Help! Looking for a honeymoon in November
 

My fiance and I are planning a last minute honeymoon to the Caribbean for mid November- we are trying to find something beachfront for 4 nights, a smaller hotel, preferably between 30-80 rooms, hopefully under $2000-2500 air and hotel from DC or Balt. We had been thinking Harbour Island in the Bahamas, but are a little discouraged by the time/difficulty to travel there, as well as the expense. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We really want somewhere fairly quiet to sit on the beach, good places to eat. Thanks!

Actually it sounds more difficult to get there than it really is. You can fly I am pretty sure directly from DC into Nassau and there is a late Bahamas Air flight into N. Eleuthera. If you can get a flight first thing in the am, it's only a 2 1/2 hr flight from there, you can wander around Nassau for a bit then head over to Harbour Island. The flight on Bahamas Air is about $100rt pp and you should be able to get decent airfare out of DC.

Check with Romora Bay or Runaway Hill on room availability, and let me know if you have any other questions.

Consider Dolphin Beach Resort on Great Guana Cay in the Abacos/Bahamas.

http://www.dolphinbeachresort.com/

Preferred choice of travel is to fly to Ft. Lauderdale and catch 1 hour flight to Marsh Harbour from there. Guana is a short ferry ride from Marsh.

Congratulations on your wedding!

You could try my place :)

The Reef, www.thereef.com.ky in Grand Cayman.

I think we would fit the bill for your requirements...and we have honeymoon packages.

US Air flies daily non-stop from Charlotte, with easy connections from the DC area.

Check out independent reviews on www.wheretostay.com

Have you checked Aruba? There are some special sales at www.aruba4u.com at the Tamarijn Resort

Suggest the Shangri-La Caribe in Playa Del Carmen (Mexico) - perfect - you will love it.

Hi 2bwedindc
Why dont you check out st lucia, windjammer (elite island resorts) is running a speacil Im not sure if your departure city is on their list the only glitch is its a far flight but they offer a room with a plunge pool for 335.00 a night plus tax,they have an all inclusive plan available. Or you can try a villa look on where to stay.com go to the villa section and it will list all villas on all islands or turks and caicos is really quiet good luck and congrats

I am not sure which island you would prefer but here are some suggestions of places I might consider.
Jamaica: Idle Awhile is a lovely small and chic resort on seven mile beach. no pool but you won't miss it. Jake's is a rustic but exotic and 'sexy' small resort.
Bahamas: Compass Point is 'hip' or Old Bahama Bay has good prices for that time of year - lovely plantation 'old style' resort on a lovely stretch of beach very small and 'secluded' feeling. They have a price arrangement that can include food, drinks etc.
Puerto Rico has many lovely hotels but beach wise you will not often get that 'crystal clear' caribbean water. Although on Vieques island off of PR the beaches are more in line with that caribbean feeling. personally, though it is not beachfront, I think the El Convento hotel in San Juan is the perfect honeymoon spot. Can be expensive though.
good luck and congratulations on your wedding.

It's been over a year since I did the research, but when I was looking for our honeymoon last Nov. I belive I ruled out St. Lucia as it was rainy there in Nov. I'm not totally sure, though. So, the first thing I'd do is check the weather on the islands you're considering.

Beware if you stay at The Windjammer in St. Lucia. No air conditioning and only mosquito nets over the beds. We left after one night.

Friends have told me that St. Lucia is not too enjoyable outside of the resort--so less area available to explore. Better reviews were for Aruba and Puerto Rico.

If you are still monitoring this thread, let me say that you should definitely go to Harbour Island in the Bahamas. It is incredibly beautiful and you will not regret it one iota!!!! I have been to virtually every island in the Caribbean and I cannot recommend Harbour Island more highly. It is a dream come true. The sand really is pink and there are no large hotels there. You will probably be the only people sitting on the massive beach. If you can swing it, Pink Sands is the place to stay. If that is too much $$ for you, at least eat a few meals there. Get yourself to Harbour Island. It is not that difficult to get to and it is worth it!

Try the Turks & Caicos Club in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. They are having a 50% off on all suites in November 2003. We loved this place when we went this summer and didn't get the deal they are offering now.
www.turksandcaicosclub.com

Try St.Thomas. Fun and great nightlife. The weather has been gorgeous there lately and you can take a ferry to the island of St. John for the day. Just got back two weeks ago. Email me if you want additional information.

Hi there .. my husband and I honeymooned at Royal Hideaway in Playacar Mexico. Very top end hotel with 5 a la carte restaurants, spa, and the added attention to pampering that lacks in some of the lesser properties. Only around 200 rooms but large property so you don't have that feeling of being crowded. It's adult only and definitely not a 'party' place for 20 somethings. Nice thing is that it's only 5 minutes from the village of Playa Del Carmen so if you want a fun night out you can head there.

Here's the hotel link:
http://www.royalhideaway.com

Another really fantastic place that we travelled to is the Secrets Excellence Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Check it out:

http://www.secretsexcellence.com

Good luck.

I think it all starts with the kind of beach experience you are looking for.

On one end are the metropolitan types that like white sand beaches, the amenities at the resort, but also a city-like infrastructure to offer a plethora of apre-beach experiences. San Juan, Aruba, and St. Martin would be high on their list.

On the other end are the "escapist" types that prefer solitude, a naturalistic experience, and a more simplistic life-style. In this case, they would prefer to go to Jost Van Dyke (BVI), St. John (USVI), or the out islands of the Bahamas.

I think Harbor Island is a jazzed up version (they do offer some good amenities) of an escapist-friendly resort. This I think would suit you very much as you are an escapist at heart!

My wife and I are metropolitans turned escapists. We had experienced both types of island experiences and we enjoyed them both. However, experience tells us that your tastes would evolve and also, the more quiet (i.e. remote) you want the longer the travel time. And there's no way around it.

foodiechan - You do realize that the post you are commenting on dates back to 2003!