Caribbean Archives - Page 7 of 7

Honeymoon Help

January 23, 2009 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

While I’m on the topic of weddings, I thought I’d add a quick note about honeymoons as well.

St. Lucia plunge pool

Most people’s mental picture of a honeymoon involves a white sand beach, turquoise waters, and a hammock built for two. But what if you hate the sun? Or your fiance breaks out in a cold sweat at the idea of doing “nothing” for a week? Or maybe you’re a history buff who dreams about castles and ruins rather than palm trees and coconuts.

Fear not! There’s a honeymoon for everyone, and it’s my job to ask the right questions, do the right research, and put it all together for you.

I’ve worked with clients on “eco-touring” honeymoons in Costa Rica and Belize, art- and culture-filled honeymoons to Europe, and cruise honeymoons to see the glaciers in Alaska. The key is to think through what makes you happy, as a couple, and not to worry about the current honeymoon “hot spots”, or where the celebrities are headed.

And if you’re worried about paying for that trip of a lifetime, I’ll help you set up a free Honeymoon Registry so your friends and family can help contribute to the cause. Because, really, in ten years, will you remember that toaster oven your aunt gave you . . . . or the day you swam with the dolphins in Cozumel?

Here come the brides

January 17, 2009 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

It’s bridal show season, so I’ve got honeymoons and destination weddings on my mind.

Destination Wedding

In this economy, I’m finding that more and more couples are looking at destination weddings as a way to control costs. Sound confusing? In most cases it does actually work out to be less expensive to run off to the Caribbean and get married on a beach than to stay home and have the wedding at your local hotel or country club. A recent article in USA Today (“Frugal brides and grooms still walk Caribbean aisles“) explains it like this — destination weddings lead to smaller guest lists and fewer uneccesary extras, plus the resorts are wooing brides and grooms with great prices on all-inclusive packages.

Of course, a big part of the savings comes from the fact that the guests typically pay their own way, with the wedding couple springing for their own air/hotel and the ceremony and/or reception package. These weddings tend to be self-limiting — only those nearest and dearest to the bride and groom will be willing to spend the time and money to travel to the wedding…but many couples find that to be a big plus!

If the Caribbean isn’t your cup of tea, keep in mind that destination weddings can take place just about anywhere. There’s the old tried-and-true Vegas wedding, a wedding on a cruise ship, or how about getting married on a glacier in Alaska?

Regardless of the destination, it pays to work with a travel professional to pull it all together. A good travel consultant will help you find the right destination, counsel you on the local marriage regulations, book your accommodations, deal with your guests’ questions and concerns (leaving you out of it!), and put you in touch with the right contact(s) to handle the ceremony itself. Most of all, your travel consultant will make it a stress-free process, so that you and your fiance can focus on the important stuff, like what to wear!

Beach wedding

Pool or Beach?

December 23, 2008 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

Are you a pool person, or a beach person?

It may seem trivial, but it’s actually a good question to ask yourself (or for your travel agent to ask you) when you’re planning a warm-weather vacation.

If your ideal vacation centers around an infinity pool and a swim-up bar, you might want to focus on some of the newer adults-only resorts in Mexico, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and the Dominican Republic — many of which have lavishly-landscaped “lazy river” pools, private plunge pools, romantic swim-up suites that open into the pool, and more.

If, on the other hand, you’re dreaming about talcum powder beaches and aqua blue water lapping at your toes, you’ll want to make sure you’re headed to a beachfront resort in a Caribbean destination like Grand Cayman, or Aruba — both of which are known for long, wide stretches of beach. Or, maybe you’d enjoy the pink cove beaches of Bermuda, or one of the deserted beaches of the Out Islands of the Bahamas.

One thing you would definitely want to know up front is that there are some tropical destinations that don’t have typical “postcard-perfect” beaches. In Cabo San Lucas, for example, most of the beaches are too rough for swimming. On volcanic islands like St. Lucia, the sand may be black. And on coral islands, like the Florida Keys, the beach may be very rough and pebbly.

Myself, I’m a pool girl now. I used to be a beach person. Growing up on the East Coast, our vacations usually included a week at the shore, in places like the Hamptons or Cape Cod. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve lost my taste for sand in my suit, and I prefer to lounge by the pool with a good book and an umbrella drink.

Sounds pretty good right now, come to think of it!

Honeymoon Help

Here come the brides

Pool or Beach?

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