Caribbean - Honeymoon Help - British Virgin or Cayman Islands? Help With Points, Rewards To Use..

Project:

My and my wifey-to-be are looking to take our honeymoon somewhere in the caribbean in mid to late march 2013. Our main goal is to get certified for SUCBA wherever we go. We also want to keep within a reasonable budget.

Background:

We live in Buenos Aires, and my wife is from here. We want to take our honeymoon somewhere that we can stop along the way to visiting my family in Chicago afterwards, so we figured that the Caribbean would be the way to go. At first we were thinking Belize, but then we starting thinking it would be nice to go somewhere a little more built up and well...

Right now we are kind of between BVI and Caymans. I am kind of leaning towards BVI as I seem to be finding that the hotels are cheaper, the diver rates are cheaper and there are more islands and more things to see there.

Reward Points/Miles To Use


Compared to most here I think I am quite the young-blood/newb when it comes to life hacking...but less than a year I think I am doing quite well (only person I have ever heard of to get 3 Chase cards in the same month)

Chase Ultimate Rewards - 130,000
United - 88,000
American - 120,000 (To be completed in Sep)

I already have churned the United Explorer, Ink Bold, Sapphire, and two personal AAdvantage Citi (thank you double browser trick). I was thinking that in a few months I could possible go for the Ink Plus (its a little hard for me to hit that limit though).

I was also thinking it might be good to get into the hotel points game. Until now I have been avoiding that since I dont do hotels often, but I could use them for our trip. I dont know the first thing about hotel points. I did try to do a brief search this morning and I didnt find many properties on either BVI or Caymans for most of the main hotel programs I know of (Hyatt, Hilton, Starwood, Marriot, etc.) Maybe there is something I am missing.

A key part of the trip is that I need to find a relatively cheap place to stay as we have 2 weeks there and I don't want to spend $2000 on just a hotel. I think we would be open to doing a hostel or something for part of the trip and then staying in a nicer place for the end of it.

Final Thoughts


As I have never been to BVI and I only remember briefly staying in Caymans when I was very young on a cruise I would appreciate anyone else's thoughts on the subject. Thank you all SSOOOOO much for all of the great advice I know you are all going to give to me.

Project:



Reward Points/Miles To Use


Compared to most here I think I am quite the young-blood/newb when it comes to life hacking...but less than a year I think I am doing quite well (only person I have ever heard of to get 3 Chase cards in the same month)

Chase Ultimate Rewards - 130,000
United - 88,000
American - 120,000 (To be completed in Sep)

I already have churned the United Explorer, Ink Bold, Sapphire, and two personal AAdvantage Citi (thank you double browser trick). I was thinking that in a few months I could possible go for the Ink Plus (its a little hard for me to hit that limit though).

.
how you get 130k on chase? i got a pair of 50's where you find 120k on american?

i do not think there a single chain hotel in bvi. cayman had 1 when i last there.

i would look to a place that specializes in diver training, otherwise you will just be on a regular boat going on the regular dive with the regular divers and guides. not as good as a specialty shop. i would presume the best place for that would be someplace like aruba, where 90 million tourists show up. bonaire had a place for training that was good.

how you get 130k on chase? i got a pair of 50's where you find 120k on american?

i do not think there a single chain hotel in bvi. cayman had 1 when i last there.

i would look to a place that specializes in diver training, otherwise you will just be on a regular boat going on the regular dive with the regular divers and guides. not as good as a specialty shop. i would presume the best place for that would be someplace like aruba, where 90 million tourists show up. bonaire had a place for training that was good.

I made my Chase with the Ink Bold, Sapphire and then the American I got with the Citi double browser trick to get both cards at once. Add in the spending I made to hit the minimum spends and you get all of those miles/points.

I have found one or two places in BVI and Cayman that are major chains, but they are all category 7 type places that are way beyond what we can afford to pay for. I have not looked into Aruba much, do you think there is enough there to keep us going for 2 weeks? I originally wanted BVI because it had many islands we could jump between via ferry, the nature reserve, etc. I am just a little worried that Aruba might be a small place that we get bored of after 5 days.

Thanks for your insights! I appreciate your help a lot.

i have spent a lot of time in both bvi and cayman. bvi is very boring if you do not charter a sailboat. cayman is very boring if you do not dive. most of cayman diving is pretty deep, and it is not for rookies. diving on bvi is pretty limited. bonaire is a great place to dive and get a license. other than diving it is a desert and a few goats. most of the Caribbean is pretty expensive. no 4000 point starwoods. it is sort of the caribbean, and it can be cheap. go to the keys.

What about some time in Aruba and some time in Curacao? Curacao has good beginner diving and hotels are reasonably low category.

I learnt to dive in the Bahamas - very nice water for starting out! We did some really interesting dives (although I did chicken out of the shark dive!)

No idea on accommodation etc. tho. But somewhere you might consider.

Bahamas has a nice Starwood hotel thats category 4. If I churn two SPG card I can get 60k starwood points, and get a whole week there for free...But I am a little worried about the Bahamas...Aren't they kind of like the sanitized, Disneyland of the Caribbean?

I was thinking BVI or Caymans...but originally we wanted Belize. I just do not want to go all the way somewhere for our Honeymoon and then find that we are on the beach with a bunch of fat gringos and kids...I had read that in BVI there are plenty of smaller islands you can go to for more isolated experiences. I also have not read much on the diving in Bahamas, but what I have read about diving in BVI or Cayman says its great there.

I have not looked into Curacao though...

Bahamas has a nice Starwood hotel thats category 4. If I churn two SPG card I can get 60k starwood points, and get a whole week there for free...But I am a little worried about the Bahamas...Aren't they kind of like the sanitized, Disneyland of the Caribbean?

...

what is an spg card? how do you churn it? how you churn it to get 60k *wd pts.

the caribbean is sanitized. the whole place is run by corporate america, and serving fat, caucasian elderly getting off cruise boats. the men walk around the beach wearing white shirts, black pants and oxfords with leather soles. not to worry they clear out by 1pm to drink the local rum in the local concoction at a beach bar. the wifes are shopping for trinkets that were actually made in thailand at the local settlement, or looking through paintings of undiscovered hatian artists that come from chinese sweatshops .

what is an spg card? how do you churn it? how you churn it to get 60k *wd pts.

the caribbean is sanitized. the whole place is run by corporate america, and serving fat, caucasian elderly getting off cruise boats...


I really couldn't be bothered with the rest of your rant.

From your comments it appears that you really haven't seen much of the Caribbean.

A lot of the Caribbean is very definitely NOT run by the USA.


Now, to answer the OP's question,

If you're going to the BVI then Tortola is an absolutely fantastic place for a honeymoon. They've got some great villas to choose from and, from what I hear, the hotels are good as well - although I've never stayed at a hotel, only villas.

Depending on where you're staying it might be worthwhile renting a car and just be aware that they drive on the proper side of the road in the BVI - that is, on the left hand side.

There isn't a massive amount to actually 'do' so, if you want to visit lots of places then the BVI probably isn't the place to go. On the other hand if you just want to relax on the beach then it's great.

When it comes to getting certified, then I can recommend Blue Water Divers. I've dived with them before and they also do certification courses for $410 each:-

http://www.bluewaterdiversbvi.com/scuba/certification/


Another place to consider is St-Martin / St Maarten. It's half French and half Dutch. A really nice island with definitely no US influence. There's a lot more to do here and more shopping than the BVI.

The diving is also very good and one company I can recommend is Octopus Diving:-

http://www.octopusdiving.com/our-services/padi-courses/padi-certification-courses/padi-open-water-diver/

I've also heard very good things about Ocean Explorers, but I've never been with them so couldn't comment. Another one that a friend recommended to me was called Dive Adventures


EDIT

Just to add, you might also want to think about Barbados. There is a really wide range of hotels and villas to choose from and some REALLY good restaurants.

In terms of diving, I've been with Eco Divers and Reefers and Wreckers and can recommend both of them:-

http://ecodivebarbados.com/packages.php

http://www.scubadiving.bb/prices

the caribbean is sanitized. the whole place is run by corporate america, and serving fat, caucasian elderly getting off cruise boats. the men walk around the beach wearing white shirts, black pants and oxfords with leather soles. not to worry they clear out by 1pm to drink the local rum in the local concoction at a beach bar. the wifes are shopping for trinkets that were actually made in thailand at the local settlement, or looking through paintings of undiscovered hatian artists that come from chinese sweatshops .

Sounds like you haven't travelled to the Caribbean much.

I imagine it would be if you stayed at Atlantis and hung out in Nassau with the cruise ship crowds! But there are dozens of smaller islands that make up the Bahamas, which don't have any resemblance to Disney.

I haven't been to BVI or Caymens, but plenty of tourists do (i know 3 people who have been to the Caymens in the last 2 months!) so if you don't want somewhere with other tourists, I think you may need to go somewhere more remote.

Bahamas has a nice Starwood hotel thats category 4. If I churn two SPG card I can get 60k starwood points, and get a whole week there for free...But I am a little worried about the Bahamas...Aren't they kind of like the sanitized, Disneyland of the Caribbean?

I was thinking BVI or Caymans...but originally we wanted Belize. I just do not want to go all the way somewhere for our Honeymoon and then find that we are on the beach with a bunch of fat gringos and kids...I had read that in BVI there are plenty of smaller islands you can go to for more isolated experiences. I also have not read much on the diving in Bahamas, but what I have read about diving in BVI or Cayman says its great there.

I have not looked into Curacao though...

I really couldn't be bothered with the rest of your rant.

From your comments it appears that you really haven't seen much of the Caribbean.

A lot of the Caribbean is very definitely NOT run by the USA.


Now, to answer the OP's question,

If you're going to the BVI then Tortola is an absolutely fantastic place for a honeymoon. They've got some great villas to choose from and, from what I hear, the hotels are good as well - although I've never stayed at a hotel, only villas.

Depending on where you're staying it might be worthwhile renting a car and just be aware that they drive on the proper side of the road in the BVI - that is, on the left hand side.

There isn't a massive amount to actually 'do' so, if you want to visit lots of places then the BVI probably isn't the place to go. On the other hand if you just want to relax on the beach then it's great.

When it comes to getting certified, then I can recommend Blue Water Divers. I've dived with them before and they also do certification courses for $410 each:-

http://www.bluewaterdiversbvi.com/scuba/certification/


Another place to consider is St-Martin / St Maarten. It's half French and half Dutch. A really nice island with definitely no US influence. There's a lot more to do here and more shopping than the BVI.

The diving is also very good and one company I can recommend is Octopus Diving:-

http://www.octopusdiving.com/our-services/padi-courses/padi-certification-courses/padi-open-water-diver/

I've also heard very good things about Ocean Explorers, but I've never been with them so couldn't comment. Another one that a friend recommended to me was called Dive Adventures


EDIT

Just to add, you might also want to think about Barbados. There is a really wide range of hotels and villas to choose from and some REALLY good restaurants.

In terms of diving, I've been with Eco Divers and Reefers and Wreckers and can recommend both of them:-

http://ecodivebarbados.com/packages.php

http://www.scubadiving.bb/prices


I just started looking at St Maarten/Martin and it looks like it might be a good option for us. I even found a Starwood hotel Cat 5 there that looks like a possibility for us. I need to call them and see what kind of availability they will have for us to use points (as it does not come up on the website).

As of now, it looks like we are between USVI/BVI and St Maarten/St Martin.

Any thoughts on how we should compare those two?

what happened to scuba? i thought spg had a no blackout with points deal? the st martins are not the first thing that come to mind when scuba is mentioned.(cannot comment, as i have never been there)

I just started looking at St Maarten/Martin and it looks like it might be a good option for us. I even found a Starwood hotel Cat 5 there that looks like a possibility for us. I need to call them and see what kind of availability they will have for us to use points (as it does not come up on the website).

As of now, it looks like we are between USVI/BVI and St Maarten/St Martin.

Any thoughts on how we should compare those two?

Looks like your looking some variety in your trip then you might look at chartering a sailboat. There is a lot of different companies and some have SCUBA options. One thing I would recommend is getting certified at home (if possible) and then you can spend more time diving on trip and make sure that SCUBA is something both of you enjoy. Otherwise it can be a real drag if your whole trip is planned around it.

If you considering USVI then St. Johns is very beautiful but the hotels/villas can be very pricey. BVI has many different islands and I have to second Tortolla/Virgin Gorda as it has a lot of housing options and the Baths are an amazing site. The only downside is transportation to BVI can be time consuming as flights can be tricky or long ferry rides.

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I just started looking at St Maarten/Martin and it looks like it might be a good option for us. I even found a Starwood hotel Cat 5 there that looks like a possibility for us. I need to call them and see what kind of availability they will have for us to use points (as it does not come up on the website).

As of now, it looks like we are between USVI/BVI and St Maarten/St Martin.

Any thoughts on how we should compare those two?

Westin SXM has some weird deal where you have to call to book award nights. Be careful of the cancellation policy there. See the SPG forum for a lot more info on this property. Diving is going to be much better in BVIs.

Really? Somehow, I must have missed that at a number of places I've visited in the Caribbean. :rolleyes:

I'd maybe recommend BVI - Tortola at that, as it is not full of (see below), and has some economical places to eat and stay, friendly people, some decent dive shops (alas, Baskin In The Sun is closed, but Prospect Reef Resort lives on, albeit it sounds quite decrepit these days,) and some very nice diving. Dive boats form Tortola visit The Dogs, various reefs, the wreck of the Rhone, Blond Rock (which the Rhone was trying to avoid when she broke up), Painted Walls, etc. I'd recommend doing the PADI pool work and online "book" work at home, and get a referral, perhaps to Blue Water Divers (http://www.bluewaterdiversbvi.com/).

See TripAdvisor's page on Road Town here (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g147355-Road_Town_Tortola_British_Virgin_Islands-Hotels.html) for some B&B ideas.

You can take easy day trips to Virgin Gorda, or other islands or sail a day. You must go to C&F restaurant up in Purcell Estate where the locals eat and make merry! Maybe Pisces at Soper's Hole (a lovely place itself). Hey, mon, this Tortola Island place be great for limin'! :D

EIS (Beef Island, Road Town's airport,) is easy to get to from San Juan / SJU.

SXM - unless you are in the (expensive) French area, Sint Maarten has its ups and downs, is the origin for many cruises, and has some personal safety issues. Aruba and Curacao -

what is an spg card? how do you churn it? how you churn it to get 60k *wd pts.

the caribbean is sanitized. the whole place is run by corporate america, and serving fat, caucasian elderly getting off cruise boats. the men walk around the beach wearing white shirts, black pants and oxfords with leather soles. not to worry they clear out by 1pm to drink the local rum in the local concoction at a beach bar. the wifes are shopping for trinkets that were actually made in thailand at the local settlement, or looking through paintings of undiscovered hatian artists that come from chinese sweatshops .