The beach cove that fronts the Kapalua Bay hotel is the stuff of dreams: a golden crescent bordered by two palm-studded points. The sandy bottom slopes gently to deep water at the bay mouth; the water is so clear that you can see where the gold sands turn to green and then deep blue. Protected from strong winds and currents by the lava-rock promontories, Kapalua's calm waters are great for snorkelers and swimmers of all ages and abilities, and the bay is big enough to paddle a kayak around without getting into the more challenging channel that separates Maui from Molokai. Waves come in just right for riding. Fish hang out by the rocks, making it great for snorkeling.

Just off Queen Kaahumanu Highway, south of the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, lies this crescent of gold sand -- big, wide, and 1/2 mile long. In summer, when the beach is widest, the ocean calmest, and the crowds biggest, this is the island's best beach for swimming, snorkeling, and bodysurfing. But beware of Hapuna in winter, when its thundering waves, strong rip currents, and lack of lifeguards can be dangerous. Facilities include A-frame cabins for camping, pavilions, restrooms, showers, and plenty of parking.

American Express Vacations recently asked its clients what they thought the ideal honeymoon was. Well, not surprisingly, when people envision their honeymoon, everyone sees something a little bit different. Some people envision themselves on a beach, somewhere warm and exotic. Others wish to tour some of the world’s most ancient and spectacular sights, such as Rome or Paris. But a surprisingly large number of people saw themselves enjoying the cold weather in Canada.

According to American Express Travel, Canada has been growing as a honeymoon destination in the last couple of years. The reason? Simply that Canada has a large number of attractions for honeymoon couples. For couples who prefer contemporary setting, there several large cosmopolitan cities such as luxurious Montreal and Toronto in the south of Canada. Near Hudson Bay, there are several Eskimo settlements to explore. And of course, for those interested in water sports, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean on either side are an ideal.

There are also over thirty National Parks in Canada. In these parks, honeymooners can enjoy various activities like canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting. But it is in the winter time that the country sparkles. From boarder to boarder, the Canadian winter is a magical winter wonderland. The snow blankets everything, and seems to glisten blue in the moon light. The stars twinkle in a black sky, not unlike the diamonds in the rings of new honeymooners. The country offers numerous luxury skiing resorts for ski lovers, and lovers of all time. In addition, it is not unusual to see the infamous Northern Lights dance across the sky.

There are several lodges that cater to honeymooners interested in Canada as a destination in all seasons. Travelers can experience the height of luxury travel by staying in the most incredible accommodations. Some of the finest hotels in the world are located in Canada. The country offers a wide range of internationally acclaimed luxury hotels, and even beach resorts for comfortable accommodations in the summer time. All the resorts and hotels in Canada offer an array of facilities to make your honeymoon the most memorable event of your life.

A luxury Hawaii honeymoon surpasses the stuff dreams are made of, especially when you are getting a good deal with American Express Travel. With the amazing sights of turquoise blue water, and beaches kissed with the sun, many honeymoon packages are centered on a Hawaii honeymoon vacation.

According to American Express Tours, Hawaii landscapes all welcome two special people joined together in love. A Hawaii honeymoon package is the perfect way to mark the beginning of a new life together. Hawaii is a luxury honeymoon vacation paradise, full of excitement and adventure. With activities such as swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling or surfing, play with your intended in some of the clearest waters in the world. If these water sports are not enough vacation material for your luxury Hawaii honeymoon vacation, consider some alternatives in the form of mountain biking, hiking and picnicking in secret hideaways. A Hawaii honeymoon package can meet any expectation because of the sheer diversity of the seven main islands. Also, the Hawaii islands are world famous for their hospitable and welcoming natives. And honeymoon couples are always treated no less than the royalty.

Fern fields, dried lava beds, white sandy beaches, underwater corals and beachside getaways are to be found in Hawaii’s islands of Kauai, Oahu and Maui. American Express Exclusives offers a luxury adventure honeymoon package that allows you to fly through the breath-taking beauty of Hawaii as you soar across the island on a zipline. There are American Express Exclusive Hawaii honeymoon packages which offer American Express Travel deals.

Exploring green sand beaches, relaxing at a spa, joining a beach-side party and star-gazing at a clear and unpolluted night sky are all possible in your luxury Hawaii honeymoon vacation. American Express Vacations offers honeymoon packages which suit all budgets. The most affordable Hawaii honeymoon packages are to be found with your AMT American Express Honeymoon Specialist. They can help choose the perfect honeymoon vacation itinerary to follow.

Hawaii is also a hub of activity, offering honeymooning couples no shortage of entertainment, lodging, historical sites, and quiet places to dine while gazing at each other over candlelight.

For the more adventuring honeymooners, AMT American Express Wedding Division can book a tour to Pearl Harbor, help you rent a kite board at Kailua Bay or arrange a surfing lesson on the Waikiki beach. Or you can try a quiet picnic at Honolulu’s Iolani Palace or in the tea house at Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. A sunrise hike to Makapu'u Lighthouse may reveal migrating whales and the silhouette of the island of Molokai. Or set out on a day of art appreciation, topping it off with fine cuisine at the Honolulu Academy of Arts café. No matter what your taste, style or preference, AMT American Express Wedding Division has sent hundreds of clients there before. With over 35 years of experience, trust the most important vacation of your married life to AMT American Express Travel Wedding Division

Introduction

Good things often come in small packages. Aruba is one of them. It is totally equipped with all the elements needed to chill and have fun: powdery, white beaches, crystal waters, fabulous cuisine, casinos and great nightlife. Best of all, the trade winds make the tropical climate palatable. The winds also force the island's trademark, the watapana or divi-divi tree, to grow at a 45-degree angle.

Who goes there?

In a word, everyone. The island caters to the upscale traveller and those looking for a moderately-priced vacation; the party animals and the visitor that likes to curl up with a book on a secluded beach; families and honeymooners.

Where in the world?

Aruba, approximately 184 sq km (70 sq miles), sits in the southern Caribbean, just 20km (15 miles) off the coast of Venezuela. It is the most westerly of the A, B, C islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) which are all below the hurricane belt. It is part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands.

Beach

It doesn't get any better than a walk on powdery sand and turquoise waters sliding over your feet. Bordering the hotel zone, Palm Beach, located about 17km (11 miles) north of Oranjestad, is often crowded. It is the place for watersports (diving, parasailing, kite surfing) or just lazing in a lounge on the sand. Many prefer the calm surf and sand expanse of Eagle Beach, 20km (15 miles) north of Oranjestad.

Beyond the beach

Not all the wildlife is at the dance clubs. Donkeys, as well as scores of birds and lizards, find Aruba just as appealing as humans do. Nearly 20% of the island is a national park with exotic landscape like petroglyphs, odd rock formations and caves. Learn all about aloe production at Aruba aloe in Oranjestad, the island's charming capital.

Family fun

Shallow Baby Beach, about 14.5km (9 miles) south of Oranjestad just passed San Nicolas, is calm and wading pool-like, so it is perfect for the little ones. Hikes and off-road jeep adventure are fun terra firma trips for everyone. Learn about creatures at the butterfly farm, on J E Irausquin Boulevard in Palm Beach, or the ostrich farm on Makividiri Road.

Retail therapy

Since Aruba has it roots in Holland, think Delft pottery and cheese. The island is also the world's largest producer of aloe. It is available in every form imaginable. Browse the ‘duty free' shops on Oranjestad's primo shopping street Caya G F Betico Croes. Sometimes luxury items (jewellery, cameras, perfumes and so on) are discounted by as much as 25%. But be a savvy shopper. Price and compare in Aruba and before leaving home. The best deals on such items, especially liquor, can be had at the airport. And a word to the wise. Don't even thing about haggling. Locals consider it rude.

A night on the town

No problem looking for action when the sun goes down. The nightlife grooves with 11 casinos and tons of clubs and bars. Things don't start shakin' until around midnight but continues to the wee hours. The funky Kukoo Kunuku, takes revellers to dinner and bar hopping aboard a 50-year-old, brightly coloured bus. The tour operates Monday through Saturday from 1800 until midnight and changes watering holes daily.

Eating out

Cuban, Brazilian, Italian, Japanese, French, Caribbean, seafood. Aruba's eateries run the gamut. Sample local specialities like pan bati (a pancake-like sweet bread), keshi yena (a brown sauced covered, spiced seafood or beef baked in a Gouda cheese shell), or scavechi (marinated fish). To save a little bank, check out the Aruba Gastronomic Association (website: www.arubadining.com). They offer three-course, discount dine-around packages at high end restaurants.

Getting around

Arubus, the island's reliable public transportation, runs every 20 minutes. It will take you practically any place you need to go. Car rentals are available but to navigate the isle's rugged terrain, get a four-wheel drive. For true adventure, rent a Harley.

Exploring further afield

Hop a puddle jumper (Dutch Antilles Express: website: www.flydae.com) to Aruba's neighbours, Bonaire or Curacao. Each has its own personality. While Aruba is party central, Bonaire is laid back. With 86 awesome dive sites and 213 fish species, it is tops with those who like to explore the ocean's bottom. Curacao has fine beaches and lots of watersports but is more cosmopolitan. In fact, it looks like a pastel-coloured Holland with palm trees.

Splashing out

Visit Charlie's Restaurant and Bar on Mainstreet in San Nicolas. Paste your business card on the wall. Everyone else does. This island institution, one of the most popular watering holes on the island, has been around for 65 years. The staff will fill you in on the happenings of the little hamlet of San Nicolas.

Flying in

Aruba Queen Beatrix Airport (AUA)

St John's abounds with history but it is without one of Antigua's 365 beaches. Busy with cruise-ship visitors during the day (not to mention its 45,000 inhabitants), the island's commercial centre has several interesting historic sights and remains popular with day visitors coming for its wide range of duty-free shops. The closest beaches will be found on the nearby Five Islands peninsular and are very fine indeed. The peninsular, a few kilometres west of St John's, has several of the island's better hotels, but the area is primarily gated and inaccessible unless you are a guest.

St John's teems with day-trippers by day and has a few lively restaurants and bars by night, so it draws a wide range of British and American partiers, including families and singles. The resorts in the Five Islands peninsular are primarily geared toward adults.

The beaches closest to St John's are in the Five Islands area, most notably Galley Bay and Deep Bay, though the former is less protected and can have moderate to pounding surf. One beach, at the Hawksbill by Rex Resort, is clothing-optional.

To look beyond the beach, you'll have to look beyond the Five Islands peninsular. In St John's are several interesting historic sights, including the Anglican Cathedral of St John the Divine, between Long and Newgate streets. The Museum of Antigua & Barbuda, in the former courthouse at Church and Market streets, has several hands-on exhibits. It's easy to travel down to historic Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour, one of the Caribbean's best-preserved historic districts and the only Georgian-era dockyard still in use; in addition to a museum, it's filled with shops and restaurants.

You'll find few shopping opportunities in Five Islands unless you want to limit yourself to the offerings of your hotel's gift shop. Most of the island's shopping opportunities are concentrated in St John's, or at Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour. Duty-free bargains abound in the shops of St John's Heritage Quay, though the most charming of the island's shops can be found in Redcliffe Quay, also in St John's. Cedars Pottery in Buckley and Rhythm of Blue Gallery in English Harbour are two locally owned shops that produce their own high-quality wares.

St John's has the upscale disco The Coast, but much of the nightlife is in faraway English Harbour. The island has three casinos, the largest being the Grand Princess in Jolly Harbour; the King's Casino in St John's is closer to resorts in the Five Islands area. Sunday-afternoon barbecues at Shirley Heights Lookout start in the afternoon but continue well into the night with reggae and steel-pan bands, drawing a mix of both locals and visitors.

The Jolly Beach area draws a wide range of British and American holidaymakers, including families and singles. Resorts are a mix of large all-inclusives (which draw the majority of visitors) and smaller hotels.

Jolly Beach is a fine stretch of powdery soft sand, but if you are willing to travel a few kilometres south, Darkwood Beach is almost deserted during the week (though popular with locals on weekends), and Johnson's Point/Crab Hill beaches, a bit further south, are even nicer, with calm water for swimming and even a few good beach bars for refreshments.

The Jolly Harbour Marina has some good shops, including an outlet of Quin Farara for duty-free tobacco and liquor, but most of the island's shopping opportunities are concentrated in St John's, or at Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour. Duty-free bargains abound in the shops of St John's Heritage Quay, though the most charming of the island's stores can be found in Redcliffe Quay, also in St John's. Cedars Pottery in Buckley and Rhythm of Blue Gallery in English Harbour are two locally owned shops that produce their own high-quality wares.

The Jolly Beach area has the best of the island's three casinos, the Grand Princess; its Liquid disco is one of the island's hot spots. The King's Casino is north, in St John's. Castaways is another popular (and sometimes raucous) beach bar in Jolly Harbour, but most nightlife is concentrated in the English Harbour area, where the best bars, pubs, and discos can be found. Sunday-afternoon barbecues at Shirley Heights Lookout start in the afternoon but continue well into the night with reggae and steel-pan bands, drawing a mix of both locals and visitors.

Introduction

Antigua boasts of having 365 beaches, one for every day in the year, so even though you may be staying at a large resort, it's easy enough to escape to a secluded cove where there will be not a soul in sight. With a string of relatively large resort hotels, beautiful Dickenson Bay has one of the island's largest concentration of rooms (the other main concentration is in Jolly Harbour). The beachfront is lined with restaurants, beach bars, and water sports concessions, making it easy to escape your resort's confines if you choose, but you'll have to go into St John's to do any serious shopping. To find nightlife, you'll need to travel south, to English Harbour.

Who goes there?

Dickenson Bay is popular with a wide range of British and American holidaymakers, including families and singles. The large all-inclusives resorts draw the majority of visitors, but there are also some small hotels.

Where in the world?

Antigua is largest of the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, roughly midway between St Maarten and Guadeloupe. The island's international airport is east of the capital, St John's. Dickenson Bay is a large beachfront area approximately 3km (2 miles) north of St John's and 11km (7 miles) northwest of the airport. It's the most developed area on the island, with a wide range of resorts and activities.

Beach

Dickenson Bay has a long stretch of powdery soft sand and exceptionally calm water. With a wide range of water-sports concessions, bars, and beachfront restaurants, it's an easy place to escape from your resort if you choose. A less developed, though narrower, beach, Runaway Bay, is directly to the south if you crave a less frenetic atmosphere.

Beyond the beach

Antigua is one of the Caribbean's major sailing centres, so trips out on the waves to more isolated snorkelling spots abound. The island's waters are also an unsung diving destination. Guided kayaking trips take you through mangrove forests along the north shore. Harmony Hall is a former sugar plantation, now a gallery and restaurant. Historic Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour is one of the Caribbean's best-preserved historic districts and the only Georgian-era dockyard still in use; in addition to a museum, it's filled with shops and restaurants.

Family fun

Dickenson Bay resorts draw a fair number of families to its powdery soft beaches. Most of the larger resorts have organised activities for children. Kids always enjoy sailing and snorkelling trips, and you'll find several operations right in Dickenson Bay.

Retail therapy

Shopping is not one of the strong suits of the Dickenson Bay area. Most of the island's shopping opportunities are concentrated in the capital, St John's, or at Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour. Duty-free bargains abound in the shops of St John's Heritage Quay, though the most charming of the island's shops can be found in Redcliffe Quay, also in St John's. Cedars Pottery in Buckley and Rhythm of Blue Gallery in English Harbour are two locally owned shops that produce their own high-quality wares.

A night on the town

There are a few good beach bars right in Dickenson Bay itself and in nearby Runaway Bay, but much of the nightlife is in faraway English Harbour. The island has three casinos; the King's Casino in St John's is the closest to Dickenson Bay, but the largest casino is the Grand Princess in Jolly Harbour, and it has the island's best disco. Sandhaven, a bar in Runway Bay, is right on the sand, drawing a mix of local cricketers and holidaymakers for cheap burgers every night and live bands on weekends.

Eating out

A proper British breakfast is available at most resorts, but the growth of all-inclusive properties has brought a decline in the number of independent restaurants. Still, there are a few standout establishments, particularly at some of the island's posh resorts and even a few stand-alone restaurants, particularly in Dickenson Bay and St John's.

Getting around

The island's bus service has well-travelled routes from St John's to either Falmouth or English Harbour, but it does not extend to any of the main resort areas. If you are staying in Dickenson Bay, you may not need to rent a car since there are many options for dining and nightlife nearby within walking distance. Organised tours are a popular means to see the island, and taxis (with fixed rates) will do for a few trips out of your resort, though costs will mount quickly if you plan to tour or dine out often.

Exploring further afield

Antigua's sister island, Barbuda, is just 42km (26 miles) north and can be visited easily either by a 15-minute flight or 90-minute ferry ride from St John's. Day tours to see the island's famed Pink Beach and bird sanctuary are easy to arrange but can be costly.

Splashing out

The trendy 'Beach', right in Dickenson Bay, is a casual yet sophisticated mix of lounge and bistro and a popular destination in the immediate area. If you want to dance to reggae and Latin club music, head over to Runway Bay to the club Rush.

Flying in

V C Bird International Airport, St John's (ANU)