Honeymoon-Feb.2003 for under $10,000?
 

My fiance and I are getting married Feb. 2003. We only have 8 days for a honeymoon and a $10,000 budget. We are open to any suggestions (islands, resorts, etc..)

With your budget, you can go anywhere. Need more information on where you would like to go, such as the french polynesia (fiji, tahiti, bora bora, moorea), or the Caribbean such as Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, St. Barts, British Virgin Islands or US Virgin Islands, Aruba, Jamaica-Montego Bay, Ochos Rios, Negril...these are all popular honeymoon spots. Are you in your 20's or 30's, do you want a place with nightlife or just peace & quiet, do you want all-inclusive or not, do you prefer 5 star (expensive) or 3 stars (moderate) etc...You need to narrow down your choices. Go to luxurylink.com to get an idea of what's available for luxury resorts worldwide. I used this as a research tool, not to purchase.<BR><BR>I have been to Aruba which is a popular honeymoon spot. Lot's of folks in their 20's & 30's. I have been to Jamaica Montego Bay (Ritz Carlton), as well as Ochos Rios & Negril which are popular for all ages. Anguilla has Cap Juluca & Cuisinart, Nevis has Four Seasons resort etc., Antigua has Jumby Bay resort...<BR><BR>Have fun searching together

I just was talking to a friend about her stay (honeymoon) at Ladera Resort on St. Lucia. Said it was easily the most beautiful place in the Caribbean that she had been to. You could afford several weeks on your budget! The rooms have indoor plunge pools that look like fun. The only thing stopping us from going there is that our 16 month old son is coming, and we're nervous about the open-air bedroom! We may yet decide to go--if not we're off to Tortola. Web site is www.ladera-stlucia.com. You should also look on www.wheretostay.com--lots of good info. You can probably tell I've been searching a good bit on this lately. Good luck!

Hi Steve. You have a very generous budget for one week. The downside is your time limit. I suggest you choose a destination (preferably one that doesn't require a full day of travel) and find out what the best hotels are in that area. I am sure you will find something wonderful.

LuxuryLink typically lists hotels and resorts that are having trouble filling rooms.<BR>So it's not a good reference source if you're canvassing a broad array of luxury resorts without budget restrictions.<BR><BR>The world's top honeymoon destinations IMO are:<BR>**the Amalfi Coast of Italy<BR>**the northern Italian lakes region and Switzerland<BR>**Bora Bora and Moorea<BR>**Hawaiian islands of Maui, Kauai, Hawaii<BR>**Seychelle islands<BR>**Four Seasons, Amandari, or Ritz Carlton Bali<BR>**Greek Islands combo<BR>**Caribbean resorts such as Cap Juluca, Sandy Lane, Four Seasons Nevis<BR>**Hayman Island, Queensland, Australia<BR><BR>

SWB: Try Mango Bay Resort in Virgin Gorda--gorgeous views and easier with a young child.

According to Discovery.com-Travel Channel one of the best beaches in the world is in Crete, Greece. Other choices are Petit St. Vincent Resort in the Grenadines--read travelers reviews at Where2Stay.com (or just type out in Google). The Cotton House in Mustique is also extremely romantic. Last suggestion would be to rent a villa in St. Barts thru WIMCO (just type out in Google) villa rentals--and dine at those exquisite restaurants--look at the views from the villas in the photos! You have a lot of great choices with that budget--good luck.

Just wanted to mention that the 2 bedroom villas are sometimes roomier--see SIB CAR at Lorient (WIMCO)for instance--hard to beat that view!

Where are you travelling from??? That makes a big difference since you have 8 days.It would not be wise to go to Europe, South Pacific etc. Since you do not want to spend all your time travelling. There are many beautiful, romantic and exclusive small resorts in the caribbean, it all depends on what your looking for. They all fit your budget, believe me the $$$ go fast you can have first rate accommodations and plenty of spending $, which you will need. Dining in the Caribbean is very expensive but well worth it, it is your Honeymoon and everything will be memorable. You are travelling in High Season so rates will be higher.<BR><BR>St. Lucia - Ladera breathtaking views romantic rooms excellent food but you have to travel to a beach via shuttle<BR>web site www.ladera-stlucia.com<BR><BR>Anguilla - Cap Juluca very private, there are pool villas available, spa treatments, 3 restaurants and the most beautiful beaches in the world and on Anguilla you can choose from amazing restaurants all over the island (which is very small) very safe island web site www.capjuluca.com<BR><BR>BVI - Biras Creek, Virgin Gorda - Small, Private, beautiful rooms, Grand suite right on beach beautiful views, amazing sunrises, great staff, gourmet food, top notch wine list very romantic, very safe island, no room keys needed!<BR>web site www.biras.com<BR><BR>St. Barths - Very Beautiful, Very French there are many small, elegant resorts (Eden Rock, Le Toiney) or you can rent a private villa with a pool and maid service. There are many restaurants one better than the next, great shopping and beautiful beaches, not much night life, very quiet, Le Select is fun after dinner. very safe island (type st. barths in your search engine, lots of web sites to view)<BR><BR>these are just a few ideas but you can go to TRAVELHOP.COM and you will see all the islands with a list of hotels with 360 views of rooms, beaches, restaurants and prices. This is very helpful since you can see everything first hand and will help you narrow things down if you decide to go the caribbean.<BR>hope this was helpful to you.<BR>Congratulations and have FUN!!!

I've heard some wonderful things about Sandy Lane in Barbados. I'm sure they have a website.

For a real hideaway surrounded by gardens and trees--only 30 units--look into the "East Winds Inn" St. Lucia. Rates are high at $900 a night but that includes meals, champagne upon arrival and a special dinner of choice--if you let them know its your honeymoon. This is a truly romantic place--go thru Google to get info. <BR>Also, Anse Chastanet in St. Lucia has gorgeous views and was rated as one of the best resorts in the Caribbean. <BR>

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials. With your budget you have lots of choice and I'd highly recomend St. Barths for privacy, beauty, exclusivity, stunning and uncrowded beaches, exquisite French food, incredible shopping and romance.<BR><BR>Jack ([email protected]) is off base with respect to LuxuryLink. Our favorite spot is St. Barths. We have been going there twice a year for 16 years. We almost always rent a villa through Wimco. However in March we bought a trip on LuxuryLink to St. Barths at one of the top three properties on the island, Isle de France, in terms of cost, luxury and amenities, since we knew the property very well. It was an amazing deal and the trip, in May was perfect.

Gayle, I'm not "off base" about LuxuryLink.<BR>What I stated was that hotels sell rooms there if they're having trouble filling, and that LL is not a good place to go to canvass a broad array of luxury properties.<BR><BR>YOU assumed I meant that no great hotels are available there. That is not at all what I said.<BR><BR>How many Four Seasons hotels have ever been on LL? (I can't recall ever having seen one).<BR>How often do th better Ritz Carltons show up there?<BR>How about really popular hotels like the Hyatt Kauai, Atlantis Bahamas, Hyatt Cayman, Westin Cayman, Marriott resorts everywhere, etc??<BR><BR>Hotels that maintain high occupancies don't need to use LL.<BR>Independent hotels and resorts, even if they're outstanding places, often have a tougher time with inconsistent occupancies, and can benefit from LL.<BR><BR>That was my point.

I find that luxury link is a good resource when reviewing properites even if specific ones are at auction only now and again. Not sure that many of the ones that Jack mentions are Caribbean luxury properties other than Four Seasons (Nevis) which was advertised there when it first reopened and some of the Ritz properties which do appear on the site.

After looking at some of these web sites, their $10,000 budget is not going to go very far. FEBRUARY is the MOST EXPENSIVE time to travel in the Caribbean. Rooms in a lot of luxury hotels are $900.00 - $1100.00 (average) per night.That is just for a room! there is also tax, gratuity, air fare, dining expenses and spending money. Wake up everyone! 10 grand does not go very far in February stop thinking that they can go anywhere.Even private villas are at their highest price in Feb. Also the price of food goes up. So if you rent a villa in St. Barths for $4000.00 (Wk/avg), theres tax, grat. and moke/samuari rental, spending money, air fare and FOOD which is very expensive on SB (we have spent $150.00 on lunch!) There are usually no travel "specials" in high season (meaning no dinners or excursions or spa treatments included or package price) so prices are for rooms only. Do the math before you post all these grand vacation destinations and be realistic!!! $10,000 may go far this time of year but prices almost double in February.

You're being a little bit extreme, there, WakeUp.<BR><BR>Examples of room rates in 2/03:<BR><BR>Four Seasons Maui $335 (8 nts= 2680)<BR>Four Seasons Bali $575 (8 nts= 4600)<BR>Four Seasons Nevis $785 (8 nts= 6280)<BR>Hyatt Grand Cayman $455 (8 nts= 3640)<BR><BR>That still leaves plenty of moolah for eating and having fun.<BR><BR>The worsvacation VALUES in the world are the independent resorts of the Caribbean IMO. Yes, over $1000/nt is not rare, but the quality of the experience is not better than can be had for much less money at other places, like Hawaii, Bora Bora, Australia, Mediterranean<BR><BR>

Steve, don't let Wake Up scare you--<BR>you can easily go on vacation in February with $10,000--villas are wonderful because you can eat breakfast in and pack a picnic for lunch--and there are resort properties to choose from. I have been to the Caribbean a zillion times and we have never spent $150 for lunch-where did Wake Up eat, Scilly Cay? Don't let negativity ruin your honeymoon. Travel Agents can help you find something in your range. The truth is that St. Barts dining is very expensive but if you were to eat mostly dinners out there would be no problem. Check out Where2Stay.com for ideas--they also post rates to get an idea. Also go into "Geographia" in Google and get some ideas for islands.

I would suggest a small cottage resort that is fairly new in St. Lucia--"Ti Kaye Village" with tremendous views--the 7 nights honeymoon adventure package includes a lot of optionals--horseback riding, cruise, heritage tour etc. and a beachfront cottage. Some cottages have plunge pools. The New York Times called Ti Kaye "A Quiet Haven in a Blue Sea". Ads appear in Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine. In Google type "Ti-Kaye Village, St. Lucia" and for reviews go to Where2Stay.com.

I forgot that a lady posted on this board earlier and said her detailed long report on her trip to Ti Kaye is at scubatrek.com--select Ti Kaye Village.

Most 4 seasons may have their room occupancy rate high but that is more because of name recognition & most people's hesitency to venture away from what they know or have heard of. LL offers better & usually higher cost properties that are much more attractive to the well seasoned (no pun intended!) traveler. Many do have trouble filling all openings because most are remote, expensive & generally not on most people's vacationing itineraries....thank goodness, the more people that go to 4 Seasons etc., the better the chance some of these places (no I will not name my favorites!) will remain a bit mysterious & undiscovered!