That's discouraging, perchy. Did you try going through a website like www.AAVacations.com? They might give a break on airfare, but I doubt that their land-based package will be as low priced as what you can pick up on LuxuryLink. Are there no nonstop flights from RDU to SJU on American? That kinda surprise me.

There's no real harm in flying into one airport on St. Lucia and leaving from the other one.

Jalousie has Long Bay beat hands down in terms of setting, natural beauty, and accommodations. However, the beach at Long Bay is gorgeous--nearly a mile of white sand that is perfect for long walks. Snorkeling and swimming are better at Jalousie than at Long Bay, as the Long Bay beach is rocky in many places at the waterline and difficult to enter without water shoes.

Snorkeling on Tortola, however, is probably a little better than the snorkeling on St. Lucia. And you can take really great day trips to the Baths, Jost van Dyke, the Indians, etc from Tortola. You also have at least 3 restaurants within walking distance of Long Bay--the Sugar Mill (some say one of the best on the island), the restaurant at Sebastian's (great for breakfast) and Coco Plums, a nice little local place.

Tortola is an easier island to get around than St. Lucia--the main roads are in better condition. I would definitely advise to rent a car there. I think Long Bay may offer a few packages where some meals, a day sail, and a car rental are included.

Thanks, ej. More to look into...

We can fly to MIA and SJU but we only have 5 nights for this trip....we could swing 6 for some really compelling reason that wouldn't completely stress us out (we are getting married on a Sunday and hoped to save Monday to unwind at home). But the flight combos to St. Lucia are upwards of 12 to 17 hours or more. The best schedule is that Monday but it is literally twice the price.

Has anyone checked out kayak.com? It is really very cool.

Have you ever considered a catamaran cruise? There are companies such as Tradewinds cruise club, the Moorings, and Elite Island Yachts who do all the work, provide all the food and drink and then let you visit many islands during one trip.

I realize for a honeymoon this may not be private enough for you... but it might be worth looking into.

Regardless of where you go, the flight inconvenience will be outweighed by the trip! Once you fly over the sea, and feel the sand you are in Heaven!

Best of luck!

I went almost 2 years ago to Turks and Caicos for my honeymoon. We loved it so much! The beach by our hotel was gorgeous, and it was never crowded by it. Pretty secluded, actually. There's not much of a nightlife, but there are some restaurants and local bars to take a cab to like we did.

We stayed at The Sands at Grace Bay. It was wonderful. We loved the food at the restaurant on the premises too. The locals were really nice. It was such a relaxing vacation. I want to go back so much.

Anyway if you're interested, this is where we stayed:

http://www.thesandsresort.com/

Also what I loved about Turks and Caicos is that it's still somewhat underdeveloped and not touristy at all.

We decided!

Jalousie/St. Lucia, 5 nights with breakfast and dinner included.

Regarding the previously mentioned Luxury Link auction, NO ONE bid. I thought about it, and it sounds like it is pricey to eat there. (I'm also getting the impression we should not have high expectations for the food.)

At $1512.00 for 7 nights, the bid didn't include air or dinners -- only one dinner one night. No transfers. And we'd need two extra days off from work -- unpaid. Having never bid on an LL auction before, I was too chicken, and probably cost myself an extra couple hundred dollars -- not the thousand or so I was initially thinking...

aw...

Has anyone ever found a map of the place where each of the villa numbers are?

Perchy, I just went and looked to see if I still had a map of the villa locations, but I don't. The only way I can explain it is to say the villas are along switchbacks with three or four villas together. The 100's on the first level, 200's on the next, and continuting to the 800's very high up. I don't know if that helps.

Did you book through the hotel? I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Owa

Thanks a lot for your help, owa (and everyone). I booked through a travel agent. I'm not traveled enough outside the U.S. to feel comfortable I can do it all myself, get the best deal, and have all my bases covered. We got insurance too, since it'll be hurricane season... I really didn't know how to get travel insurance and whether it'd cost more finding it myself.

perchy, I'm so glad that you've got something picked out for your honeymoon. Isn't it a relief when you've got the big things settled (air, hotel) and concentrate on the FUN parts of the trip?

I think you've picked a great spot for a honeymoon--It's hard to imagine a more romantic setting--though in truth, you'd probably have a fantastic time in any of the places you were considering.

Regarding the food...well, it's a large isolated resort that doesn't take enough advantage of the locally available produce and fresh fish. Or at least it didn't during my stay back in 2001. The setting definitely outclasses the food, but it's not bad. Breakfast is a standard buffet--eggs, meats, breads, cereals, fruits, juices, coffee, tea. Lunch is served at the beach restaurant--typical fare of sandwiches, burgers, chicken or fish dishes, salads, etc. I think one day a week there is a BBQ buffet. Dinner you have the choice of the more casual Pier restaurant, or the the more formal Plantation dining room. The Pier has different theme nights--I remember an Italian night from our stay. The food is by no means awful. It's just typical resort fare that is expensive and somewhat bland and a little on the heavy side. I for one do not enjoy eating Osso Bucco (from the Italian night) in tropical weather.

I preferred the Bang next door for its fresher ingredients and more local offerings, such as pumpkin soup and their yummy muchies of grilled coconut. The Bang is less expensive than the Jalousie offerings, tbough not cheap.

There's also Dasheene restaurant at Ladera Resort, which is very expensive and generally very good. If you go, you should definitely go early to take advantage of the sunset from that vantage point.

We also went to a grocery store in Soufriere one day to stock up on some munchies, some bottled water and tonic water, and a bottle of gin to keep in our fridge in the villa--we'd have our own cocktail hour watching the sunset from our patio or from the plunge pool.

For a romantic sundowner, order a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine and take it up to the hot tub (at the top of the property where the gym and spa are). Chances are, you'll have it to yourselves.

Thank you again, ej! Great tips. Someone else somewhere swore "Do Not Eat At Bang." I know everyone's opionions are bound to be different about everything everywhere. We be sure to form our own, and I'll be back to post a trip report.

Great choice for a honeymoon. I haven't stayed there since it was a Hilton location, but here are my thoughts.

Dinner at Bang - food okay, but show was enjoyable (can't remember which night)
Dinner at hotel (beachfront restaurant) the night they have their show - good food, good show
Dinner at other waterfront restaurant on property (close to Bang)
Dinner up the hill at Ladera. FABULOUS!
The remaining nights we had room service. Good food. Reasonable prices. WHY NOT take advantage of the privacy of your own cottage and plunge pool! :-)

When it was a Hilton property, they had their own taxi drivers they knew and trusted. They were great to arrange an island tour with and/or a shopping trip for groceries.

When it was a Hilton, they would fill up the mini-bar on the patio with whatever you asked for (gave you a list to choose from). Again, the prices were very reasonable, so we kept the fridge stocked with juices and beer - our preferences.

We ate the big breakfast buffet only once. Wasn't for us - we weren't big breakfast eaters.

We ate lunch at the oceanfront restaurant every day we were on property - and enjoyed it.

Take a water taxi to Anse Chasnanet to spend the day on the black sand beach and snorkel. Eat there.

We took the water taxi to Castries for shopping at the market, also grocery. We stopped on the way back and ate at Rodney Bay (? - is that the right name).

Water taxis are THE way to get around. Can't remember the name of the guy who ferried us around year after year.

Jalousie is absolutely delightful!