Please help! Winter honeymoon in Jamaica or Mexico?
 

Hello!

My fiance and I are getting married on December 29, 2012, and we'd like to head off on our honeymoon the very next day. (Travel dates would be December 30, 2012 - January 6, 2013.)

Ideal requirements: *Warm/hot weather (comfortable swimming at beaches and pools), *safety (we can put our Kindles under a towel and go into the water without worrying about theft), *relative peace and quiet with some opportunities for fun if we get bored (bars, games, casino, etc.), and *nonstop flight (from Orlando). Budget is $3K - $4K.

After a TON of research, I realized this leaves Jamaica (into Montego Bay) and Mexico (into Cancun). The Bahamas don't seem to have a high-enough air and water temp at this time of year. There's a nonstop from Orlando to Aruba, but it's Saturdays only, and neither of us wants to go back to work for a week after the wedding.

My first instinct was Jamaica (Negril). However, because it's over a holiday (New Year's), a lot of affordable places with great reviews are already booked (Rockhouse, Tensing Pen, Sunset at the Palms, Citronella to name a few). So I'm down to: Coco La Palm, Couples Swept Away, Country Country, Bananas Shout, and Idle Awhile. Another option is Jake's in Treasure Beach, which looks AWESOME (and their guest services people have been fantastic!), but I'm worried about it not being a swimmable beach (and the drive isn't ideal, but I'm less worried about that). Any thoughts/warnings/suggestions?

I haven't really had time to look into Mexico, but I think Playa del Carmen and/or Riviera Maya could be fun for us, too (not really feeling the hotel zone of Cancun, though). We don't speak Spanish, however, and I'm not sure if that's a problem.

I would be extremely grateful for any and all opinions!

I have friends who loved Treasure Beach -- the privacy, the quiet, etc.

I've been to Riveria Maya twice in the winter and we were cold both times -- and that was with wetsuits on. Going further South would help with warmer weather in Dec.

Congrats!

We have been to Mexico several times during Nov/Dec. The pools are too cool for me to swim in. The oceans temps were fine.

We went to Ocho Rios this past December and the pools temps were fine.

I would say Negril or Ocho Rios. We only do AI's there. Couple Negril get good recommendations in Negril. We stayed at the Jewel Dunn's River in Ocho Rios and loved it. One of the better AI's we've been to.

We have all our vacation pictures posted if you are interested.

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

Congrats!

Thank you both so much! It's a huge help to know that the waters in Mexico won't be quite as warm for swimming, since that's something we both love to do.

Now I just have to choose between Seven Mile Beach, the Negril cliffs, and Treasure Beach! They all sound so cool in their own way.

I have been to Mexico's Riviera Maya area many times during Christmas week. Yes...the pool water is a bit chilly, but the ocean water temp has always been great for swimming.

<<(we can put our Kindles under a towel and go into the water without worrying about theft),

Nowhere! Seriously.>>

I love Negril, I think it's perfect for a honeymoon. You could look at some of the less popular places. I really liked Le Mirage on the Cliffs, and they have a sister property Charela Inn down on the beach. It's not cottages in the jungle like some of the other properties, more much a nice mid-range hotel. Check out the website and see if they might fit what you want.

I love Mexico and have been there many times. No worries about not speaking Spanish. It's simply not an issue. If you fly into Cancun, then look at either Isla Mujeres (a nearby small island) or heading down to Playa del Carmen or Akumal.

My own experience is mostly in Puerto Vallarta, which I dearly love, but I'm not sure it fits what you're seeking for this trip.

Ha! Suze, you are probably right about the Kindle thing, perhaps I'm being too idealistic. :) Do you know whether Le Mirage and Charela Inn share privileges, and/or if each one shuttles to the other for day trips? I love the idea of both the cliffs AND the beach, so I'm torn! Do you have an opinion whether it's better to stay on the cliffs and visit the beach, or vice versa?

Fishee, do you happen to know where your friends stayed in Treasure Beach? I've looked into Jake's and Mar Blue.

It's a long walk or taxi ride to the beach from the cliffs in Negril. Since this is your first visit, my recommendation would be to stay on the beach. It's much more central and lively than the cliffs during the day, although both locations are beautiful.

IF you can find availability at COCO in a jr. suite, grab it. COCO is on the widest and best part of the beach, and the jr. suites are very spacious. The upper-floor junior suites NOT over the bar are really nice. So is the honeymoon suite, although it doesn't have a view of the beach.

I think the cliffs are more romantic and mellow....

Friends stayed at suite at Marblue - a pic of the room

http://www.flickr.com/photos/souladd...7615653112848/

Fishee, WOW. What a picture.

Thank you so much, everyone. I think we've decided on the cliffs, just choosing now between Xtabi and Banana Shout!

They also stayed at Tensing Pen in Negril and there are pics of that in the same photostream.

Maybe check out Catch A Falling Star -- their private little bungalows on cliffs are pretty great.

Personally I *love* the Cliffs. I've only ever stayed there (3 trips). Mirage and Charela have a casual arrangement but no shuttle or official "priviledges". These aren't "resorts" just regular hotels. Nadine (manager at Mirage) just called down to Charela and told them I was coming to spend the day. Then I went by "route taxi" 100jmd (~$1) to the round-about, then change cabs and 100jmd more to the beach.

But if you're now choosing between Banana Shout and Xtabi(?), I'd probably pick Banana Shout. I like the location better and Xtabi's bar/cliffs/swim area is open to the public so more traffic thru.

I loved Banana Shout. Cute little cabins, very close to the sea. I could lie in bed and watch the dolphins swim by. Not fancy, but, we really enjoyed our stay.

We were only in Negril for a week, but, we split our trip between the beach and the Cliffs. Almost like two vacations in one. We travel light, only took a few minutes to pack and transfer.