If you honeymoon in Aruba, go to vistaruba.com or access thru Google "Aruba, tourism" or "Visit Aruba"--there's an offer for discounts on everything--hotels, restaurants, car rentals etc.--"One Cool Honeymoon".

Yes the Divi Aruba definitely. We honeymooned there in 1999 and went back last September. Great weather. Lots to do. Rooms are very nice...not fancy but great. We spent lots of time in the room too but not that much....couldn't miss that fabulous ocean swimming. Last Sept there was a wedding there on the beach. The bride was escorted in on horseback.<BR>You will love Aruba and AI is great.

Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder, to be sure.<BR>People from lush, green areas often think Phoenix is pretty ugly. But some think it unusually pretty.<BR>People bought AMC Gremlin cars in the 1970's, Pacers, and people are buying those Pontiac Azteks, so obviously some people have different notions of ugly than others.<BR>Aruba, aside from its pretty beaches, is not pretty in the tropical island sense. And I often hear it described as scrubby or ugly. I think that's a majority opinion. But not a universal one.

If you consider Aruba look into www.playlinda.com. I got a great rate there a few years back. It is a time share type place. It was fabulous. If I returned, I would stay there or at the Hyatt.

I agree with the posts about Aruba. Great weather and beach. Lots to do at the Divi. We have been to the Divi 3 times and last year we met a couple who have been going to Tamarjin for 6 years.

You will most assuredly be guaranteed good weather if you choose Aruba, however, it is not a beautiful island by any stretch. It is virtually a desert, very arid and dry. It could not be more different than the Hawaiian islands. I would most definitely try to do Hawaii, if at all possible. Your airfare is gratis and you may not be able to use FF miles for the Caribbean at this late date. However, if you opt to give up Hawaii, St. John is one of the loveliest islands and reminds us of a mini Kauai with its mountainous topography and beautiful beaches. There's a good bit of hiking if you like as well as several wonderful restaurants, some decent shopping in Cruz Bay (you can always go to St. Thomas) if you want to shop. Whatever you choose, Gina, good luck, but I, too think that your husband should go in with the understanding that he is getting married and has his honeymoon planned and you would incur substantial costs if you had to cancel. Any reasonable employer should understand that.

Go to Aruba . You will love it and no worry about the weather. You can relax completely at the Divi Hotel without a care in the world which is what a honeymoon should be. You will stay in the water all day. It's fabulous. As beautiful as some lush green islands? Perhaps not, but note that with the term "rain forest", goes rain. Sept is still hurricaine season but not in Aruba.

Hope you booked the Divi in Aruba. Ours was a great honeymoon with everything!!!!<BR>We were back last year and loved it all over again.<BR>Listen to those of us who are concerned that you have great weather.

Why do people make such arrogant, shortsighted comments like: "Go to Aruba. You WILL love it. You WILL stay in the water all day...."<BR><BR>Huh????<BR>Says who???<BR><BR>You know nothing about the poster, so why would you assume you KNOW what they'll like??<BR>Beacuse everyone who is anyone will see the world just like you do??<BR>Hopefully not!

Hmmmmm.<BR>OK you MIGHT like it and you MIGHT stay in the water all day. If you are like us we go to Hawaii and Aruba when we want to do water and beach sports. Otherwise the museums and flea markets and baseball games can be done in the U.S. You are right, she did not say what she wanted to do on her honeymoon so if it was to see volcanoes I guess she should skip Aruba.<BR>Oh Brother!!!!

September is hurricane season in the Caribbean including Aruba unless they moved the islandout of the Caribbean. Less liklihood of one landing there tho but stuff happens. For a honeymoon you want a special spot and unless you are tightly restricted pick other than Aruba and especially the Divi if you are thinking luxury! Starwood like Sandals has some limited hurricane guarantees but still get additional insurance since the guarantee is very narrow. Good bargains out there especailly since tourism is down.

Strange, why so many Divi admirers? In my opinion, it is not the best property in Aruba but it is very nice. Gina if you're out there maybe you could let us know your decision if you have time, you'll soon have a hundred posts and half of them will be repeated messages to stay at the Divi!

where did you decide to go?

We're still waiting to hear a hiring decision - so as of right now, Hawaii is still our "planned" destination, and we're hoping it stays that way.<BR><BR>Aruba is still on the short list, we don't mind that it has a different climate entirely than Hawaii. However, Las Ventanas al Paradiso in Los Cabos has been at the forefront of my mind - they have a 7 day, all-inclusive package that looks lusher than our original honeymoon (higher cost per day, but fewer days).<BR><BR>The truth is that I haven't spent much time researching since we don't know what is happening on the employment front. Nobody is in any hurry to get anyone on their payrolls - one friend waited 2 months between getting a verbal offer and an official start date. At this rate, he may be offered a job that STARTS in October after the honeymoon! (Although we really would prefer a job ASAP and having to replan our trip.)<BR><BR>I promise to post again as soon as we know what's going on for sure - obviously there are a lot of people tuned in to our plight! Wouldn't want to disappoint them of the opportunity to "honeymoon vicariously!" :)

I agree with alot of the people here, I think if after your fiance is given the job, as long as he gives advanced notice of a planned honeymoon - there should be no reason he can't get those days off.<BR><BR>Now if you don't want to push it.. you could always go to Aruba, it barely every rains there, it is always hot, there is gambling, golf, shopping and tons of beaches. The Hyatt is the best but the Marriott is not far behind and alot cheaper.<BR><BR>I would also consider Bermuda. Elbow Beach is for honeymooners and the service is exceptional. Or you could stay at Pompano Beach, it is a little more expensive but they have only a few rooms and wait on you hand and foot. September is still hot there and with any place else rain is possible but not as much as in the caribbean.<BR><BR>I wish you luck.

It's been a LONG time since this original post - but I never made good on my word to get back to everyone who had helpful suggestions on what ultimately will happen with our honeymoon!<BR><BR>My fiance DID finally land a job a few weeks ago in industrial real estate. It's a 100% commission gig, so they barely flinched when he mentioned that he had planned a two-week honeymoon.<BR><BR>Of course we flinched when we realized we'd have to PAY for this two-week honeymoon on only one salary!<BR><BR>But we've decided to bite the bullet and we are going to head to Hawaii as planned. We'll be cutting back our spa treatments and dinners out just a bit, but other than that we are looking forward to a spectacular time!! Eighteen days and counting...<BR><BR>Thanks again to all who weighed in on this issue. I've e-mailed the whole post to myself for the next time we need to plan a getaway! :)

Congrats to your fiance on his new job, and best wishes for the wedding and honeymoon! We honeymooned in Hawaii, too, including Maui and Lanai. It's beautiful, and the aloha spirit is so relaxing! I suggest that you do the Hana Highway on Maui, and Manele Bay Resort is truly beautiful on Lanai. (Our favorite drink there was the "Lava Flow.") Yes, it was the most expensive trip of our lives but it was completely worth it. Good luck!