We’re excited to launch a new series on the blog today highlighting fabulous Honeymoon Destinations! With help from Christi Rogers, owner of Travel Bug, LLC as well as past brides, we’ll help you figure out where to go and what to do while you’re there – besides spending time with your sweetheart, of course!

All photos were taken at Sandals Grande St. Lucia Hotel &Resort by editor Krista A. Jones

From its sparkling, clear blue water, miles of palm-fringed beaches, rainforest, majestic Piton Mountain, and friendly locals and accommodations, St. Lucia is considered one of the most popular honeymoon destinations.

“St. Lucia is an island destination that has something for everyone and makes for a truly romantic honeymoon, said Christi Rogers, owner of Travel Bug, LLC. “It is a relatively easy flight from BWI with one stop in Miami.”

This legendary getaway offers romance, relaxation, and adventure all in one. St. Lucia is twenty-seven miles long and fourteen miles wide, making its shape resemble a mango, according to Rogers. The average temperatures can range from the mid-seventies to eighties except in the summer months of June through August when it can reach the nineties.

In addition, “St. Lucia is called ‘Hawaii of the Caribbean’ and is very reminiscent of Maui being that it is very lush and mountainous, yet it does not take twelve hours to travel to like Hawaii,” said Rogers.

St. Lucia is known for its Sandals Resorts because of the many activities it has to offer including a spa, adventure tours, scuba diving, water sports, golf, and entertainment. It has some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the Caribbean.

“There is a wide range of accommodations on this island to choose. From traditional hotels to luxury all-inclusive resorts to high-end luxury resorts set in the mountains with open air-walled rooms for spectacular views of those Piton Mountains and the sea,” said Rogers.

Our very own, Krista A. Jones, co-founder and editor of Bayside Bride, stayed at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian for her honeymoon in Jan. 2010. It was a surprise honeymoon planned by her husband, Davey, but two days before their New Year’s Day wedding, Davey accidently told her.

“We wanted to go someplace warm, and we definitely wanted an all-inclusive resort because neither one of us had been out of the country before, said Jones. “The trip was incredible and we spent the majority of our time eating and reading by the pool. The hotel had all sorts of activities and events in the evening and one night there was even this elaborate chocolate buffet.”

Bride-to-be, Lauren Kane, 25, of Westminster, Md. and her fiancé, Brian, also planned a Sandals all-inclusive luxury resort vacation for their honeymoon in April.

“We wanted all-inclusive, and we heard lots of good recommendations about Sandals, said Kane. “Sandals Resorts have good reputations in general so we knew we wanted to go one of them. As long as there was a beach, that’s all we needed!”

When it comes time to plan your honeymoon, our expert travel agent has some advice to share.

“Keep in mind the time of year that you will be traveling, said Rogers. “If you are traveling in the spring and summer months there will be many families traveling with children. I also recommend that the bride book the honeymoon in her maiden name as it must match how her name reads on her passport.”

When it comes time to pack for this once in a lifetime vacation with your future husband, remember to pack a lot of light as well as nice clothing, noted Jones. “Some of restaurants at the resort were very elegant and we needed to dress up every evening for dinner.”

Whether it is January or August, couples should never underestimate the weather conditions. Most of all enjoy the time you have with each other in such an exotic location.

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*Travel Bug, LLC is a Chesapeake Area travel agent listed in our Vendor Guide! For more information on becoming a member, please submit an Application.