Beach+Bungalow=??? Help with Honeymoon!

[FrekeChild]

Ok So my husband and I are planning on taking a belated honeymoon for our first anniversary. He wants to do something tropical, and I want to go to Europe. Due to financial constraints (I''m a recent college grad who is unemployed, he is a phd student) we''re opting for the tropics.

His requirements: sandy beach, Hawaii or Caribbean, bungalow/cottage/villa on the beach, prefers Hawaii.

My requirements: Not a big resort, privacy, subdued, NO GOLF, prefers the Caribbean.

I know PSers have great taste, and I''ve done some searches, but nothing has really come up, except Sandals and Club Med type stuff, and that''s about the opposite of what we''re looking for.

I had found one place that had private bungalows on a beach that had no phone lines and had flags that you could raise for specific needs from hotel staff that sounded perfect, but I can''t find that site now!

Anyway, any help would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[elrohwen]

We stayed in a house in the Bahamas a few years ago and it was *amazing*. We were on Green Turtle Cay which is so small that everyone knows everyone and nobody locks their houses or boats. There were a few hotels and restaurants, so it wasn't deserted, but I loved the small island feel. Our friends have been to other islands in the Abacos and liked them as well.

Here's a website of rentals: http://www.abacoislandrentals.com/

Here's the house we rented specifically: http://www.abacoislandrentals.com/coralsands.html

I'm sure that's too big for you guys (we went with 4 other people), but you get the idea. They have some really nice properties on the site and we can't wait to go back and rent another one!

I'm really anti-resort and do not like to spend my vacations around lots of other people, so this was perfect. I love renting a house and having lots of privacy to do what I want.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Inanna]

I absolutely LOVE VRBO.com for finding private vacation rentals basically anywhere in the world... its where we found our beach houses for our wedding in the Florida Keys.

I''ll start searching and throw up some links in a little while.

 

[Inanna]

Here are a few I found fairly quickly. Do you have any idea where in the Caribbean you prefer?

St. Lucia:
Ocean View Villa

Antigua:
Cottage - Hodges Bay

St. John:
Island Cottage - Coral Bay

And here are some Hawaii rentals:
Molokai beachfront
Beachfront Cottage
Oahu Bungalow

 

[Maria D]

How''s this for ignoring all your criteria? Hotel Capitan Suizo, Tamarindo, Costa Rica

It''s right on the beach, very private, yet you can walk to nearby restaurants. Tamarindo is just lovely! And, rather than one of you having to "give up" your preferred locale -- you get a great compromise. Just looking at the website makes me want to book a trip. I''ve been to many places in the Caribbean but I haven''t been to Costa Rica since 2005. Looking at it I''m wondering why the heck not???

Good luck and congratulations!

 

[Gailey]

Liz,

Mr G and I have just returned from the Catalonia Royal Bavaro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The resort is split into two sections, Family and adult only. We stayed on the adult only side. Unfortunately, the photos on Trip advisor don`t show the new development on the adult side of the complex because it is brand new. I don`t think our suite had been occupied previously.

We stayed in a loft suite with private terrace and infinity pool. I have photos if you are interested, but they are on another computer and will need to be re-sized, so I can`t post them immediately.

It was quiet on the adult side, but you had full access to the other half of the complex where there was more life if you wanted it.

It was the most wonderful holiday that we have ever taken.

 

[FrekeChild]

Wow! There are so many places out there I haven''t even discovered yet.

Inanna, where was it that you got married? That pic in the "Scenery" thread in Newlyweds looks awesome.

It''s not really about having two different dream locations, it''s more like the Caribbean has MUCH shorter travel time. The hubs really isn''t keen on spending lots of time traveling. So he''d rather go to Hawaii, because he''s been there before, but knows that the Caribbean is less of a PITA to travel to. I don''t really care either way. A beach is a beach IMHO.

As for areas/islands we prefer? No idea. I''ve been on a cruise to the Bahamas, but other than that, we have no experience with anywhere. And I was about 9, so I don''t remember much...

So we are totally open to suggestion!

 

[jcarlylew]

i second the virgin islands!! i don''t have any good suggestions on where to stay, as we traveled around on a sailboat there, but it is all beautiful! Jost Van Dyke has a fun little inlet called soggy dollar bar/sand castle hotel that has small bungalos for rent. Also, Saphire beach on st. thomas is stunning (a top contender for our honeymoon as well!) AND has excellent shopping. just in case

 

[whitby_2773]

hi freke

have you thought about fiji at all? gorgeous!

http://www.navutustarsfiji.com/rates.aspx

there's always grand cayman of course. my choice is to stay *here*...

http://specialoffers.starwoodhotels.com/Westin_Casuarina_Grand_Cayman/so.htm

not the bure you wanted, but i'm thinking there must be something like that somewhere on GC. the water/beaches are just divine!

 

[CellarDoor]

I''ve always wanted to stay here, but haven''t had the chance to yet:

http://www.soggydollar.com/sandcastlehotel/

The rates are pretty reasonable, especially if you travel during the off season

We always take advantage of credit card frequent flier miles so we get free flights. Delta and American used to waive their annual fee for the first year and give you 25,000-30,000 miles after you use the card to make a certain number of purchases within a designated amount of time. I just got a new American Airlines Citibank card that has a 30,000 mile sign up bonus (but a $50 annual fee). We just cashed in a bunch and flew to Belize for free, but it was kind of a hassle because the flights that you are allowed to choose from aren''t exactly convenient, we had to stay overnight in Dallas on the way back and had a five hour layover on the way there, but it wasn''t that big of a deal. Gave us a lot more money to spend on food and booze

 

[fatafelice]

Edit: See below for actual post.

 

[fatafelice]

Like you, I am anti-big-resorts. I''m a fan of small, quiet places, and islands that don''t get much tourism. So...

We went to Nevis on our honeymoon and LOVED it. We stayed at http://www.montpeliernevis.com/. It''s not on the beach (which we preferred), but they have a private beach a few minutes away. Here''s a site with more information on the island from a real person: http://www.nevis1.com/ Look into Nisbet Plantation Inn...it is on the beach and gets great reviews.

We''re going to St.Eustatius (Statia) in March and I am SO excited. We are staying here: http://www.oldginhouse.com , but we also seriously considered this place: http://www.statialodge.com/ The only issue for us with the second place is that it is more self-serve (no restaurant, room service, etc.).

I have also spent a lot of time looking into Saba (http://www.sabatourism.com/) and Anegada (http://www.britishvirginislands.com/anegada.htm), though the latter seems tricky to get to and a bit limited in accommodations.

But for our next Caribbean trip, I am determined that we are going to Antigua and staying here: http://www.cocobayresort.com/ The only reason we aren''t going there in March is that they were booked up.

Have you used TripAdvisor.com? That is how I start all my travel research and how I found many of these places.

(Apparently Google Chrome doesn''t like PS...or vice versa)

 

[fatafelice]

I also know that JCrow honeymooned at an *amazing* place in St.Lucia, but I don''t recall what it was called...

Oh, I think it was here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147343-d151080-Reviews-Ti_Kaye_Village_Resort-Castries_St_Lucia.html

 

[Inanna]

Date: 1/19/2010 10:40:05 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Wow! There are so many places out there I haven't even discovered yet.


Inanna, where was it that you got married? That pic in the 'Scenery' thread in Newlyweds looks awesome.

Thanks Freke! We got married in Islamorada, FL which about 70 miles away from Key West. The houses we booked (called the Island Palms Estate) are now managed by a real estate company with lots of great properties: http://www.stayinthefloridakeys.com/rentals.cfm. I do love the Keys, but one of the things people complain about is the fact there are very few natural sand beaches. They definitely don't have the sugar sand beaches you see in much of mainland Florida and the Caribbean.

fatafelice - I'm bookmarking Cocobay Resort. Thats definitely the type of resort I could get behind! Ti Kaye and Ladera in St. Lucia also look amazing!

 

[Amandine]

I can speak to Ti Kaye, my DH and I took some scuba lessons there on our honeymoon. Lovely little bay, had a great day there. Doesn''t have that resort-y feel.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Check out www.slh.com

There was a place in Maui that the Bachelorette went to last season, on the Hana side, and it looks like an awesome resort. I think it''s the Hotel Hana - http://hotelhanamaui.com/

We drove by it last year and I am definitely going to stay there the next time I''m back in Maui. Just a lovely feel, and not a megaresort like the Grand Wailea, which was also amazing.

 

[oobiecoo]

Its not a caribbean destination but very tropical and fits your requirements otherwise...
Island Bay Resort

It is located in Tavernier in the Florida Keys... about a 2 hour drive from the airport and 2 hours from Key West. This resort is very small and on the bay side but it does have a beach. There are only maybe 8 or 10 cottages with lots of chairs, hammocks, and a cabana to hang out in. Its only maybe 15 minutes from Key largo and there are quite a few water sports, sailing trips, that sort of thing available there.

Its absolutely gorgeous and soooo relaxing. We plan to go back many, many more times!

 

[tyty333]

I love St. John and also recommend vrbo.com or one of the many rental companies for st. John.
It is a very quiet low-key kind of island though...if you are looking to party its probably not your
kind of place. Lots of pretty beaches and snorkeling...get a villa with at least a hot tub (or pool
too if its in the budget).

EDIT -
http://www.cloud9villas.com/

We used this company...they are no longer renting the house we stayed in though.

 

[wannaBMrsH]

As always, I am late to the party, but here is another vote for Costa Rica:

http://www.hotelpuntaislita.com/accommodations

This is one of the resorts that we were looking at when we were doing our DW. It looks just amazing and the pricing is very competitive.

It looks so secluded that I am actually daydreamed myself there a few minutes ago.

We are also doing a belated honeymoon, but STILL can''t decide where we are going...

Good luck to you and your hubby!

 

[BeachRunner]

I have to second (or third) the use of VRBO.com. Every time hubs and I travel we use vrbo.com and stay in amazing homes/condos/bungalows and they are financially more efficient, as you have a full and stocked(meaning pots, pans, etc) kitchen. Breakfast and lunch can be done at the home, which saves you a lot of money. We still usually went out for some dinners.

I also want to suggest St. John USVI. Very low-key and sounds like something you were describing.

 

[trillionaire]

My dream honeymoon...

It''s not exactly the Carribean (Costa Rica), but the resort is amazing! I really hope we can afford to go...

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Victoria House, Ambergris Caye Belize. Un-frickin-believeable.

View from our beach bungalow

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 1/19/2010 8:06:44 PM
Author: Maria D
How''s this for ignoring all your criteria? Hotel Capitan Suizo, Tamarindo, Costa Rica


It''s right on the beach, very private, yet you can walk to nearby restaurants. Tamarindo is just lovely! And, rather than one of you having to ''give up'' your preferred locale -- you get a great compromise. Just looking at the website makes me want to book a trip. I''ve been to many places in the Caribbean but I haven''t been to Costa Rica since 2005. Looking at it I''m wondering why the heck not???


Good luck and congratulations!

We''re heading here (not exactly here - but to Guanacaste coast) on Monday - will report back how it was!! This is my first trip to CR, very excited!