jonbon678

I think Anguilla and St Martin are great ideas based on what you want. I have not been; however, I did a TON of research and we settled on and booked 10 days in Anguilla/St Martin for our honeymoon in June. It's a perfect combo of relaxing, the most amazing beaches in the world (as I have read), and casinos and shopping are a quick ferry ride to St. Martin.

My advice is to check out hotel options on tripadvisor.com. And be sure to look at travelers photos--they give you a real life look at what the places look like. When you see those pics of Anguilla's water--your mind will be made. Well, that is what did it for me!

And not to mention, the people in Anguilla are suppose to be lovely!

kireland

Should also mention Bermuda is a possibility. I really have to start narrowing things down a bit!

laplaya

I've been to St Lucia - Beautiful island, very lush.

Regarding flying to Nassau/Harbour Island - I read comments that BahamasAir out of Nassau may have long delays, & some preferred to connect thru Florida. Other option if you do fly to Nassau, is to catch a Fast Ferry from Nassau to Harbour Isle. Only goes once in the AM, I think, so you might have to stay in Nassau for 1 nt. Also the ferry ride may be about 2 hours long.

Also comments on Cancun: the beach might not be the same since the past hurricane. Depends if they restored it..

laplaya

I've been to Bermuda. Gorgeous pink beaches. Best time to go is in summer, since its located east of North Carolina.

astridcomet

The Mexican Caribbean can fit all your options! There are very luxurius places to stay with private and secluded beaches, water has incredible turquoise tones of blue, sunsets are beautiful on Cancunīs lagoon side. Visit www.dmap.travel where Cancun services are described. Riviera Maya has amazing places to visit.

astridcomet

Ah! and for dining we have some Fodorīs Options like Laguna Grill Restaurant.

laplaya

Bermuda has dress code for
restaurants. Jacket/tie, or at least khakis/pants/long shorts.

kireland

Hokay - it sounds like Bermuda is out for now - we will likely be travelling in October or November and we want to go somewhere warm. I forgot to mention one other must have for our vacation - palm trees! I know that sounds funny - but I have read that the vegetation varies greatly throughout the Caribbean and palm trees are a must!

astridcomet

- Cancun has beautiful beaches
- Great lagoon side sunsets
- warm ocean
- nice pools at hotels
- great dining (some are Fodorīs recommendations)
- very luxurious accommodations
- good bars (night life in Cancun cover all options of music and ambiance at the bars)
- proximity to a town/city with nice shops and restaurants. Cancun city is very close to the hotel zone and has many good places to visit, to buy and to dine.

WanderingTexan

You want what we want! I too think you will like Anguilla. We stayed at Cap Juluca and loved it, but my other half thought it was a little too quiet. CJ has an unbelievably beautiful beach, although the water was a little cold when we were there in February. I don't think you will like the pool (never anyone in it) but you don't need it because all the rooms are right on the beach. Anguilla has beautiful beaches and great restaurants, nice rooms. There is no shopping on Anguilla to speak of.

Caneel Bay on St. John has beautiful beaches, a variety of prices of rooms, warm ocean, great dining and you can go shopping in St. Thomas. It doesn't have luxurious accommodations or good bars, but you can go into Cruz Bay in the evening.

It has been a while since I have been to Bermuda, but I think you can find everything you are looking for there except maybe warm ocean (I am not sure as it was pretty cold when I was there in October.) You might look at Cambridge Beaches, and other 5* resorts there.

You might also check out the One and Only in the Bahamas (I haven't been there, but it is another place I want to visit.)


WT

Knowing

Grand Cayman is a tranquil paradise filled with colorful coral reefs and a wide variety of sea life. You can unwind on Seven Mile beach and still get great dining and good bars. You can also get up close and personal with the stingrays (they're gentle)at Stingray City.