Which of the Caribbean islands?
 

Hi! I am looking for a honeymoon destination this September. I`m from Latvia (a small country in Europe) and I have never been in any of the Caribbean islands. Which of the islands do you think would be more appropriate for us? What we are looking for is:<BR>1) beautiful island with nice beaches and clear water<BR>2) many activity options besides snorkeling/diving and nightlife<BR>3) luxurious accomodations and great service, still a little privacy<BR>4) warm, not very hymid weather in September.<BR>Thanks for your help!!!<BR> <BR>

Forgot to mention that we would prefer an all-inclusive, a honeymoon package would be nice.

Well September is prime time for hurricanes. The best thing to do would be to go south to Aruba, to avoid any storms.

the further south one goes in the Caribbean, the less likely one is to encounter a direct hit from a hurricane. However no area is hurricane free and even those islands that promote a hurricane-free destination can feel the strong effects of any storm in the Carib. Just be sure to get trip insurance to mitigate any unfortuante circumstances. <BR>There are many islands which would satisfy but Aruba, since it was suggested, doesn't have any luxury properties and it is a very commercial destination. You might want to look at www.luxurylink.com for information about different luxury destinations and resorts.

Do you have to go in September? It does tend to be hurricane season, unless you go to one of the ABC islands. If you can go another time, the British Virgin Islands are lovely. All kinds of hidden coves and small bays. Jost Van Dyke is one of the bigger ones that we like.

i stayed at breezes bahamas for 7 nights a few years ago and i'm planning to go back sometime soon. the beach at the resort was awesome, the water was gorgeous, there were tons of fun activities that i participated in, including beach volleyball and jet skiing (extra cost), there was a lot of live music, the food was great for an all-inclusive. the drinks were great too, not your usual AI drinks - even included coronas! there's a really cool piano bar on the resort. we spent some time there almost every night. i wouldn't call it luxurious necessarily, but it was VERY clean, the staff was very friendly and accomodating, we had a gorgeous view and the resort is adults only, singles and young couples. atlantis is 5 minutes away if you're into aquariums. there's a straw market and restaurants in town. we made the mistake of going to &quot;the zoo&quot; which is an annoying club with guys in shiny shirts trying to get on every girl in the place. that was my only made experience in nassau. there are many daytrips to choose from, like a catamaran cruise or dinner cruise. i wouldn't recommend the &quot;booze cruise&quot; it was loud and obnoxious and i vomited because the ride was so rocky. i visited breezes bahamas from august 10 to the 17th and it only rained one day for a few hours and was sunny the rest of the trip. hope this helps.

Thanks for your help everyone! I`m not really worried about the hurricanes, more about the weather itself. I suppose that many of the Caribbean island get much rain during this time of the year. Is there any island which still has a lot of sun and no much rain in September? Thanks!!!<BR><BR>

I tried to post this earlier but somehow it didn't show up. Ah well... all I wanted to say was that I wouldn't worry too much about the weather in the Caribbean. Even if the forecast says 'rainy' or 'cloudy', this just means a few minutes of rain or cloud in an otherwise perfect (and hot!) day. And as other posters have said, Aruba is probably your best bet, weather-wise, because it is so far south. Good luck!

Anete-<BR><BR>You will find rates quite a bit lower in the Caribbean Aug/Sep/Oct. This isn't just due to &quot;off season&quot; but also due to hurricane season.<BR><BR>Hurricanes DO hit the carribbean and there is no gaurantee. I suggest you make sure your insurance covers in case of a trip interuption due to a hurricane.<BR><BR>Sandals have hurricane insurance in their package. I'd suggest St. Lucia they have 3 nice resort. Stear away from Antigua &amp; Royal Bahamian in Nassau. Jamaica also has quite a few to choose from. I myself would not do a Sandals, but alot of people like them and they do offer trip cancellation package.<BR><BR>Again, this is YOUR honeymoon. You will only have one of these. Do you want to take your chance on such a big event in your life?<BR><BR>The Hyatt Aruba as well as Raddison in Aruba are upscale in my opinion (now Four Seasons though), and @ that time of year, you will be able to definitely find seclusion.<BR><BR>Let us know what you decide.

Hi there!!<BR><BR>I went to JAmaica - farther north and more effected by rain...in September for two weeks and had a ball - the rain hardly bothered us.<BR><BR>But if it is better to go South then that works best anyway as the finest spots are down there. Grenada is so wonderful I always suggest it as it breaks my heart not being there it is truly classic Caribbean and you will be thrilled as the Grenadines has all of what you are looking for...STay in Grenada and do a tour of the Grenadines!! I returned from St. Lucia and if you have the money they have some very high end fantastic spots!! Martinique is intimate and lovely.... these three are bigger islands so they offer more than tortola etc.. which I hear could kill ya with boredom. But I have never been there.<BR><BR>Truly though - it is your honeymoon and if you are anything like I was you will probably be glowing and happy so don't stress tooo much about the rain adn so on... just a great reason to go back to your room and &quot;relax&quot;

DO worry about weather in September and October as well. Weather can be &quot;luck of the draw&quot; situation - that is you can get lucky and have great weather. But, this is a time of the year when there are bands and bands of tropical weather systems crossing into the Caribbean Sea.<BR>So you may not get hit by a hurricane, you may get day long rain and rain eveyday as opposed to &quot;liquid sunshine&quot; - a brief shower followed by a sunny day.<BR>If you have to travel in September, go to Aruba. I like Aruba very much - nice beaches, but realize that Aruba is a desert island, not a lush tropical one. It is not humid, but it can get hot and and it is very windy.<BR><BR>Personally, I have had the best weather in May, June, and early July. The water is the clearest and calmest for snorkeling and rain is brief, if any. <BR><BR>I have friends who have had fall weddings and they had a mini honeymoon after the wedding and a big honeymoon trip to the Caribbean later when the weather would be better and they would have more island choices. The Virgin Island would be my pick for most variety of activities. Best islands for best prices on all inclusives would be Jamaica or the Bahamas. Jamaica has a lot to do and I have heard Negril is a great place to stay.

Just a word of advice about postponing your honeymoon. I would recommend against it (for what it is worth).<BR><BR>You can never get the &quot;honeymoon&quot; experience again. I say make it something wonderful!

Since you are going to the Carribean during hurricane season, I will suggest a trip to Aruba, which is surrounded by the most beautiful, clear waters I have seen. La Cabana is an all-inclusive resort that has all-suite rooms, which is lovely (my husband and I had a wonderful honeymoon there). We received a free upgrade for being honeymooners, along with a lovely bottle of champagne and snacks. Make sure to reserve an oceanview room or you may end up across the street from the beach!. The island itself is fun- small and desert-like, with exciting trails for four-wheeling and hiking. We rented our own jeep for the week and had a blast - this is an island where you can sneak off and find private beaches with white sand and only your new husband/wife (lots of fun!) Aruba also has a great nightlife (clubs &amp; restaurants), and it has a very European flair with its' Dutch heritage.<BR>However, if you really enjoy true luxury, you may want to risk the hurricane and head for Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas. Beautiful pools, fabulous restaurants &amp; casino, beautiful people, and top notch service. We just returned from a 3 night stay (spent $6000 after all was said and done-not all-inclusive), but it was great! Congrats and have fun!!

Anete-<BR><BR>You should be able to get a package deal including airfare and hotel for about $2,500 for both people.<BR><BR>The Marriott, Hyatt &amp; Radisson are top notch.

We're planning our June honeymoon. We've heard good things about St. Lucia. My fiance is interested in Sandals.....he likes the idea of all-inclusive. I stayed at Sandals about 4 years ago in Antigua and while the service was wonderful and the grounds well maintained, I thought the food was barely fair. Any advice is welcome! We're not necessarily stuck on the St. Lucia idea. Thanks!