Honeymoon Diary: St. Kitts

When Seattle natives Lisa and Danny wanted a Caribbean escape, Lisa's father put his Hawaii timeshare into a lottery-style swap. Their lucky draw? St. Kitts, the lush West Indian island. After a quick Google search ("I have to admit we hadn't heard of it!" says Lisa, a piano teacher) she and Danny, a grad student, were in. They took off the morning after their June 2011 wedding to relish pristine beaches and eye-opening adventures.

Trip Length: Ten days; two nights in Miami, seven on St. Kitts
Airline: United
Fight Time: Six hours to Miami; three more to St. Kitts
Timeshare Company: Interval International

Their top planning tip for those thinking about St. Kitts? "Travel off-season," says Lisa. "June is when the hurricanes can start, but it just briefly rained on two days -- plus, there are barely any people around. And at the end of the month, there's an annual music festival."

"We hiked up Mount Liamuiga with a born-and-raised native, Greg Pereira, from Greg's Safaris," says Lisa. "It's a strenuous trek over roots, branches, and rocks; however, the breathtaking view over the crater was worth it."

While they were snorkeling off Cockleshell Beach, Lisa captured Danny's triumphant conch-shell dive with a waterproof camera.

The duo's second conch experience? "We had the best meal at the Spice Mill, which serves local conch fritters and big-eye red snapper caught just off shore," says Lisa. "Watching the sun set over the beach was incredibly romantic, and we nearly had the place all to ourselves."

Lisa picked this fern leaf hiking to the crater of Mount Liamuiga, and the couple left with a trio of these wooden bowls.

Another find wasn't something they could bring home, but definetly something they wanted to share: "On our last day, we came across Shipwreck Beach. We were totally in awe of the perfectly turquoise water and soft sand," Lisa says. "It's definitely the most idyllic beach we've ever experienced."