# Honeymoon help



## disneygirl (Feb 2, 2006)

My daughter's friend has asked me to find a place for her for a honeymoon.  She is interested in Paradise Island or Cancun.  She wants a nice big resort with lots to do.

Please offer any suggestions as I have never been to Mexico or the Caribbean.

thanks,

gloria


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## gmarine (Feb 2, 2006)

disneygirl said:
			
		

> My daughter's friend has asked me to find a place for her for a honeymoon.  She is interested in Paradise Island or Cancun.  She wants a nice big resort with lots to do.
> 
> Please offer any suggestions as I have never been to Mexico or the Caribbean.
> 
> ...



Trading with RCI or II?


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## disneygirl (Feb 2, 2006)

We have both


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## spatenfloot (Feb 2, 2006)

Get Harborside Atlantis if you can.  Another good one is Marriot Aruba. They trade through II.  If it is going to be during hurricane season, Aruba is a better location.


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## jme (Feb 3, 2006)

*not Cancun...go for Atlantis, by FAR!!!!!*

Cancun in general was devasted by a recent hurricane, and many of the resort hotels and great restaurants are totally closed, with no set dates for re-opening...reconstruction is going very slow! The gorgeous (imported) whitesand beaches are gone.....at least a large percentage of them.....and altho Mexican officials and US travel agents are trying to downplay the extent of the damage ( in order to continue travel to Cancun), I would not even consider that destination for a lonnnnnggggg while. Honeymooners or anyone else would really wish to see the whole area while visiting, I would imagine, and I'm afraid it would be very disappointing, to say the least. Someone mentioned Aruba, and that's a wonderful destination. To be honest, anywhere in the Caribbean (excepting Cancun) would be nice. *****BUT, since we have recently been to the Atlantis Resort at Paradise Island , staying in the huge towers of the hotel (top floor!) rather than a timeshare, I would highly recommend , for the honeymooners, Harborside also, since it's close by, and they'll have access to the Atlantis Hotel and property, which is maybe the "ninth wonder of the world", in our opinion. The restaurants are fantastic and romantic, and there's a lot to see and do.....truly unique things...which count a lot for a honeymoon----it's definitely not a "typical" vacation spot.  Even the Chihuly glass pieces (they'll see them....and he's been on the news lately as one of the great artisans of the 21st century ---& 20th, of course) . Going into town (Nassau) should only be a quick trip, if at all....not much to see, really, and can be done in half a day, just to say you've done it. They'd enjoy hanging out around the Atlantis property much, much, much more!!! The beach in front of the resort is amazing, and tell them to barter with the guys renting the wave runners (jet ski boats) until they get one.....they will come down a lot on the price.....and ask for a "new" wave runner (they do have both newer and older ones) , and then tell them to head straight to the "RIGHT", down the beach about a half-mile to a mile, where the water is absolutely crystal clear and turquoise-colored....it's an amazing sight---almost unbelievable.....and as one scoots over the water heading down there, one can see the bottom from 50 feet like it's a swimming pool! It's an amazing experience.....expensive, yes,  but will be a lasting and most enjoyable memory. I wouldn't dream of going back without doing those wave runners!  (AND,  how many honeymoons does one have?) Whatever the price, take AT LEAST the one-hour wave runner rental and have a blast. Even that goes too fast!!!! Actually we did it twice.....was TOO much fun. With kids aged 18 and 15 at the time (last year) , we definitely had one of the most wonderful vacations EVER. We rented two (Mom and son on one, and daughter and I on the other), and we'll never forget it. That place is truly amazing. I'm sure Aruba (where we've not gone yet, but know a lot about it (being a Marriott owner with friends who've gone) would be great as well. But, Not as glitzy as Atlantis for sure, but nice. The timeshare at Harbourside Atlantis is just great, tho, and the Atlantis Hotel is a one-of-a-kind place....you'll not see anything like it anywhere in the world, and that's a promise!  For young marrieds, I'd lean toward Atlantis. They might even enjoy the atmosphere of the casino......again, there are so many good restaurants....even the Hard Rock Cafe in Nassau......in our opinion, the ONLY reason to go into downtown Nassau. The rest of the town is sorta dirty and cheesy....and full of "cruise-boat tourists in seach of trinkets". Nassau is not pretty...quaint, yes, but not pretty. The "straw market" was just another market. Make reservations at Atlantis' main restaurant there at the foot of the lobby stairs, one level down from the lobby actually....right alongside the beautiful aquarium....very upscale and swanky (white tablecloth and candlelight) , and they have a piano player---a grand piano....& since it's a honeymoon, TELL THE Host desk or concierge in advance, and they'll get a great table with a great view (we liked the upper level...it's two levels with only a difference of a couple of steps, BUT the upper level is prettier, and you feel like you're overlooking everything---much nicer)..... and they have superior/excellent service anywhere in any Atlantis restaurant, ESPECIALLY that restaurant. Don't forget those reservations...actually for ANY Atlantis restaurant, because they're usually full, with no exceptions , for several days in advance. You could walk up and wait an hour or two, but not fun. They do hold open limited space for walk-ins. The little restaurant inside the casino is very good, also....mostly for lunch or early dinner. The breakfast restaurant, near the little general store is fantastic....a real feast for breakfast....tons of different fruits and breads and also traditional stuff, like link sausage and eggs or fantastic omelettes! WOW!  (AND, after all, they'll have "Daddy's credit card", right? well, hopefully. ) The restaurant outside, across the pond, which has the round rooftop, is a great place for lunch, and I distinctly remember the Tuscan sandwich to be wonderful. On another note, I think we took about a dozen rolls of film (digital doesn't do as well to me for the picture quality, but I have a fancy Nikon ----I took the digital, but didn't use it as much) ....but anyway, my point is, Atlantis is a photographer's paradise. Gosh, if the honeymooners could somehow swing the hotel itself instead of the timeshare (really doesn't matter, but...) it would be double-awesome, given the fact that the view out the window and from the balcony of those two major towers are incredible, and you just can't see the water color "best" from anywhere other than from up-high. It's a postcard-type view for sure! The pools are great, the waterslides are great, the restaurants are great, the casino is great, the upscale shops are great, the whole property is great, and the beach is great. You never know who you'll run into when there. Seriously. We were there during July 4th, and Frankie Avalon was there performing outdoors, after the huge barbecue...what a night! And the fireworks over the water were awesome. Believe me, at that place, they simply spare no expense....worthy of a most memorable honeymoon. We also had breakfast in bed, while watching "breakfast at Wimbledon" tennis coverage, if anyone knows what I mean, and it was fantastic. My wife's a tennis buff, and the kids also play (I'm the golfer) and we felt like royalty having that FEAST brought up to us! We still talk about that morning........it was a surprise to all my family----my little surprise touch---and they adored it..... "scuse my rambling and verbose post, but ...can you tell I liked Atlantis? We're hoping to return someday...Harborside would be nice and much cheaper. I've only heard very good things about the timeshare resort. Anyway, good luck. If they need a "guide", I'm available. Best, Marty (jme)


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## debraxh (Feb 3, 2006)

A big it depends on is when?


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## disneygirl (Feb 3, 2006)

Thank you so much everyone.  They are looking to go either 5/13 or 5/20

I have  a search for Harborside and Paradise Island but wasn't sure about anything else.

I love TUG


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## caribbeansun (Feb 3, 2006)

You mean in 2006?

That's going to be exceptionally difficult to find this late in the game - I suggest you wait until 59 days before the travel date and try to pick up a flex exchange.  I'd also suggest you book a hotel room that you can cancel without penalty or the newlyweds might be out of luck.


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## arlene22 (Feb 3, 2006)

I am biased (own at Harborside) but I agree that Atlantis would make for a fantastic and memorable honeymoon. I also agree that May of 06 is going to be a long shot, especially for Harborside, since Starwood bulk banks and I think I heard some folks report that they were matched with May weeks already. I doubt there will be any more May deposits. I don't know what resort you have, but perhaps you could arrange a direct exchange with another Tugger who owns a Starwood property. At this point, any SVN owner would have the same odds of getting a May 06 week (what I mean is that the owner preference is over, so you don't need to find a Harborside owner to arrange this).


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## maggie mae (Feb 3, 2006)

*Divi Village?*



			
				disneygirl said:
			
		

> My daughter's friend has asked me to find a place for her for a honeymoon.  She is interested in Paradise Island or Cancun.  She wants a nice big resort with lots to do.
> 
> Please offer any suggestions as I have never been to Mexico or the Caribbean.
> 
> ...


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## Kay H (Feb 3, 2006)

*Disappointed with Atlantis!*

Marty,
So sorry to hear of your disappointment with Atlantis!!!  Hopefully your next vacation will be more to your liking    



Maggie Mae,
My hubby and I stayed at Divi Village a few yrs ago before the golf resort was built.  We had a 1 BR unit (forget the building) but back near the tenis courts.  We liked it very much.  Nice and roomy.  Used inexpensive bus into town for dinners.  Also took a few tours from the resort.


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## jme (Feb 4, 2006)

*every vacation  is....*

Actually, almost every vacation is like that for us, altho Atlantis WAS something special......maybe the most interesting place we've been because we were totally not expecting such a montrous-sized  hotel with such great things to do, but we've had fantastic vacations in England, Scotland, Paris, Washington D.C., Park City Utah, Newport Coast Villas, Willamsburg Va., Orlando, Virgin Isles, Hawaii, Hilton Head S.C., Gatlinburg Tn, and just about every other place we've been (many more)----in only 10 years---"timesharing started it all" ....... we do our homework and never skimp on anything. We had a very bad experience at one resort one time, and i made a little promise to myself and to my family that "it would never happen again". That's when i discovered Marriott's Grande Ocean at Hilton Head (thought it was a hotel, and we pulled in to "book a room" for the next year)....Boy, were we pleasantly shocked , and came away with a whole new perspective on how we would "see the world" and show it to our children at the same time. Ever since then, we have kept to our "vacation principles". I work hard, and now i have a reason to do so.....and our memories , especially those of our kids, are beyond wonderful. And they've seen everything at a most wonderful time---from ages 6-16 for one , and 9-19 for the other.......And when they see Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower or Edinburgh Castle on TV, we can point and say "We've been there". Thanks for noticing that we enjoyed Atlantis. We did, and maybe more than most. Can't say that we've ever returned from a trip with any regrets. And we don't eat hotdogs or sandwiches or homemade spaghetti in the units. Nothing wrong with that, but.......Another example is that in London, we took the black cabs all over town for almost everything. It wasn't until the second trip to London that we ever took the tube to anywhere. It was cheaper, and fun in its own right, but the black cabs gave us a perspective of the city that we wouldn't have had otherwise....just a little side-note....and next time...black cabs!   And we dined out....boy, did we. And we can remember every place too. Life is just too short....and i decided long ago that i wouldn't buy a timeshare to "save money". We do spend wisely, but we do it right, so to speak. I have too many wonderful stories to tell, so I won't bore anyone, but I'll never say "I wish we'd done that..."     sooo, you were right...this is definitely me>>>  Marty


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## DavidnRobin (Feb 4, 2006)

It depends on what 'a lot to do' means... for a Honeymoon I would hope for lots of great times indoors (in every room) with a view, and outdoors with beautiful, relaxing soft sand isolated beaches, snorking, warm water, warm nights, sweet smells, short cruises to isolated islands, beautiful landscape, sunsets, happy people - excellent romantic meals (though costly) - RELAXATION... MEMORIES.... if that can fill your time up in a week or so...

Westin St John - no doubt (and somewhat easy to get to via STT).  If they are looking for wild party time, then somewhere else.

There are some inexpensive TSs for rent if one seaches properly...


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## iluvwdw (Feb 4, 2006)

Another vote for Harborside here!!!  We have been there 3 times, going on our 4th trip in May.  It is absolutely my FAVORITE destination so far!  I haven't traded into St. John yet, but it is on my must-do list in the next year or two!!!  I heard it's incredible!!!


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