the virgin islands are very nice but i would recommend st. john over st. thomas, it is more intimate and less hectic.
Been to both, and Hawaii is definitely much nicer. Jamaica has way too much poverty and drug pushing. I mean... obviously the beaches are nice and there are some nice places to stay, but Hawaii is part of the states, very clean, and has some cool historical sites as well. I never really felt comfortable in Jamaica. No contest in my mind.
I should have listened to you. Continental flights hopped up to like $730 today. Maybe they will drop again before July. Will still look at the Maui island though......
I'd vote for Hawaii for sure. Dont limit yourself to Oahu though, make sure you get to Maui and at least take a day trip to one of the smaller islands. If you like science/geology/volcanoes, take a trip to the big island, hike around and go to the lava flow area. Also, if youre strapped for cash or just dont want to blow tons of money on food, bring a suitcase full of food so you dont have to eat out all the time. Anything that is not fruit or Spam is super expensive over there.
Skip the beach. You can get to the beach anytime. Go to Canmore in Canada. Beautiful scenery. Just outside of Banff. You can hit up the best fondue restaurant in the world and eat rattlesnake and shark and then go see if you can get eaten by a bear! No in all seriousness, if you want the beach, go to Hawaii. I have a friend who went to Jamaica on their honeymoon and the reviews match what you get here. He actually said he lost his bride in the market for about 15 minutes and was scared to death something had happened to her. Turns out she had just been pulled into a shop (and didn't actually mind) but the guy already had a bad vibe from the place. I do recommend Canmore though. We went there on our honeymoon after considering Hawaii. Best decision we ever made.
Try U.S. Airways. I bought a RT from IAH to HON a couple of weeks ago for $450 tax & fees included. Also, you can rent a nice condo for a week for about $900. I lived in Hawaii for a couple of years, but have never spent time on Oahu or in Honolulu. And that is not my final destination on this trip, either. I am excited to one day visit Maui and the Big Island, also, as every island is different and unique. My advice is to do research about each island and buy a ticket asap as prices will probably go up this summer, if not already. As for Jamaica, it was beautiful and I had a great time there. Granted, I went with a local church to build a dental clinic in a rural area there, the people were nice and I enjoyed the island. It was very beautiful there, too.
That's one good thing about a condo w/ a kitchenette. Would probably be pretty fun on a honeymoon as well. Stay in, save money and cook together. Buy fruit and veggies from the local farmer's market instead of the supermarket. That's good advice, believe me.
Hawaii by far. I've only been to Oahu, and it's much nicer than Jamaica overall. If you could pull off Maui that would be even better. I'd also recommend the Cayman Islands, or an all-inclusive in Costa Rica (Liberia), though I have no idea how those would compare in price to Hawaii.
