honeymooner

My fiancee and I are looking to honeymoon in the Caribbean. We want (most of all) a gorgeous beach. Also privacy, quiet (no kids or college crowds), good restaurants, drinks on the beach and great service. No real need for nightclubs, though one night of that would be okay, friendly atmosphere, casual yet refined. Am I asking for too much already?<BR><BR>We'll be going the first week in July, so someplace where the weather will be accomodating then. <BR><BR>Any suggestions?

Nancy

Anguilla has everything you are looking for. Gorgeous beaches, the best food, and the warmest and friendliest people. I would recommend Cap Juluca. It's pricey, but worth it! We were there during the first week of July and had perfect weather. Check it out www.capjuluca.com. Congratulations and good luck!

Beware

Be warned though, Cap Juluca does allow children.

honeymooner

Okay, checked out Cap and think that's what we'll do, but taking price into consideration, if we wanted to add two night in St Martin at the end, inexpensive, but clean, what would you suggest?

islander

Honeymooner - you may want to check out Jumby Bay resort in Antigua. Although it may not be quite as extravigant as Cap Juluca, it's not quite as pricey. It is also located on a private 300 acre island, has great beaches...pretty much everything you are looking for. They also allow children but with the resort on a private island, I don't see getting away from them being a problem . We just had our weddingmoon in Antigua and we can't wait to return. It's a good spot!<BR><BR>Congrats and enjoy!

Dave

Check out Beaches Royal Plantation.<BR><BR>www.beaches.com<BR><BR>It fits your description to a tee. Check others also.

Nancy

If you really want to go to St. Martin, I would suggest taking the ferry for the day and add the two nights to Anguilla. We were in St. Martin 6 years ago (he proposed to me there) and when we decided to go to Anguilla we were definitely planning to go to St. Martin for the day. We never made it.......it was very hard to leave Anguilla, even for a day! However, if you have never been there and want to do some shopping, then you should go. We liked the French side better. <BR><BR>We loved Anguilla so much that we are going back next year, something we thought we would never do....vacaton on an island more than once.

islander@

There are so many great places to stay and beautiful islands. Try the www.where2stay.com site for more info, pictures and rates for on and off season. Click on island nation and specific islands to see what is available.<BR><BR>Also check with a local travel agent before you make yourself crazy with choices. Often, especially off season they have special deals and promotions and honeymoon packages.<BR><BR>

honeymooner

Thanks for the info, keep it coming! Beaches Royal Plantation? My fiancee would prefer an all inclusive, I have images of the name of the resort on the bottom of the pool, crowds and bad service. Am I wrong?

Nancy

Uh oh, honeymooner, you've done it now <BR>You'll find that arguments over whether or not to go AI on this board can get very heated.<BR>I stopped going to them years ago because I found that I did not get away from the resort to see the sights, try new foods and meet the local people.<BR>AI's have their pros and cons, and some people just love them. <BR>The only thing I would say (&quot;activate the heat shields to deflect the flaming&quot is that if food quality is important to you, I would not recommend going AI to you.<BR>

honeymooner

Oh no! Please don't hate me! It's not that I wouldn't go to an AI, but I think that might be a better vacation later on, I want our honeymoon to be special, different, less commercial and more about us. <BR><BR>Food quality is very important to us, we're quite the foodites, and love good food. Since we're on our honeymoon, romance is key, too. <BR><BR>We thought of Tahiti, but want to go there when we have more time (we'll have a max of 10 days total), so someplace similar to that atmosphere is what we're looking for. Are there overwater bungalows anywhere in the caribbean?

Mary

Honeymooner: This topic was discussed a while ago. I'll top it for you. If you see this late and can't find it, use keyword &quot;bungalow.&quot;

Dave

Honeymooner: The name of the BRP resort may be on the bottom of the pool. However, there would not be much croud with only 60 rooms. The service and food is 5 star. The resort just got some very top notch ratings. I have never been there but hear nothing but praise from those who have. This is certainly not a &quot;party&quot; resort. Just check the website out, talk to a T/A. If it's not for you then move on. At least check it out. Good luck and have fun choosing.

Sally

Seems like Anguilla has EXACTLY what you are looking for! (As someone already mentioned). If Cap Juluca prices seem a bit steep, check out Frangipani. We stayed there this summer. Wonderful - on a very quiet and absolutely beautiful beach, great food, spacious suites and a lot less expensive than Cap Juluca. Good luck!

honeymooner

I think you're right, Sally. The more I read about Anguilla and Cap Jaluca, the more I like it. The prices off season aren't that bad, the meal plans add a tremendous amount. How are their restaurants? I've read the island restaurants are fabulous, are they expensive as well? I haven't looked up &quot;How to do Anquilla on a budget&quot; yet, and will, but if any of you have suggestions....

Doc

Try Peter Island...similar to CapJ only with lots of trees and hills...not so flat.

Jen

honeymooner-<BR>Just wanted to add I'll be honeymooning in the begining of July as well. Also looking for a place to go. Currently looking at Virgin Gorda.

Jamie

Oh gimme a break...a mass market AI with &quot;5 star&quot; food?<BR>Yeah, right...if you're using rural Iowa restaurants as a frame of reference.<BR>Not.

brp

I don't think people understand the concept of Beaches Royal Plantation. Which is fine with me, since people's ignorance keeps them away so the prices have stayed low. It is not a typical all-inclusive resort, not by any stretch of the imagination. There are no cheesy beer-chugging contests. The name of the hotel is not stamped to the bottom of the pool. There are no plastic-tasting buffets. There's no nightly toga parties. Drinks aren't served in plastic 4 oz. cups and made with generic liquor. You sit on the beach and are pampered 24/7. You want a glass of champagne on the beach? No problem, the beach butler will be happy to bring it over to you in a real glass. The food was excellent and the variety was excellent. Chef Hugo takes good care of you. Since there are only 60 rooms, it always feels private. The people working there remember your names and what you like to drink and bring you out on private snorkeling trips. <BR><BR> <BR><BR>

honeymooner

Well, thanks to all your help and the reserch I've done on this site, I think we are decided on Cap Jaluca. Some of the other suggestions were tempting, but I haven't read a bad review yet. Okay, that's not true, but the good reviews are FABULOUS! Thanks again, everyone and I'll post when I return (as a married woman!)