Kagehitokiri

i wouldnt recommend a villa rental though, if you care about service... (and since you only need 1BR, otherwise rental at FS Punta Mita might be a great value)

FS Punta Mita (sold and managed by) for example >
http://www.vrbo.com/121604 2BR from $1400
http://www.vrbo.com/117956 2BR from $1500
http://www.vrbo.com/110309 3BR from $1200
http://www.vrbo.com/121594 4BR hill villa from $2500 (save $440)

the St Regis Anguilla residences could prove to be another great direct-from-owner deal. some appear to be beachfront as well, as opposed to the Temenos villas. (Temenos and Altamer(beachfront) run $4K-$5K/nt)

mktozd

Nice thing for a future trip. Thank you.

Kagehitokiri

IMHO, definitely ^ im even more partial to Asia. there are a few ive found on Bali and Koh Samui that are incredible/incredibly cheap.

you're welcome.

Pauldublin

i beleive there are new/renovated villas at ladera which could be an alternative to jade at st.lucia. Personally I prefer ladera to Anse Chastenet.

yes, tiger woods did celebrate his wedding/honeymoon at Sandy lane courtesy of his friend JP Mcmanus (co-owner).

Kagehitokiri

oh thats right, ladera was said to be the best here. and its actually even cheaper than jade mountain. although IMHO the design doesnt compare.

Gtal

Thumbs up for FS Nevis. Great island that is quite secluded since no deep water port (no cruise ships thank goodness). Not a lot to do on the island besides relax. Which has always been wonderful there for me. Best staff I have seen in all my travels in the Caribbean. Very sincere and all locals for the most part.

Kagehitokiri

speaking of rentals, OTOH not really great for OP, its a terrific deal, although free registration is required >

http://www.memberstrade.com/resorts/show/7
FS Aviara Residence Club 2BR Dec 21 2007 > Jan 4 2008 (2 weeks) $2975 ($212/nt)

mktozd

Interesting, everything you say is what we are looking for. I had not looked too closely at FS Nevis because of some of the tripadvisor reviews. How would you compare it to some of the other FS properties?

Kagehitokiri

for example http://www.fourseasons.com/nevis/gue...ront_room.html from $535 isnt bad value, but it isnt great either IMHO

there is more discussion in this forum, not sure if there have been any actual trip reports though

always take tripadvisor with a grain of salt

if the accomodations are ok at FS Nevis, you might also consider Ladera as Paul pointed out, or Petit St Vincent.

http://www.ladera.com/ rooms with pools and views from $310
http://www.psvresort.com/ all-inclusive villa resort on private island from $605

all 3 are well regarded here

dd992emo

I gotta admit when I read your thread title hotel selection was not the first thing that came to mind. But, I'm not as young as I used to be...

SanDiego1K

We stayed at Ladera last year, and were not particularly impressed. Rooms are rustic, and service was so-so.

You hear a lot about celebrities who have been at Ladera. As best we could tell, they have come in on yachts which are anchored in the harbor. They come to Ladera's restaurant for lunch or dinner, but don't stay there. The restaurant has a spectacular view, and a decent (but not amazing) kitchen.

mktozd

The more I think on this, the more I realize what we are looking for is another Hualalai. After reading a few threads, I think Las Ventanas or Punta Mita might be it. Any other ideas.

Kagehitokiri

service is top notch at all 3, from what ive read here. all very well regarded / favorites / etc.

the only major difference there seems to be to me is the spa and more "central?" location of las ventanas.

when are you looking to go, what do you want to spend, and are you interested in beachfront or private pools?

mktozd

We will be going in April 2008, and ideally want to would like an oceanfront full-service resort, ala Hualalai. We would go back to Hualalai, but would like to try something new.

Kagehitokiri

if anything FS Punta Mita is slightly below Hualalai. the thing is if you want beachfront/private pool/better value. otherwise switching seems like it can only result in disappointment, rather than a superior experience - OTOH one thing is that its a much shorter flight.. the spa is definitely less extensive compared to Hualalai.

http://www.lasventanas.com/rates.cfm (2007) prices jump way more than Hualalai. i believe the spa is one of the things its well known for. (and spa packages)

as for booking, with FS Punta Mita you can either do the 4th/5th night free direct, or book through Virtuoso/FHR for those benefits. Las Ventanas is also both, and doesnt offer any discount/promo like that. Hualalai is neither, doesnt look like free night then either.

variety is good, but with how well Hualalai is regarded, and how much you enjoyed it, IMHO only switch if it doesnt offer something you would like.

unless you wanted to go to Asia - which is much farther - but offers Amans and other properties with extremely high service levels, and great value in terms of villas etc.

similarly with the FSGV, if you havent been before, it might be something to reconsider, since it is so well regarded. although the beach is attractive, FSGV/Paris does have a romance factor only negative there is current exchange rate, but no way to no how thats going to change.