The Caribbean - Honeymoon in December - Which island to choose?

I'm using an AA Economy Anytime award for my wife and I to celebrate our honeymooon this December. If we had to choose one island - which one would you visit and why?

She said she's up to anything as long as you can also sit on the beach and drink.

Aruba is a great island for beaching and drinking.

Aruba and Cayman Islands will make you feel like you're in Southern Florida. Try Barbados or St. Lucia for great beaches and something just differnt enough to make you feel like you visited a foreign country.

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13F

Aruba or Curacao.....

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I'm by no means a Caribbean expert (having visited only 3 islands), but I can provide some information about our Mr Canuck's and my recent trip to Curacao, and you can decide whether that island interests you.

Pros:

(1) Although we couldn't find a non-stop on an airline with which I accrue miles, AA had a fairly convenient routing (LGA-MIA-CUR, CUR-MIA-EWR) where we didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn, depart late in the evening or have overly long or short layovers. I think our flight out of NYC was at 9 am, and we got to Curacao about 8:00 pm, with about a 3 hour layover in Miami.

(2) We really enjoyed our stay at the Marriott Curacao Resort. It has a great beach (and a beachside bar), a medium-sized but nicely laid out pool (with a swim up bar), a very good dive shop (and dive boat - we're scuba divers), large and attractive rooms - and very friendly, service-oriented staff. The hotel is neither over-the-top luxurious nor budget-friendly. We thought it was good value for the money at the rate we paid (about $200 room-only a night, but with the 7th night free and a $140 food and beverage credit). Pub-type snacks, sandwiches and light meals (at the Emerald Lounge) were surprisingly good and there is an all-day deli (open until 11). Have a look at the Curacao Now promotion - it might still be running and it also offers $100 rebates (from the Curacao tourist board) on your flights, if you're a US resident.

Notes - If you collect points and miles, finding an island with a nice hotel (in your price range) in your favourite chain is important. This is one of the reasons we chose Curacao. There is a Renaissance Hotel in the Marriott chain opening soon in Curacao - I'm not sure if it will be open by the time of your trip. There is also a Hilton nearby, but it didn't seem nearly as nice or as well situated as the Marriott.

(3) More diverse than what I'd expect Aruba to be. Staff and many people in service industries are multi-lingual (Dutch, English, Spanish and local Creole dialect), and the tourists seem to consist primarily of a mix of people from North America, the Netherlands and Latin America in equal proportions. Not that I have anything against North Americans - but it's nice to go somewhere different from home.

(4) We felt quite safe outside the resort. We rented a car for a few days and drove around to see the sights and also headed into town for a few days. There's not a whole lot to do (see Cons below), but you're not cooped up in the resort if you don't want to be. The water is safe to drink and there weren't any issues with food safety.

(5) The diversity in culture translates into somewhat more interesting food than you might find in more touristy areas. We enjoyed eating out and had a number of very good (although probably not superb) meals.

Cons

(1) Curacao has some lovely beaches, but it also has industrial infrastructure and plants. (There are oil refineries on the island.) The island doesn't look picture-perfect and untouched by humans. On the other hand, the diversity in the island's economic resources seems to translate into less of a "have-have not" economic divide on the island - which makes it a more comfortable place for me to visit.

(2) Practically nothing to shop for. (Not a problem for us, but could be a problem for others.) We bought Curacao (the liquor) and a few trinkets at the Ostrich Farm. We couldn't find anything else to buy - what was on offer looked tatty.

(3) It doesn't seem like there are a lot of activities (other than diving and snorkelling) at the Marriott or elsewhere. As I mentioned, we visited the Ostrich farm (quite fun - got to hold a baby ostrich and feed the adults), and drove around the island one day (rent a car and look for interesting beaches). Since we were spending most of our time diving, however, we were happy. (The diving isn't technically difficult, and there is a lot to see. The dive shop is very safety-conscious and they have a well-equipped boat.)

(4) Meal options at the Marriott (except for the Emerald Lounge) were a little underwhelming. I wouldn't recommend an all-inclusive plan - you won't get your money's worth.

(5) The rooms are a little basic (the resort overall might be 5* but the rooms are more 3.5-4*). Our room was colourful, recently painted, large and had a large bathroom. It was kept very clean - but it wasn't stylish and it didn't have high-end finishes. We did score an upgrade to a beach-view 2nd floor room with balcony. I recommend that you either blag your way into an upgrade (if you have status with Marriott) or pay the extra $ for it. Ask for a quiet room at some distance from the pool.

St.Martin,the best beaches,great food and I have always felt very safe there.I am not sure about your budget and if you like a resort or a villa.Many nice villas,you can have your own pool and walk to the beach.You can PM me if you want more info.

I agree totally with SXM. St. Maarten is a great place for a honeymoon! Beautiful beaches, great food, good jewelry shopping:D, romantic sunsets. You can choose to be around a lot of people or be secluded. Almost everyone is happy and want to make your vacation a good one. It is the friendly island!^

Well, it's a difficult question without knowing a thing about you or your wife. There is alcohol on every inhabited island that I'm aware of. And beaches on pretty much all except for Saba.