BORA BORA/MOOREA, FIJI, KAUAI, ST. THOMAS OR JOHNS...???

harper+coats

We are trying to decide where to go for our honeymoon in August 2011 and need some advice! We have been to maui several times, and my fiance has been to St. Johns. Never been to Tahiti and most of the photos look breathtaking, but can't decide if the rooms are that nice or not. I hear there is not much to do there. Never been to Kauai, but if we went there which resort? Grand Hyatt? Not sure where to stay if we went to Fiji? We love to relax in the sun and read, but may want to do some activities. Want our room to be luxurious of course (it's our honeymoon)!!! I've never been to St. Thomas or Johns, only problem in August is that it would be hurricane season. Please give me feedback on where we should look into, provide names of resorts. Thank you all so much!

amy

NOLAbridealmost

St. John is a USVI (next to St. Thomas) St. John's (with an "s") is in Antigua just so you know.  There was actually a bride on here who posted that she and her fiance arrived in St. Thomas planning to go to St. John for their honeymoon but when they arrived they realized that they had booked a hotel in St. John's.  Not sure how that worked out, but don't let it happen to you!

bridetobemo

One of my great friends went to St. Thomas and absolutely loved it!! She went the end of august and didnt have a problem with hurricanes!

wiwicaty

I would go to Bora Bora. I've never been and French Polynesia is my all time  #1 dream destination.

mica178

We had a similar list to yours and ended up choosing Fiji because H's friend got us an amazing discount on an adventure cruise.  Check out the Tui Tai, which goes around the islands to the southeast, totally awesome.  

almost-a-bride

Turtle Island, Fiji.

girlinchicago

I have been to Fiji, Kauai, St. John and St. Thomas and like them in that order.  You didn't mention your budget, how long you are hoping to hm for, etc.  Personally, I wasn't a fan of St. Thomas AT ALL, and St. John has the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen in the Caribbean.  However, like you said, the weather could be iffy then.

We just returned from Kauai two weeks ago and absolutely loved it, even a little more than we liked Maui.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt and found it to be perfect for us.  It would make for a great hm hotel if you don't mind being around a lot of people - it is a HUGE property.

We hmed in Fiji and that would be my top choice if you want seclusion/isolation, a bunch of activities you can do, unique resort accommodations and a good value for your money.  We looked into Bora Bora/Moorea but it was more than we wanted to spend bc of its popularity.  Fiji is a little farther away but the value is great - for  $5k less than we would have spent for 10 nights in Moorea and Bora Bora, we spent 12 nights at two different 5 star resorts in Fiji with all of our meals included, helicopter transfers, multiple spa treatments, activities etc.  The honeymoon packages included more and we loved being on islands that were completely private.  We stayed at Royal Davui and Likuliku, which has the overwater bungalows if those are important to you.  Some other resorts to look into would be Taveuni Palms, Qamea and Vatulele.  Turtle Island has long been famous but, from my understanding, is becoming a little tired and isn't worth the price they ask. 

How much are you looking to budget?  Obviously, Kauai and the Caribbean will be much less than either location in French Polynesia.  Happy to share anything else about Fiji if you have questions!

ellie_spoutz

We're going to Moorea in July. We were gonna do Bora Bora, but all the overwater bungalows were booked at the Hilton and they only had premium overwater, which was like $2,000 more, but as I look more into it a lot of couples that went to both had said that more had better snorkeling because of the coral. i'm so excited. we made a great decision and we too did not want to worry about the what if of a hurricane ruining our special week.

JoBell123

We're doing Moorea and Bora Bora.  We were afraid that there wouldn't be much to do, but we heard about a lot of excursions to take (snorkling, sailing, helicopter rides, hikes, etc) so we don't think we're be bored.

SuMmErKuTiE

We honeymooned in Fiji as well and it was such an amazing experience. Both of us had been to the Caribbean several times and were looking to do something new and more secluded and Fiji fit those expectations and more! We stayed at Qamea Resort & Spa on Qamea Island and loved it! They only accomodate up to 36 people at once and everyone stays in their own beachfront bure (villa). Pictures of the resort and our stay in my married bio under the honeymoon tab.

My biggest advice is since it's your HM that you should go with Tahiti or Fiji since who knows when you'll have the time and/or the budget to take a trip like that again. Life gets in the way between buying a house, having kids, or work related issues. If you have the time and the money to go now, I say definitely jump on that opportunity. The Caribbean is so close that it's much more realistic to return there over and over again over the years as opposed to French Polynesia.

JoBell123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_bora-boramoorea-fiji-kauai-st-thomas-johns?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:9f9913e2-9694-4b8e-a5f6-f3d35799958dPost:9b6bbd46-bdca-4fde-850f-5415007f4ac5">Re: BORA BORA/MOOREA, FIJI, KAUAI, ST. THOMAS OR JOHNS...???</a>:
[QUOTE]My biggest advice is since it's your HM that you should go with Tahiti or Fiji since who knows when you'll have the time and/or the budget to take a trip like that again. Life gets in the way between buying a house, having kids, or work related issues. If you have the time and the money to go now, I say definitely jump on that opportunity. The Caribbean is so close that it's much more realistic to return there over and over again over the years as opposed to French Polynesia.
Posted by SuMmErKuTiE[/QUOTE]

This is exactly why we're doing to Frech Polyesia!!

sterbs

St. Thomas is just fine but your other choices would be far better for a honeymoon.  St. John is amazing and beautiful and you can take a ferry to St. Thomas (I think) for the day if you really want to check it out.  If you have the budget, stay at Caneel Bay.  There are also a number of less expensive and lovely places to stay on the island.  Most of the island is a national park so it's all just beautiful. 

That being said, I know a lot of people here say to not worry about hurricane season, book the Caribbean and buy insurance.  I know the likelihood of running into weather issues is small, but I would hate to have to cancel/change my honeymoon last minute so we didn't even consider anywhere in the Caribbean.  (We're going end of August/beginning of September.) 

We're going to Moorea and Bora Bora because we wanted to go someplace that we had never been and that we would likely never get back to in the near future.  It's not inexpensive but it fit our requirements for the honeymoon - far away, decadent, beautiful, relaxing but with the right mix of activity.  We can sit on our butts for 10 days if we choose or we can snorkel, dive, hike and explore if we get antsy.

If you're looking for resorts there, the tops seem to be Hilton, Sofitel and Intercontinental on Moorea and Four Seasons, St. Regis, Hilton, Intercontinental on Bora Bora.  If you want specifics on what we did and didn't choose and why, feel free to PM me.

maddie7

For our honeymoon we did Aruba and Bermuda and for our first anniversary we are doing a grand tour of Hawaii all out! So just because its your honeymoon doesnt mean its all over. Here's our trip.
http://www.perillotours.com/hawaii/tours-of-hawaii/index.html

Mia2700

We went to Moorea for 10 days and I obviously would recommend you go there.  Sure, it's expensive, but it's worth every penny.  There's enough beauty in the black and white sand beaches that if you're looking to just relax you can certainly do that.  If you're looking to be active there's a ton to do there between snorkeling, whale-watching, ATV excursions, sunset cruises, kayak around the island, renting a car and going shopping, renting bicycles to just cruise around the street, so much to do.
We stayed at the Intercontinental in Moorea and they were awesome.  The staff was fantastic, the rooms were ridiculous,  Once inside the hut, you have NO idea it was a hut as it looks just like a five star hotel inside.  Over the water bungalow is definitely the way to go, even if you only have that room for part of the trip if you're looking to save money.  
It truly is a once in a lifetime trip.

Feel free to ask specific questions on Moorea. 

Magenta728

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_bora-boramoorea-fiji-kauai-st-thomas-johns?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:9f9913e2-9694-4b8e-a5f6-f3d35799958dPost:9b6bbd46-bdca-4fde-850f-5415007f4ac5">Re: BORA BORA/MOOREA, FIJI, KAUAI, ST. THOMAS OR JOHNS...???</a>:
[QUOTE] My biggest advice is since it's your HM that you should go with Tahiti or Fiji since who knows when you'll have the time and/or the budget to take a trip like that again. Life gets in the way between buying a house, having kids, or work related issues. If you have the time and the money to go now, I say definitely jump on that opportunity. The Caribbean is so close that it's much more realistic to return there over and over again over the years as opposed to French Polynesia.
Posted by SuMmErKuTiE[/QUOTE]

This exactly.

We did Moorea and Bora Bora in August 2010. We did not like Moorea (the service was awful, and the it seemed like all the ppl in Moorea hated tourists). On Bora Bora, we stayed at the Four Seasons, which was amazing!!