Honeymoon Frustration - so many conflicting opinions!

[breechan]

Hi Everyone,

I searched the forums and didn't find a thread that fit my question, though I apologize since it's an often repeated topic.:blinking:

I'm researching for our upcoming honeymoon for Oct, Nov, or Dec of 2011. You only get one honeymoon, so we want to make it really special.

My Fiance is a non-diver who has agreed to giving it a try on our honeymoon. Thus, I'm left with trying to find a resort (mostly likely all-inclusive) that has decent enough diving, but still has plenty of other adventures and activities. I've spend more than 10 hours scouring trip advisor and hundreds of resort websites. There are so many conflicting reports. I'm left more confused than ever. I'm having trouble finding a place that fits our criteria.

It would be nice if there was some kind of online resort search engine where you could input these parameters.:cool2:

My hope is that some of you have some current resort information from a diver's perspective. It seems that a place that was good 10 years ago has degraded and vice versa.

Here's our must-haves:

-adults only resort
-luxurious and clean
-takes less than 16 hours of travel from Canada
-a less common destination (not Mexico, Dominican, Cuba, Jamaica, USA)
-good food with fine dining options
-beach nearby
-SCUBA program for beginners/resort certification/discover program etc
-SCUBA included or offered for certified divers
-watersports/activities included
-onsite spa
-Our budget is between $400-700 per day
​

Any specific resort suggestions are much appreciated.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

From your list of requirements it looks like a cruise may be your best bet.

 

[tajkd]

US or British VirginIslands. Diving is OK for beginners.

 

[robint]

You have some interesting requirements... For a Dive Resort, you are going to have a hard time meeting them.

I think FIRST you need to understand that Oct-Nov is still hurricane season in Caribbean, which means weather will have rain some days, maybe every day, no guarantees.
To get away from this, look far south...
Bonaire or Curacao meet that requirement, however the price may be out of your budget. Bonaire doesn't have an all-inclusive, and there is little else to do there. Luxury is not to be found at either.

Belize might be a good fit, as there are zipline tours, jungle adventures, Mayan ruins, etc. for topside. There is also beginner diving and also certifications.
Ramon's Village, Belize Resort, Belize Resorts, Resorts in Belize, Ambergris Caye - 2010 (nice place for a honeymoon, IMHO)
No luxury there either.

Roatan might work, but just consider the rain issue.
http://www.anthonyskey.com/en/index.html (another nice place for a honeymoon, if you have a non-diver)
No luxury there either. Roatan is rustic, great diving, but rustic.

BEST OPTION to me -- Cozumel, I would look at:
Cozumel Scuba Diving at Scuba Club Cozumel Dive Resort and Scuba Cozumel Dive Shop (been there twice, love it, would meet most of your needs and price)
check out my videos, trip reports, and photos. Take a day and go over to mainland and visit the Mayan ruins, ziplines, jungle tour...
There are some luxury options on Cozumel, like the Cozumel Palace... but not in your budget most likely.

NONE of these options are Luxurious, they are Dive Resorts - made for diving pleasure and ease.

robin

 

[diversteve]

What does the $400-700/day cover? Including flights? Per person or for both? One recommendation:

Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. Caribbean Luxury Resorts | Rosewood Little Dix Bay | British Virgin Islands

This is really going to push your budget but it's extremely nice and except for the Adults Only meets and probably exceeds everything else on your list. The resort is on it's own private bay, has DiveBVI onsite and the beach out front is spectacular. We didn't stay there but spent a very pleasant afternoon there. The staff to guest ratio must be about 10-1. Every day we went in there on the DiveBVI boat to pick up people, turtles went diving for the bottom - it's pretty shallow.

You can also hike Virgin Gorda, sail, jetski, take the ferries over to nearby islands for day trips, there's an excellent beach bbq Friday night at Leverick Bay Resort nearby. And the world famous Baths for snorkeling. The Rhone is also nearby and done as a morning trip with DiveBVI - it's the BVI signature wreck - they filmed "The Deep" there.

Rock Cafe would be the place for a romantic - semi private dinner - it's tucked up against the boulders that VG is famous for. Virgin Gorda itself is kind of quiet though - the place to enjoy sunsets and views - not go barhopping. Although there was one dance club we went to one night that had a pretty good crowd of locals/tourists. There's only about 3500 residents so everyone is very friendly. I don't think they have much - if any - crime either.

Probably the easiest way to get there is fly to St. Thomas (STT) then take the ferries over. Or possibly into Beef Island airport (I think from San Juan) on Tortola then ferry over. BI may close in the fall/winter though - it used to.

From Canada you may/may not be able to get there the same day - we could but chose to overnight in St. Thomas on the return due to flight/ferry schedules.

Leverick Bay might be another option, it's farther out of town and caters to the yacht crowd. There's also a DiveBVI shop there. Seemed fairly nice the times we were there - just not the quality (or price) of Little Dix Bay.

[-]Biras Creek[/-] Mango Bay resort also looked pretty nice, we drove in one day to have a quick look. It's supposed to be as nice as Little Dix Bay.

 

[Hemlon]

Breechan...just out of curiosity, what is your hesitation with going to Mexico? Cozumel is an awesome bang for the buck!

 

[farsidefan1]

Check into Atlantis in the Philippines. It is not Mexico, not a common desitination. Very nice accomodations, nice diving and classes, and 16 hours from Canada sounds about right. Pay the extra for connections from the airport.

 

[Jimmer]

Fantasy Island or Anthony's Key in Roatan.

 

[diversteve]

I think the OP is looking for something a little nicer for $400-700 per day...

 

[ColoDale]

Is you budget $400-700 US per day per person or $400-700 US for two?
If you want luxury, fine dining options, included scuba and watersports, onsite spa on a popular beach, you will be hard pressed to find it on $400-700 for two (including air). I think you may have to give up popular and luxury honeymoon locations or loosen the requirements.

Properties such as Sandals do fit your requirements as AI, dining, scuba included, spa, etc. These might be close to the high end of your budget based on $400-700 for two. That is pushing it a bit but you never know and it depends on the time of year. However they have been offering significant discounts in 2010.
The Gov’t of the Bahamas has been offering free companion airfare from your departure city (or nearest large airport) in 2010 but I don’t know about 2011. I would research the lowest category room and give them a call to see what they can do (or other Bahamas’ hotels or travel agencies). Signing up for their guest program might give you a few more hundred off when booking. I think certifications are extra so it’s better to do it at home first.
I am not a huge fan of Bahamas diving but it’s not bad and they have great beaches.
I am also not a huge fan of Sandals diving but for a new diver it is good i.e. good equipment, boats, professional, but short, regimented dives in my opinion. I think many divers will be in your similar dive situation though. If you use an offsite dive op make sure to check them out prior to your trip.

If you can wait or do shorter notice, every once and awhile there are good package deals on Yahoo Travel, Travelocity, etc. I would sign up for Travelzoo emails. These are short notice but can have great deals.

Other places
You might also keep an eye on Fiji. They have all-inclusives and great diving but are generally not known for fantastic beaches but they do exist. Depending on the hotel and the time of year it can reasonable. The seasons are opposite of ours and in the dry season you will still get rain.
Tahiti does offer honeymoon packages but these are outside your budget. On a side note, you might try a Tahitian cruise.
St. Lucia and not necessarily Sandals. Good beaches in places.
Little Cayman – more of a dive resort.
Grand Cayman – Expensive, more than maybe you want but good beaches but too crowded for me.

Since you are at the end of hurricane season in the Caribbean, trip insurance would be a good idea especially to preserve your honeymoon.

Lastly, keep an eye on dive shop trips in the US or Canada. This may be a little more daunting as you don’t know their reputation or the usual groups that go but they generally have good pricing. These are generally packages and many to AIs and can include some of the requirements you have above. The downside is that many of the dive trips to dive resorts not luxury resorts.