choc

Hi,
I have just starting looking at honeymoon destinations for the end of July, and am overwhelmed by the number of islands and hotels/resorts. We would like to go somewhere that has beautiful beaches, snorkeling, kayaking and possibly short hikes. We don't want to spend more than $300 a night and will probably stay for 7 nights. Any suggestions on where to start would be great.
thanks
choc

beachdreams3

Since you just started your research, I wanted to provide some general thoughts that hopefully will help you narrow down your island options.

First, there are coral based islands and volcanic islands, and there are some general characteristics of each.

Coral based islands usually have white sand beaches, with clear turquoise water. Some of these islands have good snorkeling, but the islands tend to be flatter and dryer islands. "Beautiful beaches" is subjective, but IMO, the coral based islands have the nicest beaches (think of the Corona commercial). Examples of these islands include: Anguilla, Aruba, Turks & Caicos, and Grand Cayman. IMO, the last two have good snorkeling.

Volcanic islands usually have darker sand beaches and darker blue water, are more mountainous, and are lusher. These offer more options in terms of hiking, but usually don't have long white sand beaches and often don't have great snorkeling. St. Lucia would be an example of this kind of island.

There are a number of islands that I'm not sure how to classify that offer nicer beaches along with a hillier climate that might be a good fit for you. Look at St. John (this would be my top choice for snorkeling, beautiful beaches, and hiking options), other Virgin Islands (US, British), and maybe Grenada and/or St. Martin (although I don't think either are known for snorkeling).

Here is a link to another recent post about snorkeling that might be useful to you:

http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...n-371820-2.cfm

Congratulations, and good luck with your research!

RoamsAround

First timers to the Caribbean often get overwhelmed as there are so many islands and litterally thousands of resorts and hotels. The thing to rember is if this is your first trip to the area you'll probably have an enjoyable trip no matter which island you visit. Many of us have been traveling around the Caribbean for 10 or even 20 years and still have not been to all the islands. There's no RIGHT or WRONG island only DIFFERENT ones.

My suggestion is you FIRST do some basic research about the Caribbean and the different islands you'll find there. As beachdreams3 tried to point out every island is unique and has it's own charm. Start by going to the "Destinations" link at the top of this page, click through to the Caribbean and there you'll find brief summaries of all the major islands. Concentrate on these for your first trip and leave the smaller "out of the way places" for later trips since you can't visit them all in one trip. The summaries are brief but they will give you a "feel" for what each island has to offer. After reading the material pick 2 or 3 that interest you most and then use the search feature on this forum to review recent posts about those islands. You should then be able to narrow your choice down to 1 islad. After that start checking on resorts/hotels on that islands that fit your budget. You can then post specific questions (and use the search feature) to get more information about the resorts on your list.

July is "low season in the Caribbean so resort room prices will be at their lowest making your $300/night go a bit further. Remember too, that many times posters on this forum will recommend "top end hotels/resorts" so if those places are out of your budget range you can always find lower priced resorts. Consider too, getting a garden view room at a more upscale resort rather than a beach front room at a lesser resort. While beachfront rooms are nice they are more expensive. By staying in a garden view room you'll save dollars while still having full access to all of the resorts amenities.

Good luck in your research.

KVR

Also consider that July is prime family vacation time. Choose a higher end resort or an adult only resort otherwise you may encounter many kids. We wil be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in July and chose an adult's only AI property in order to avoid families/kids. Are you interested in a full service resort, an AI property or a cute boutique hotel?

For beautiful beaches and snorkeling start with Grand Cayman, Aruba, Riveria Maya of Mexico, St. John, USVI, or Turks & Caicos.

If you interested, we have been to many destinations, our travel pics are posted at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

Maybe it will help you narrow down an Island you like. Congradulations and good luck.

choc

Thanks for the advice, sounds like we have a bit of research to do. Appreciate the overview of the islands, makes sense that the best beach, snorkling islands wouldn't necessarily have the best hiking. If we had to choose, white sandy beaches, snorkling and kayaking would be our top priorities.

nll

I was in your same predicament several years ago...we ended up choosing St.John, USVI....and rented a villa...exceeded all all our expectations...so romantic..IMO Renting a villa was the way to go...You get a lot more for your money and much more private......Doesn't mean other islands don't offer similar what you are looking for but St. John has it all....Second choice..Bermuda..it's not a Caribbean island but also romantic and beautiful...St. John...still is #1 in my opinion...

PJafrica

I have been to Turks and Caicos in July, as well as St. John. The water in Turks is SO much bluer and cleaner, there is no comparison. The waster will be SO warm and clear that you will be shocked. Like a bathtub. And you will be able to see your feet clearly with water up to your chin. GO!!! FYI - Try the West Bay CLub. VERY romantic, plush and great service. They are new and we got great deals there on a 1 bedroon luxury. I bet they will be in your budget. Take advantage while you can. This is a 5 star property....