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We did Hawaii for our honeymoon (Maui, not Kauai), and it was absolutely amazing, but I can't deny that it was very expensive and time-consuming to fly (not sure where you're located), and meals were definitely expensive. We managed to stick to our budget, so it can be done. There's a ton to do on the Hawaiian islands -- especially Kauai and Maui -- and when you're there, you almost feel like you're in a different country, with the convenience of staying within the United States. :)
I've been to the Virgin Islands on vacation before. Great beaches!
Kauai is quite nice, but IMO not worth the length of flight. For me, the total travel time from Toronto was over 11 hours due to having to change in LAX. I'm not sure where you are, so it might be better for you.
Pros of Kauai:
Cons of Kauai:
The last point might not be a con for you. For me it was a con because it meant that Hawaii didn't feel very special. It has close to the same culture as I could get by just driving over the border to the U.S. There is a very interesting Hawaiian culture, but it's been kind of smothered by the American culture so you have to dig to find it.
If I were you, I would pick something in the Caribbean other than Aruba. This is mainly because Aruba is quite dry and I like the wetter climates.
ETA: This isn't meant to imply that I don't like American culture. I just would like to experience a different culture after flying for 11 hours.
Dreams La Romana in the Dominican just popped up - I've seen another Bee say she booked there! Has anyone been there?
@PitBulLover: Agree, this is totally where I would go!
St. Martin/Maarten is amazingly beautiful and gives you the feel of being in France or the Netherlands. MMMMM French Pastry on the beach!
I am boycotting Aruba, as American women seem to keep getting killed there.
St. Thomas! That's where we had our honeymoon. Love St. Thomas!! Not as pricey as Hawaii, and lots to do there. Beautiful beaches!!
@Mrs.McMac: Me too! There are beautiful places on the list for Aruba but I am so turned off by the scary reports of American women missing or found dead there.
The resort listed for St. Maarten is the only thing holding me back there - Its the Oyster Bay Beach resort and it doesn't have the best reviews on Trip Advisor.
Just need to say -- Aruba is perfectly safe. ONE woman (Natalie) went missing there, the other woman you may have heard about was the victim of the person she was with. PLEASE don't use random rumors as a reason not to visit. It is AWESOME.
Anywho I have been to Aruba 5 times and I didn't die ONCE.
If it's a Marriott time share, they are amazing.
@delirium.megans: "Anywho I have been to Aruba 5 times and I didn't die ONCE."
Hahaha! Well said. And glad you didn't. ;)
I said I was turned off by it - I didn't say I thought I was going to die there.
And there is a newer case than the Holloway case:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/12/robyn-gardner-missing-aruba_n_926012.html
@Grizz: As I said earlier -- the person that is the suspect is a person she traveled with, not someone from Aruba. She could have traveled with that guy anywhere.
Don't go to Aruba, I don't care, but you scare others by spreading this stuff.
@delirium.megans: I'm being honest and I'm not "spreading stuff". I'm just stating my opinion.
I've heard so many good things about the Sts (Thomas, Maarten, Martin), and it looks like they are beautiful. The hotels are usually pricier there, so if I had a free place to stay, I'd totally take advantage :)
@Jenn23: I PM'ed you about St. T!
@Sarah, what all have you heard about the Sts? Our priorities are having lots to do outdoors, and great food :)
@Grizz: I'm from the Virgin Islands so feel free to PM me if you want more information about St. Thomas :)
I'd go somewhere other then Dominican Republic or Mexico, because you can always get cheap all inclusive deals to go there. The others are more expensive, so I would use this as an opportunity to visit there.
Save DR and Mexico for when you are paying the bill.
@vibride: Thank you so much!
@andielovesj: And thank you! I didn't think of it that way!
We've narrowed it down to one of the Caribbean islands but the timeshare website is so tricky! Something might be available one minute, and gone 5 minutes later. Its good to hear a lot of information about several of these places because we are literally going to have to make a split second decision when we see a great opening :)
I've hear so many great things about St. Thomas. We are going there for one of our ports on the cruise and I can't wait!
We did Riveria Maya/Cancun area for our honeymoon. Stayed at the El Dorado Royale. FANTASTIC resort with 5 star amenities, amazing food, fun things to do, and lots of different excursions to go on :)
We vacationed in Punta Cana two years ago and loved it! We stayed at the Dreams Punta Cana Resort and Spa, but I have heard that the Dreams La Romana has an even nice beach!
The only other place that I have been is Cancun and I wouldn't suggest going there on a honeymoon. It's so touristy! I would def book it at an all inclusive resort! You will save so much money and not have to worry about paying for food or drinks!
Happy Planning! :)
I'm going to plug St Thomas again. It's amazing. We stopped there on our cruise and wish we had been able to see and do more there. It's just such a beautiful place.
It wasn't for a honeymoon, but my family went to the Moon Palace in Riviera Maya, Mexico and it was AMAZING!! We upgraded to the all inclusive, which ended up being completely worth it, as there are 5 palace hotels around Riviera Maya/Cancun and you could eat/drink at all of them for free! There is a lot to do around there, and we did a little of everything. Lots of lounging/drinking by the pool, sightseeing, shopping (both malls and local places) and we had a blast. We are already planning our next trip! :D
You've all made some really compelling points!
The only resort available at the moment in St. Thomas has some pretty poor reviews on TripAdvisor. Same story with St. Maarten. - Would it be worth it to go to either of these islands despite the bad reviews?
We LOVE VIK Hotel Cayena Beach in Punta Cana, but they require you to purchase an all-inclusive meal/excursion plan and we absolutely can't get anyone on the phone who speaks English, and I don't speak any Portuguese 
We can't figure out how much it is due to the communication barrier! I don't like surprises when it comes to bills lol
@delirium.megans: has visited one of the Aruba resorts on our list several times and gave me a ton of great info, like where to buy groceries, snorkel, etc. I have a feeling this is gonna be DH's number 1 pick.
@Baker2Be: Moon Palace is on our timeshare's list also!
@Grizz: Which hotel is available on St. Thomas? Maybe I can give you some more info.
My family and parents are from St.Thomas/St.John aka Virgin Islands.
We have nothing but good things to say and its safe ;)
@vibride: Its called Bluebeards. VI availability seems to be few and far between!
I vote for
The Cayman Islands
Hawaii is fun but everyone goes there for their honeymoon, its over priced and they are 6 hours behind us. I was very fortunate to go to Hawaii and stayed for a week. The entire time I was there I was on east cost time and when I got home I was on Hawaii time. I would recommend if you do Hawaii to do all inclusive.
We decided on...... ARUBA!
Delirium.megans not only "went 5 times and didn't die ONCE" (hehe), but she was also nice enough to PM me great info about places to eat, things to do, and some good tips for visiting because she has stayed at the same resort we're looking at.
I don't know how i would've planned this without all the help and advice I got here - I love the Bee!
St Thomas !!! I love it there, it's gorgeous and all the locals seemed really friendly
ETA: Oops! Just saw you picked aruba. I'm sure you'll love it there!
@Eva Peron: so are mine! well, st thomas anyways.. my mothers family all live down there. wouldn't that be funny if they knew each other. I probably wouldn't pick st thomas for that reason.. too many family members ;)
i'll give you a tip...dont go to st. thomas!! i went there and there was trash every where, it was just messy there.
the cayman islands are gorgeous and a lot of stuff to do there.
if you want to go to different places i say go on a cruise. that way you can see many places that you have always wanted to go to .
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We were gifted a timeshare week and have NO IDEA where to choose! We plan on traveling between March and August, and want something beachy with lots to do.
Here are our options:
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Aruba
The Cayman Islands
St. Maarten/St. Martin
St. Thomas
Kauai, Hawaii
Riviera Maya, Mexico
Cancun, Mexico
and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is on the available list about half the time we log in.
Can anybody give me pros and cons to each place? Kauai looks beautiful, but our concerns are spending tons of time/money on flights, and we've heard meal prices there are outrageous. And the Mexico threads on this board have me all freaked out about Mexico!