The best places to elope in the Caribbean

By Steve Blount, Special for USA TODAY

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There is something about the rhythmic breathing of the ocean that is primordially sensuous and intensely romantic. This sense of escape is why so many people are choosing to get married in the Caribbean. Some are planners, carefully plotting the flowers and foods for guests, while others give in to impulse and elope.

Erica Hebert, a wedding planner with Weddings The Island Way in St. Thomas, USVI, has been helping folks get hitched there for nearly 20 years. She cites the cost of an average continental wedding — $26,000 — as one of the reasons she’s seen a steady increase in the number of couples opting for a tropical ceremony. “A lot of couples are waiting to get married, so they’re older and have a more defined idea of what they want, and many want more adventure than just having another church wedding in town,” Hebert says. For those with social obligations and friends who can’t make the trip to the islands with them, Hebert has a simple solution — have a reception and party when you get back from the honeymoon.

One important thing to note before you book plane tickets: The legal requirements to get married vary greatly from island to island. Wherever you decide to say “I do,” make sure you understand and can comply with all of the requirements before you are Caribbean-bound. Connecting with a local wedding planner, even if only to have them coordinate the legal paperwork, is a good idea. Your hotel will know how you can reach one.

If you’re considering this route, here are 10 places that should be on your itinerary.

10. U.S. Virgin Islands

The United States purchased St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix from Denmark in 1916, making them a U.S. territory. If you haven’t done a lot of planning, this will make eloping a lot easier because all U.S. laws apply, you won’t need a passport and there are frequent flights to and from U.S. cities into St. Thomas.

Of the three islands, St. Thomas is the hub and home to the capital, Charlotte Amalie. Magen’s Bay — frequently named to Top 10 Beaches lists — is on the north side and a popular site for wedding ceremonies. There’s also Smith Bay Park, which has neighboring St. John as a backdrop and water so intensely turquoise that it almost doesn’t look real. Hebert recommends Pretty Klip Point, a rocky promontory overlooking Sapphire Beach with a row of palm trees that’s “just perfect” as an aisle for the bride.

For you hit-and-run romantics, you can even get married during a port call from a cruise ship. The USVI’s impose no mandatory “residence” period. Hebert’s company will pick you up dockside and return you in time to sail onward. Paperwork is easy, a simple application that can be filled out and submitted online, then signed at the time of the ceremony. There is a $200 fee for the license, and you’ll need proof of a divorce or death certificate if you were previously married.

9. Puerto Rico

Also a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico enjoys many of the same advantages as the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are daily flights to the capital, San Juan, and even a few weekly flights to Mayagüez on the wild western side of the island. Compared to many other Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico feels like a continent, with continental diversity. There’s a rainforest, endless beaches and even caves for spelunking, along with the cosmopolitan pleasures of urban San Juan — nightclubs, casinos, a first-class art museum and a wonderfully restored historic district. A gem in the middle of it all is the El Convento Hotel in Old San Juan. Unlike nouveau-hype hotels who adopt old-sounding names, the El Convento was in fact built as a convent for Carmelite nuns in 1646. The columned facade is guarded by the convent’s original iron gates, and inside, there’s a beautiful open-air courtyard perfect for a small ceremony. The hotel rooms are spacious, floored with huge slabs of black and white marble, and well furnished.

A complete opposite in every respect except luxury is the Horned Dorset Primavera, in Rincón on Puerto Rico’s west coast. Secluded on a cliff overlooking a private beach, the Horned Dorset is a perennial fixture on the Condé Nast list of the best resorts in the world. The architecture is Old World gorgeous, a mix of the Spanish-Arab Mudéjar structure and lavish Turkish tilework and rugs. You can fly into nearby Mayagüez and forget the rest of the world exists.

Puerto Rico doesn’t have a residency requirement, but it does have some paperwork: You’ll need a recently issued medical certificate, divorce papers, an application and a $20 fee.

Puerto Rico’s other coast: ‘An easier life’

8. Cayo Espanto, Belize

If your Caribbean wedding fantasy involves extreme seclusion and servants, Cayo Espanto may be your place. It’s expensive — nearly $2,000 a night — but you’d be hard pressed to argue against the value. There are exactly seven private villas ringing the four-acre islet. The villas have mahogany-paneled interiors, luxurious island-style furnishings and your own designated butler. One of the villas, Casa Ventana is built out over the translucent pale-blue water at the end of a 150-foot dock. The hotel staff will help make arrangements for you to be married on the island, or, if you prefer, make a quick trip to a Mayan archaeological site on the mainland and get married in the shadow of a thousand-year-old pyramid.

Belize does require an approved license application ($100) and you must be in the country for three days before being married. You can apply in advance and get a fax of the approved application before traveling. If you want to get married in an archaeological site, apply to the Commissioner of Archaeology in Belize City by fax at least a week before your planned ceremony.

7. Kamalame Cay, Bahamas

If the private-island thing appeals but Belize seems kind of far, consider Kamalame Cay in the Bahamas. The Cay is a 96-acre private island with just 19 seaside rooms and villas, the property of developers Brian and Jennifer Hew. The Jamaican couple did a long stint enduring the corporate life in South Florida before founding their own island paradise. Kamalame Cay is just a few hundred yards off the northeast coast of Andros, the largest — and one of the least populous — of the Bahamas. It’s just 150 miles from Miami, but literally a world away. By choice, the few TVs on the island are connected to VCRs rather than satellite dishes, making it electronically impervious to the homogenizing hum of the global infotainment octopus. If you can’t live outside the orbit of Facebook and the Twitter-verse, this may not be for you. But if you’re looking for real serenity coupled with highly personalized service and an idyllic setting, this is it. There are 3 miles of deserted, white sand beach that front acres of khaki brown sand flats covered with a thin sheet of transparent water and strewn with thousands of pure white sand dollars. The food is stellar; if you like, the staff will sneak into your villa while you’re away and leave fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. The villas, designed by Brian and Jennifer, are perfect island-style getaways, with high, wood-lined ceilings, cool tile floors and freestanding jacuzzi tubs. If you tire of gazing into each other’s eyes over a fruity adult beverage on the beach, there’s a freshwater spring (blue hole) in the ocean, world-class bonefishing, kayaking, a rope swing and torchlit beach barbecues enlivened by bands belting out the local “rake ‘n’ scrape” island music.

The Hews and their staff will help you navigate the few formalities: You’ll need a license ($100) and can apply only after being in the Bahamas for a day. You’ll need photo IDs, a valid passport, birth certificate and evidence of the end of previous marriages.

6. Nassau, Bahamas

The Bahamas earns two entries on the list — and truthfully, you could make a list entirely of places in the Bahamas to elope to. If you’re impatient and ill-prepared, Nassau could be your best bet. First, it’s easy to get to. Really easy. There are direct flights from many U.S. cities; it’s only two hours by air from New York. Second, you won’t need any more documents than you would at your local courthouse (passport, birth certificate, evidence of the end of previous marriages). And third, the island is home to a broad variety of resorts, from basic B&Bs to over-the-top super-luxe.

Compass Point has the corner on fun and funky. Accommodations are in multi-colored “huts” fronting a soft, white sand beach lapped by turquoise water. If you’re over funky and are looking for luxe, you could try the Bridge Suite at Atlantis which has hosted the likes of Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey. But before you spend that kind of money, take a close look at the Graycliff. The 18th-century mansion was reputedly built by a notorious pirate, John Graysmith, and was later owned by an associate of Al Capone. The interior and grounds are well-manicured and loaded with hand-carved antique furnishings. The Graycliff itself is not just a hotel, it’s a brand, with its own line of super-luxe cigars and pricey Swiss chronographs.

There are plenty of places to get married on the island, from the grounds of your hotel to a deserted beach on one of the offshore islets to the grounds of Fort Fincastle overlooking the capital city.

5. North Shore, Jamaica

The final retreat for Hollywood swashbuckler Errol Flynn and the birthplace of character James Bond, Jamaica’s North Coast has intrigued visitors for centuries. The island’s central mountain range — the Blue Mountains — edge up close to the coast, creating ridge tops with scenic vistas of lush green forest that melt into an impossibly blue sea.

Choosing among the dozen great hotels along the coast is hard, but couples with a small party might consider the Hammerstein Highland House villa. This was the home of Broadway legend Oscar Hammerstein, and it’s easy to see the inspiration for his lyrics for The Sound of Music. The hills are indeed alive, and from this perch overlooking Montego Bay, you get a sweeping vista of mountains and the sea. The house is available with four to six bedrooms and comes with a butler, cook and gardener, so you won’t be wasting any needed energy on housework. If you’re more a hotel type, the Sandals Royal Plantation just up the coast in Ocho Rios offers not only full wedding services, but an all-inclusive luxury rate that includes — well, everything, plus a butler. All of the rooms are oceanfront suites, the grounds are jaw-dropping and you can say “I do” in a gazebo built out over the ocean.

You can be married 24 hours after arriving in Jamaica so long as you apply for a marriage license in advance. You can apply online through the Ministry of Justice for Jamaica; no blood test is required and the cost of the license is about $50 USD.

4. St. Lucia

Green, mountainous and surrounded by a deep blue sea, St. Lucia offers both luxury and solitude. The island’s Pitons — twin mountain spires — are iconic symbols of St. Lucia’s adventurous side. There are mountain-biking trails, excellent snorkeling and diving and even a drive-in volcano, La Soufriere.

Of course, you may never want to actually leave the resort if you land at Ladera. Perched on a hillside overlooking the Pitons and Pitons Bay, Ladera pioneered the “missing fourth wall,” with rooms and suites open to the stunning view. Be aware Ladera is not a beachfront resort, but with your own plunge pool and that view, you probably won’t care. Nearby Anse Chastanet does have a beach — two of them actually, on 600 forested acres — and a similar open-air feel as Ladera.

Either resort can make all the arrangements you need to get married. Official fees run less than $200USD and St. Lucia requires you to be on island for two days before applying for a marriage license, so figure you’ll be there a week — though once you see the island, you won’t want to leave.

3. Tobago

Tobago is almost as far south as you can go in the Caribbean; only its sister island Trinidad is closer to South America. Although English-speaking, it’s also one of the most diverse islands, celebrating marriages for not only Christians and Jews, but also Muslims and Hindus, courtesy of its heritage of immigrants from South Asia. Neighboring Trinidad is highly industrialized – calypso and the steel drum, made from oil drums discarded by the island’s numerous refineries, were born there — while Tobago bills itself as “the natural choice,” a reference to its rolling hills covered in tropical foliage. There’s an annual mid-summer festival devoted to marriage, the Tobago Ole Time Wedding Festival. Men dressed in swallow-tail coats and ladies dressed in satin gowns form a procession that meanders through the village of Moriah. Every year, a few newly married visitors join in.

The Blue Waters Inn Hotel, located on the island’s northeast tip, has both a wedding planner and scenic venues for your vows: a pristine sand beach or poolside overlooking the turquoise water with a backdrop of Batteaux Bay and the mountainous spine of Little Tobago.

Paperwork is minimal; you’ll need to be in Tobago for three days, bring notarized copies of any previous divorces plus a photo i.d. (passport) and apply for a license (about $55 USD).

2. Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Embraced on one side by Maya ruins and on the other by the clear, blue Caribbean, Playa del Carmen is Cancún’s younger — but more sophisticated — sibling. Located south of the ultimate spring break spot and north of the border with Belize, PDC is the main anchor of the Riviera Maya. Despite the language difference, Mexico makes it easy for Americans to get married. You’ll need to be in the country for three days, have your passport, get a blood test by a local clinic (24 hours) and sign a document stating that you’re single. If the bride is divorced and her passport is in her maiden name, no additional documents are needed. However, if the passport is in her ex-husband’s name, she’ll need a birth certificate and the divorce decree or death certificate for her former spouse, both translated into Spanish with an Apostille seal. The documents are easy to get before you leave the U.S., or just update your passport to your maiden name.

Playa del Carmen has an incredible range of hotels, from funky beachfront B&Bs to some of the finest luxury hotels in the world. Check out the Rosewood Mayakoba, with its mile of white sand beach and ultra-luxe suites built around lagoons and saltwater pools. Wedding coordinators are on-site to handle the details, and the backgrounds and reception facilities are as upscale as the hotel. If you’re bringing an entourage, Esencia is a 50-acre private estate that once belonged to an Italian duchess. With 29 rooms, suites and cottages and it’s own private beach, you can get as crazy as you want. The Fairmont Mayakoba is a less expensive choice — as are the all-inclusive Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso or the smaller La Pasion Hotel — but all have access to the great beaches and the great inland adventure available on the Riviera.

1. Bequia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines

If you want to get lost — really lost — in the tropics, this is the place. St. Vincent, with its volcanic black-sand beaches and towering rainforest, is exotic enough. But just a bit south lie The Grenadines: Mustique, Canouan, Young Island, Palm Island and Bequia (beck-wee). Bequia is just big enough to have an airport and just isolated enough to feel like the old Caribbean, when travelers arrived by private yacht and cruise ships were plying the North Atlantic. The formalities here are pretty simple and everything’s in English, but you will have to make a stop in St. Vincent nine miles away to acquire the marriage license (bring your passport and any divorce decrees or death certificates).

If you want to be on the water, try Sugar Reef. It has rooms directly on the beach and up on the hill, so lovebirds will be able to pick which atmosphere sets the mood best. The upper rooms are airy and breezy — the Master Suite in particular is a good choice for honeymooners, as it’s big, furnished with a heavy carved four-poster and fronted with an enormous balcony.

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For those looking for something secluded, Belize’s 4-acre islet Cayo Espanto rents seven private villas. The villa Casa Ventana is built out over the translucent pale-blue water at the end of a 150-foot dock. Villas have mahogany-paneled interiors, luxurious island-style furnishings and a designated butler.
Guests at Casa Ventana don’t need to go snorkeling to enjoy the aquatic life. Enjoy a dinner at the Villa Solana at Cayo Espanto, which earned Trip Advisor’s Travelers’ Choice award for Top 10 Hotels for Romance.
Many tourists come to Bequia (pronounced beck-wee), the second-largest island in the Grenadines, to experience the allure of the Old Caribbean.
Despite its size, Bequia doesn’t lack hospitality; the island offers a quaint escape from the adventures of other Caribbean tourist spots.
The Plantation Cottage at Firefly Plantation Bequia is comfortably ensconced in the Caribbean landscape and dates back to the 18th century.
The inside of the Plantation Cottage gives off a modern atmosphere for tourists to enjoy, despite the cottage’s historic background. Beautiful views are a perk for guests at the Plantation Cottage.
For those who don’t mind splurging on a vacation, consider The Bridge Suite in Atlantis, which has hosted celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey in the past. The opulent Bridge Suite has 12-foot ceilings and ceiling-to-floor windows.
The 18th-century Graycliff mansion in Nassau was named for its original pirate owner. It was also owned by an associate of the notorious Al Capone. Graycliff has its own brand of cigars available to visitors.
The Paradise Ridge in Ladera, St. Lucia, is famous for its view of the ocean from high on the hillside.
Visiting the beach may be a hike, as Paradise Ridge is built on the steep hillside. However, the tradeoff is a breathtaking ocean view. There are many vendors who can help plan the big day.

For more on this story go to: http://experience.usatoday.com/caribbean/story/best-of-caribbean/2015/06/05/best-places-to-elope-in-the-caribbean/2970291/