MnT2022

My fiancé and I will be getting married in June 2022 and are looking for suggestions for where to travel for our honeymoon. We love to snorkel, hike, and enjoy time on the beach and by the pool with a good cocktail and great food. We would like to stay at an all-inclusive resort (preferably all adults) for between 10 and 14 days. I am not sure what islands have the best weather in June, so any insight would be appreciated. Safety is also a top priority. We have not agreed on a budget yet, but I would assume it to be around $7500 all in. We would be traveling from Providence, RI (or Boston, MA) and are fine with having a connecting flight, but don't want to waste an entire day on travel. We have never traveled to the Caribbean together, so any and all options are on the table! Thank you in advance!

RoamsAround

June weather throughout the Caribbean is some of the best of the year and you won't find a significant difference on any given island so that would be a factor in choosing a destination.

If you have your heart set on an All Inclusive (AI's) resort then you'll probably want to start your search in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cancun and Cozumel as those destinations have hundreds of AI's in your price range to choose from. One thing to consider, in general, AI's in your price range (assuming by "all in" you are planning for a typical week long trip and you are including air fare in your $7,500 budget), won't really have "great food" - lot's of food (and drink), yes, but "great food", no. Of course, quality of food is subjective and to some people big portions and/or buffets equate to good food while true foodies are more discriminate and tend to avoid AI's altogether. FYI - to a lesser extent you'll find AI's on many other islands but they won't be as numerous and can be at the upper end of the price scale.

If snorkeling is high on your priority list then you might want to consider looking at resorts in the the British Virgin Islands but be aware that there are only a few AI's and none will be anywhere near your price range plus getting there from Providence will consume the better part of a day. You'll also find some good snorkeling on Grace Bay on Providenciales (in the Turks & Caicos) but other then the low end Club Med, the expensive family oriented Beaches and a couple of very High End Amanyara you won't find any AI's. There's some good snorkeling in the US Virgin Islands and you'll find them fairly easy to reach via Boston. AI's are limited but available.

Hope this helps.

MnT2022

Thanks so much for the detailed reply!! If we were able to expand on our budget, what is your take on Sandals resorts? Are they worth it? I have seen a lot of good reviews on them, so we were wondering about looking into those

RoamsAround

Sandals gets good reviews because they provide higher end services with prices to match. People who are very budget minded and looking for a bargain will think it’s not “worth it”. Those who can afford to stay there usually feel they got what they paid for. So, you’ll have to determine what type of travelers you are: budget minded or price doesn’t matter.

janisj

Are you absolutely set on an AI? If food is important wouldn't you like to dine off property some (or a lot)?

MnT2022

We are not absolutely set on it, but thought an AI may be nice for budgeting purposes in that all of our expenses are laid out up front

RoamsAround

The drawback for going AI is that you end up taking ALL your meals at the resort and there's really no incentive to even leave the resort so you'll miss out on the true Caribbean experience. If you consider non-AI properties the number of options you'll have increases exponentially. There are many, many islands that have some fantastic restaurants, wonderful beaches and scores of interesting places to explore. The costs will be relatively the same or in some cases less than going AI and you'll have much more variety plus it's fairly easy to figure out a food budget so you'll know up front what your costs will be - and you should be able to have a fantastic vacation with your $7,500 budget.

For example: Anguilla has 35 spectacular white sand beaches, decent snorkeling and over 80 different restaurants ranging from simple modestly priced local foods to high end gourmet dining local. Some of these restaurants are among the best in the Caribbean. St. Bart's, a French island often referred to as the Paris of the Caribbean has scores of wonderful restaurants that can please the palate of the most discriminating food lover, terrific beaches and a unique European vibe - like getting two vacations in one. The aforementioned British Virgin Islands offers great snorkeling, a wonderful selection of non-AI resorts, beautiful golden sand beaches and plenty of hiking opportunities. If you are willing to go non-AI it fits your wish list to a "T".

Before making any decision you'd be wise to investigate going non-AI - you'll open up a while new world of possibilities and may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

balthy

I've stayed in a few AI only hotels in the Caribbean and despite that, have ventured off the resort many times, we almost always rent a car and go places. Some islands are small and you can easily have an excursion in the morning and be back for lunch, sometimes we had lunch or dinner out. It is not a prison sentence, you can skip some meals and eat elsewhere. Jamaica, DR and Mexico are often mentioned as the best places for AI hotels. Certainly they have the most choice. DR is not a place I would suggest for a first time visit to the Caribbean and certainly not for a honeymoon. You don't have to be restricted to those places as AI exists on many islands in the Caribbean.

Barbados has many hotels that offer an AI option if you want it. The west coast has beautiful calm beaches, there are some good spots for snorkelling, there are plenty of great restaurants if you want to venture out. Rent a jeep and drive all over the island, the east coast is wild, rugged and very windy, total opposite of the glamorous west coast. Perfect beginner island and for a honeymoon. I've been in June and it can be rainy, same as St Lucia.

Antigua has many hotels that offer AI if you want it. You do not have to be restricted to hotels that only offer AI. Some hotels will offer various meal plans, one of which maybe AI. Here is an example of a "boutique" AI hotel in Antigua, on a beautiful beach (Antigua has many gorgeous beaches). It is about as far away from a stereotypical AI hotel as you can get.

Cocos Hotel Photos - An All Inclusive Antigua Resort For Couples & Adults Only

St Lucia is also a great honeymoon island. It is moutainous in the south and in some areas the sand is dark, however the water is clear and snorkelling is great esp around the Pitons. Anse Chastanet is a magical hotel, it is not an AI hotel but they offer meal plans, ranging from B&B to AI. You can choose. It is remote therefore having an AI meal plan is probably the way to go, trying to find a restaurant every time you want to eat is going to be tricky. Same for alot of hotels in the south of the island that are around the Pitons. If you stay around the north, Rodney Bay, there is no need for AI as there are restaurants on every corner. The beach has beige sand, really beautiful.

https://ansechastanet.com/

Anguilla is absolutely stunning, the beaches out of this world. No need for AI on this island. Hiking is probably not great as the island is flat and arid. Across the water to St Martin, you can stay in Grand Case and have 100s of restaurants in walking distance of a hotel in the area. No need for AI here & it probably does not exist.

Grenada is another option. It does have several AI hotels, some very good ones on the best beach on the island. Friendly people, great beaches, has a mountainous interior with rainforest so great for hiking. Easy to get around the island in a rental car, no way does staying in an AI impede your ability to venture out and see the island.

https://www.spiceislandbeachresort.com/

Although not in the Caribbean, Bermuda is a wonderful island for a honeymoon. You might not find AI there but eating out is not at all difficult (but expensive). Beaches are out of this world, mid to late June is perfect for sea swimming (can be too cool late May/early June for swimming in the sea).

T&C is another good option, I have a visit booked for this June (not sure it will happen...), there is no need for AI, so many places to eat even if it is in other hotels. It is not all expensive dining options either. Snorkelling and scuba is excellent, esp if you get away from Grace Bay and go somewhere like Smiths Reef (car rental is recommended but very expensive).

Finally, a stay of 10-14 days might be a bit much for AI, after a week you might be fedup with the menu. With a stay of 14 days, you could do a multi centre holiday, depending on what airlines are left now For example, if you are a serious hiker, you could have 2/3 nights in Saba and climb Mt Scenery then fly to St Martin stay there or go to Anguilla or go onto St Barts. You simply have so many options.