Help selecting an island destination!

Old Oct 24th, 2017, 06:12 PM
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Help selecting an island destination!

Hello!

My husband and I are hoping to plan our winter honeymoon somewhere in the caribbean at some point in Feb or March. We are having a hard time figuring out which island to visit as they all look so beautiful! To add more complexity to the question, we need to avoid areas that were hit hard by the hurricanes. Any help is definitely appreciated!!!

Wish list:
-Picture perfect beaches - blue water and white sand beaches
-Good scuba diving reefs (we are both certified)
-Adults only (preferred, not mandatory)
-All inclusive
-Not super busy/commercialized - a little island retreat with privacy would be ideal but we are open to suggestions
-Enough activities to keep busy for an entire week (but again, not overly busy resort)
IslandGirlEriLei is offline  
Old Oct 24th, 2017, 08:09 PM
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The one area that meets all your needs would be a the Riviera Maya in Mexico rather than an island, and that's what I'd recommend. Otherwise, you might look at one of the Cayes in Belize, which has wonderful nearby reefs with good diving. The Bahamas would also work, but the water there can be a little cool for my taste in winter.

Would you reconsider all-inclusive? That's really a good deal only if you are interested in eating and drinking copious amounts. You'll almost always come out ahead at something other than an AI resort. The AI concept itself tends to imply a commercialized area and a large resort.
doug_stallings is offline  
Old Oct 25th, 2017, 07:48 AM
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Cayman Islands have great snorkeling as does Belize. I agree that most all inclusive resorts are more commercialized.
Turks and Caicos has gorgeous beaches and water.
schmerl is offline  
Old Oct 25th, 2017, 08:41 AM
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There are no all-inclusive resorts in Grand Cayman (though a hotel or two offers an "all-inclusive" plan). There are some all-inclusive dive resorts on the Sister Islands that might be quite suitable for your needs, so that is a very viable option.

The Turks & Caicos has only 2 all-inclusive resorts, but you need to check to be sure that the Beaches resort will be open at the time of your trip. I think I read that Club Med is already open or will be shortly. Almost all other properties are condo-style resorts.
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Old Oct 25th, 2017, 04:53 PM
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Thanks so much for the helpful advice! We are open to non-all inclusive resorts, especially if they are less commercialized. We really want just a romantic getaway .

I see that my title is somewhat misleading as well. We are open to non-island locations too - just somewhere in the caribbean to escape the cold northern winters.
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Old Oct 25th, 2017, 09:51 PM
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I found Cuba very romantic. The region of Vinales with the valley of ´ mogotes ´ is superb La Habana is great
No idea about snorkelling I didn't do then.
That would be the place for me to honeymoon.
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Old Oct 27th, 2017, 05:48 PM
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Americans cannot take vacation trips to Cuba, just people-to-people trips.
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