Destination for reconnecting and fun?

[tinkerbell2005]

Here's what I would like:

- Warm, sun
- Great beach
- Great, spacious, pool area
- Great food
- Beautiful, comfortable, luxury, room

Activities for fun with others but also some time to re-connect post baby. Any recommendations? DH and I really need to get away!

[vancouvergirl]

how far away are you willing to travel? what's your budget? how many nights?

[wendalah]

Anytime I hear "beach" I think "Hawaii," but don't know what your budget/time allotment is.

[tinkerbell2005]

More info...

I don't want to be on a plane for more than 4-5 hours max and would really like less!

I'm thinking 4-6 nights.

Budget-wise, I don't know. Maybe a few k?

[wendalah]

Where are you located?

[HeatherFL]

Well, the Florida Keys are wonderful and Key West has some awesome resorts and Bed and Breakfasts, romantic restaurants, nightclubs and just touristy walking stuff too. Not to mention great boat excursions. The only thing is, the beaches are not as good as others in Florida.

I do not know if you are like me, but I love to drive. You could fly into Ft. Lauderdale (I am from Miami and I don´t like to fly into that airport) and drive the four hours to Key West too. :) Otherwise, fly straight into Key West...

St. Augustine, Florida is really nice too. The Casa Monica (http://www.casamonica.com) is a beautiful hotel!



Heather

[ManteoChik]

I really like St. Augustine, FL too but whenever I think of beach vacation I think of having to use a passport...lol. Have you thought about the Turks and Caicos Islands??? Provodentials is BEAUTIFUL and they have a wonderful resort called The Turks and Caicos Club. You can fly right into Provo (I think it's about a 1 1/2 hourish flight from the Lauderdale/Miami area....my flight from Provo into Charlotte, NC was only about 2 1/2 hours).

[HeatherFL]

Ooooh!! Turks and Caicos. PRETTY. So are St. Martin and St. Barth´s. My friends have a villa in St. Barth´s and they are always begging me to get down there. The pics are amazing. My ex husband was recently in St. Lucia as was a girlfriend of mine and they all loved it too.

H.

[CindyLouWho]

I was going to suggest Florida too ( but I don't know where you live.) I personally like Fort Lauderdale and South Beach. The Keys are awesome ( but I don't love the drive after flying all the way there so it's a "sometimes" thing for us when we go to Florida.) These places have a reputation for a wild nightlife but there is plenty to do for the non-partiers among us. The beaches are beautiful, lots of great resorts, SPAS and restuarants.

[flygirl]

There are currently some great deals to All-Inclusives in Mexico (I've seen 4-star resorts including airfare going for $800 for 5 nights). The all-inclusives give you a chance to focus on being with each other rather than agreeing on where to go, yet you can still get out & visit city sites if you want to.

[tinkerbell2005]

We are in the northeast, NYC area.

I was thinking about St. Barth's or St. Lucia. But which hotel? And should it be an all-inclusive? I have heard both good and bad things about Sandals in St. Lucia. We went on a Royal Caribbean cruise once and I didn't like it, so I am worried I won't like the all-inclusive either.

Thanks for all the great ideas!

[vancouvergirl]

i had originally thought st. john's, just because i've been there and it was amazing. we stayed at caneel bay. soooo wonderful. the airport is in st. thomas and from there ground & water transport is taken care of for you. they even give you rum punches on the boat over to st. john. it's not cheap but what a memory. the resort and food is great. http://www.caneelbay.com/

i've wanted to try st. barth's at some point myself. st. lucia sounds good too. let us know what you decide!

[Rosebud]

Hi there,

St. Barths is going to be quite a bit more expensive than St. Lucia. I don't know if that's a factor for you or not.

Some places on St. Lucia that come highly recommended on a travel board I frequent:

Ti Kaye Resort (http://www.tikaye.com/)

Ladera Resort (http://www.ladera.com/)

There are three Sandals resorts on St. Lucia and the Sandals Grande is generally considered to be the best of the three. However, I think Ti Kaye and Ladera would be a little more romantic & unique.

You can read reviews from recent brides who've honeymooned at these resorts (and others) here: The Honeymoon Bio (http://talk.theknot.com/boards/User/Profile.aspx?bioname=thehoneymoonbio)

And be sure to check reviews at: TripAdvisor.com (http://www.tripadvisor.com/)

On St. Barths the "best" hotels are Le Toiny, Eden Rock, the Guanahani and Carl Gustaf. You might also consider renting a condo or villa here, though.

:)

[wine_o_girlie]

St. Barths is AMAZING. It is true luxury and to me, felt like a dream world. It's tiny, gorgeous, and luxurious. There really isn't anything to do there other than the beaches, eat, and gawk at the yachts so if you want to do any sight-seeing or have night-life it's not for you. Of course, all that comes with a hefty price tag. Eden Rock was fabulous and I definitely recommend it (we were there pre-renovation so I am sure it's even more fab now). There are no all-inclusives in SBH I believe. A lot of the fun of SBH is driving the (very) hilly roads in your jeep and going to the gourmet restaurants for dinner. This website is all about SBH - www.sbhonline.com.

St. Martin (French side definitely) is great. Avoid the Dutch side like the plague for lodging unless you want crowds and timeshare hawkers (the casinos are fun though!). Try L'Esplanade for lodging. Very easy to fly to, cheaper than SBH, has a lot more "activities" and nightlife. Definitely not as upscale as SBH.

Anguilla is our favorite island. Fly to St. Martin and take the ferry to Anguilla. Cap Juluca and Cuisinart are amazing but pricey. There are wonderful villas there - try www.my-caribbean.com. Totally un-Americanized (no McD's yeah!), small, friendly people, fabulous gourmet restaurants, gorgeous white sand beaches. Very little nightlife and it's not a lush island, it looks much more desert-y which is unappealing to some people.

St. Lucia and Turks and Caicos are on our list for future trips. We have friends who just went to St. John and absolutely loved it. They stayed at Estate Lindholm. They toured the Westin there and vastly preferred the location and intimacy of Lindholm. Have fun!

[flygirl]

I was thinking about St. Barth's or St. Lucia. But which hotel? And should it be an all-inclusive? We went on a Royal Caribbean cruise once and I didn't like it, so I am worried I won't like the all-inclusive either.
Higher-end all-inclusives are nothing like RC cruises (which I've been very disappointed with). Most are just very nice resort hotels with excellent service, unlimited food & drink (much better than than the cruise food), a variety of outdoor activities, and lots & lots of space :). Also, they are truly all-inclusive, unlike on a ship where you have to tip everyone and pay for extra land-based activities.

[tinkerbell2005]

Higher-end all-inclusives are nothing like RC cruises
Boy am I relieved to hear that! I was not impressed by the RC cruise food or the packed pool area. Does anyone have a recommendation for a higher-end all inclusive?

St. Bart's sounds really nice, too, but maybe more expensive.

I read something about the Ladera being open air and that sounded very unique.

I'll keep you all posted...

[MES in Chicago]

Couples Negril. Had our honeymoon there and loved it. We were treated like royalty. PM and I will send you pics if you want and answer any questions.

Melissa

[Amuse Bouche]

When are you planning to go? Bermuda is an EASY flight from NYC and has some lovely resorts.

[rosa727]

Just thought I would pipe in that I just went to St. Lucia and loved it. It is very lush, green, and romantic. We have stayed at AIs in Mexico and loved them, so we are not anti-AI, but we did not opt for that in St. Lucia. St. Lucia has a lot of unique, luxurious locally-owned resorts that are great. We split our time between Ti Kaye and Stonefield Estate Villas. Both were incredible. You can get your own pool at both. Stonefield is right near Ladera, actually, in the lush, mountainous (prettier) part of the island. The AIs are on the flat, northern part of the island. We went to dinner at Ladera and went there to watch the sunset and have drinks and it was beautiful. I did not see the rooms, but apparently they only have 3 walls. So you have to be cool with lizards, that's all. Because there are lots in St. Lucia.

Other than St. Lucia, I would say you should check out Playa Del Carmen. There are some very romantic adult-only AI resorts there that offer a lot more luxury for the money than other places. The people are wonderful and the beaches are beautiful. We have stayed at Royal Hideaway and Secrets Capri and loved both. The food was really good at both and I am pretty picky.

Good luck!