Compare:caribbean vs Hawaii
Jul 23rd, 1999, 01:24 PM
#21
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My vote Hawaii, hands down. Have been to 4 Hawaiian Islands, Maui and Kaui are our favorites. The Hyatt on either island is a great choice. Can spend two weeks in one place and still am not ready to go home at the end.
We have been to about a dozen Caribbean Islands. Although nice, no match for the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. The comment about cruise ship crowds in the Caribben is so true, so if your decision is the Caribben, be very careful of where you stay.
We have been to about a dozen Caribbean Islands. Although nice, no match for the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. The comment about cruise ship crowds in the Caribben is so true, so if your decision is the Caribben, be very careful of where you stay.
Jul 25th, 1999, 06:02 AM
#22
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I have been to both Hawaii and the Caribbean and for a honeymoon I recommend the Caribbean. If I was not on my honeymoon I would choose Hawaii.
In the Caribbean you can check in at an all inclusive resort like Sandals and totally relax after all of that wedding planning. You have goumet dining if you wish and more casual settings too. All of the watersports you may have wanted to try are included. The resort is couples only (many who are also honeymooners) and the employees treat you like royalty. There is a no tipping policy which gets you the better service. You can seriously go there and not spend any more money on top of what you paid for ahead of time. The only drawback was the poverty on the islands. But in the resort it is truly beautiful and there was no trace of this.
In Hawaii I felt like I could walk around and get to see things outside the resort without having to worry and on Maui Kauai and Hawaii almost everywhere you turn is beautiful scenery - No poverty. But the getting there and setting in etc. etc was not relaxing.
To get to these islands we had to take flights and rent cars and find hotels. Not what I call a relaxing honeymoon.
Just get me off the plane and take me to the Caribbean take me to my resort and let me lay on a raft in the pool as I float up to the swim up pool bar.
In the Caribbean you can check in at an all inclusive resort like Sandals and totally relax after all of that wedding planning. You have goumet dining if you wish and more casual settings too. All of the watersports you may have wanted to try are included. The resort is couples only (many who are also honeymooners) and the employees treat you like royalty. There is a no tipping policy which gets you the better service. You can seriously go there and not spend any more money on top of what you paid for ahead of time. The only drawback was the poverty on the islands. But in the resort it is truly beautiful and there was no trace of this.
In Hawaii I felt like I could walk around and get to see things outside the resort without having to worry and on Maui Kauai and Hawaii almost everywhere you turn is beautiful scenery - No poverty. But the getting there and setting in etc. etc was not relaxing.
To get to these islands we had to take flights and rent cars and find hotels. Not what I call a relaxing honeymoon.
Just get me off the plane and take me to the Caribbean take me to my resort and let me lay on a raft in the pool as I float up to the swim up pool bar.
Jul 25th, 1999, 07:21 AM
#23
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To the above poster, you can have the same relaxing experience in Hawaii if you arrange it through a good travel guide - airport pickup, transferred to your hotel, private check-in, etc. I met a couple who had been to the Hilton Hawaiian Village that way for seven years! Had never left the resort once - now frankly, I think they're crazy to never leave the resort, but to each their own way of doing things!
I've talked to more than one honeymoon couple who's honeymoon was really dampened by seeing the poverty around them at some of the Caribbean resorts!
I've talked to more than one honeymoon couple who's honeymoon was really dampened by seeing the poverty around them at some of the Caribbean resorts!
Jul 25th, 1999, 07:56 AM
#24
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HI Melanie -
My husband and I honeymooned in the Caribbean, Aruba to be exact. We just celebrated our second anniversary with a trip to Maui. Both trips were awesome and comparable to SOME extent. On both trips we found time to relax, sight-see, eat at romantic restaurants, etc. We had a super time on both trips.
We decided on Aruba as our honeymoon destination because it was a relatively short flight(4 hours from NYC) and it was less expensive than Hawaii (you know how much you can spend when planning a wedding). We stayed at the Hyatt and found it to be a beautiful property. We have no regrets about going.
If I had to choose between the two places I would definitely choose Hawaii for its beauty, the variety of activities and resorts, shopping, food and the fact that it is still the United States. We just spent 9 days at the Four Seasons in Wailea. We were treated like royalty and it was extremely romantic. It was truly like a second honeymoon. I would highly recommend it for a truly luxurious honeymoon...if that's what you are looking for.
I guess it all comes down to where you are coming from in terms of costs and travel time. I'm sure whatever you decide you guys will have a great time.
If you decide not to do Hawaii for your honeymoon, make it a priority to get there soon. It is truly the more "magical" of the two.
Good luck!
My husband and I honeymooned in the Caribbean, Aruba to be exact. We just celebrated our second anniversary with a trip to Maui. Both trips were awesome and comparable to SOME extent. On both trips we found time to relax, sight-see, eat at romantic restaurants, etc. We had a super time on both trips.
We decided on Aruba as our honeymoon destination because it was a relatively short flight(4 hours from NYC) and it was less expensive than Hawaii (you know how much you can spend when planning a wedding). We stayed at the Hyatt and found it to be a beautiful property. We have no regrets about going.
If I had to choose between the two places I would definitely choose Hawaii for its beauty, the variety of activities and resorts, shopping, food and the fact that it is still the United States. We just spent 9 days at the Four Seasons in Wailea. We were treated like royalty and it was extremely romantic. It was truly like a second honeymoon. I would highly recommend it for a truly luxurious honeymoon...if that's what you are looking for.
I guess it all comes down to where you are coming from in terms of costs and travel time. I'm sure whatever you decide you guys will have a great time.
If you decide not to do Hawaii for your honeymoon, make it a priority to get there soon. It is truly the more "magical" of the two.
Good luck!
Jul 25th, 1999, 05:13 PM
#25
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Hi Melanie, I haven't been to Hawaii but had a great experience in Aruba. The people are friendly, the beaches are gorgeous, the shopping is fabulous, and there are lots of great romantic restaurants. The Sheraton and the Hyatt are both beautiful and far away from the ports where the cruise ships come in. It's also vey convenient to the East coast. Either way, you can't go wrong. Have a great time.
Sep 8th, 1999, 08:54 AM
#26
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I have heard great things about both places. However, I cast my vote for the
Caribbean. My wife and i were married in
Ocober of 97 and went to Sandals Negril in Jamaica. It is an all-inclusive resort which has so much to offer that you wont even need to leave the resort ....though we did so on excursions (horse-back riding, free scuba dives with certified instructors, ..you name it they have it) If you wnat to stay at another sister resort on the island you
they will bus you to the resort and you can stay for free there also. We went to dinner one evening at Breezes resort.Unbelievable service.
The poverty issue is true ..when you get away from the resort..it is everywhere. However, I have never been to a place where the people were so genuinely nice..not just the employees but the locals. For the best rates hands down on Sandals resorts...go to www.all-inclusive.com. They beat anyone hands down on Caribbean Vacations
Caribbean. My wife and i were married in
Ocober of 97 and went to Sandals Negril in Jamaica. It is an all-inclusive resort which has so much to offer that you wont even need to leave the resort ....though we did so on excursions (horse-back riding, free scuba dives with certified instructors, ..you name it they have it) If you wnat to stay at another sister resort on the island you
they will bus you to the resort and you can stay for free there also. We went to dinner one evening at Breezes resort.Unbelievable service.
The poverty issue is true ..when you get away from the resort..it is everywhere. However, I have never been to a place where the people were so genuinely nice..not just the employees but the locals. For the best rates hands down on Sandals resorts...go to www.all-inclusive.com. They beat anyone hands down on Caribbean Vacations
Sep 8th, 1999, 11:13 AM
#27
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Many of the previous posters gave excellent advice about considering the practical factors and what your priorities are.
There are quite a few places in both the Caribbean and Hawaii which should satisfy your requirements.
I suggest first deciding how much you are willing to spend and how long a trip with up to how many connections are you willing to endure.
If you live on the W. Coast, I'd definitely suggest Hawaii. If I lived on the W. COast I would probably go to Hawaii (my first choice would be Kauai, for which I know there are direct flights from LAX). Living on the E. Coast (New York City) I am planning to save Hawaii for one day when I have time to combine it with at least a short stay in California. It's around six-hours from NY to LAX and then around another 5 hrs. from LAX to Hawaii and there's also the time difference. I figure that even staying for just a day or two in CA before continuing to Hawaii (and on the way back, to NY) should make the trip less tiring and disrupt my body's
sleep-wake schedule less.
Why don't you tell us where you will be departing from?
There are quite a few places in both the Caribbean and Hawaii which should satisfy your requirements.
I suggest first deciding how much you are willing to spend and how long a trip with up to how many connections are you willing to endure.
If you live on the W. Coast, I'd definitely suggest Hawaii. If I lived on the W. COast I would probably go to Hawaii (my first choice would be Kauai, for which I know there are direct flights from LAX). Living on the E. Coast (New York City) I am planning to save Hawaii for one day when I have time to combine it with at least a short stay in California. It's around six-hours from NY to LAX and then around another 5 hrs. from LAX to Hawaii and there's also the time difference. I figure that even staying for just a day or two in CA before continuing to Hawaii (and on the way back, to NY) should make the trip less tiring and disrupt my body's
sleep-wake schedule less.
Why don't you tell us where you will be departing from?
