jenandjim2011

So confused. Could use some input! Looking for our destination wedding and /or honeymoon location next May.
Nevis, Anguilla (Cuisin Art) or St. Lucia (Sandals Halcyon or Calabash Cove) or St. Barts. Flight is paid for with Delta miles. Fiance would like an "all inclusive" but I'm really on the fence about the "BIG BOX" named resorts. Thanks for your input.

bajangirl

Anguilla would be a very romantic destination for your wedding/honeymoon, and boasts some of the best beaches in the Caribbean - those picture postcard perfect white sand beaches are a reality - no touching up of photos required. Only downside to Anguilla is that you would have to fly into either Antigua or St Maarten and then get another flight, probably with Winair. There is also a scheduled ferry between St Maarten and Anguilla. St Lucia is also a very beautiful island as is Nevis. There are flights in to Nevis or, alternatively, there is a scheduled ferry from St Kitts. Have not been to St Barths, but it does have the very French flavour with excellent restaurants and I believe, pretty good beaches. Access to St Barths would be from St Maarten either by ferry or small plane.
Personally, I would choose Anguilla. You might find http://www.destinationcaribbean.net helpful, and they have lots of information, photos, etc, that might help sway your decision one way or another.

doug_stallings

St. Barts has French residency requirements for weddings; for a legal wedding, you have to reside on the island for 30 days, so getting married on a French island isn't really practical. But betting married on any of the other islands is easy. Sandals even offers free weddings (though you pay for a lot of stuff on the side). Any of the other places would be great, but Sandals has a very mixed reputation on these boards, and you're going to hear a lot of criticism, particularly of the resort on St. Lucia.

The biggest question you want to answer is AI or not. And how much you want to pay. Cuisinart is quite expensive, and so would the Four Season on Nevis (I think it's going to be open by next May). You might also look at Barbados. There are a lot of beautiful resorts there, some all-inclusive.

jenandjim2011

Thanks so much for your replies. If you have any recommendations on hotels/resorts on Anguilla or Nevis. Cuisin Art has been extremely responsive to email questions and working within our budget. I also heard that the food on Anguilla is excellent so I am open to exploring outside the resort. To be honest it is the whole "I'm getting married at Sandals" thing that I'm not sure of. My perception only, of course, as I have never been to one.

MaryD

The food in Anguilla is fantastic -- Cap Juluca is one of the top wedding destinations in the Caribbean; I have seen smaller wedding events at Shoal Bay East and at Straw Hat. I will look up some of the wedding planners -- they do a fantastic job there!

RoamsAround

Four Seasons on Nevis is scheduled to reopen on December 15 so that might be an option for you if it fits your budget (whatever that might be - it would relly help if you gave us a ballpark dollar figure). If Four Seasons is too much for your pocketbook check out Nisbet Plantation (if you want to stay near the beach) or Montpelier Inn (if you want to stay up in the mountains). FYI - right now getting to Nevis usually means flying into St. Kitts (I think Delta has non-stop flights from Atlanta) then taking a ferry or water taxi to Nevis). Other flight options are to fly into San Juan then take American Eagle to St. Kitts or fly into St. Martin or Antigua and take LIAT or Winair into Nevis.

MaryD

Here are some names for Anguilla wedding planners (no order):

Lisa Webster [email protected]

Junita Fleming www.innovativecaribbeanweddings.com

Mimi Gratton www.blueseaanguilla.com

Helen Richardson www.anguillaweddingplanner.com

doug_stallings

Once the Four Seasons reopens, there will once again be reliable flights to Nevis, but it's still probably easier to fly into St. Kitts on Delta if they fly there nonstop and then take the ferry. It's a short ride. American was the only major U.S. airline offering flights to Nevis (usually via Puerto Rico).

RoamsAround

A couple weeks ago Nevis' Premier announced that when the 4S resopens American Eagle will resume flights from SJU to NEV. The "joke" around the island was people wonder if he actually took the time to talk with officials at American Eagle before making his decree.

Flights will probably resume sometime but it's anyone's guess when. The 4S was in operation some 18 years before the first American Eagle flight landed in Nevis.

cw

I second RoamsAround's suggestion of Nisbet Plantation in Nevis. Take a look at their website. I think they have photos from weddings held on the grounds.

Knowing

Nevis is not a mass market destination, which is important for a wedding and honeymoon. In many ways is still is a relatively undiscovered island with a lot of appeal. The only reason we have not been there recently is because of the FS still being re-built.

There are no cruise ships on Nevis. The locals are very warm and always have a smile for you. The island has a very rich culture and is absolutely beautiful.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

pab312

Jen and Jim,

My wife and I have been to a couple of the islands you are considering for your honeymoon. We stayed at the Malliouhana on Anguilla for a week, and also did ten days on St. Lucia for my wife's fortieth birthday at Anse Chastenet. Both hotels, we can recommend without reservation.

We have also visited the Bahamas (two islands), Antigua, and St. Croix.

While your budget is the paramount consideration, as a "pure" honeymoon destination I recommend Anse Chastenet in St. Lucia. I believe it is annually on the "Top Lists" of Romantic (honeymoon) Caribbean destinations for Conde Nast and Fodor's.

If price is no object, request on of two rooms at the top of the hill that have the best view of the Pitons. One of the two is featured on the hotel's website. (I believe we stayed in #7). You must specifically request this upon making the reservation. The view is spectacular!!! The room is a spacious and "open air" on two sides, and while sleeping you are covered by mosquito netting. Very tastefully decorated with "legitimate island art".

The beach is very nice, and the snorkeling and scuba diving off the beach is the best I have experienced (except maybe off Poipu Beach in Kauai). There is no reason to leave the property, but if you do, the sulphur springs, rain forest and Pitons are nearby. Food was very good for Caribbean resorts although the best was the Malliouhana. Service was great and the St. Lucians were very friendly.

The Malliouhana on Anguilla is not a bad second choice...you can run into the occasional celebrity in winter season. We visited Cap Juluca and had a drink there. I did not like the setup of the resort, it reminded me of a condo complex here in the states.

The restaurant at the Malliouhana is situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the ocean for spectacular views. The beach, service and spa are second to none. I do not believe children are allowed in the restaurant at night after 7:00 pm.