GREAT post/quiz, Ej !

Hopefully you will save it and post again for those looking for help

Are you counting the days yet for your own departure ? Is it still a surprise for your husband ?

Marion

Those are great questions ej. Another to add to the list might be, since this is your honeymoon, do you want to feel pampered? Cruise ships and AI's tend to do that, but that's not to say another type of vacation might be what you would enjoy some other time, if not this time. I have done both, enjoy both, but lately the all inclusive suits us better. I guess sometimes, lately, I just like to be a princess on vacation! I have been spoiled.

Also, I didn't mean to give the impression we are big drinkers. ( AI drinks tend to be weak anyway I think.)On our recent trip, we kept track of what we ate and drank, and it paid off dollar wise to have gone the AI route, even with soda and water. Once we even figured out that just the soda or water would have added up when sitting in the sun, (unless we stopped at a store....we have done that before too, if allowed.)

Wow, ej! Thank you SO much for the quiz! That was really thoughtful of you. Answering these questions with my fiancé was a lot of fun and helped us to figure out what we want/expect from this trip.

And I realized it's weird, because our answers for *this* trip might be different than another trip since it’s a honeymoon. Usually I am all for tons and tons of planning and reading up on everything I can before I go somewhere so that I can essentially know my way around before I get there. Initially for this trip I thought I wanted something “easy” like an all-inclusive (like toppy suggested…being treated like a princess!), but the control-freak organize-obsessed planner in me has a hard time giving up all control!

Okay, here are my answers to the quiz (in order of importance)! I am horribly quirky, so I do realize that there’s probably no place that will fulfill ALL of these answers.

Climate/terrain: Flat and arid (less foliage means less bugs, right?), white mile-long beaches and blue-green water sounds fabulous. At least that’s what I want for right where we stay. If the lush mountainous area is on the other side of the island, that’s fine of course.

Age range: It would be nice to stay in a mostly adult or adult-only place, just for the peace and quiet. Other than screaming children, rowdy teens, any other age range is fine. We don’t necessarily need to be around people *our* age (we are in our late twenties).

Nightlife: I’d love to have a few options each night for entertainment, and we’re fairly easily entertained. We like live shows, live music, casinos, bars…not so much into dance clubs. And while we’re both really friendly people, neither of us are likely to chat up the locals besides maybe a little casual conversation while waiting in a line or something.

Size of hotel: Not really important, although I would love to be around a huge pool. I want to be able to get a lounge chair, and I want to be able to get in the pool without anyone else touching me. Every time I picture this trip, I picture a great sparkling pool looking out at the ocean. A relaxing pool area, not necessarily a noisy volleyball crazy party pool.

Luxury of the rooms: I need a clean, quiet room without a bug problem and with sufficient a/c. I’d love a room with décor like the Royal Hideaway Playacar (gorgeous!). But if the décor isn’t spectacular, I’d get over it as long as it’s comfortable.

Amenities: Must have a pool or even multiple pools. Having to get up at 5:00 am at the Royal Hideaway Playacar to secure a lounge chair at the pool sounds absolutely heinous. A spa would be a nice option, although I’m not sure we would use it more than maybe once.

Sports: We’d like to try something like jet skis, parasailing, Hobie Cats scuba lessons, etc. We’d like maybe one or more of these options. I might as well admit to you guys that I’m also terrified of jellyfish, so snorkeling isn’t really high up on the list. I don’t think the other sports would bother me. If you could promise that I’m not likely to see a jellyfish, I would definitely go snorkeling.

Food: I’m afraid neither of us have a super sophisticated palate so no, not a foodie. We are fairly easily pleased when it comes to food as long as it is fresh, prepared well, and free of food-borne illness. : ) And neither of us are going to end up drinking more than a couple of drinks a day, so the alcohol isn’t super important.

Language: Not very important, but at least a bit of English would be nice. We’ve never had any issue traveling to countries where English isn’t the main language. Is there an issue here I’m not considering?

Proximity of other islands: Not important. We are likely to stay put for this trip (though usually I’d want to explore a lot).

Transportation: Renting a car would depend on where we end up staying, and whether or not they drove on the other side of the road – I’d rather not worry about learning a new driving pattern on this particular trip.

SUMMARY: Peace and relaxation during most days, and maybe signing up for the occasional excursion – a water sport, a tour, sailing, etc. And in the evenings, a little entertainment – shows, music, etc.

Great answers! Unfortunately, your answers lie outside my own realm of experience and recommendations, so I'll let the other folks here jump in with some. It seems that you would be happiest at a large-scale resort, with or without an AI plan, on a more arid island, or barring that, a smaller but more upscale resort on a busy island that will offer you the nightlife you seek. Aruba comes to mind as being appropriate for you. Anguilla and Turks & Caicos would probably be too quiet.

One of the Couples resorts in Negril might work for you. Or maybe Sandals Whitehouse on the south coast of Jamaica.

Hopefully folks with travel wishes more similar to yours than mine will chime in for you!

Check out all the Sandals resorts, and perhaps the Couples resorts. (I read some good reviews of Couples Swept Away, even though the name is weird!...I've never been there) I can only vouch for the Sandals in Antigua and St. Lucia. Antigua Sandals has lovely white sand, raked often. The weather was perfect in late December, as well as July /August.
Just remember, this is your honeymoon. Wherever you choose, whatever type of vacation you settle on, you will have a blast, and there are many trips in your future to try other places, and other adventures.

Antigua Sandals has an active pool, but many quiet pools too, all large enough not to be swarmed with people, and you can always find a quiet spot there, or on the beach. No trouble getting a lounge chair. And when your decisions go beyond what book to bring out, there are lots of water sports, sailboats, tours, some included, and other things right there...plus varied night life, a spa, not included, but normally priced..and I hope you try a bananna sip-sop drink... it's delicious!!!
We were there for 2 weeks and never got bored, and I must add the water ski driver was very patient with me ...each and every day! Ha!
You might see negative reviews, as is true of any place I guess. I think I saw a negative post recently for the Sandals in Ocho rios, but then a positive one too. I have heard the one called Whitehouse is nice.
I know I drove my travel agent crazy as I tried to choose the very very best place of all, and whether we should go with AI. (don't be afraid of the AI value wise..it is nice to be able to order whatever you want whenever you want it, even if it is just water. You will never have to take out your wallet. )I finally realized we needed to relax about our decision; there are many many great places, so we settled on Antigua and were very glad we did. Did we have doubts?.... yes, but we loved it. It was nice to be greeted with a cold towel and a glass of champagne, as the pampering began.....

By the way, I saw a neat wedding in Aruba...the men wore shorts, everyone was in bare feet on the sand, and the bride came in on horseback led by her Dad. Flower girls immediately sat down and dug in the sand during the ceremony! The negatives...the crowd at the bar watching was a bit rowdy!!!
We saw many weddings in Antigua /
St.Lucia too...with no rowdy crowds!

I'm sure, whatever you choose, whatever island, you will have fun.
I hope this helps a little.

I do not have any personal experience there, but the Bucuti resort on Aruba might be worth checking out. I have had friends who have honeymooned there and had a great time (this is also one of the resorts recommended by ejcrowe above). Aruba is a dry, breezy island, lots of activity, but Bucuti also seems like a smaller upscale resort that has charm but is also close to the action. Perhaps you can get some opinions from other posters on this particular property or search the forum.

There are bugs EVERYWHERE in the Carribean.
Go to REI.
Get a couple of bottles of Jungle Juice.
It's the best.
You'll be fine.

Hi,

My wife and I went to Sandals Halcyon, St. Lucia in 2000 for our honeymoon and loved the restaurants and day trips, great scenery. But the beaches were lousy. We made up for it with a day trip via plane to the Grenadine Islands for a day sail between about 4-5 islands. It was awesome! Added a couple/few hundred to the trip, but worth every penny. Now those were some nice beaches, saw a few dolphins by the boat, great shot of the Piton Mts. as we flew by...rented a camcorder for the day...just cool.

Did I mention the great food at Sandals Halcyon (about 7 restaurants to choose from)?

If you want GREAT beaches and night life (rent a car for the week for cheap) go to St. Maarten! Fun fun fun, great food, nightlife, watersports. Day trip over by ferry to Anguilla (30 minutes) or catamaran to St. Barts (an hour?). A bit expensive, but not over your $$$$. We know we won't get bored if we go back. Stayed at Orient Beach (forget the hotel across the dirt parking lot/road, but newer and very nice.)

Not sure when you're going, but end of May for St. Maarten was perfect. Anguilla was deserted for the best beach in the world (OK, one of). Not sure I'd want to be in the Caribbean in the summer, unless Aruba. Good luck.