Got some great info from my last post, so thought I'd try again. My fiance and I want to Honeymoon in the Caribbean, but don't know which island to go to. We plan on mixing more adventurous outings with vegging on the beach. We're looking for culture and beauty more than shopping and nightlife, but don't have a limitless pocketbook. Suggestions? Or, where can I find more info to help my decision?

Check out St. Kitts, It's a beautiful island, just what your looking for. We stay at Timothy Beach Resort. It is the only resort on the Caribbean beach and they now have 2 honeymoon packages. www.timothybeachresort.com

You should be going to a reputable travel agent with your 'list' and they can and will make intelligent recommendations. You're going to get more confused here as you will get so many varied answers.

Try going to the bookstore and picking out a good guide book, like Fodors Caribbean or Frommers Caribbean. That is money very well invested. The books have much more detail than their web sites. That will help you narrow down what you are looking for as you read about each island. Those books have world renowned reputations, and are very comprehensive, so will help give you the knowledge you need to screen the info you get from a board like this or a saleperson like a travel agent. A good travel agent can be a great asset, especially for an inexperienced traveller, but it could take many tries to find a really good one. Another great source of info is friends and family. There's tons of info out there, its just a matter of what info you can trust.

The acerbic and spot-on Rum 'N Reggae guide to the Caribbean, The Rough Guide and Insight Guide and Lonely Planet series of guidebooks might be more valuable to your selection process. Go for 10 days minimum, if you can swing it, since you'll lose a day travelling <BR>on either end and it takes at least 2-3 days to really decompress and get into <BR>island runnin's.For culture, beauty, and more than beaches/shopping/and nightlife, Jamaica's Port Antonio and <BR>South Coast, Cuba, Guadeloupe/Isles des Saintes, and Martinique should probably be on top of your look list.

We loved St.Lucia

We absolutely loved Sunterra's Carambola Resort on St. Croix. The resort is beautiful and is situated at the end of a road, miles away from the city. If you rent a jeep, take the Scenic road - you get spectacular views of the island. The food at the Carambola is wonderful - especially the Friday Night Pirate's Buffet.

Try Romora Bay on Harbour Island in the Bahamas. They have honeymoon packages and the resort is very nice. Accomodations are small villas overlooking the ocean. Nice pool, grounds and great food. <BR> <BR>I think the website is www.romorabay.com or check the Harbour Island website which is www.briland.com (say Harbour Island 3 times fast, and that is what the natives call the island) <BR> <BR>Have a great trip. <BR> <BR>tweedy

I agree with the above post about doing your research. However you can get way more than enough info on the net. I would highly recommend St John or Tortola. You can go where ever you want on a limited budget, just do your research. Good luck and have a great time. Lee in Austin,Tejas

Bill --- If you're still reading this thread, I have a question for you. I am looking at the Jack Tar Village in St. Kitts for next June. Can you compare it to Timothy Beach Resort for me?

Try the www.wheretostay.com web site. It lists all of the islands, gives descriptions of hotels, and reviews from the site's readers. It's a great place to start when looking for an island vacation.

I concur with the BVI recommendation

Look into www.prtourism.com www.meetpuertorico.com All airplanes flying the caribbean stops at San Juan Airport in Puerto Rico. By the way was part of the first group of airport that pass its security program after the 11th. Great deals for honeymooners at large and ma' an pa' hotels. Mountains hiking, rainforest, beach south west, city life night life. Puerto Ricans are US Citzens. Try out one of the 3 hispanic islands in the caribbean in which you will be able to communicate in English. Enjoy your honeymoon.

Have you looked into the Hedo resorts? <BR>Great value and fun. Llamb

St. John, USVI. Rent a villa with a pool and jacuzzi; prices for villa rentals are according to the number of people not the size of the villa. We vacationed in STJ for the first time six years ago to celebrate a special anniversary and rented a 5500 sq. foot villa with private pool for the two of us; it had five bedrooms and the cost in November (still off-season) was about $1500/week. We have returned each year since for the beauty of the island, its laidback atmosphere, the wonderful warm, crystal clear waters and great snorkeling and hiking that can be found on STJ. There are only 2 hotels; most people rent villas or condos. Three fourths of the island is a U. S. Virgin National Forest so you won't find crowds. It's very romantic and has some wonderful restaurants, decent shopping (you can always ferry over to St. Thomas for that). Feel free to e'mail be directly if you have any questions.

If you really would like to experience some different culture on an island of great beauty, try Martinique. The southern end of the island has beautiful beaches, while in the northern part you have the beauty of the rainforest. It's also a part of France - including the quality of the food - and gives you a good French/Creole cultural experience because of that. The US dollar exchanges well against both the french franc and the euro right now, so prices are pretty reasonable.

For what it's worth, when we were in St. Lucia, our taxi driver said we would have a very difficult time in Marintique not knowning French (they have daily ferrys between the two islands). That led me to believe, obvisouly, that there isn't a lot of English spoken. Maybe that's untrue but it's definitely something worth looking into if you're seriously considering the island.