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!

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:<BR>I don't think I'm being extreme or negative but realistic. The cheapest rates you quoted, Larry, are for a standard room, mountain view in Maui. I would not want to have a standard room, mountain view, on Maui for my honeymoon would you? That was also the lowest rate listed and you also left out tax, grats, airfare,(we still don't know where Steve if from) dining expenses and spending money. If they are from the east coast or there abouts I would not think they want to spend a major part of 8 days travelling. He also posted on the CARIBBEAN FORUM so maybe you are way off track here, and the South Pacific or Europe is not what he's looking for. We all know that you spend more money on your honeymoon than you do a vacation. Most people don't want a standard room for their honeymoon they want something special,so, my advice to you Steve is to call an excellent travel agent. He or she will be able to answer all of your questions and get the most for your money, instead of going by posters on Fodor's Travel Talk. It's a good place to get ideas but .... I think you can figure it out on your own. I have travelled many places and at all times of the year and I know what I'm talking about. I was in St. Barths in February and lunch with drinks for 2 cost $150.00. If you've been to St. Barths you know what I'm talking about, it is not uncommon. There are also quaint supermarkets in town where you can buy groceries, and small open air bistros for coffee and croisants for breakfast, not as expensive as going out every day but still expensive.It is one of the most expensive caribbean islands to be. I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but Most Caribbean Island resorts ie:Sandy Lane, Cap Juluca, Biras Creek etc... are going to cost more than you think. $10,000 with EVERYTHING in FEBRUARY, does not go as far as all of you think. I'm not saying it's not enough or being negative, but you have to plan carefully there is a limit.Prices DOUBLE in Jan, Feb and March. Theres more cost to a vacation, as you all know, other than a room.

Correction: scubatreks.com--click on Ti Kaye Village. Note the very reasonable terrific package for the Honeymoon Adventures Package for Winter 2003.

If there are "better" resorts than Four Seasons resorts as a whole, I'd sure like to know what and where they are!<BR><BR>Be real. This is the world's premiere hotel and resort chain. Locations are top notch, food is outstanding, service is unsurpassed, and the traveller can trust that everything will be just right, or made to be so if it is not.<BR><BR>Now I will freely admit that many travellers don't like the large resort ambience, and they don't want to feel like they're just part of the herd.<BR>For these people, places like the independent Caribbean resorts, the Fijian and Polynesian resorts etc, are havens.<BR><BR>But to imply that Four Seasons resorts as a whole are anything less than world class, or that people who go to them aren't "seasoned travellers", is really quite silly. You won't run into many travel rookies at a typical Four Seasons resort (save for honeymooners, who are found at any type of desirable destination). (And yes, not all resorts within a chain reach the same quality standards....I'm only speaking of FS as an example of a generally top notch chain).<BR><BR>If your point is that heavily planned and corporate-managed resorts aren't for everyone, I agree wholeheartedly.<BR>But don't try to imply that chains like Four Seasons are somehow intrinsically inferior as vacation destinations. You can't defend that point.<BR>

To "wakeup":<BR>For my honeymoon, I would not accept a standard room.<BR>But you're making a great many assumptions about Steve with virtually no info available.<BR><BR>He stated he was open to "any islands, resorts, etc". Maybe just in the Caribbean? Can't tell from his question. Many people will post the same question simultaneously here, on the South Pacific board, etc.<BR>So to provide a narrow answer given the available question may or may not be the best for him.<BR>Also, I've learned here that many people (unlike me) don't care to spend big $$ on a suite or view room because they claim they're not going to spend a lot of time staring out the window, or in the room to begin with, etc.<BR>Is this Steve? I don't know.<BR><BR>But your point was that he was going to have limited options at $10K for 8 nts.<BR>My point is that he can choose from among many of the world's top tropical destinations for under $10K.<BR>The examples I gave were the cheapest rooms.<BR>But even the view rooms are well within his range at most all those places.<BR><BR>And just because YOU wouldn't want spend 2o hours travelling to the So Pacific doesn't mean he might not be willing to, if it were a dream destination.<BR>I know people who claim that less than 2 weeks at any island destination is too little to really enjoy the trip! For me, 3-5 days is plenty of time to adjust, unwind and enjoy myself, but that's just me. Steve's situation? I don't know.<BR><BR>And don't assume that just because your experiences at a few places in the Caribbean suit your tastes just so, that others will have your same tastes.<BR>It always irritates me that so many advisers at Fodor's can't see beyond their own noses. Not everyone is like you! If giving advice, try to be open minded and remember that Steve hasn't given any clues about what he/they want out of this trip. Only a budget.<BR>You're being very narrow in your views.<BR><BR>BTW, I've been to most all the places recommended in the posts above (in particular to all the non-Caribe places) and I don't have any particular bias toward any one part of the world as being best. The Caribe is great, but I don't favor it over several other places noted above.

To Larry:<BR>I've been to more than a few but it seems that you posted mainly Four Seasons Hotels, does not seem that you go "outside of the lines" very much. I did not advocate any one particular destination. It seems that you have a reading comp problem. Steve did not post anywhere but The Caribbean Forum, but you advised him to go everywhere but the caribbean. The one and only point I'm trying to make here is that the CARIBBEAN (whis Steve is inquiring about) is more expensive in Feb than any other time of the year and to be careful planning is honeymoon dollar because the money goes fast. I did not think that anyone was paying attention to the time of year he was travelling or the forum in which he posted. Everyone else went off on their own tangent including you, Larry. If you dont believe me than you have to read all the posts again but pay attention this time to Steves original post:<BR>this is what we know for sure:<BR>-Caribbean Forum<BR>-February 2003<BR>-UNDER $10,000.00<BR>-8 days honeymoon <BR><BR>That leaves us to advise him on a romantic Honeymoon in the Caribbean 8 days 7 nights in February for under $10,000.<BR>Based on the info given to us by Steve I am advising him to see a Travel Agent that can get him the most for his CARIBBEAN honeymoon since February is the costliest time to travel there. I did not suggest any island in particular but did use some as an example so Steve can visit the web sites and compare prices from season to season.<BR>Do You Understand Larry?? So get off your Four Seasons soap box and pay attention what someone else is trying to say, and stop trying to read between the lines. It's a simple question posted.

WHY ON EARTH would you burn $10K when you could stay in a quaint, historical building like the Crystal Palace in St. Thomas ???? A room with a shared bath runs only $65 a night (plus 8% govt tax of course). Plus free pick up from the airport, and the chauffer Ronnie keeps a stash of the best ganja on the island, and he or his family will eagerly slob your johnson for pocket change. Don't go to one of those plastic resorts where they spritz you with Evian and spoon feed you sorbet on the beach... instead immerse yourself into the REAL Caribbean, St. Thomas Style!!!

LOL:)<BR>that's the funniest i've heard

I appreciate everyone's respones and help GREATLY. To answer some questions: I am from NJ, I am 26, I've already been to Aruba, Cancun, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, The Caymans, Maui, and Oahu. I've been to the best and not-so best (DR, PR, Can). <BR><BR>I'm very flexible, not picky, and enjoy nightlife but wouldn't be lost without it.<BR><BR>I was hoping to see the South Pacific, but I agree with most of you that 8 days isn't really long enough. So, I guess I'm looking at a "nice" Carribean resort.