justarunner

My wife and I are planning a 10th anniversary trip for later in the year. We're torn between a SeaDream cruise and a week somewhere in the Caribbean.

Our budget is about $6k for the week. I'd prefer something all-inclusive... but please don't recommend Sandals or resorts like that. We want something smaller and more upscale.

We'd love to have something on the beach, not crowded, and great accommodations and dining. A smaller island like Nevis, St. Bart's, or Martinique would be idea.

Any suggestions?

vuittonsofstyle

Smaller and more upscale does not do all-inclusive. There's going to be a huge difference between a SeaDream cruise and a truly high-end Caribbean resort. Maybe you should rethink.

justarunner

The all-inclusive part is not a requirement... but would like suggestions regardless of your thoughts on my budget.

Kagehitokiri

its not like caribbean is the best regarded here.. seadream should be reasonable.

- petit st vincent is full board private island.
x cayo espanto is all-inclusive private island but so small there is little beach.
both have good reports here.

- vuittonsofstyle would recommend malliouhana.

- st barts has 6 or so good options you can find listed here with some discussion.

x amanyara still has free full board offer i think, but more expensive.

PWMFlyer19

St Lucia ? Example: http://www.ansechastanet.com/

vuittonsofstyle

Well... Malliouhana for its food, definitely, but Amanyara for its accommodation and style. Although I think I would rather go to the Mexican Caribbean these days - Riviera Maya is much better value and with some great accommodation - Rosewood, MO. Even Maroma has its good points.

Benny8444

St Lucia would be perfect for you as it is a smaller island and very quiet and romantic.

Jade Mountain and Ladera are my favorite resorts on the Island, Both resorts have only villas as rooms and are all open air and have plunge pools. Jade Mountain is regarded as one of the best resorts in all of the region and Ladera has one of the best Chefs in the Caribbean. His food is amazing.

Of the two I would reccomend Ladera just because of the location and view.

NYBanker

You might consider the new St Regis outside of San Juan. It sounds like they've worked out the "opening issues" and are doing well now.

This isnt an all inclusive, but i dont think you'll find anything too nice that is. If you book with a AAA rate, breakfast will be included (if you're not an aaa member, it's $35 to join, and well spent in this case). Assuming you're going in the next few months, you'll have a rate that is about $625 a night (inclusive of taxes and breakfast). Dinner at the jean georges restaurant was surprisingly reasonable. (they have lower priced dining options as well)

Assuming reasonable spending on other things, you'd come in around $6k for a 7 day stay at the property.

The property itself is fairly small...though not tiny...at about 100 rooms.

zigzag

I would think The Peninsula House (www.thepeninsulahouse.com ) would be a great choice. Its on a hill over looking the water with a great pool. You have to go down to the beach every day but I found it not an issue. They will do full board and I thought the food was very good. If you wanted some outside choices I am sure the owners would help you out. They will make your trip special.

Djlawman

Matter of personal preference, obviously, but for me, Caribbean and luxury means being right on the beach, and being able to snorkel right there. Going to the Caribbean to swim in a pool is not my ideal vacation. Caneel Bay is awfully good, in that regard, and you can get the full meal plan.

umbrella007

Jumby Bay is an upscale resort on a private island (off Antigua) that you might want to consider since you are looking for a smaller all-inclusive. However, the only way it will fit your current budget for a week would be if they offer a special rate. They did pre-renovation in the summer, marketed as "Escape to Luxury" and a travel agent was able to combine this with a Virtuoso promotion buy 6 nights, stay 7 - but I have not seen similar promotions since they reopened. Obviously since a lot of the resort was rebuilt, the costs have gone up. It looks like rack rates for June right now are 975 for the lowest priced room, the Rondavels (which were not beachfront if my memory serves when we glanced at them while on the island back in 2004) and that does not include the taxes/fees. I won't go on because our trip experience is too dated to comment fairly. It seems like someone mentioned on this forum that they had a trip planned this year, so a more recent review might be available.

Back when I did research for the Jumby Bay trip, I was looking with similar criteria. I have not kept up with all of the places we researched as I update my files, so some of these may/may not fit your criteria if they have changed, but back then we considered: Biras Creek in Virgin Gorda, Firefly and Cotton House in Mustique, Four Seasons Nevis, Sandy Lane in Barbados, various Rosewood properties, smaller hotels on St. Barts, Cap Juluca in Anguilla, and a few others mentioned already in this thread so I won't repeat them. I have no clue about the pricing of any of places I just listed, but they were recommended by various people as being more upscale, beachfront, with positive reviews at the time.

If you or your wife enjoy going out to eat at various restaurants, Anguilla is a smaller island that might appeal to you. Unfortunately I have yet to find accommodations to recommend without hesitation since we found both Cap Juluca and Cove Castles to be past their prime and in need of in-room refurbishment last year.

Our plans for a return trip this spring have stalled with all the talk on this board about the various Amans...and now I can't decide what to do. Over the last week I think I have read every Aman-related trip report I could find using the search function! Overall, the Amanyara in the Caribbean seems to get inconsistent reviews for service and food, but gets high praise for other areas. Before visiting, I think I'd rather have my first Aman experience be in India or Bali to ensure a more consistent first impression of the brand. (I'm guessing they do not call themselves Amanjunkies for nothing.)

Best wishes with your search.

flyr16

Maroma.
Caneel Bay.
La Samana.
Amanyara.
MO or Rosewood Mayakoba, perhaps.

Food wise and service wise we favor MEX. Forget the A-I if you are seeking luxury. Good luck.

vuittonsofstyle

Friends say that Rosewood's revitalised Jumby Bay is much improved, but like most of the Caribbean, food is so so.

luxury

What about Curtain Bluff or Carlisle Bay? Curtain Bluff is all inclusive.

grumbler

Agreed. The place remains a bit sterile as well.