Honeymoon in August- St Lucia ruled out :( help us pick a destination!
 

We are getting married on August 9th, and we planned on taking a honeymoon the week after (leaving on the 16th). probably an 8 night trip or so.

We really wanted to see St Lucia because of the pitons and the drive in volcano, but we are using points to book the flight and our airline (US Airways) had nothing to and from this island within the month (with them or any affiliates). The Caribbean is the most accessible to us since we are from Michigan, we don't want to spend an entire day travelling each way for such a short trip. If we had more time we might consider Hawaii, still might be an option but aside from lengthy travel we are also off put by the time difference, as we will not have time to adjust before returning to work after returning.

So now I am going to try to sell my fiancé on another island or nearby destination. We are looking for low hurricane risk compared to other islands (will still purchase insurance of course), nice beaches, scuba, and maybe comparatively low humidity. We are hoping to avoid all inclusives and want to be able to explore the area and eat as we please (we took an AI vacation to Mexico when we got engaged, which was great, but we definitely want a few more options and a little more freedom this time. Don't want to worry about getting sick from food). We aren't as into historical buildings or sites etc. but physical elements to explore are much more our speed (waterfalls, caves, mountains that kind of thing), so an island or destination whose physical beauty isn't limited to only beaches would also be a plus.

Any ideas or suggestions? We are hoping to find something that suits us and that will be more accessible than st lucia.

Do you know which airports you can access? I know US Air comes to St Thomas and is also a gateway for the BVI, St John.

Caribbean is high on humidity, it's considered tropical
Can't predict which islands get hit with hurricanes, no island is completely free of not getting them, so take your chances where you want to go

Fly into Barbados, ferry over to St. Lucia. That way you get your pick

Not many islands have waterfalls or the nature you get in Hawaii, it's different. Having said that, I love Caribbean much more

You mint want to consider Costa Rica for your wants

I love the Caribbean in the winter and spring, but late summer (August) is not an ideal time for a visit. There are no weather guarantees during hurricane season, and it would be a shame to have your visit marred by a storm. Also many of the islands can be extremely humid/hot and buggy.

So... suck it up and go to Hawaii. It ticks off almost everything on your wish list. I understand why you're worried about the jet lag, but I've gone to Greece for six days from the East Coast, and lived to tell the tale, even though I had to be work the next morning. Just have a lot of coffee! It's your honeymoon, right?

Grrrr I'm thinking about asking for 2 weeks and just taking some time unpaid. Just nervous about how that will go over with me being a new employee. Hawaii does make the most sense.

I forgot to mention that a friend of mine recently returned from a one week trip to Hawaii from NYC. It is doable, if asking for more time makes you too uncomfortable. Maybe you can maximize the time by leaving early/late evening to the West Coast, then off from there the next morning? Anyway, good luck, and congratulations!

In case you decide in favor of Hawaii, I have visited almost all of the islands, and strongly recommend Kauai, especially the north shore (Hanalei/Princeville). The low surf in late summer along the north shore allows for wonderful snorkeling (Kee, Tunnels beaches). Hike Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali coast, and go kayaking up the Wailua River. Hang out in the town of Hanalei and watch the sun set over Hanalei Bay.

The hurricane season in Hawaii is the same as the Caribbean.

P.S. You are getting married, which carries some degree of risk also. ;-)

Haha you are right I am a little more concerned about a honeymoon than a marriage ;) Seemed much easier to pick the guy than to pick a honeymoon destination. I am not super concerned about an actual hurricane, seems the risk is lower in Hawaii but pretty low in St Lucia as well (would probably still purchase insurance though if it is not too steep).


The closest and most convenient airport to us is Grand Rapids, about a 15-20 minute drive. Next is Detroit which is 2 hours drive. I talked to a second person at US Airways who said they could get us to St Lucia out of Toronto 3 weeks after our wedding but due to flight schedules we'd likely have to fly to Toronto the day before and stay the night. This is a bit of a pain and makes the process a little longer but it is now still an option! I've only been to Toronto once but I did enjoy it so I'm sure we could have a little night on the town and take advantage of the long layover anyway. They claim the flights are only on Sundays (or at least the ones that can be booked with points) so we'd stay 7 nights rather than 8 but the loss of 1 night isn't too big a deal. A couple we know vacationed in St Lucia the first week of September (coincidentally the closest time to our wedding that we'd be able to get there) and loved it, found it to be hot but not unbearable.

If we do Hawaii we will likely wait 2 weeks to go anyway, that way we can have a little bit longer vacation since we can leave on a Saturday (maybe even the Friday prior) and return on Labor Day. I'd rather have a couple more nights with longer travel time. Jet lag is a concern but meh I don't want to let that be a determining factor. It seems there are more flights to Hawaii (not sure if we'd do Maui or Kauai- seems everyone raves about Kauai but I'm kind of intrigued by the road to Hana), so we may have more options in terms of travel dates by going this route.

So... seems we were set on St Lucia before and now we are torn between the two options! For some reason Hawaii does seem like a safer bet weather-wise, but opinions seem to vary quite a bit.

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If you're honeymooning in August, you have several wonderful, out of the hurricane belt choices. My top options would be: Bucuti Beach Resort, Aruba--it's adults only, not all inclusive and right on the best, widest beach on the island--away from all the 'big box' resorts and all their crazy-beach activities. Aruba has great windsurfing and snorkeling and more. OR, take a look at Palm Island in the Grenadines--it's a real gem--your own private island and not particularly expensive. OR, try Tobago--great diving, mountain hiking, more. OR, Costa Rica, also out of the hurricane zone, and so much to do on either the Caribbean or Pacific coasts: hiking, waterfall swimming, scuba, snorkeling. Let me know what you decide!

I just got back from a repeat trip to Aruba with my MIL. And while I agree with you that Bucuti Beach Resort is the best of the bunch in Aruba, I don't know that the OP, who was originally considering lush St. Lucia, would be that thrilled with the rest of the island. It's very commercial away from the beach, and always strikes me- no offense- as Long Island in the Caribbean. Maybe not what the OP is looking for?

The Grenadines, Tobago, and Costa Rica, all sound much more like her wish, although I have a feeling coming from Michigan they may be nearly as far as Hawaii.

KLM: Are there any direct flight from Detroit to any place in the Caribbean in August? That is low season, so possibly not. Puerto Rico is a big hub for local airlines. You might find something that way. I am trying to work the accessibility angle for you...

I still think St John might be a good compromise.

Late update! We did end up booking St Lucia but we will have to fly out of Chicago (which is 3 hrs away, not bad) & we couldn't get a return flight from St Lucia so we are spending a couple of nights in Barbados and flying back from there :)

I know it's not a super ideal time but we will get insurance for hurricanes and the risk seems relatively low. We decided humidity and a little bit of rain won't keep us away. The couple we know who went to St Lucia the first week of September found it pleasant weather, even if it was a little hotter than ideal.

We will be in St Lucia Aug 16-21st, Barbados Aug 21-23 (only a 40 minute flight between the two).

We chose St Lucia for our honeymoon last June and loved it. The people of St Lucia are so friendly, not just at our resort. We hired a driver to take us around the island as we are thinking of retiring there. It is a beautiful island and everywhere we went the people were extremely friendly.

Hope you have an amazing honeymoon.

KLM: How did your St. Lucia honeymoon go in August? I am debating the same destinations you were especially St. Lucia Sandals or Hawaii. Would love to know how things turned out for you as I will be booking my honeymoon just about the same time you did just a week later. Thanks!