Aruba, Bahamas, St. Lucia?

We went to Anguilla for a vacation last year and it was absolutely perfect. We ran into some couples on their honeymoon and they seemed to be equally enjoying it!

ETA - We had been looking at St. Lucia and Aruba for that same vacation but went with Anguilla because of the perfect looking beaches and the amazing food on the island!

Wow definitely appreciate learning about other choices! Nothing is set in stone but definitely want to be by the beach

In Anguilla - this is where we stayed, which I would recommend whole heartedly - http://www.frangipaniresort.com/

And this is where the honeymooning couple that we met stayed, which they said they loved - http://www.meadsbaybeachvillas.com/

The one thing to note - very few (if any) of the hotels on Anguilla are All Inclusive - but we didn't want that on our vacation, we love exploring and trying many different restaurants on our vacations.

Never been but we are planning our honeymoon to Aruba in April.

From what I am hearing from people it is amazing. Our travel agent is a good friend of mine so I trust her and she suggested Aruba. We are staying at Rui resorts all inclusive adults only from Mon-Sun and including air we are paying $3800

@br963 - thanks! I haven't heard much about Anguilla before but since you and another friend of mine mentioned it, I gotta check it out

@Soon2b - great name username btw Awesome recommendation - thanks! Didn't think about adults only but might be something I should look into as well!

Those are very different destinations. What are you looking for when you go on vacation? Types of activities, etc.

The Bahamas was just selected as best place for destination weddings

http://www.bahamas.com/resources/world-travel-awards-names-bahamas-2015-leading-wedding-destination. Their stunning sunsets and endless miles of beaches are the perfect backdrop to any ceremony. One of our favorite wedding venues there is Nassau Beach Resort

http://www.weddingsbyjubilee.com/melia-nassau-beach-resort

In Aruba, Manchebo boutique resort has the broadest beach and now specialize in health and wellness retreats as well for a different theme. It has a very very nice beach for weddings.

http://www.manchebo.com/

Other great options are

http://arubaweddingsforyou.com/ and

http://www.weddings.arubamarriott.com/

I am traveling to St. Lucia in May, I have heard wonderful things.

We went to Aruba and are planning on going back in a few months on our anniversary. I can't recommend it enough. It's a very small island, and has gained the name the "friendly island" for a reason. We stayed at the Divi All Inclusive, which is connected to the Tamarjin and the Phoenix is down the street. You can eat at the restaurants at any of them. With the honeymoon package, we stayed in an oceanfront room, and got a free dinner. The room was nice - it wasn't the Ritz Carlton, but was very spacious and very clean. We had a sliding glass door that opened to the beach. We can't wait to go back.

I've been to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Dominican, and Costa Rica. I'd go to Aruba again in a heartbeat over all of those.

The Bahamas get a lot of rain in May. St. Lucia gets a lot of rain all the time. St. Lucia is very different from the other islands mentioned here - the beaches are not white sand. We stayed at Anse Chastanet, and it was beautiful. But a lot of stairs.

I have read many good things about Aruba & Anguilla. Esp. the Frangipani resort - I tried to book it this time last year for May, but it was already sold out.

Last year, we went to Galley Bay, Antigua. It was on the Bachelor a few years back, and we really enjoyed their sister resort Palm Island.

It depends on what you are looking for and what you want out of your trip. We prefer smaller, more secluded, less crowded places. If you like bars and clubs - go to Aruba

"If you like bars and clubs - go to Aruba "

Definitely not true! Our resort was secluded and quiet, not a party place at all. Aruba in general is a very quiet place. There is an area at the end of the island that has a group of resorts that have much more of a party feel - they all share a beach for the most part - but that's an exception and definitely not the rule! And "downtown" has a few bars (Senor Frog and the like), but it is definitely not club like. haha!

We went to Aruba for our honeymoon in September, and absolutely loved it! We stayed at the Riu Palace Antillas, which is an all-inclusive. It was fantastic, great food options, right on the beach and beautiful pools. My recommendation, if you look into that resort, is to look into the villa suites. They're in a separate area, have been recently upgraded, and were gorgeous! We had perfect weather everyday, and there were plenty of activities. We went snorkeling and paddle boarding, which are included. Update and let us know what you decide!

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely the kind of gal that has a tough time making decisions so this is again great feedback and you all are so awesome! We have never been on a beach vacation together so we are looking forward to relaxing but also taking advantage of any activities on the resort

This thread gets Kokomo stuck in my head every time it pops up even though those aren't even the right words

ETA: sorry, totally off topic

You might want to look at Secrets - lots of different destinations and give you the chance to be on the beach and have great activities.

Aruba is a cute island and we had a lot of fun on a family vacation there. Personally I like exploring and doing a lot on vacation, so it was too small for me.

My favorite island has been Barbados. I would recommend looking there. It's beautiful and its not as crowded. We were there for 4 days and still weren't able to see it all. There is a very nice Hilton there that wasn't too expensive.

One of the great things about Aruba is that it is very safe. Anyone can rent a car and go drive around without having the feel unsafe or insecure. So it's a place where your guests can roam freely on their own and relax and enjoy a their mini vacation.

If it were me, I would go to Aruba. First off, Bahamas is a bit more expensive and doesn't offer a whole lot of variety when it comes to All Inclusive. My travel agent advised me that Bahamas would be perfect for a Sandals locations which is pretty upscale $$$