Caribbean Honeymoon Help (Turks & Caicos, Anguilla, BVIs?)

Janmichele5

My fiancé and I are looking to book our honeymoon the end of June (2013).  We are looking to the Caribbean but I’m a bit overwhelmed with the choices for both islands and resorts.   Some of the places we have it narrowed down to….

 

Anguilla

Turks & Caicos

BVIs???

 

We are open to maybe doing 2 different islands....do some jumping.

 

We have been to Jamaica before and I loved it.  Stayed at an AI (Secrets Wild Orchid).  Loved everything about Jamaica but obviously looking to go somewhere new.  Would like to stay away from Mexico and Dominican.  Been to Mexico and didn’t like it.

 

Open to both all inclusive options and not AI. 

 

We are beach people.  While it is our honeymoon, we’d like a nice mix of relaxing on the beach, doing a few day trips….maybe charter a boat for the day, explore the island.  Love beach bars, etc. 

 

Any suggestions you can provide would be good.  Would like to keep everything when all said and done around $5k - $6k

Janmichele5

Just to add....we are not interested in St Lucia and the "lusher" islands...rather have beautiful beaches and water!

Jells2dot0

I think that your best bets for gorgeous beaches and water is either Anguilla or Turks. Both Turks and Anguilla are pretty laid back and quiet, but there are a few beach bar type places in each and from Anguilla, you can take a ferry to St. Maarten for the day for some shopping and sightseeing. If you want your $5K-$6K to cover all meals and such, your best bets in Turks are someplace like the Sands at Gracy Bay (non AI) or Veranda (AI). Anguilla is more expensive than Turks and does not have any AIs. So, you might be able to get 5 nights at a place like Cap Jaluca or CuisinArt, but not much more than that, especially if you want it to include food. I have been to Anguilla, though, and the beaches are amazing. I have also been to the BVIs and I think it's a good fit for what you want, but the beaches (depending on where you are) are not as nice as the other two islands. At least in my opinion. There really aren't any AIs there, either, so that limits the hotels you can choose within budget. You can hop between the USVI and the BVI, so check out places like Peter Island or Caneel Bay. It may be tight with budget, though.

Jells2dot0

Also, what did you not like about Mexico? Since you loved Secrets in Jamaica, why not look into some place like Secrets Maroma in the Rivieria Maya? It's on one of the world's best beaches and it's a Secrets, so you already have a positive there in regards to the resort!

SD210

Last January FI and I went to Turks & Caicos for a week.  We flew direct out of Boston on Jet Blue (non-stop on weekends to TCI) and we stayed in a condo at Ocean Club West.  Gorgeous beach!!  The condo was a 1 bedroom with fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, washer, dryer, etc., but it also had the amenities of a traditional hotel (housekeeping, towels, etc).  The resort has a great lazy river pool and restaurant too.  Oh, and waiter service on the beach - - they keep bringing you drinks.  It is not all inclusive, but we liked the freedom of being able to explore the great restaurants on the island (Coco Bistro, Bay Bistro, etc). 

Also, we didn't rent a car and had no problem getting around (lots of cabs, etc).  The resort isn't the fanciest one, but it is in an amazing location.   Walking distance to a brand new grocery store that sells wine, beer, etc.  We saved some money by buying breakfast and lunch type food to stock up our condo, then we splurged for really nice dinners out.  Walking distance to some great restaurants and across the street from this amazing French bakery with absolutely sinful pastries.  We love sleeping in and making lazy breakfasts when on vacation, and I liked the fact that we never had a problem finding an umbrella on the beach even if we didn't get out there til 11 am.  We loved that each condo has a big private screened in balcony; we sat out there every night with a bottle (or two) of wine and just relaxed listening to the ocean.  It was amazing!

TCI isn't a party island, but there are plenty of charter boats, fishing, snorkling if you want to explore.  Honestly, out of all the islands we've been to, it is by far our favorite!  Check out pictures and reviews on TripAdvisor.  Also, feel free to PM me if you want more details.

jewigg6649

i recommend the turks and caicos! the beaches are absolutely clean, safe and beautiful! we went the first week of July and the weather was good. 

there is alot of activities to do, boat charters, snorkel trips, etc..

we are going back for our honeymoon in may for 7 days for right at 5k, so its do able! 

Jstanny

Janmichele5 let me know where you end up going. I am doing the honeymoon search and driving myself a bit nuts. My "wants" are pretty the same as yours! I love the beach and want to enjoy a beautiful resort with good food and options for leaving the resort.

My brother and his wife have been to Turks 3 times and they love it. After speaking with them I was leaning toward them the most, but as I search online I just keep finding more more more places! I"m terrible at decisions.

I am going to consult a travel agent just to see if they can help us narrow down an island and then compare their prices with what I can find onlne. I'll be back to let you know what I find.  We are also honeymooning end of June 2013. good luck planning!!

JillHunt

I would highly recommend the BVI, we stayed in White Bay Villas on Jost Van Dyke.  It is a small, very laid back island with less than 200 people living there full time.  We flew into St. Thomas and took a ferry to get to Jost. I have done the AI thing previously and I would say that doing this stand along villa was a nice change.  We were able to purchase our food at a local (Tortola) grocery store and brought to our villa for us before we arrived. We cooked and ate when it was convenient for us and found we ate just about everything we bought.  The thing that gets expensive on trips like that is the alcohol.  We spent several hundred dollars on Painkillers (a local drink) alone! But, it was worth every penny

amandatim1021

we just came back from Anguilla in September- absolutely amazing!!!  we stayed at Meads Bay Villas- more or less everywhere was closed on the island b/c it was off season but it was great to have the beach to ourselves- would absolutely suggest the Meads Bay Villas- 1 couple staying there (there was all of 3 couples on the whole island) had a reservation at another resort and the resort had canceled it b/c it wasn't busy enough to open at the last minute, but if you're going in June, i'm sure that's not a problem- feel free to message if you have any other questions- it's a quick 18 minute ferry to St. Maarten so it is nice to go there for a day to walk around, shop, etc.