You guys are fabulous as always!
Looks like they should put Puerto Rico on the short list to explore. They do have passports though. The things you describe there sound very much like what they might enjoy.
Yeah, I wondered about the hurricane thing. I too figured June was at least “early” in the season. They will probably be a little limited with time - so another reason not to go anywhere too complicated travel wise. No fun to spend half of your 6-7 days with jet lag!
I love St. John also. The nice thing about it is that because of the terrain (vs. flat of Anguilla), you can stay almost anywhere and have beautiful views of the incredible water. Lots of private villas for rent in the hills where you can get panoramic ocean views. These villas can be incredibly expensive but also very affordable.
I also love Grand Cayman, but it’s pretty pricey. I enjoyed St. Martin (French side), wasn’t that impressed with Aruba. St. Lucia looks lovely, but I’ve never been there. The Bahamas probably have a lot of budget friendly accommodations, but it would be low on my list for a honeymoon.
Puerto Rico could be nice, but I’d go for St. John if they could swing it.
Puerto Rico is very easy. We’ve enjoyed going there a couple of times.
Jet Blue had direct flights to PR from its East coast US hubs, like Boston. Kiddo and her college team went to PR for winter training and absolutely loved it. There was a lot of stuff to do for the active, under 30 crowd for sure.
As Jet Blue does not sell its travel through Expedia etc., check what they offer directly:
Similar to Coralbrook my experiences have almost all been on the water on sailboats. I have sailed twice in late June in the BVI. It is beautiful but even on the water in a sailboat it is extremely hot and the temp never seemed to drop much even at night. I used to think June wasn’t a huge risk hurricane wise but in recent years I have come to reconsider it. I have also been to Abaco in the Bahamas in June. I think BVI is prettier.
I thought the beaches in St Martin were beautiful but I didn’t always feel safe. Loved St Bart’s but it is expensive. St John is on our bucket list.
We also have gone to Belize twice. Once in late June. We spent time on both land and boat. That trip we stayed near Placencia and sailed the cayes off the reef towards Honduras. It was some of the clearest water I’ve seen. From land we did a couple of excursions to the rainforest and ruins. We came across a lot of honeymooners who were splitting a trip half on the beach and half in the jungle. Another trip to Belize we spent on land on Ambergris Caye. I didn’t think it was great but a lot of people love it. Belize is a pretty easy place to get to. Not sure about hurricane risks.
Pacific coast of Costa Rica is rainy season in June.
Cayman is nice if you like beach and snorkeling/diving. If they want hiking or nice scenery with views, I would not choose Cayman. I swear you could roll a marble from one side of the island to the other. Aruba the same.
We liked Domenica. Not so crowded, whale watching, nice views, safe.
One place no one has mentioned so far is Bermuda. It’s in the Atlamtic rather than the Caribbean, but June in Bermuda is beautiful. Horseshoe Beach is absolutely gorgeous. Hiking is terrific - you can hike along the old path along the shore for miles and the scenery is truly beautiful. It’s one of the safest places on earth, which you can’t say about quite a few of the Caribbean islands.
If the whole hurricane season thing leaves them considering other options, June is the perfect time for Europe. The dollar is very strong right now. I’d recommend Ireland, Iceland or Italy (Cinque Terre is great for views, swimming, food) for beauty and budget.
I personally love Hawaii, especially the Big Island. Maui is also nice option. Last time I went DH and spend a weekend in San Francisco on the way back which really helped break up the trip. It is a long haul however and I travel from NY.
I am leaving for Puerto Rico on Monday as DH has a business trip. So we will be in the Condado area at the Marriott. This time staying longer so will rent a car and will do some touring. Old San Juan is definitely cool. There are restaurants both inexpensive and casual as well as elegant and pricey. We had an outstanding dinner last year at 1919 in the recently restored Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, originally built in 1919 and the hotel has a glorious art deco lobby. The beach however in this area makes for rough surf as on the Atlantic, not the Caribbean. La Concha which is a believe a Renaissance hotel seemed to have more of a hip vibe than the Marriott.
Have not been to the Turks and Caicos but I understand that it is beautiful. In ancient history I went to both Aruba and Curacao on my honeymoon. Aruba was not anywhere near as developed and touristy as it is now as had day stops to both on cruise ship about 6 years ago. Same with St. Martin, went there twice years ago and stopped there on cruise few years ago. Thought it seemed a bit rundown.
Costa Rica and Bermuda both seem like good suggestions.
If tropical is their dream, but staying at a resort on the beach is outside of their budget I might look into a private rental within a 6 block walk from the beach/restaurants. This is not tourist season and many places sit empty this time of year.
I have to add one to consider based on time of year and their interests…ICELAND!!! (The flight is not so long so I think they would be just fine regarding jet lag) http://www.iceland.is
Last year when I was investigating a vacation, Europe was cheaper than the Caribbean and definitely Hawaii which was really expensive.
I guess I would have the kids decide what they really want to do. If they are comfortable in the water, they could take diving lessons. They could do everything locally and save their open water dive for the vacation.
Do they want to hike, I will say that the Caribbean is hot, hot, hot in the summer. If I wanted to hike, I’d pick somewhere else. Is it important that things feel familiar? Then Grand Cayman or Bermuda. Rustic, I’d think Roatan or Bonaire. Gambling, Aruba.
It sounds like they aren’t sit around the beach people. Lots of people love all inclusiveness.
Have been to Puerto Rico with my kids-lots to do in terms of exploration, hiking in the the “jungle,” etc. Also been to St. Maarten, Anguilla and most recently, Turks & Caicos. T&C by far the most spectacular, gorgeous beaches along Grace Bay. We stayed last year at the Seven Stars Resort-might be a little pricey for them, but check out the summer prices. Non-motorized water sports are included in the price. Some phenomenal restaurants on the island and lots of local island restaurants without heavy-duty price tags. But, not lots to do on the island. This is for a generally relaxing vacation.
Deb, you bring up some very good points and I appreciate reading them. The “hot, hot, hot” part - you know, this is something for them to consider - if it’s so hot that all you really want to do is be by the beach then maybe it’s not worth it to choose this trip in the summer. I don’t think they would dive, but snorkle. They are not interested in a cruise.
I think they think (and I have to agree) that Europe is for doing lots of sightseeing and activity. Neither has been out of the country (with the exception of Canada!) - I think traveling to Europe after the excitement (and stress) of a wedding would not be the right touch for this couple.
All good points for them to mull. Thank you!
Iceland, still Europe , but not as far away as other countries.
Do they want to go to the beach? Or would they want to do some sightseeing?
If sightseeing…and NOT the beach…what about Montreal? It’s lovely there in the summer.
Thumper, so funny - we actually have family in Montreal - but S has never met them - it is BEAUTIFUL! Quebec Cit as well…
Their decision of course. The thing is we have a family cottage directly on the beach on the Lake Huron shore of Canada - so, we/they spend many days there in the summertime. It’s a lake though, not an ocean - and not tropical. So I would think they might be open to other things. Their call! I thought even a California trip. Fly in, rent a car, drive up the coast and see the beach, San Fran, Redwoods - sounds lovely to me!!! 
I love St John more than anything. However, I see it as more of a do it yourself type of island unless you can afford Caneel Bay.
I’d recommend they get a bit more pampered on their honeymoon and try an all inclusive resort. That way they aren’t hunting down where to eat, what to do, etc as first timers and honeymooners.
Iberostar has locations all over and is more budget friendly…I’d look more towards cancun, Riviera Maya in Mexico, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, Antigua has a few nice all inclusives…none need a car rental, like st john would and have lots of things to do.
For a summer trip I’d go with Aruba as it is pretty much south out of the hurricane belt that can tear through the Caribbean in the summer. Tons of great hotels on that island as well as some fun things to do (a little town, swimming with stingrays, etc.). For a non-summer trip, I’d expand my list to include other islands (ex. St. Martin, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico), but hurricane avoidance is a huge factor.
I’m another lover of Hawaii as well…
Abasket, my bil and sil are been to Cayman many times. She goes once or twice a year and he maybe goes every 3 years. They once went over the summer, bil and the kids said never again. Many Caymanians go to Florida in the summer to get away from the heat!
There is a family lore story of hiking the interior of Cayman. My mil called it the Bataan death march, the kids said, never ever again.
But we loved Cayman, it’s one of the few places that I’ve been that I would go again in a minute. But we went in the beginning of December. Tons to do, friendly people, very safe,other than driving on the “other” side of the road, very American. Expensive but a very high standard of living so safe.
I’m not discouraging the Caribbean just pointing out that summer is low season.
I recommend an all inclusive. I’ve been to St John, and LOVED it, but for younger people I can see them wanting to be at a resort, where they don’t have to think about what to do. We stayed at the Westin on St John, and it was 6 bucks each way just to get into town, where you could find something to eat that wasn’t priced like a resort. Those 6 buck trips add up when you’re on a budget.
Several years ago we stayed at an all inclusive in the Riviera Maya. It was Iberostar. We all really liked it. I went to St. Lucia back in the late 80s - that to was all-inclusive.
I love Grand Cayman (last trip last month) but it’s pretty expensive.
There’s a website called cheapcaribbean.com. They also have an 800 number. You may want to call to see if they have any specials.
Can’t wait to hear more…
We try to go to St Martin every 1-2 years. It is half French and half Dutch and there are a lot of activities. While I think it is a very safe place to visit, I would agree with a previous poster that it can feel “unsafe.” If they are not world travelers, I think an all-inclusive somewhere might minimize the stress of traveling. Aruba during hurricane season is a nice safe bet.