Kelley

Message: We want to get married late next year and think we want to go to the Carribean rather than Mexico and Hawaii - but are open. We want a romantic wedding and prefer an all inclusive resort where we can relax on the beach and snorkel during the day and party at night (gambling okay). Any suggestions on the island, resort, place to get married, etc... would be greatly appreciated!!

Lisa

I got marred in July at the Wyndam Sugar Bay in St.Thomas.This is an all-inclusive resort. Our wedding was free in our package,except for photos .We were married under a gazebo on a terrace overlooking the ocean and several islands. The cake,ceremony,flowers,vows,photos and everything were perfect.The hotel was wonderful. Our room has a great view of many islands.The resort is close to cruz bay where you can take a water taxi to St. John for the day,which was a great trip. I highly recommend this resort. Good luck on your decision.Keep in mind the marriage requirements and costs on the different islands. E-mail me if you have any questions .

Christie

Congratulations!
Keep in mind that the fall is hurricane season in the Caribbean, and I'm sure you don't want your wedding to be ruined by a hurricane! Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao are further south and are rarely hit by hurricanes. Also, Cayman and Jamaica are hit less frequently, so they are possibilities, too.
Sandals does wonderful wedding/honeymoon pacakges, and they have lots of locations to choose from. www.sandals.com

Sara

FYI..it is true that Aruba is a fabulous destination, but US citizens cannot get married in Aruba..they can only renew vows!

tammy

As long as you are going in november or december you shud be okay anywhere in the caribbean. We are honeymooning ourselves in St. Lucia this december.
We are staying at the All-Inclusive Sandals St. Lucia Golf and Spa resort for 6 nights... Can snorkel and do all sorts of activities during the day and at night there are 8 restaurants and a bar and nite club for dancing.
The 2nd part of our honeymoon we are staying at Ladera Resort at the southern end of the island. Also a nice place for a wedding... they have special packages too...
Beautiful setting up in the mountains overlooking the ocean and all the rooms are open air w/ some walls missing, but very private...
Hope this helps!

Neil

We've been to several islands and resorts over the last 15 years throughout the Carribean and these are a couple of our favorite spots.
You can be married in the British Virgins (BVI) once you've been there for 5 days. These are also very beautiful islands with fantastic snorkeling and Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda is a very romantic place.
Another great place is Caneel Bay on St John, USVI. St John is by far our favorite island of the US Virgins and the gardens and setting at Caneel Bay is quite spectacular. I know both these places are a little pricy - but they are definitely worth it.
A word of caution - I would definitely avoid the Sandal's establishments. They are very expensive and don't deliver. The St. Lucia property in particular is a rip off. The beach is man made and is closed much of the time due to surf and hazardous undertoe. It's not all-inclusive if you can't use the facilities.
Good Luck and Congratulations!

Karen

Neither partying at nite or gambling is a hi lite of Caneel or the BVI's which offer some wonderful spots for a romantic wedding (but Caneel and St. John are a short ferry ride from the more active St. Thomas). Turtle Bay overlooking the water at Caneel, the restaurant on the hill in a recreated Sugar Mill at Biras, beachfront or even on the beach at Peter Island, Guana ... there are so many choices. Unfortunately they do not offer "all-inclusive" in the traditonal sense but do have included meals in the rate or meal plans available! Maybe look down by the Grenadines also ... but you are not going to find a Sandals atmosphere there!

Nicole

My advice is to not go to Turtle Beach Villas. The beach is rocky and the water is cloudy.

Teri

Ive recently been to Anse Chastanet in St. Lucia and thought it was the most romantic, beautiful place ive ever seen. You have to be okay with no phones, no tv's, no radios and no A/C. Our room was high up on the hillside and had a wonderful breeze. We didnt even miss not having A/C. The rooms have no windows, beautiful views and are surrounded by lush greenery. Little birds would fly into our room and I would hand feed them peanuts. Our shower had a huge tree in it as well as an open roof, thus giving you the feeling of showering outdoors. Ive never in my life seen so many hummingbirds, let alone while eating breakfast. The resort is very quiet, no night life. Just little local bands that come to entertain in the evening. The snorkeling right off the beach is unbelievable. You can also rent moutain bikes (not available when I was there)and tour the lush plantation area. Check out there website at www.ansechastanet.com. This resort is not for everyone.....We had 300 stairs to get to our room from the beach(we loved it) You need to be okay with not having windows (we loved it). I highly recommend Anse Chastanet and plan to return.

Diana

Kelley, I am not sure how long of a honeymoon you are taking but if it is around 10 days you should look into this. This past May we went on our honeymoon to Barbados & St Lucia. We loved them both. We went to Barb for the beaches and the all inclusive resort and st Lucia for the scenery. We stayed the Jalouise Hilton in STL. It was awesome but very expensive. Email me if you want more details. There is so much to write about.

Best of Luck!

CORINNE

YOU WOULD NEVER BELIEVE IT BUT PUNTA CANA IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WAS BY FAR THE BEST PLACE I HAVE EVER BEEN. I HAVE BEEN TO THE BAHAMAS & BARBADOS AND THEY DID NOT COMPARE. I AM FROM NEW YORK AND ENDED UP GETTING A DEAL ON APPLE VACATIONS TO THE IBEROSTAR BAVARO FOR $649 PER PERSON ALL INCLUSIVE FOR 8 DAYS. MY FIANCE & I HAD LOBSTER TAILS FOR LUNCH!! THE POOL WAS LIKE A SMALL ISLAND OF ITS OWN WITH A POOL BAR. WOMEN COME AROUND TO GIVE YOU MESSAGES ON THE BEACH. NIGHTLY ENTERTAINMENT IS INCLUDED AND WAS EXCELLENT EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. AFTER THE SHOW YOU CAN GO TO THE DISCO WHICH WAS GREAT ALSO. THE PEOPLE WERE SO FRIENDLY I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS JUST LET ME KNOW. BY THE WAY I AM GOING BACK ON MY HONEYMOON IN SEPTEMBER.

Dave

Corinne - you are screaming.

Rebecca

BARBADOS -- ABSOLUTELY!!!! I've traveled to numerous islands around the Caribbean and have never found anywhere so beautiful, so refined and with so many wonderful restaurants and night spots as Barbados! The West Coast (St. James) is the calmer side of the island and has the best restaurants. The food is incredible, like no other place I've been. Have dinner at the Cliff, Carambola or La Maison! Stay at either Glitter Bay, Royal Pavilion...or if you can splurge...Sandy Lane. I haven't been since they renovated, but I hear it's AMAZING! It already was when I went, so I can't imagine it any better! After you go here, you'll never need to go anywhere else in the Caribbean! And, if you're getting married in the fall, Barbados is perfect because it's outside of the hurricane ring. Good luck and congratulations!