sandals vs. couples vs. any other all inclusives?!?

butterflyjumper1

FI and I want to book our honeymoon within the next week or two. we definitely want to do the all-inclusive route and be somewhere in the caribbean. would love some type of seclusion/privacy to our room. 

have any of you ladies booked your honeymoons at (or been previously to) sandals, couples, or any of the other all inclusives i have been researching?? seriously, every single one i have been reading up on sounds awesome, and i am not sure how to choose (or if it even matters which one i choose!)

we would love to be able to stay for a week or a little longer for about $6-7K (including flights). 

thanks for the insight :)

ceglare4

We're staying at Sandals La Toc in St. Lucia and I am sooo excited! I've never stayed at a Sandals resort, or any of the other ones you listed, for that matter, but I've heard good things about it. And it's definitely doable with flights on your budget.

butterflyjumper1

La toc looks SO amazing, congrats on booking yours!! that resort is definitely one of our top choices based on the room/suite options and location...if we end up going with sandals we will probably going with la toc!!

ceglare4

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_sandals-vs-couples-vs-other-inclusives?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:a2485b08-eee7-4c02-afd8-ab9e58d0f417Post:c415d18f-3a8e-43ce-8b72-1a1b0c246ef4">Re: sandals vs. couples vs. any other all inclusives?!?</a>:
[QUOTE]La toc looks SO amazing, congrats on booking yours!! that resort is definitely one of our top choices based on the room/suite options and location...if we end up going with sandals we will probably going with la toc!!
Posted by butterflyjumper1[/QUOTE]

I also think that one of the best things about the Sandals resorts in St. Lucia is that you can do anything you want at any of the 3 on the island, except sleep of course haha. We definitely want to check out the Grande while we're there, but we liked the location and look of La Toc better (and the price!), which was why we booked there.

Amanda1443994

We have never been but we just booked our honeymoon to Sandals Grande in St. Lucia. Our big reasons were because we wanted an AI, we wanted a private suite with our own plunge pool, we def. wanted St. Lucia because we've never been, and everyone I spoke to raves about Sandals (both La Toc and Grande). We ended up booking a Rondoval which is the highest level rooms in Grande and it comes with butler service. I heard that Sandals can get very lively (which we don't like). but we booked a room where we don't have to interact with all of those events. It ended up costing us 10 grand for 8 days including flight. You can def. get a great room for 6-7k at Sandals. I literally spent 3 months trying to decide which hotel I wanted to go to. It's a big decision to make!

butterflyjumper1

yes i totally agree, that is amazing! what room did you guys go with?? and when will you be there??

slpankuch

We are staying in Riviera Maya/Cancun, Mexico. With a budget like that you're pretty much open. I wouldn't do a Sandals as they charge you just for  the brand name. You can get just as much/nice treatment with a regular AI adult resort on a honeymoon package.

Your budget could get you at 2 weeks in Cancun. I think this area has the most value for your money.

Of course with a budget like that you could splurge and do a week in Hawaii!

LADY324

I am going to Aruba however we are not staying at an AI.  However I heard that the RIU palace in Aruba is awesome.

ceglare4

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_sandals-vs-couples-vs-other-inclusives?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:a2485b08-eee7-4c02-afd8-ab9e58d0f417Post:32d27308-fe62-4e6b-b221-9eb778aeb688">Re: sandals vs. couples vs. any other all inclusives?!?</a>:
[QUOTE]yes i totally agree, that is amazing! what room did you guys go with?? and when will you be there??
Posted by butterflyjumper1[/QUOTE]

We went with an oceanview room, and I requested that we be away from the main pool and up a ways on the bluff. And we're going for a week starting July 16th. We're waiting a week after the wedding to go.

singing_lyn

We're going to Secrets St. James Montego Bay, Jamaica. We chose there because the resort looked amazing and the price seemed decent to us for a week at an AI. We still have to book our flight and that looks like that alone is going to be $1200-1300 for the 2 of us but our total for the AI is $2700. We chose Jamaica because neither of us have ever been and when looking at resorts using my parents time share they were one of the few that came up as available for the week after the wedding with a check in date of Sunday. And everyone that we've spoken to that went to Jamaica loved it there.

colleenm18

We are headed to Sandals La Toc July 22nd and I am so excited!!  I have never been to St. Lucia nor have I stayed at a Sandals but I have stayed at a Beaches property (Sandals Family resort) and that was amazing so I can only imagine that Sandals will be.  I have also only heard wonderful things about St. Lucia and the Sandals properties.

bostongrl23

I'm coming in on this post a little late, but we are also doing a Sandals resort, but we are going to their newest resort at Great Exuma, in the Bahamas. For one week, our cost was $6k without flights, but my boss is gifting us our flights, so we were ok with splurging a little more. We are also getting a butler suite.
My best friend went to La Toc in October and absolutely loved it. St Lucia seems to be the happening place for honeymoons!