Honeymooners' Guide to Young Island Resort in the Caribbean

Finding a uniquely unspoiled Caribbean island that you can enjoy in near isolation is the ultimate gift for a honeymooning couple. My husband and I found just such an island when we went on our own honeymoon-Young Island Resort.

Young Island is a rare glimpse at what the Caribbean was before the big cruise ship business largely invaded its shores. The private beach is pristine, and the winding paths to each private cottage are surrounded by native foliage. On our walks around Young Island, we saw peacocks and iguanas, who were often bold enough to venture onto our private deck. Even Johnny Depp has enjoyed the unspoiled Young Island, reportedly having stayed at Young Island while filming Pirates of the Caribbean on nearby St. Vincent.

Getting to Young Island is an adventure of its own. While major airlines such as Delta, Continental, and American Airlines take travelers to Barbados, St. John's, or Puerto Rico, they will need to make the next leg of the journey on a regional airline, Liat. We were able to fly into Barbados on Continental, where we each upgraded to first class for $150 and got a complimentary bottle of wine for our honeymoon, we took a Liat flight to St. Vincent. After a connecting flight, we took a taxi arranged for us by Young Island Resort to a dock in St. Vincent, where we were ferried to Young Island Resort.

Once on the Young Island, we were greeted with cold drinks and personally escorted to our cottage. All of the cottages on Young Island feature refrigerators, wall safes, private patios, and my favorite - the open air garden shower. From our private cottage at the top of the hillside, I took morning showers listening to the birds and the sound of the ocean waves while looking at our ocean view. In fact, every cottage on Young Island has an ocean view. Luxury suites also boast their own plunge pools. Those who require a telephone or television to enjoy themselves will be sorely disappointed on Young Island. The cottages have neither. Nor do they have air conditioning.