<p>Not for me, but for S1 and FDIL. Before anyone starts accusing me of overstepping and interfering, let it be known that S1 and FDIL have asked for my help/suggestion/advice. So now I’m asking the well-travelled bunch on CC for their help.</p>
<p>Their criteria: someplace warm/tropical
preferably all-inclusive (they want to relax and not have to plan every detail)
a destination where there are adventurous activities (they don’t want to sit on the beach the whole time)
$6000 budget, including airfare</p>
<p>The honeymoon will be the first week in September, so I guess hurricane season needs to be taken into account. They will be leaving from upstate NY (the site of the wedding) and returning to either New Mexico or Northern Calif (where they will be living, they don’t know where yet).</p>
<p>If you suggest a destination and also know of a particular resort there, that would be helpful.</p>
<p>How far in advance do you think they should make their reservations?</p>
<p>6000 including airfare is difficult, but if they plan now they might be able to get something good.</p>
<p>Definitely get trip insurance because it will be hurricane season.</p>
<p>I suggest they pick three locations and figure out from there - kind of like picking a college !</p>
<p>And they both have passports? And how long do they have - only a week limits them quite a bit (I hate going anywhere for less than two weeks unless it is local).</p>
<p>I’ll put in a plug for cruising. Not too romantic sharing a ship with a bunch of other passengers, however:
There are many advantages such as all meals are paid for and you don’t have to unpack & repack at all…there are ports of call to explore or just sit on the beach…very active on board the ship and can also do fun activities on land…negative is the land excursions cost extra $$ but to plan ahead for at least one excursion per island visit can be helpful for their budgets…$6000 all inclusive sounds about right for a cruise especially if they leave out of NY or NJ and don’t pay for airfare…lots of choices and options…I’ve been on several lines and recommend them all <em>except</em> Carnival…
Some begin in Puerto Rico and go to the Southern Caribbean islands, some can leave straight out of NY or NJ with no flights…that would be the most economical…if interested, pm me and I can give you the cruise company I’ve used several times…I personally went to Cancun for our honeymoon, but I would not recommend Mexico to anyone anymore these days…if they can find a cruise to Turks & Caicos, or Aruba as part of the itinerary, those are two islands with lots of activity and also St. Maarten definitely…tons of land and water activities…good luck…I have never been to Costa Rica but heard lots of good things…just need to watch out for the robbers & thieves. A girlfriend of mine stopped there on a cruise and they wouldn’t let passengers off the boat! Always something.</p>
<p>I recommended they use TripAdvisor, too. Getting trip insurance is a really good idea. </p>
<p>I think they’re looking at around 8 days for the honeymoon, but I think they can be a little flexible on the time.</p>
<p>They mentioned Costa Rica, Mexico, and Hawaii as possibilities, but don’t really know much about traveling to those places. I’ve never been to Costa Rica, and haven’t been to Mexico or Hawaii since before S1 was born, so my experience is outdated.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions in Costa Rica and Belize. Sorry, dmd77, but they want tropical and have no great desire to go to Europe at this point.</p>
<p>Should they book hotel and air separately, or are there packages that bundle the two?</p>
<p>“6000 including airfare is difficult, but if they plan now they might be able to get something good.”</p>
<p>$6000 is a TON of money for a week. This trip originates from JFK in off-peak season (kids are already in school). Riviera Maya has some fabulous all inclusive resorts that are designated 18+ (not because they are rated NC17, but because they want their guests to have peace and quiet). Travel to CUN from JFK and return via LAX or SFO to CA is easy. </p>
<p>They could fly to HI & back to whichever place they live in, plus have lodging or a cruise in HI. Not too many all-inclusive lodgings in HI, so probably best to do a cruise if all-inclusive is important to them. Cruises tend NOT to be very active tho. There are a LOT of places to hike and/or kayak and explore in HI, on many of the islands.</p>
<p>I think a cruise could be great! H and I went on a cruise for our honeymoon and it was wonderful. It was our first cruise. </p>
<p>Since we got married on a Saturday and the cruise departed on a Sunday (which was rare back then), half of the other folks were also honeymooners…and the cruise really catered to that. </p>
<p>For the places mentioned on this thread (at least the ones in Costa Rica), they’d have to book the lodgings and international air separately. </p>
<p>In the past, I’ve gotten some really good deals on air and hotel packages in Hawaii on airline websites. I booked them more or less at the last minute, though. I don’t know if discounted packages are available far in advance. If they are not getting a substantial discount, they are better off booking directly with the airlines and hotel[s] separately. I feel you get better service at the hotel that way. However they book, they should inform the hotel in advance that they are honeymooners; they will likely get some extra perks or upgrades (if available).</p>
<p>The Osa Peninsula is more for active pursuits – hiking, amazing animal viewing, surfing, kayaking – than for lounging on the beach. </p>
<p>Hawaii is great. Lots of outdoor things to do. We like Maui and Kauai. There are places to stay in all different price ranges. I think you have to worry less about hurricanes there in September, but I could be wrong. Kayaking the
Napali coast can be done in September, if I recall correctly, and it’s quite spectacular. As someone else mentioned, there are not many all inclusives. But food of all price ranges is easy to come by. please. Let us know the final choice. </p>
<p>Yes, the array of food to choose among in Hawaii is amazing and comes in a great range of prices. Napali is gorgeous! Some folks prefer to rent condos while others prefer hotels. </p>
<p>I have to agree with the suggestion to consider a cruise. All the logistics are taken care of for you and costs are def manageable. Whether a Caribbean cruise, Mediterranean (highly recommend!), or Hawaiian, it is wonderful to go to sleep, wake up in a new location, have Customs dealt with for you, and you just go off ship to explore. Then back on board for ship relaxing and to prepare for the next adventure.</p>
<p>We went on an all inclusive to a Rockefeller Resort called Carambola in St Croix many moons ago. It was lovely but boring too. Just laying around on a beach all day and eating, eating, eating because the food was all you can eat. We like a little more adventure. </p>
<p>If their goal wasnt to just put their feet up, I would strongly recommend a run to the Loire Valley in France. There are chateau and wine tours which are wonderful. They could stay in Paris then train down to or they could stay somewhere in the Loire Valley. Amboise is the most beautiful and romantic village in the midst of it all. Tours go out of Tours or get your own map and explore the region, checking out different castles. The history is amazing. For example, Chateau Amboise. Did you know Leonardo Davinci spent his last years there and is actually buried in Amboise? Or Chateau Chennonceau which crosses the River Cher. During the Second War the château was bombed by the Germans in 1940. It was also a means of escaping from the Nazi occupied zone on one side of the River Cher to the “free” zone on the opposite bank by going THROUGH the castle, which bridges the river. Eventually occupied by the Germans, the château was bombed by the Allies in 1944. September is a great time of year in France and there are some good travel deals.</p>
<p>As several others have mentioned, I also rely heavily on Trip Advisor. Love it.</p>
<p>Agree with above that Riveria Maya has nice all-inclusives. Will they want to spend their entire week lounging on the beach or will they want to pursue outside activities? We stayed at Grand Velas Riveria Maya. Gorgeous property, huge rooms, and very good to excellent food, but it rained several days while we were there and there was absolutely nothing to do. Also, I was a bit disconcerted when I went for a walk on the grounds of the resort during the day, and an employee followed me (at a discreet distance) in a golf cart. Safety precaution. We stayed a few years ago so check Trip Advisor for current reviews of facility.</p>
<p>Costa Rica offers what I consider the best of both worlds: full relaxation and light adventure activities (hikes, zip lining, white water rafting, etc) The Arenal area offers hot spring spas and the listed outdoor adventure activities. </p>
<p>@oldfort - The FS at Peninsula Papagayo is gorgeous but it could cost a fortune to spend a week there b/c of the food prices. The room prices are high, but not massively so, and they offer third night free during slower seasons. The property is fairly remote so no easy way to do anything w/o booking an excursion (no town nearby for dinner). It would be the perfect place to spend half of a honeymoon but I think I would be bored after a week. They provided several free activities each day: cooking demo with chef in kitchen, guided hikes, snorkeling, golf cart tour (stunning vistas), maybe even kayaking? It is truly lovely, but the dollars added up quickly.</p>
Always something.</p>