2011 Destination Weddings Caneel Bay, St. John FAM trip

Eco-Indulgences Make this a Honey of a Locale By Sharon NaylorEveryone’s buzzing about eco-friendly tourism, especially innovations in eco-weddings and honeymoons. From March 31 to April 3, a small group of New York-based media elites and bridal bloggers were the first to experience the new, organic honey initiative taking place at Caneel Bay, the celeb-favorite Rosewood Resort set on 170 acres in the protected Virgin Islands National Park on the island of St. John. Eco-philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller turned his private island estate into an exclusive resort where eco-tourists could snorkel, hike, swim, and be at one with nature, and the private beaches have attracted such celebrities as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and their brood, as well as celebrity chef Mario Batali, who was vacationing with his family at the time of this FAM trip.As much fun as it was to have a Mario-sighting at breakfast or while snorkeling, especially for us foodies, the big attraction was the resort’s tribute to all-things-organic-honey, including the honey facials, champagne cocktails with a honey touch, and especially the honey-infused gourmet luncheon served in the open air with Chef Allison treating us to our tableside chef chat (ala “Top Chef”) about the delectable island honey dishesshe’d created especially for us.Welcome to Honey GourmetWe gathered at an elegantly-set banquet table in the open air at the Turtle Bay Estate House to enjoy a luncheon of honey-touched spring rolls and mahi on a bed of ginger corn broth with soba noodles and long beans acquired from the resort’s local produce grower. Caneel’s honey is considered among the finest quality, since nectar is collected from a wide range of flora in their tropical paradise.Sated with the light dishes, we enjoyed an afternoon of downtime to enjoy honey facials and massages at the open-air cabanas overlooking Hawksnest Beach and snorkeled on our own using the site’s gratis snorkel gear and our underwater cameras. My husband and I swam alongside a delightful turtle, and took in the free-range aquarium sights of bright blue tang, neon-colored parrotfish, waving coral fans, and starfish.Dining DelightsAs the sun set over Caneel Bay, our group gathered for dinner at The Equator, high above the grounds, overlooking the ocean and the wedding reception-favorite sugar mill ruins below. The resort features a wide array of locales for destination wedding events, including a formal wine-pairing rehearsal dinner in their wine room, featuring the largest fine wine collection in the Caribbean. Bridal breakfasts take place al fresco at the Estate House or at the main house. We especially devoured the fresh island fruit— pineapple, mango, papaya, oranges—and the fresh-baked honey nut breads.On the WaterOn a bright, sunny morning during our stay, we boarded a pristine catamaran, sipped rum drinks, picked from a fresh fruit platter and mango bread board, and sailed to a private island where we snorkeled for an hour, taking underwater video. The cruise is often used for destination wedding receptions, as is their evening ferry sail with steel drum music and a buffet of shrimp and island-fresh guacamole, among other delectables.On the GroundsBeing a protected wildlife preserve, Caneel Bay is home to deer and wild donkeys who stroll along, unconcerned by human onlookers, as well as iguana, mongoose, pelicans, heron, and more, providing endless photo ops.Bliss UnpluggedIt’s a quiet resort, with no televisions nor phones in rooms, but they do have impressively reliable WiFi, which is fabulous for wedding couples to send images and video in the moment, Skype with at-home loved ones, and also for wedding vendors to stay connected with work and clients back home.Being unplugged and removed from city noise, and being able to dance beneath a sky almost too-filled with stars, creates an idyllic locale that makes the trip so worth it for destination wedding guests, as well as for the bride and groom.