Your suggestions/recommendations for all-inclusive honeymoon locales
 

I'm looking to stay for 7 nights (arrive/depart Tues-Tues in August). Perhaps somewhere in Jamaica, St. Lucia or something comparable. I'm familiar the offers from "Sandals" and "Beaches" resorts. Preferrably a place that doesn't allow kids, perhaps has a private villa with your own chef, etc. (how reasonable is it for me not to expect to spend more than $3-$4 K?)

1)
I'm interested in hearing about your recommendations on All-inclusive honeymoon spots. I don't want to have to drop another dime when I arrive (food, alcohol, activities, sports, etc). What was good? What was bad? What would you do differently?

2)
I'm interetsed in hearing about your recommendations on resorts that are not all-inclusive and how much you wound up spending.

Are you saying you don't want to hear about Sandals because you already know? Not sure how you meant that...

My wife and I honeymooned at Couples' Swept Away in Negril Jamaica and loved it. No kids, all-inclusive, although no private chef. Food was fantastic, and you can't ask for a more private secluded feeling at an all-inclusive resort unless you get a hut in tahiti or something. Free drinks of course, and it should cost around 3500, probably a little less. I recommend the set of villas in the middle of the complex because there is a little more privacy and you are away from the road that goes around the island. Across the street the resort has a huge sports complex, but you don't have to be a physical fitness person at all to enjoy the resort. If you go with Air Jamaica vacations or a travel agent that uses Air Jamaica Vacations, reps from the airline will come to you to schedule excursions (which do cost extra). We did the Chukka Blue (I think that's the correct spelling) horseback riding which was OK. But I highly recommend another one. Dunn's River Falls, where you walk up a stair-like waterfall, is a famous attraction on the other side of the island. However, there is a much less known similar attraction on the somewhere closer to the southwest side of the island. I'm not sure what it's called, but they feed you a chicken lunch and is a lot less crowded than Dunn's and you probably get only a few couples to a tour guide.
Negril isn't much of a city or town to shop or party, but there are a couple nightclubs you can go to with the resort providing transportation and they do provide transportation into the town of Negril as well as a nearby straw market for a little shopping (don't pick up anything or you'll get hounded to make an offer to buy!)

Anyway, their official site link is:
http://www.couples.com/12sw/index.html

Sorry. What I meant by that is that I already know about their basic offers. I'm still interested in hearing about experiences and recommedations for them though.

I haven't been on a vacation in almost 10 years, so it's possible that things have changed. When I went though, Sandals was amazing. I went to a couple of their Jamaica sites and to St. Lucia. Of those, I thought the Sandals Montego Bay was the best. The others I tried were ok, just not quite as comfortable. These were all in the standard rooms though - maybe the nicer cabins were better at a different spot.

One of the nice things about Sandals Jamaica is that you can go to any of the resorts for as long as you like - you just have to sleep at the one you are paying for. So you can try all the restaurants, all the bars, all the pools, etc... The only time you pay is if you leave resort property, which can be fun. Dunn's River Falls was great - I did that every time I went. Went on a nature walk one time, but didn't think much of that.

Very important note about Jamaica - they have a thing called Jamaica time. I can't count the number of times I saw people getting annoyed because it took a while to get a drink or get their food. You are on vacation, what's the rush? They are VERY laid back there. If you don't like that concept, if you want your drinks / food served right away, do NOT go to Sandals Jamaica.

Moon Palace - Mexico. Best vacation ever.

Pip, how many days did you stay? how much did it cost you (granted that it was 10 years ago?)

Flynn, what did you like about it? What did they offer? How long was your stay? How much did you spend? Was it all-inclusive?

If anyone else has other suggestions, please share. I am responsible for making these plans so I'd like all the input you guys have.

Not sure where to go, but can tell you to always go here to read actual reviews first.

tripadvisor.com