Talk about the ultimate honeymoon! The following resorts are considered to be among the most fabulous--and most expensive--resorts in the world. Some are more affordable than others. Take a look and see if any capture your hearts.
Bitter End Yacht Club, Virgin Gorda:The Bitter End Yacht Club, on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, is a casual, rustic resort, only reachable by sea. Bitter End--named for a sailing term which means the last stop before open seas of the Atlantic -- is comprised of a collection of 95 villas and suites -- some beachside, and some dotting the lush hillsides overlooking the North Sound (a protected, deep water harbor). For the ultimate in luxurious privacy, you can charter a Freedom 30 live-aboard yacht (100 watercrafts are available for guests). The most secluded and scenic beachfront digs have king-size beds, giant showers, and a wraparound veranda strung with a hammock for two. Information: tel. 800-872-2392 or 284-494-2746. Fax: 284-494-4756. E-mail: binfo@beyc.com. Internet: www.beyc.com. Rates: $500-$700 double or suite. Rates include all meals. Packages available.
Cap Juluca, Anguilla: This Moorish dream set on one of the Caribbean's finest crescent white sand beaches almost appears like a mirage at first: Arches, domes, and turrets adorn blindingly white villas edging the beach. Request a villa with a bathroom that includes a giant tub for two, a roomy shower, and glass walls with a view onto your own private sun terrace. Book the Juluca Ritual for Two and your villa is strewn with flowers while the two of you are pampered with a massage and a private bath is drawn. The new chef also works magic in the property's imaginative restaurants. Information: tel. 888-858-5822 or 264-497-6666; Fax: 264-497-6617; Internet: www.capjuluca.com. Rates: $1,235-$5,140.
The Carenage, Canouan Island: Carenage Bay, on Canouan Island in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, offers a unique blend of relaxation and discovery on one of the few remaining untainted Caribbean islands. Carenage Bay, a $200 million luxury resort, offers 155 rooms and suites spread across 200 acres on the remote side of Canouan's Carenage Bay. The resort features many beautiful white sand beaches, a par-72 golf course designed by Roy Case, several private yachts, tennis, watersports, and scuba diving, a health and fitness center with spa facilities, one of the Caribbean's largest freshwater pools, and a deluxe European casino. Information: tel. 888-ROSEWOOD; Internet: www.rosewoodhotels.com. Rates: The seven-night Duet Package is available year-round and features champagne upon arrival, massage therapy for two, a boat excursion to the Tobago Cays, and a personal golf cart for the week. Package rates start at $3,200 per couple. Rates include breakfast, lunch, and dinner at any of the resort's four distinct restaurants.
The Cotton House, Mustique: ituated on a picturesque hillside on Mustique Island in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and surrounded by the Caribbean and Atlantic, this restored eighteenth-century coral warehouse and sugar mill found new life as one of the Caribbean's most exclusive inns. We almost hesitate to use the word "inn," because it fails to convey the beauty of this 20-room unspoiled hideaway on this tiny island, just three miles long and half as wide. It's fitting that Cotton House started out as a wedding gift for a princess. It boasts niceties such as its own Equestrian Center and private sailing charters on request. Information: tel. 877-240-9945 or 784-456-4777; Fax: 784-456-5887; E-mail: cottonhouse@caribsurf.com; Internet: www.cottonhouseresort.com. Rates: $900-$1,250.
Four Seasons Resort, Nevis: All the travel magazines consistently rate this jewel as one of the top resorts in the Caribbean, thanks to its service and its beauty. Accommodations are housed in two-story gingerbread-rimmed cottages along Pinney's Beach, one of our favorites. The beach concierge spritzes guests with Evian to cool them as they sun. Information: tel. 800-332-3442; Internet: www.fourseasons.com. Rates: The "Romance in Paradise" package includes seven-nights accommodations, daily breakfast and dinner, and ground and water transfers for $7,100.
Golden Eye, Jamaica: Wanna stay at James Bond's birthplace? Ian Fleming built this simple house in 1946; his invention, 007, was conceived here in 1952, and Fleming later named it Golden Eye. Set on a bluff overlooking a small cove, Golden Eye is surprisingly simple at first glance. But then you start to notice all the playful touches. In homage to an international spy like 007, the main house is outfitted with over-size Indonesian bamboo couches, four-poster beds, batik fabrics, and African art. Bath "gardens" have been added near each of the three bedrooms, giving guests outdoor showering and bathing options (one has a clawfoot tub imported from London and now whimsically set in the middle of a rock garden). Information: tel. 800-688-7678 or 876-974-3354; Fax: 876-975-3679. Rates: Winter, $650 bungalow for two. For $5,000 you can sleep in Ian Fleming's three-bedroom house. Discounts of up to 20 percent in off-season. Rates are all-inclusive.
Jumby Bay, Antigua: A lush, tropical, 300-acre private enclave, Jumby Bay is accessible only by boat and lies two miles north of Antigua. A tranquil haven for naturalists, the island is home to endangered species of turtles, rare birds, and sheep. Guests walk or bike paths lined with wild orchids leading to the 39 suites and 11 villas, which are outfitted in traditional West Indian designs. Oversize baths with showers adjoining private gardens inspire romance. Dinner is served in the 230-year-old English plantation manor. Honeymooners favor the picnics prepared on request and enjoyed in privacy on Pasture Beach, one of three powdery white beaches framed by the azure-blue Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Information: tel. 800-237-3237 or 268-462-6000; Fax: 268-462-6020; E-mail: jumbyb@candw.ag; Internet: www.jumbybayresort.com. Rates: $950 for a Junior Suite, to $5,000 for a four-bedroom villa; rates are all inclusive.
Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda: Set on a fabulous crescent strand of white sand beach, nestled amid the lush hills of Virgin Gorda, is the elegant Little Dix Bay, a intimate resort designed by Laurance Rockefeller in 1964 to make the most of its natural surroundings while catering to the rich. We find the setting absolutely romantic and the service excellent without being obnoxious. The mood at this gracious and upscale 500-acre retreat is peaceful and unhurried. Little Dix is the sort of place where ladies always want to have their most chic beach cover-up close at hand. (Honeymooners flock here during the summer when rates drop dramatically.) The romance package includes all the basics plus a day sail, picnic, sunset cocktail cruise, and massage for two. Package starts at $6,300 in the winter. Information: tel. 888-767-3966 or 284-495-555. Fax: 284-495-5661. Internet: www.rosewoodhotels.com or www.littledixbay.com. Rates: $450-$600 double.
Necker Island, British Virgin Islands: We promised you Fantasy Island, and here it is. Your host: British entrepreneur and adventurer Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Megastores, and 100 other companies. The 74-acre Necker Island is ringed by a coral reef and within sight of Virgin Gorda. It's also the most expensive at a staggering $19,000 to $29,500 a day. That gets you (and, if you choose to invite them, up to 25 of your closest friends and relatives) the entire island and a staff of 30, including two gourmet chefs, to attend to your every detail of your wedding--it's an enormously popular spot for tying the knot--or your every honeymoon whim. Information: tel. 800-557-4255 or 284-494-2757; Fax: 284-494-4396; Internet: www.neckerisland.com. Rates: $29,500 a day.
Bargain Alert: Four times a year, during "celebration weeks," the price drops to $12,000 for the week per couple.
Peter Island Resort, British Virgin IslandsNew York Times by fax at breakfast, telephones, and, of course, the Internet. Information: tel. 800-346-4451, 800-323-7500, or 284-495-2000. Internet: www.peterisland.com. Rates: $705-$970 two-bedroom villa. Rates include transfers to island and all meals.