Caribbean (jamaica) v Hawaii for Honeymoon
 

We are planning are honeymoon for November and are having a hard time deciding between hawaii and Jamaica for our honeymoon.

We like all the standard things including lounging on the beach, snorkelling, swimming etc. We would prefer a hotel that caters to adults more than families and kids.

We are also real foodies and are not sure which one has the better restaurants both at the hotels and outside.

Any recommendations for places or hotels would be very much appreciated. (Even if they are not in Jamaica or Maui)

Thanks Ben

If you like food, you might want to consider one of the French islands in the Caribbean rather than Jamaica. St Barts (if you can afford it!), St Martin, Guadeloupe and Martinique are all possibilities.

November is prime hurricane season in the Caribbean. Keep that in mind.

I think Couples Negril would suit you in Jamaica, but I also agree that if you are a foodie you may be better off with a different island. I think you may find "better" restaurants in Hawaii, but Hawaii will be MUCH more expensive and you won't get that "couples only / romance / honeymoon" atmosphere that you would in Couples Negril.

Why don't you look into Barbados, St. Martin, or Curacao? They all have loads of dining options and top / high quality restaurants. Also, I wouldn't do an all inclusive resort in any of them.

Congrats and have fun.

Jamaica and Hawaii are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Where are you flying from? If from the Mid West or East Coast, travel to Hawaii is going to be brutal. It's a 5 hour flight once you get to LAX. On the return back, they usually fly at night so they reach LAX in the morning. It's more convenient for them to bus people to Hawaii in the day time, but return them in the middle of the night.

We love AI resorts and destinations and have been to many, but if you are a true foodie, I don't think any of the AI hotels in Jamaica are going to met your criteria, which are the majority of accomendations there for a reason. You might look at Jamaica Inn in Negril and see if it meets your criteria. Snorkeling in either destination is going to be meh.

We presonally did not care for the cusine in Hawaii, but I have this thing about all my food consistantly tasting like grilled pineapple. We've been to both Maui and Oahu and felt that both were over comericalized and expensive metropoltain American cities and not a true tropical vacation like many of the Caribbean Islands/Mexico areas that we have been to. Also, Hawaii was 3x more expensive than any Caribbean/Mexico destination that we have been to.

With regards to food, I do have to agree with the above recommendation of Barbados, St. Martin or Curacao. Though we've only been to Curacao of those 3. I will throw in Aruba also. Even though most people think it's too Americanized, it has one of the best dining/bar selections out there. Literally, tons in various prices ranges, quality and atmosphere. And, to me, much better beach area than Jamaica or Hawaii.

November is actually the end of hurricane season. We have traveled many times within the first week of a November and had no issues weather wise. It's also less expensive and less crowded. The closer you get to Thanksgiving, the more expensive/crowded it gets.

Additional options to consider would be Turks and Caicos and Grand Cayman. Excellant beaches and snorkeling.

Thank you all for your responses. It's good to know that you all leant the way of the islands in the carribean for dining experiences. As eating out is always a big part of our holidays away.

I will be looking into all the options on the islands you mentioned. Thanks again

You can't compare Hawaii to the Caribbean, they have completely different vibe, Maui has micro climates so one area can be tropical and another area can be dry and dusty. Underwater is much more interesting in Maui than Jamaica. But the sea is warmer in Jamaica than Maui. I found sightseeing more interesting in Maui (Haleakala, Molokini, road to Hana, Iao Valley, outlying islands eg Lanai, Molokai, surfers at Ho'okipa, Paia, upcountry etc)

Maui has more dining options than Jamaica, ie more varied international cuisines ranging from cheap plate lunches to high end restaurants in high end hotels. Japanese food & seafood was particularly good. Food in Jamaica was also very good, just a different style.

There are very built up areas in Maui eg Ka'anapali and Wailea with rows of hotels and condos. There are also less built up quiet areas with a more traditional feel eg Napili and even further north than that.

I don't find Hawaii expensive, but that's because I already live in an expensive country and I don't find the 16 hour flight an issue but then again, I fly business class. The return flight leaves HNL in the morning which means I take the evening flight from LAX same day and can be home by next morning.

If food is the most important thing & you want to be in the Caribbean, I'd probably look at St Barts, St Martin (French side), Anguilla and Barbados.

If you want more opinions about Maui, post your question on the US board. Kauai had even better dining options than Maui and is definitely a lot less developed.

I agree with most of the post above, although I didn't find the food in Barbados or Anguilla that great.

I do love Jamaica, but we stopped going there in November because the weather at that time of year was so unpredictable.

If you would consider other islands, look at Turks and Caicos, which is one of the drier Caribbean islands. We've had great luck going there in November. Turks has a lot of good restaurants, and one of the prettiest beaches ( 12 mile Grace Bay) in the Caribbean.

I love Jamaica and would choose Negril for it's gorgeous 7 mile beach. That said it's not known for it's food or cuisine really. I mean there is fresh and interesting stuff to eat but it's far from gourmet or 'foodie'.

I like Maui a lot too, but again sure wouldn't be the first thing come to mind for cuisine.

I think those two are similarly priced.