First time to the Caribbean Islands!
 

Hello All!

My husband and I will be planning to take a trip to the Caribbean or Mexico in June of 2005! We were not able to take our honeymoon at the time of our wedding, so this will be it! We are both in our mid twenties and this will be our first time to the Caribbean or Mexico for the both of us. Since this trip will be like a honeymoon for us, we would like to choose a romantic spot! Since we are in our mid twenties, we would like the island/location to have some sort of nightlife, but most of all we would like it to be romantic. We also would like the option of daytime activities. We both love the ocean, so a beautiful beach would be a necessity! We have been looking into all-inclusive resorts, but would be willing to do non-inclusives as well. I have been doing some research on my own, and St. Lucia really appeals to me, but seems to lack the nightlife. So to sum up what I am asking, where is the best place to go for the following:

a. beautiful beaches
b. day time activities
c. some sort of nightlife [doesn't have to be a crazy party town though]
d. good food
e. good prices
f. and ultra-romantic

Thank you for your "ears"!

-pbj716

We went to Cozumel, Mexico for our honeymoon and loved it. Loved it so much we went to Play del Carmen for our 1 year anniversary. Since then we've been back to Cozumel and went to Cancun. It fits all your critieria, except maybe "ultra romantic". We've also been to the Bahamas, Grand Cayman and Hawaii and have no desire to return to any of those. We would go back to Mexico in a heartbeat.

We have pics of our travels on our web-site if interested.

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

We have been to St Lucia twice and loved it but I don't think it will meet your criteria. There is minimal nightlife outside of your resort except for maybe the Rodney Bay area. We did not go there personally. Also the beaches are darker sand and the water can be a little rough and murky depending on where you stay If a beautiful beach is a necessity, this may not be the place for you. There are however a wealth of daytime activities to keep you busy. ATV's, horsebackriding, rainforest safaris and hikes, sailing trips etc. Also a very beautiful island with breathtaking scenery. We stayed at Sandal's both times and liked it alot but Sandal's tends to get a lot of bad reviews. There is always some kind of low key night life there on the resort. It can be as romantic as you would like it to be. Based on what you want, I think there are better islands out there for you. This may not be the best choice for your first time to the Caribbean.

Perhaps Negril .....

I would have to agree with the other posters St. Lucia is beautiful very romantic, but Negril Jamaica has my vote...That was our first carribean vacation and we have been back to Negril several times since then, and each stay just gets better.

Aruba has beautiful white sandy beaches with turquoise water. It has gambling and nightlife. It has tons of watersports activities. It is a dry arid island away from the resorts, but it was a great destination and we enjoyed it. Iwould recommend for honeymoon, The Bucuti hotel, The Hyatt, Radisson or Marriott. Those are the nicest hotels and Bucuti is more romantic honeymoon, couple-type place. If you want more action, go to Palm Beach and stay at the Hyatt, Marriott or Raddisson. I think it would be a great honeymoon destination. It also has great restaurants.

pbj,
I would suggest either Barbados or Bermuda. Congrats and have a great trip!

Negril....hands down. Sounds perfect for you. Look into Idle Awhile...beautiful place on the best stretch of Negril Beach.

Are you really set on the Caribbean? There are many full-service resorts located on beachfront property and you can soak in the sun, but have you ever considered Kauai? It's just a thought.
Otherwise, Antigua has nice beaches with scuba diving, snorkeling and other kinds of recreational possiblilities that are as diverse as the island itself. Historical sites, good food, and most hotels have activities at night.

Hello All!

Thank you for the replies! Many of you suggested Negril, which resorts do you recommend? Also, KVR - you mentioned you've been to Cozumel and Playa del Carmen and enjoyed both spots - which resorts did you stay at in both locations and/or which do you recommend?

Thanks -

pbj716

Sandals Negril is my pick...

The hotel we stayed at in Cozumel no longer exists. But, I would suggest either the Allergo or Paradisus. We prefer the Real Resorts in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Check out their web-site at: www.real.com.mx Be careful with hotels in Playa, as many are 20-30 miles away from the actual town of Playa and can cost getting taxis to and from. Porta Real and Royal Real are a 5 minute walk to the main area of Playa del Carmen.

We haven't been to Jamaica yet, but going in May. We chose the Wyndam Rose Hall in Montego Bay. They have a fablous pool area/water park. That was more interesting to us than a beach.