Help the Groom Please
 

Hi, my beautiful bride and I are getting married on June 11th and my job for the wedding is planning the honeymoon (I am certainly one of the worst people at planning ahead). Anyway we have settled on having our great trip in the Caribbean but from there I have many questions. Any help on what island or resort we should look into would be of great help to us both. Our priorities for this trip are having a great relaxing time, with emphasis on an amazing room with private pool, beautiful beach, upscale restaurants, and a great spa. We really are not looking for an adventure trip and will be spending almost all of our time within the resort. Finally I am looking to really wow my bride with our honeymoon, so the more upscale the better. Thank you for your time and help, it is greatly appreciated.

Also a casino somewhere on the island for the groom would be appreciated but not mandatory

I hear that St. John's is amazing - we had friends get married there a couple of years ago. I think they had a "Luncheon" at the Westin, and the bride mentioned that it was AMAZING. We are going to St. Kitts in February, staying at the Marriott Beach Club resort - the resort sounds amazing, with multiple restaurants - so you wouldn't have to leave. Good Luck!

www.ladero.com

www.jademountain.com

St Lucia in the Pitons private plunge pools tomantic views/spa

will have that "wow" pop you are lookng for...

www.caneelbay.com St Johns

will be the best upscale USVI choice probably...

Congrats!

www.ladera.com sorry for typo

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...sort-Soufriere

Jade Mountain is good too the new kid on the block...

Carlisle bay - wonderful or Curtain bluff Antigua, check them out on trip advisor. You should get some good rates in June, as it is off season. Our son was married at Curtain bluff last year & it was beautiful, but go for a suite, they are lovely.

Check out the Sandals web site. Sandals Regency La Toc . Sandals Negril. Sandals Grand Antiqua. Congrats and good luck. Any questions just ask.

Thank you for the responses so far, Jade Mountain pretty much has everything we are looking for except for the fact that there is no technology on the resort and not having tv or internet is probably not something I want to sacrifice.

Strictly in terms of what countries to look for, I am focusing on Antigua, Grand Cayman, Barbados, St Lucia, and St. Johns. Am I leaving out any other country for a couple that is focusing on having an amazing beach and resort, upscale restaurants, great spa, and an overall luxourious resort where we will not be doing much sight seeing outside of the resort.

Anguilla has amazing beaches and fantastic restaurants Check out the pool villas at Cap Juluca, and look at Mallihouna

Take a look at Galley Bay in Antigua. I think it is a wonderful place for a honeymoon and there are TVs and internet access. The Gauguin Cottages have their own plunge pools and are very private and seem to be favored by honeymooners. I personally prefer the larger premium beachfront suites for the amenities (huge bathroom with a double shower) the beachfront location and great views. Antigua is a large island and most of the upscale resorts are all-inclusive (Galley Bay does have three restaurants) and you might not have the access to lots of different restaurants as driving around can be difficult, especially at night. The AI aspect is especially good for a honeymoon, I think, because you never have to sign a bill or worry about costs as everything has already been paid for, so go ahead, have another drink! (Can be an issue in the Caribbean with drinks in the $10-$15 range, it adds up quickly). Another plus for GB for a honeymoon is that it is adults-only. If you want to be able to try lots of restaurants and be part of the local dining scene, the suggestion of Anguilla is a very good one and there are a number of very upscale resorts that would meet your needs.

Here is a place to avoid. I understand that Petit St. Vincent, while pretty (and expensive) has staff that are aloof, with little consideration for guests that have problems.

Ritz at Grand Cayman might fit the bill, since you aren't planning on exploring. The beach is stunning. The spa is fantastic and the restaurants at the Ritz and all over the island are fabulous. You could get a club level room. Beautiful. My only concern is June would be prone to families and thus lots of children....

Have you considered a luxury ADULTs-only all-inclusive?

I'm sure there are some on the islands you've mentioned but I'll toss in Mayan Riveria [Caribbean side of Mexico south of Cancun]

http://www.secretsresorts.com/maroma/

We stayed at Secrets Capri once and had a fantastic time but the beach at maroma is better.

TRISH

I must disagree with the above assessment of Petit St. Vincent. My wife and I have stayed at PSV on several occasions and have found the staff accommodating and delightful. That said, its barefoot luxury does not include plunge pools--or any pool for that matter. The resort provides discreet privacy, gin-clear waters, and a Robinson Crusoe ambiance.

Despite my enthusiasm for PSV and the vacation experience it offers, I would not recommend it for a June honeymoon. The cottages are not air conditioned. If you have a cottage on the Atlantic side of the island, the natural sea breezes may be cooling enough. However, the Caribbean side can be sweltering which is not conducive to honeymoon romance.

We love the Grenadines and can also recommend Palm Island (private island a short resort-supplied boatride from Union Island)and Cotton House on Mustique. PI is not luxurious, but accommodations are comfortable (AC) with a broad, sandy beach. Cotton House offers more quiet elegance than PI and is worth your investigation.

Cap Jaluca (if you do go there may want to storngly consider the many wonderful dining options on the island)
Parrot Cay - turks and caicos

You might take a look at Harbour Island in the Bahamas. Pink Sands there would fit the bill, it's right on the beach and it's one of the top 10 beaches in the WORLD.

There are several restaurants on island so you have lots of choices, including a pizza shop (that delivers). Pink Sands has a restaurant and a restaurant on the beach. Next door to Pink Sands is Coral Sands also a nice resort with a great beach bar and onsite restaurant.

My fav on the island is Runaway Hill, a small boutique B&B kind of upscale resort (no kids) with a beautiful pool and deck area and each room has a private deck. www.runwayhill.com.

Other websites to take a look at would be:
www.myharbourisland.com
www.coralsands.com
www.islandoutpost.com (Pink Sands)

There's also Dunsmore Beach Club, The Rock House, The Landing and Valentine's.

There are some cute local shops and restaurants (Angels's for great conch anything), an ice cream shop, art galleries and a couple of local clothing stores, and a small straw market.

Have a lovely honeymoon.

I think you should seriously consider Cap Juluca on Anguilla. You can get a just renovated one-bedroom oceanfront pool suite (make sure you specify a newly renovated unit) on one of the most beautiful beaches you can imagine. The food at all three of their restaurants is also very good and the food in general on the island is top notch. Anguilla is quiet and therefore it is probably perfect for a honeymoon and for someone not looking for adventures. Beautiful beaches and great food is what Anguilla is known for. You can take a ferry over to Marigot on St. Martin if you need a shopping fix or just to enjoy the French ambience. There are no casinos on Anguilla but there are on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten.

A word about Galley Bay on Antigua. We just returned from there in November and I wouldn't put it in the same class as Cap Juluca. Yes, the cottages have their own plunge pools but they are not on the beach as the private pool suites are at Cap Juluca. If you consider Cap as a 5 star then I have to give Galley Bay 3 or maybe 3.5 stars. I'm not being negative on Galley Bay (although I can if you want) but really if you are looking for luxury and the wow factor then I wouldn't consider it.

We've not stayed there but Jumby Bay on Antigua gets great reviews and is a favorite of Penny, one of our well-traveled Caribbean fodorites. (She also likes Cap Juluca.) Perhaps she'll chime in here to give her opinion. I don't know if they have their own private pools, however.

The sticking point in trying to recommend a honeymoon spot for you is the private pool requirement. There are many villas with pools but not that many resorts have private pools. I don't know any resort on Grand Cayman that offers private pools. Many of the villas within the Sandy Lane complex on Barbados have pools but I don't think the hotel does. I'm not familiar with any hotels on St. John that offer private pools either and as a FYI the beach at the Westin is man-made and not very nice. Also kid-city in the summer months. You're in luck with your other choice of St. Lucia as qwovadis gave you two lovely resorts that offer private pools and beautiful views.

But do yourself a favor and check out Anguilla. This is what you said:

<Am I leaving out any other country for a couple that is focusing on having an amazing beach and resort, upscale restaurants, great spa, and an overall luxourious resort where we will not be doing much sight seeing outside of the resort.>

Amazing beaches, fabulous restaurants, great spas, luxurious accommodations. That's what you'll get in Anguilla.

I just thought of another luxurious place with private pools: le Toiny on St. Barths.

http://www.letoiny.com/#/499275475/h...-st-barts.html

It's not on the beach but on the hillside overlooking a bay. St. Barths has some beautiful beaches and wonderful, and expensive, restaurants. We stayed at Eden Rock (no private pools) when we went to St. Barths so I can't personally recommend le Toiny but it gets nothing but praise on Trip Advisor and I've heard only good things about it. Definitely a wow! factor. All of St. Barths is pretty upscale. Now that I think about it I can't believe we haven't been back! Hmmmm, time for a return trip.