Buddymoons: Couples Are Taking Friends on Their Honeymoons

Honeymoons aren’t just for two anymore. After spending months planning your special day, why not make it last by inviting your closest friends on your honeymoon? “Buddymoons,” as the phenomenon is playfully named, are growing more popular. According to an article in Conde Nast Traveler, a recent survey on wedding travel found that 12 percent of Americans have attended a group honeymoon or buddymoon in the last five years.

As Conde Nast Traveler recommends, it’s best to pick a longer trip for your buddymoon, with a range of potential activities and sightseeing opportunities. Stick to groups of less than 10 people, mostly couples with similar outlooks and budgets. It’s always a good idea to minimize stress on your honeymoon!

If you’re planning a buddymoon, Divi Resorts offers a range of honeymoon packages at luxe resorts on Aruba, Barbados, St. Croix and St. Maarten—most with all-inclusive options. Spend a week in paradise with your other half, and give a few other couples in your friends circle an excuse to escape too!

Enjoy a Beach Lunch on Aruba

The beaches of Aruba are among the most beautiful in the world. Have you ever settled back into a comfy lounge chair at the open-air purebeach, sipping on an ice cold beer as you gaze toward the bright turquoise sea? Our casual beachfront restaurant at Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort is the ideal setting for a classic beach lunch—enjoy a purebeach hamburger or barbecue sandwich, or opt for a salad or a wrap. Whenever hunger strikes during your long and luxurious beach day, we’ll be there to satisfy.

Dive on St. Croix: Introducing All-Inclusive Dive Packages

dive on st. croix

Dive on St. Croix. Courtesy of SnorkelingDives.com/Flickr.

You can dive on St. Croix and get a luxe all-inclusive experience—you don’t have to choose! Discover the perfect blend of adventure and relaxation when you book one of our brand-new five-night or seven-night dive packages at Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach Resort.
St. Croix is a diver’s dream, with many beaches, vibrant coral reefs, shipwrecks, river canyons and plenty of crystal blue water to explore. Dive the famous Cane Bay Wall that runs about 7 miles parallel to the northern shore of St. Croix. It’s rated as one of the top dive spots in the Caribbean with its beautiful, living coral garden home to an enormous variety of tropical fish and other aquatic life. The year-round water temperature averages around 81 degrees Fahrenheit, and visibility ranges from 60 to 100 feet.

Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach Resort is the only all-inclusive on St. Croix, so it’s the perfect place to enjoy a little bit of everything—from indulgent amenities to exciting activities. Divi Carina Bay features one of the only casinos on the island, three restaurants with bars, two freshwater pools, tennis courts, complimentary mini golf, kids’ club, non-motorized water sports, nightly entertainment, Wi-Fi and much more.

Our new all-inclusive dive packages, rolled out this summer for the first time ever, offer the best of all worlds for you to enjoy:

5-Night Dive Package

-Includes 5 nights accommodation, unlimited meals and beverages, 6 tanks, 6 boat dives, 3 days diving transfers, round-trip airport transfer

-2017 rates start at $1,275 per person*

7-Night Dive Package

-Includes 7 nights accommodation, unlimited meals and beverages, 10 tanks, 10 boat dives, 5 days diving transfers, round-trip airport transfer

-2017 rates start at $1,819 per person*

To book one of these packages, call 1-800-338-3843 or email info@canebayscuba.com. Dive on St. Croix with the best!

*See our website for details.

Bonaire Has One of the World’s Prettiest Pink Sand Beaches

bonaire pink beach

Courtesy of TourismBonaire.com

The travel blog Trips to Remember recently named Bonaire Pink Beach, a narrow beach on the island’s western shore, among the 9 most beautiful pink sand beaches in the world. Not far from Divi Flamingo Beach Resort, it’s a perfect spot to relax under a palm tree with a good book, or jump in the water to explore the vibrant marine ecosystem that surrounds Bonaire. Check out the full list of pink beaches here.

6 Summer Carnivals to Visit in the Caribbean

crop over festival barbados

Courtesy of the Caribbean Journal

You may associate carnivals with the season of celebration just before Lent, but that’s not the only time you can find people dancing through the Caribbean streets. Various islands hold their own carnivals throughout the summer, celebrating everything from another bountiful sugarcane harvest to the unique heritage of the local culture.

Barbados, for example, is home to the Crop Over Festival, an exciting mix of street parties, music and parades. It culminates on August 7, Kadooment Day, with an enormous parade of vibrantly costumed people along Spring Garden Highway. Check out the list of other summer carnivals here.

The Best Souvenirs to Bring Home from Each Divi Island

best caribbean souvenirs from each divi island

When you’re dreaming of a past vacation, the easiest way to relive it is to bring out a few mementos. Souvenirs can help you recall the good times and the great stories from your trip. The best souvenirs communicate something about the spirit and the personality of the place you visited. We gathered a few suggestions of great souvenirs you can bring home from the Caribbean. Each of these islands is home to at least one Divi Resort—we hope you have an opportunity to check them all out!

aruba aloe

Courtesy of Aruba.com

Aruba: Aloe products

Aruba Aloe is the oldest aloe company in the world. Founded in 1890, it’s also the only aloe company in the world that grows, harvests and manufactures its products right on-site. Its products are sold pretty much everywhere in Aruba. You can also visit the Aruba Aloe Museum & Factory Store.

Barbados: Pottery

Earthworks Pottery is worth the short trip to the Edgehill Heights section of the St. Thomas parish. Everything at this workshop is authentically Caribbean, handcrafted by local artists. It offers a range of plates, bowls and vases, available as unique pieces or as part of beautiful sets. Earthworks is also happy to ship fragile items back home if you’re worried about their survival in your suitcase.

bonaire cactus liqueur

Bonaire: Cactus liqueur

Cadushy Distillery, located in Rincon, is the only distillery on the island of Bonaire. It’s most well-known for Cadushy of Bonaire, a cactus liqueur with a cooling lime taste, the earliest entry in the distillery’s Island Liqueurs line. Sign up for a tasting and learn first-hand how the spirits are produced. Don’t forget to bring home a few bottles of your favorite flavors.

st. croix crucian love bracelets

Courtesy of GoToStCroix.com

St. Croix: Crucian bracelets

When you visit St. Croix, you’ll notice many local women wearing a unique type of bracelet. The St. Croix Hook or the Crucian Hook is a band-style bracelet with a horseshoe-shaped clasp. This clasp (or “hook”) represents true love on St. Croix. These bracelets come in a wide variety of styles, and you can find them in most local jewelry shops.

St. Maarten: Guavaberry liqueur

Although the wild-growing guavaberry can be found elsewhere in the Caribbean, locals speculate St. Maarten is the only place it truly thrives. It’s a central part of local folklore and traditional cuisine. The juice of these berries (no relation at all to guava) is mixed with rum and sugar and then aged to create guavaberry liqueur. Sample the sweet, light concoction and bring home a few beautiful bottles from Ma Doudou, a small shop just off Front Street in Philipsburg.