Where to go on our honeymoon?
 

I need help in deciding where we should go for our honeymoon in May 2006. I have narrowed it down to Jumby Bay in Antigua, Little Dix Bay, The Four Seasons in Nevis and Peter Island, but I am still considering other places like Carlisle Bay in Antigua. I have heard amazing things about Cap Juluca but think it may be more then what we want to spend. My family used to have a condo in St. Thomas so I am very familiar with the BVIs and like that we can do a lot of day tripping. I am looking for the 5 start resort feel with plush rooms, etc. Any suggestions? Recommendations? Thanks.

Well, first off you are considering some of the finest resorts in the Caribbean and while the overall rooms, service and concept may be similar the biggest differences you will experience will be in the island itself as they are all distinct in their own way. So unless you are the type of person who never leaves the resort you might want to pick the "island experience" first and then the resort.

That said Anguilla is a flat, arid, and scubby island with about 35 fantastic white sand beaches (some are among the very best in the Caribbean) lapped by bright torquoise blue waters, over 80 restaurants, some very good off shore snorkeling, very friendly locals and close proximity to St. Martin (where you can make an easy day trip for your shopping fix).

Nevis is a lush volcanic island with rain forests, hiking trails, ruins to explore, long stretches of palm tree lined dark sand beaches edged by steel blue waters, a good combination beach bars, casual dining spots and sophisticated plantation dining, and friendly locals. As an added plus Nevis is only a 40 minute ferry ride from its sister island of St. Kitts.

Antigua is a hilly but rather arid island that boasts 365 beaches (some of which are small and uninspiring), it has lots of AI's and other moderately priced resorts, not very many "off-resort" restaurants of note, accomodating but, IMO, not overly friendly locals. It is neither a stand-out island nor is it one to avoid, in fact I've heard people refer to it as C+ to B island. FYI - Jumby Bay is actually a small island a short distance from Antigua and Carlise Bay is not on a great beach.

Peter Island is, of course, a small private island resort. It is hilly and has a couple of very pretty light sand beaches but the resort is the only thing on the island so you don't get exposure to a true Caribbean Experience. You can, of course, take day trips to neighboring islands but that means at around 1 1/2 to 2 hours of r/t traveling each time you depart the resort.

Virgin Gorda is an attractive island with small mountains, interesting flora and fauna, hiking trails, some exceptional light sand beaches many with excellent off-beach snorkeling, gin clear bright torquoise blue waters, world class diving sites, a good selection of restaurants, access to all types of watersports, easy travel to nearby islands and cays, and friendly locals.

As for the resorts themselves, plenty has be written about them on this forum in the past year. You can use the search feature to find literally hundreds of posts comparing the pros and cons of each resort. I've been to all but one and quite honestly I enjoyed my stay at each and that's why I say choose your island first, then the resort.

Good luck picking your spot.

You also might look at www.pinksandsbahamas.com which is one of the top resorts in the "carribean".

Have a great trip and congratulations.

You might want to try some place a little more romantic and serene, like St. John, US Virgin Islands.

The diving and snorkeling were some of our favorite activities when we vacationed in Antigua. We also experienced other adventures there and found it to be one of our more romantic vacations.
We are planning on staying at the Four Seasons Nevis in January and are looking forward to seeing the monkeys and all the natural beauty this island has to offer. We're very intrigued with Nevis and understand why this is among your choices. I don't think you could go wrong with either Antigua or Nevis.