Clear Calm Water for Honeymoon
 

My fiance and I are going on our honeymoon the beginning of next August. We're looking for clear, clear, calm water on an island that's not too private...would like to have some nightlife. Travel agent recommended Antigua & Cancun. All inclusive would be a bonus. Any thoughts on the Sandals chain? Thanks in advance!!!

Instead of Cancun (too touristy IMO) look into Playa Del Carmen about 40 mi south of Cancun. I would not really recommend a sandals for a honeymoon. IF you are interested in an all-inclusive maybe look into the Royal Hideaway in Playa Del Carmen. Also for a destination that has clear and calm water - look into Anguilla, Turks and Caicos or St. John (not much nightlife though). Hope this helps - Susan

Thanks Susan! I just looked up some info. on Anguilla online....wow! The beaches are AMAZING!! I'll look up your other suggestions also. Any reccommendations on where to stay in Anguilla?

I would recommend Aruba for calm water, great beaches and some nightlife. Great restaurants too.

Look into the Radisson or Hyatt on Palm Beach. Or Bucuti on Eagle Beach.

Aruba is my favorite island. For a honeymoon I would recommend the Bucuti. Royal Hideaway in PDC, Mexico is my favorite property. It's the perfect place for a honeymoon.

Antigua has some great beaches with the water you are looking for -- I wouldn't necessarily recommend Sandals but there are several others -- including Coco Bay which is close to the nicest beach in Antigua -- Jolly Beach. I think you would like Antigua for your honeymoon!

Turks & Caicos, Caymans and parts of the Bahamas have about the closest you'll find to "clear, clear calm" water you'll find in the region.
You'll find these attributes on coral islands which are flat, shallow and have no volcanic history and relatively modest vegetation.
Antigua doesn't really fit that bill as well as the above and its water is much more turgid on most beaches.
Playa del Carmen's water is very nice, too, despite its land mass.

Look into Caneel Bay; I just returned from my honeymoon and spent part of the time there. I stayed on Scott Beach and don't think you could get much clearer or calmer water. The nightlife is very relaxed but it is existent if you know where to go.

Since you're traveling in August, a time when weather starts to become a little iffy, I'd recommend a couple of things. Consider traveling to the southern Caribbean and/or take out travel insurance that allows for weather cancellation. Now I know that this year's hurricane season was quite severe in the souther islands, but historically they see less storm action than other Caribbean destinations. Secondly, I'd recommend that you seek a hotel or resort that gives you the option of air condition that time of year, as August tends to be more humid.

I would personally steer you away from a Sandals chain. As for AI places, Royal Hideaway gets consistently the best raves among all inclusives. Since you're looking for nightlife, as Kristen suggested, Aruba would also be a good choice. Her suggestions for hotels are spot-on, one is great for being in the middle of the action while the other offers a more intimate and romantic atmosphere.

Anguilla has beaches that are hard to beat, but there's not a lot of night life going on, especially in August. Then again, I think the Anguilla Carnival is sometime in August, so that might be appealing to you.

The AI Cocobay on Antigua really looks terrific, and contrary to another poster, I have never found the water to be anything but beautiful and clear, with myriad shades of blue. However, I don't think Cocobay offers a/c in their cottages. Galley Bay on Antigua offers everything you're looking for, but you're a long car ride away from nightlife there.

Barbados might be another nice option for you. It's a midsized island with a nice variety of activities. Most people stay on either west coast or south coast. I stayed on the upper part of the west coast and found it to be everything I wanted--beautiful beach, calm water, great food, and quiet nights. There's lots of action along the south coast, however, and its location is good for August travel.

Besides nightlife and calm water, what else do you hope to find on the island for your honeymoon? How much nightlife are you hoping for--full tilt boogie, or live music in beach bars? The more we know from you, the better we can recommend the best places for your honeymoon. A budget guideline will be helpful, too, though your vacations dollars will go further in August than just about any other time of year in the Caribbean. Congrats!

Thanks so much for all your help! Well let's see here...want to be able to relax on the beach with a tropical cocktail, do some snorkeling, have some great food...and enjoy the time off. But, I don't want it to be so relaxing that I'm bored. As far as nightlife, I guess I'm thinking more of the beach bar with band than the late night dance discos. I would like to be able to do a sunset cruise. Just don't want to be the only two people on the cruise or at the beach bar. We like socializing with fun,laid back people...

Oh yeah, and wanted to spend around $3,000 including airfaire...so, the budget isn't that large...

Ms. Crowe: I do not wish to imply that Antigua's beaches are less enjoyable than those on many of the islands noted above. The water off many of Antigua's beaches does have the classic multihued blues not so commonly seen in Hawaii, certainly not off the California coast.

My interpretation of the OP's request (perhaps skewed) is that they are seeking the kind of clear water which stretches out far beyond shore, like bathtub water. It's not even blue close to shore, it's just clear, and the white sand at the bottom with broad shallow dropoff is what allows it to look so clear. Those beaches don't exist on Antigua or even St. John.
You can walk out 50-100 yeards into the water with chest/shoulders still above the surface and it's like being in a huge bathtub with white sand at the bottom.
For me, that's the ultimate beach.
But the islands with those beaches don't have mountains and forests, etc, so they're not as pretty either.
Just a matter of personal preference.

Ted Turner: YES!!! That's exactly what I'm looking for. Bathtub like, clear, shallow water...

We also took our honeymoon in August and were concerned about Hurricanes so we chose Aruba. We had a fabulous time and I would recommend it to anyone. Lots of stuff to do!! We went on a Jeep tour of the island, horseback riding, snorkeling - they have HUGE blue parrot fish who love people..I can't say enough good things about Aruba!

NEGRIL, Jamaica is a fabulous honeymoon option. It's beach is world-class beach with "bathtub" type clear, calm water. It has great honeymoon type resorts such as Swept Away, Riu, Sandals and Grand Lido. Also the nightlife is much, much better than Provo in Turks and Caicos, Grand Cayman, St. John and Anguilla. Plus as a bonus, you get that foreign island feel and true Jamaican culture, music and food.

TedTurner: Sorry if I seemed too contrary there. It's true that there's not a shallow dropoff from most of the beaches on Antigua. 20 yards from shore and I'm swimming, not standing. So iamjesica would probably prefer something along the lines of Aruba, Anguilla, T&C, Cayman, and Negril. But the water definitely does qualify as "clear, clear, calm," at least on the leeward side.

ejcrowe: Thanks for the info.! Anguilla is sounding better & better. Plus, their Carnival is the 1st week of August, which is when we plan on being there! A little fun to go with the relaxation. Any suggestions on moderately priced accomodations? Villas?

You could find great deals at several places in Anguilla in August. Frangipani gets consitently great reviews, most recently by a poster here named Kristen, and for the last decade or so by a poster here named Howard.

Cap Juluca would still probably be above the "moderate" price range, but Cuisinart frequently offers outstanding specials during the summer.

I at one point was considering a stay at a villa called something like Petit Maison d'Amour, website is www.anguillavilla.com. (or possibly .net, I'm not sure) It's VERY reasonably priced, something like $1000/week in the offseason when I was looking at it a couple of years ago. We ended up not going on that trip, but I would consider it again in the future. Caveat there being that the windows had no screens, at least at that time. Might be a little too warm in August with no a/c. Depends on what your comfort level is. Hope you have a great time--with Carnival & the ensuing festivities, Anguilla could be perfect for you!

I realize that Anguilla is a very small island, but is there a more built up/populated beach than others? Looking to be where we can walk along the beach to a few restaurants/beach bars from our accomodation. I really appreciate all your help!

You will probably want to stay on Shoal Bay Beach. There are beach bars/restuarants along the beach and on certain days they have music/bands playing.

Only thing is is that there aren't really any upscale hotels on Shoal Bay.

I would recommend Shoal Bay Villas. Nice oceanfront condo-type rooms in a great location.

Or there may be some private villas on or close to Shoal Bay.