Recommend June 2018 - 25

The Dream Honeymoon
Ed Wetschler

Love Nest Suites at Sandals Royal Barbados.

What is the dream honeymoon? Depends
who's dreaming, so here's a look at dream
honeymoons at six romantic Caribbean
properties. Unless otherwise stated, rates
quoted are for one week during June 2019
and include taxes and fees.

Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant,
The Bahamas
The new 3-night Romance Package at
Graycliff, a Holy Grail of gastronomy
and history, includes a welcome bottle of
Champagne with Graycliff chocolates, a
wine-making experience, an interactive
demonstration by Graycliff Restaurant's chef
followed by a 3-course meal, a chocolate-andspirits tasting, a casual dinner at Piazza, and
a 4-course Chef's Tasting Dinner. Celebrants
also revel in Graycliff's antique-filled rooms
and art-tile pool, as well as Nassau's shops,
beaches, and landmarks.
On departure day the couple gets a copy
of "Graycliff: 300 years of Grand Bahamian
Luxury" and complimentary entry to the
Graycliff Airport lounge for a glass of wine,
an entrée, and WiFi. Rates for this package
start at $2,615 for a 3-night stay; $2,900 for
a suite.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta
Cana, Dominican Republic
"It starts with VIP check-in to a Rock
Royalty Caribbean Sand Suite and a personal

assistant who explains room inclusions
such as aromatherapy, the pillow menu,
ironing services, the espresso machine,
Bluetooth-enabled radio, and the upgraded
room service menu," says Carilis Felipe,
director of weddings North America, AIC
Hotel Group. The newlyweds will also find
a mini-honeymoon cake, sparkling wine,
and a spa tub at the foot of the bed. Other
inclusions are breakfast in bed and use of the
Rock Royalty areas at the beach and pool. The
personal assistant can bring them a guitar,
too; this is, after all, the Hard Rock.
A 7-day stay at this level includes an
$1,800 resort credit, so the newlyweds can
party at the ORO Night Club or enjoy
other extras. It also includes unlimited a la
carte dining, 24-hour room service, topshelf liquor, plenty of music and fun, and
late check-out. (Note that a 20 percent
service fee applies to resort credit items.)
Rates for this Rock Royalty Caribbean Sand
Suite honeymoon start at $4,230. P.S. Colin
Cowie, who designs weddings for Hard Rock,
can also offer honeymoon add-ons.

Jade Mountain, Saint Lucia
Famous for its three-walled suites and
frequently named the best resort in
the Caribbean, Jade Mountain offers
honeymooners a Total Romance package
including accommodations, transfers, meals,
most drinks, tours of a plantation and the

volcano and mineral baths, plus in-room
drinks, tennis, watersports, a snorkeling
cruise, a resort scuba course for beginners
or two dives for certified divers, a bottle of
Champagne, a massage, a half-day jungle
biking tour, T-shirts, and a $500 credit
toward a return visit.
The Lovers' Early Bird promotion features a
seventh night free, so the all-inclusive week
in June would cost about $11,500 in a Sky
Jacuzzi Suite, $14,500 in a Star Sanctuary, and
$23,150 in a Galaxy Sanctuary.

La Suite Villa, Martinique
This Bohemian-chic boutique hotel rests
upon a hill overlooking the town of Les
Trois-Ilets, with its beach, bars, shops,
restaurants, and ferry to Fort-de-France. It's
also well-positioned for driving to the capital,
Jardin de Balata, Pompei-like Saint-Pierre,
and world-class rhum distilleries. The hotel
is chock-a-block with paintings, sculpture,
dishware, and even bathtubs that make for
a pure escape, as honeymoons should be.
Open-air Zandoli restaurant serves superb
French-Creole fusion. Although Martinique
is tailor-made for exploring, it does have a
peaceful, lazy-afternoons pool.
Honeymooners should spring for a Terrace
Suite, with a bed whose occupants have a
fine view of the bay and, in the evenings,
the twinkling lights encircling the water.
The view from the hot tub on the terrace ➤
june 2018 25

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend June 2018