maui and Kaui). Are the prices b/w the 2 comparable b/c I do hear that Barbados tends to be more pricey than most of the other islands.

David,<BR>My family and I spent 3 nights in Oahu, 7 nights in Maui, and 3 nights in Hawaii over the Christmas holidays. All 3 islands are very different. We LOVED Maui, stayed at the Sheraton Maui. wonderful service and beautiful resort!!! Oahu and Hawaii were ok, lots to see, but we would not stay at either again. We learned from others who'd been before that Kaui is very beautiful and well liked, less "busy". Good luck and congratulations. By the way, we nor our teenage girls would trade our experience in Hawaii for anything.

David-<BR><BR>My fiancee and I are going to Hawaii for 10 days for our honeymoon. We got a great deal. We're staying 5 nights in Oahu at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and 5 nights in Maui at the Kae Lani. For air & hotel it came to $4800. In my opinion, that's fantastic.

Perfect except if you are on Barbados and want to break it up, head out to the Grendadines for two or three nites! That would be even more perfect!

Wall Street Journal today (Friday, 3/8) featured Barbados in its weekly special section. Apparently great deals are available.

I had a wild time on Barbados about six years ago when I took my concubine there for a week of hedonistic pleasure, and boy did we find it! Of course, my then-wife found my charge card receipts from my "business" trip and threw me out on my ear! Now she's my ex to whom I pay alimony, which is like buying oats for a dead horse. I guess I have nobody but myself to blame. That's life. Nice island, however.

If you are aching to do Hawaii for your honeymoon, spend the extra $$... you will never be sorry, or forget the islands. <BR>We loved Maui for all of the adventuring around the island, but Kauai is unforgettable.<BR>I still crave Hawaii.<BR><BR>We've also been to Barbados 2x, and are leaving next Friday for our third trip there. Much fun in exploring the island. No way will you see everything in 10 days. The restaurants are wonderful. Most of them are oceanfront, with the water lit up and lapping at the shore... very romantic.<BR>You won't go wrong with either destination, but if it were my choice, there is nowhere on earth like the Hawaiian Isles, and you'll never regret spending the extra $$.<BR>Best wishes.<BR>

I am a heavy traveler and I have been to many places. The Caribbean cannot hold a candle to Hawaii. Spend the money and go to Hawaii. Barbados does nothing for me. Been there, done that. There are many, many, many nicer places in the world.

HAnds down. Hawaii is amazing. I went on a 14 day honeymoon--8 nights in Maui and the rest in Kauai. Absolutely wonderful! Of course, spend the extra money and stay somewhere nice. The service at the Ritz or the Four SEasons is amazing. We stayed that the Four Seasons in Maui which was absolutely great, butwe had to drive 30-40 min to get to Lahaina/Kaanapali, where we did mst of our luaus, snorkeling, etc. Jst a word of advice. Do not go to any other luau but Old Lahaina Luau. That's definitely worth the extra $.

Hawaii is wonderful....I will be in Barbados for the first time in May. I LOVE the Sheraton in Maui. If you want really extravagant you could stay at the Four Seasons in Wailea, however for my tastes,it's too far from the main drag in Lahaina. I wouldn't stay at the Ritz up in Kapalua, because it is very windy. I also think the Kapalua Bay hotel is cute, but rather pricey for not being as luxurious as some (they also were doing lots of construction last March when I was there)<BR>Hope you have a wonderful honeymon<BR>Joyce

My sister and brother in law honeymooned in Hawaii 12 years ago and have not stopped talking about it. I've been to Maui & Kauai as well as Barbados. All are beautiful, but I agree that Hawaii is spectacular. Go to www.gohawaii.com and try to find some good deals. The airlines also have good packages. In Barbados, definitely stay on the West Coast which is on the Caribbean Sea; the other side is the Atlantic and is rough/ windy. Have a wonderful honeymoon!

Hello, if you are looking for a good place for your honeymoon, stay at Sandals in St Lucia. Its a great island and I would recommend hopping to another island but you can take a tour from there to Curaco if you want too. Sandals there has 2 resorts and you can eat at both giving you a different place to eat every night....even staying 10 days. Hope this helps.

I wanted to second the earlier suggestion for the Sheraton Maui. Went there 2 years ago and the resort is gorgeous. We had a deluxe oceanfront room--but I would imagine all the rooms are lovely.<BR><BR>This resort has the best beach on the strip--you can snorkle right at the resort!<BR><BR>Michelle

Definitely go to Maui and Kauai. It is well worth it. Check out the Embassy Suites in Kauai. The rooms are HUGE with separate bedrooms, Italian marble, beautiful sunsets and stereo systems. (Buy Hawaiian music while there, whenever you play it at home, it will take you back to your honeymoon.) Make sure to do the hellicopter tour and a boat tour of the Napali Coast when in Kauai. As a note, the Embassy gives free breakfast and cocktail hour each night. The concierge service is fantastic.

Our favorite island is the Big Island of Hawaii--it is really spectacular. We stayed at a smaller resort "The Keauhou" in Kona which was very quaint and romantic not like the big super hotels. A car for mobility is important and very easy to drive. In fact you could stay at the Keauhou or similar hotel and also stay in Maui at a luxury hotel for the remaining period--we always stay in several islands--very little flight time between islands and its more interesting. The Big Island is quiet and has the most dramatic scenery and more traditional luaus. It's hard to match the beauty and friendliness of Hawaii but if I was to choose Barbados I would stay at a romantic hotel like Cobbler's Cove Resort.