Honeymoon Help! Looking for a mix of culture and relaxation

vmj23

I have no clue where to go!   we are getting married end of may and I would be happy to go to a resort, beach, pool etc, that is not for my fiancée.  he loves to see other cultures, and experience their foods, but not as a tourist, he wants to be where the locals would good, not a resort setting.   any ideas?  we would be traveling from NY and I originally was considering Greece, but I am concerned with the travel time to get there and time difference.

JoanE2012

What is your budget?  How much time do you have?

emmyg65

We had a really pleasant experience in Montreal. You can drive there from New York (or fly if that's your speed), and the culture really is more European than you'd expect. There's lots of stuff to do, but the city is really low-key, so it's relaxing as well.

itzMS

We had a great time in Bermuda. The public transportation system is great, they have great beaches, friendly locals, and it doesn't feel overly touristy. Bonus...they accept US currency!

vmj23

JoanE2012 said:

What is your budget?  How much time do you have?

10-12 days or so and no set budget but want to stay at or under $6000

JoanE2012

Costa del Sol, Spain.  You can stay right on the beach, but there are plenty of sights to see in the area.  Day trips to Morocco, Gibraltar, Seville, Granada, etc.  Best of both worlds.  And definitely doable with your budget.

With 10-12 days, I wouldn't be too concerned with travel time or time difference.  Europe is definitely doable.

delujm0

I would agree and say Europe.  You'll want to avoid spending a lot of time in the pricier large cities, but you should be able to do Spain or even parts of Italy or Greece for under $6k.  You could also probably do someplace like Thailand for under $6k.  Long flight, but inexpensive once you're there - plenty of beaches and also cultural sights to see.  And if you live close to NYC (you just said non-specific New York in your question) you are lucky - you have access to one of th most competitive flight market in the country, which often means relatively inexpensive fares, and a LOT of options.

vmj23

delujm0 said:

I would agree and say Europe.  You'll want to avoid spending a lot of time in the pricier large cities, but you should be able to do Spain or even parts of Italy or Greece for under $6k.  You could also probably do someplace like Thailand for under $6k.  Long flight, but inexpensive once you're there - plenty of beaches and also cultural sights to see.  And if you live close to NYC (you just said non-specific New York in your question) you are lucky - you have access to one of th most competitive flight market in the country, which often means relatively inexpensive fares, and a LOT of options.

thanks! yes, i'd be flying out of NYC so thats good to know.   Most traveling i have done is domestically with a 3 hour time difference so I wasn't sure how hard it would be to adjust to 6+ hour difference.

JoanE2012

jenni1221 said:

delujm0 said:

I would agree and say Europe.  You'll want to avoid spending a lot of time in the pricier large cities, but you should be able to do Spain or even parts of Italy or Greece for under $6k.  You could also probably do someplace like Thailand for under $6k.  Long flight, but inexpensive once you're there - plenty of beaches and also cultural sights to see.  And if you live close to NYC (you just said non-specific New York in your question) you are lucky - you have access to one of th most competitive flight market in the country, which often means relatively inexpensive fares, and a LOT of options.

thanks! yes, i'd be flying out of NYC so thats good to know.   Most traveling i have done is domestically with a 3 hour time difference so I wasn't sure how hard it would be to adjust to 6+ hour difference.

It's usually an overnight flight to Europe.  When you land, it'll be early morning in that country.  I just push myself to stay awake during the day (it can be hard sometimes, especially if you don't sleep well on planes!), keep moving and sightsee (don't hang out in your hotel room where the bed can tempt you to sleep!) and then go to bed early (8 or 9pm).  I usually wake up the next morning completely refreshed and adjusted.

IzzJones

My best friend went to Ireland for her honeymoon and can't stop talking about it.  I asked, and she said she did it through Groupon, but the base company is called Great Value Vacations.  I know that they make it really affordable.  Rental car, hotels, and air fare for both of them was $3000!!  

delujm0

jenni1221 said:

delujm0 said:

I would agree and say Europe.  You'll want to avoid spending a lot of time in the pricier large cities, but you should be able to do Spain or even parts of Italy or Greece for under $6k.  You could also probably do someplace like Thailand for under $6k.  Long flight, but inexpensive once you're there - plenty of beaches and also cultural sights to see.  And if you live close to NYC (you just said non-specific New York in your question) you are lucky - you have access to one of th most competitive flight market in the country, which often means relatively inexpensive fares, and a LOT of options.

thanks! yes, i'd be flying out of NYC so thats good to know.   Most traveling i have done is domestically with a 3 hour time difference so I wasn't sure how hard it would be to adjust to 6+ hour difference.

Tackling a time difference is easy if you prepare yourself.  For Europe (5-6 hour time difference), your flight on the way there will be overnight - so you'll likely take off from the East Coast around 6pm and when you land it will be around 8am there.  What i like to do the day i leave the US is wake up at an ungodly hour (5am generally), and then do things that will really wear myself out (I'm a runner, so I'll go on a 10 mile run or something) and then literally FORCE MYSELF to stay awake all day so i'll be able to sleep on the plane.  An OTC Unisom once you board doesn't hurt either.  The first day on the ground in Europe can be rough, but if you can force yourself to stay awake until at least 8pm, you should be evened out the next day.  Bring some extra Unisom in case you are wide awake at 3am the first night, and take another one.  But after that first night, I'm generally sleeping-drug free and well adjusted. :-)

 

The way back is actually harder for me - you leave before noon and land on the east coast around 6pm generally.  On that flight you have to force yourself to stay awake, which can be difficult on a 9 hour jaunt.  However if you are successful, and can stay awake until 8-9pm before passing out when you get home, you should be well adjusted right away.

 

Asia is harder - the flights are longer and the way they work you wind up landing at like 8pm in both directions...so you have to force yourslef to stay awake for the entire 17 hour flight both ways, and then once you land the time difference is a full 12 hours.  That takes me 2-3 days to get used to usually.

alithebride

some of the flights to europe are overnight adn some are not. a lot are not. soem work better for others. DH prefers leaving in teh AM from her so that when we get there it's just getting to be night. he has problem with jetlag adn find this to be easeier for him.

these are things you wont find out until you do it though. but dont NOT go because you think you might be jetlagged.

i dont have a problem with jetlag at all. i have a tremedously tough time with daylight savings time though.

vmj23

thanks for all the advice!

freebread03

I posted this to someone else, but I'd definitely go with Greece if you've already thought about doing it!  I spent 2 weeks in Greece a few summers ago with girlriends, and about 8-9 days on Samos (the Greek island closest to Turkey).  We stayed in Vathi (the capitol of Samos) but went to the beach at Doryssa a few times, and they have a great resort: http://www.doryssa.gr/en/home-page

The island has a ton of culture, and if you were to go in June after your May wedding, it wouldnt be crowded with tourists yet (and even at the height of tourist season, it's mostly European tourists from Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, etc.)  We loved exploring different beaches on the island, and spent a TON of time laying on the beach and then trying new restaurants at night.  In fact, the town of Pythagoreio is on Samos-the birthplace of Pythagoras, who invented/discovered the Pythagorean theorem (remember high school geometry?)

You are also just a ferry ride away from Kusadasi in Turkey, and you could spend the night there and do a day trip the Ephesus and see the ruins.  That would be a great way to get the beach time you want and local culture that he wants (since Samos isn't one of the touristy islands).  And, since you would fly through Athens, you could spend a few days there and do the new(ish) Acropolis Museum and see the Acropolis.  Late May/early June isn't tourist season yet, so your H wouldn't feel "touristy" (I hate being a tourist too so I get where he is coming from, but I also love laying on a beach).  Easy direct flights from JFK

ambermarie089

I would suggest Cambodia. I went over the summer and it was beyond amazing. We were in Siem Reap and stayed at a beautiful boutique hotel. The culture is so alive everywhere you go. We toured Angkor Wat, which is an experience of a lifetime. The people are so kind and welcoming and because it's a developing country the hotel, food, and touring costs were so cheap. The jungle is so lush and there's so many different things to do and see. And the weather is amazing. I've also heard Myanmar is great.