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Can't decide between beachy bustle and tropical seclusion? Here's how to have it all.

So you and your fiancé don't have identical ideas about the perfect Caribbean honeymoon? No need to worry—it's a common dilemma. Here's a typical example: She wants a top-floor suite in a luxury hotel, a pool butler to fetch her piña coladas, plenty of nightlife and sophisticated restaurants. He dreams of living a tropical idyll, with lots of time on deserted beaches, a low-key cottage at the edge of the sea, casual Creole dishes at local mom-and-pop restaurants and dancing barefoot under the stars at an open-air beach bar.

What should they do? Simple: Go for the combo! Find a high-profile island with all the trendy attractions that's close to a smaller and more laid-back "little sister" isle. Then, divide their time between them. Presto—two great honeymoons in one!

For: A Sophisticated Getaway plus an Island Hideaway

Start with: Puerto Rico

Super-sized Puerto Rico has it all—its 3,500 square miles includes a fringe of gorgeous beaches, an interior of jungle-blanketed mountains, a 500-year colonial history, an abundance of resorts, and El Yunque, a 28,000-acre tropical rain forest networked with hiking trails. The island's crown jewel, San Juan, is a sophisticated capital city, home to some of the Caribbean's hottest restaurants, nightclubs and resorts. In its trendy-yet-historical city-within-a-city, Old San Juan, you can walk along cobbled streets in the footsteps of Christopher Columbus, past landmark cathedrals and convents neighboring on hip, modern boutiques and cafés. You can even stay in a 17th-century Carmelite convent: the luxurious El Convento hotel (doubles from $235; 800-468-2779; elconvento.com).

No matter where you venture along the beachy coastline, you'll find luxury resorts, as well as attractions like golf courses, casinos and restaurants. However, because Puerto Rico is a straight-shot, direct flight from many American cities, you'll also find plenty of fellow travelers.

Add: Vieques or Culebra

About 13 miles east of the island are Puerto Rico's lovely little sisters, Vieques and Culebra. Until recently, both isles were delightfully slow-lane, but Vieques is no longer quite as laid-back—in fact, it has become so popular with solitude-seekers that it is morphing into a tourist hot spot. When the Bravo Beach resort opened there last year, it quickly became an A-list magnet (doubles from $175; 787-741-1128). Before Vieques gets too popular, hop over for some memorable, after-dark romance: On moonless nights at Bioluminescent Bay, the water glows a magical blue-green when it's disturbed, creating a glittering wake behind swimmers and boaters.

Culebra, which, at a mere four-by-seven miles, is even smaller than Vieques, remains well under the radar. Nearly one-third of the island (and the 23 tiny cays that surround it) is a designated National Wildlife Refuge, so even the notoriously skittish leatherback sea turtles feel safe on its protected Brava Beach. There are also plenty of public beaches, so head over for the day, or stay at a small guest house. One favorite is Mamacita's (doubles from $89; 787-742-0090; mamacitasguesthouse.com).

Rent a jeep, grab a picnic lunch, and explore. The most popular beaches are Flamenco, which has a smattering of food kiosks, and Zoni, with spectacular views of offshore islands. All of Culebra's beaches have sugar-white sand, unspoiled reefs for snorkeling or diving—and, best of all, no crowds.

Getting Around: Daily ferries and inter-island flights connect Culebra and Vieques to San Juan and Fajardo, on the main island of Puerto Rico. Several also connect Culebra and Vieques. Call 787-863-0705 for schedules and reservations.

For: Modern Euro-Style plus a Step Back in Time

Start with: St. Martin/St. Maarten

Because this island is part French and part Dutch, you can count on enjoying European-style perks wherever you go. And because there is no official border separating the two nations, you’re free to travel the island’s 38 square miles at will. On the French side you can feast on haute cuisine in the restaurants of Grand Case village, linger over fresh-baked croissants and café au lait at an outdoor café along the Marigot waterfront, and browse the chic boutiques that showcase French fragrances and fashions. Head over to the Dutch side to shop for electronics and other duty-free bargains, and to gamble at a glitzy casino. Or explore a coastline scalloped with soft beaches, including renowned Maho Beach.

Both the French and the Dutch sides boast a bevy of upscale resorts, many of which, like the posh La Samanna (doubles from $700; 800-237-1236; lasamanna.com), provide lots of high-style pampering and luxuries. But along with all this international chic and glamour comes the not-so-glamorous downside: noisy crowds and traffic jams. For a more secluded Caribbean getaway, seek out the island’s smaller siblings.

Add: Anguilla, Saba or Statia

The intriguing island of Anguilla lies just a 20-minute ferry ride from St. Martin’s Marigot port. Until recently, Anguilla was a classic slow-lane isle, with only one road, one traffic light and miles of virtually deserted white-sand beaches. Then the glitterati “discovered” it, and now parts of the island are studded with butlered villas and expensive restaurants catering to the Hollywood elite. Happily, though, much of the charm of the “old” Anguilla can still be found—if you know where to look. You might stay at Lloyd’s Bed and Breakfast, a family-run inn that still has a laid-back feel and an old-fashioned sense of welcome (doubles from $105; 264-497-2351; lloyds.ai). Many of the dazzling beaches are still remarkably crowd-free and secluded as well. As for bars and restaurants, you can still enjoy some genuine island life at most of the original Anguillan favorites—casual places like Scilly Cay, Bankie Banx’s Dune Preserve and the Pumphouse.

Or visit Saba. Unique for the Caribbean, this cone-shaped island has no beaches (it’s the peak of a volcanic mountain that rises from the ocean floor). Saba’s tranquil time warp envelopes four tiny villages, each with immaculate white cottages roofed in red tile and trimmed with lacy gingerbread; flowers flourish in every front garden. Sabans, who speak Dutch as well as English, seem delighted to engage in leisurely chats with visitors. You can unwind at your own pace here, gazing out over the bucolic countryside to the sea, as your stresses evaporate into the mountain mists. Or go for the adrenaline rush: Scuba divers rank its submerged slopes as some of the world’s best dive sites, and above the waves, Saba offers more than 20 challenging trails, one of which winds 3,000 feet to the top of the aptly named Mount Scenery. A high-speed ferry covers the 28 miles between St. Martin and Saba in an hour, so you can come for the day, or stay in one of the island’s B&Bs, such as The Gate House (doubles from $135; 599-416-2416; sabagatehouse.com).

Another little sibling is tiny Statia (St. Eustatius), which is even more laid-back than Saba. Other than diving, hiking “The Quill” (an extinct volcano), or beach-combing, there’s little to do—and therein lies its charm. Of the handful of guest houses on Statia, the Old Gin House provides the just-right mix of slow-lane comfort and traditional West Indian hospitality (doubles from $135; 599-318-2319; oldginhouse.com).

Getting Around: Daily flights connect St. Maarten to Anguilla, Saba and Statia. For rates and reservations, contact Winair (fly-winair.com). For ferries to Anguilla, contact Link Ferries (264-497-2231; link.ai). For ferries to Saba, contact Saba C-Transport (599-416-3671; info@sabactransport.com).

For: Tropical Beauty by Land plus a Glimpse of Yachtie Life

Start with: St. Lucia

From St. Lucia, island-hopping isn’t strictly necessary. This place is blessed with enough tropical beauty, including rain forests and a drive-through volcano, black-sand beaches and the Pitons, those famous twin peaks, to provide a completely blissful getaway. Add in posh hotels like Discovery At Marigot Bay (doubles from $310; 758-458-5300; discoverystlucia.com) and Ti Kaye (doubles from $200; 758-456-8101; tikaye.com), and it’s a tough island to top.

Add: The Grenadines

Still, the neighboring Grenadines are simply too enticing to miss. These 32 small (and smaller) isles, sprinkled between St. Lucia and Grenada, have traditionally been the playground of charter sailors and yachties. This has left them unspoiled. Even without a yacht of your own, it’s relatively easy to hop through the Grenadines—provided you’re willing to travel as the locals do, relying on small regional planes and ferries.

Is it worth the effort? Consider this: While the dramatic underwater walls off St. Lucia’s Anse Chastanet earn kudos from divers and snorkelers, the Grenadines’ Tobago Cays are world-famous for unparalleled crystal-clear waters and unspoiled reefs. And although St. Lucia’s street parties at Anse La Raye and Gros Islet are legendary blasts, you just can’t beat the fun of hanging out at Frangipani’s, an open-air seafront beach bar on the island of Bequia. Plus, there’s nothing in the entire Caribbean that can top the stunning curl of white-sand beach that cups the aquamarine waters of Saltwhistle Bay on Mayreau. You can experience any of these wonders on a quick day-trip from St. Lucia.

Consider these Grenadines:

Bequia (pronounced: BECK-way): It’s beautiful, inexpensive and fun-loving. The hang-out here, Frangipani’s, is just steps from where your ferry docks. Farther along the beach is De Reef, a café where your conch curry comes with hot jazz, cold beer and perfect ocean views.

Petit St. Vincent (everyone calls it “PSV”): This island is privately owned, home to an exclusive small resort (also called PSV; doubles from $770; 800-654-9326; psvresort.com), and ringed with great beaches and snorkeling reefs. (Even on private islands, the beaches and beach bars are open to all.)

Palm Island: This private isle is dominated by a single resort, which is called (you guessed it) Palm Island Resort (doubles from $775; 800-858-4618; eliteislandresorts.com). Gorgeous Casuarina Beach is not to be missed.

Mustique: A “gated” island of fanciful, multi-million-dollar villas, owned by Mick and Tommy and other world-famous celebs. Mere mortals can nest at the elegant Cotton House resort (doubles from $850; cottonhouseresort.com; 800-223-1108). Otherwise, visitors (and paparazzi) are not welcome, except at Basil’s, the funky-but-chic beach bar where Princess Margaret famously danced barefoot to live reggae (dinner for two, before drinks, tax and tip, about $84; 784-466-8350; basilsbar.com).

Canouan: Most of this island is dominated by the lavish Raffles Resort, where Trump runs a gaming casino and some expensive villas (doubles from $785; 784-458-8004; canouan.raffles.com). But the newly renovated, albeit less posh, Tamarind Beach Hotel and Yacht Club also welcomes beach-seeking visitors (doubles from $304; 784-458-8044; tamarind.us).

Mayreau: A beautiful island with one quaintly rustic hotel and café, the Saltwhistle Bay Club (doubles from $480; 784-458-8444; saltwhistlebay.com).