Honeymoon fit for a foodie

tcnoble

My fiance and I are in the early stages of honeymoon planning. He has never done a tropical vacation before, but his only stipulation is GOOD FOOD. We live in Las Vegas and are a bit spoiled by the culinary options here. I've been a handful of places, usually All Inclusives, but we are really open to any suggestions. We have considered Punta Cana and Grand Cayman ... the travel time to the Caribbean is a little off-putting but we aren't super excited by Hawaii so starting to accept that a lengthy day of travel might be in store for us. ANY insight would be appreciated. We aren't going to be traveling until late March 2015 but wanting to get our ducks in a row, so to speak. We are looking for 5 nights, and more concerned with quality food than being super frugal (not to say we have an unlimited budget). I would say we are comfortable up to 6-8kTOTAL (flight, hotel, food, excursions). I know it isn't possible to price accommodations and flights yet, so again, looking for suggestions for locations/resorts with GREAT food **adults only is a HUGE plus**

Side note : those of you who have honeymoon-ed already ... how important would you rank it that the resort is adults only?? I really don't want to feel like our trip is tainted by an excess of kids... I do love kids but I am a teacher and on my honeymoon want to be free of the kiddos

THANK YOU in advance for any insight you have to offer

MobKaz

http://www.melia.com/en/hotels/mexico/playa-del-carmen/paradisus-playa-del-carmen-la-esmeralda/index.html

My son and his wife recently returned from a trip ^^ there.  They are huge foodies and have dined at some of the best restaurants in Chicago (including Alinea). They very much enjoyed their trip. They felt the food was akin to the better restaurants in Chicago.   Although there is a family friendly portion to this resort, the resort is "divided" so that they could remain in an adult only section when they so desired.

They are typically not beach/R&R people.  They said there were more than enough activities offered, and they took advantage of day excursions/tours.  They very much enjoyed their trip.

Hokie05

I have read that Zoetry resorts and Grand Velas resorts have really good restaurants if you decide to do an all-inclusive. There is a Zoetry in Punta Cana, don't know if you had looked at it or not. If you are open to an island with good food, but not staying at an all-inclusive, look at St. Barts and Anguilla, in addition to Grand Cayman. 

daria24

I don't have a resort recommendation, but St. Martin has some of the best food in the Caribbean. It's a short ferry to St. Barts & Anguilla from there, so you could island hop a little.

Giaspo

My H is a HUGE foodie and, similar to you, in our area (NYC-metro) we are spoiled with a lot of good restaurants.  After talking to a lot of people and working with a honeymoon travel agent, we decided that Aruba, Anguilla and Barbados were at the top of the list.  We had already visited Aruba so that left us with the other two.

Well.... after rescheduling our Anguilla honeymoon twice (because of hurricanes) we finally gave up and booked Barbados.  It was amazing.  I cannot describe the incredible meals we had, both local fare and more upscale cuisine.  It was to die for.  The caveat is that Barbados is painfully expensive.  But it was worth it.  We stayed at the Crane Hotel which was on a secluded side of the island (no kids) for 10 nights.  Be sure to rent a car as cabs are expensive ($110 one way).  We did it for around $10K all-in.  HTH!

KatWAG

Avoid Aruba. There was a McDonlads, Dominos, Hard Rock Cafe, Ruth's Crist, and Taco Bell all within walking distance of our hotel. Almost every restaurant was a chain or trying to be "American"

tcnoble

Thank you for the suggestions!!

Right now Iberostar Punta Cana is topping our list... Barbados is a close second. So many decisions!!

ktjanesmom

Gosh if you have money like that to spend on a honeymoon why not consider Europe.  Some place like Italy or Spain.  They have gorgeous beaches AND amazing food.

tcnoble

I'm a teacher so we are doing our wedding and honeymoon based on Spring break... Europe would be amazing but I would want longer than 6 days there!!

Lored

I may be flamed for this.....but honestly, I've never been to an AI that I thought had amazing food, even at the specialty restaurants. I really think if you or FI is a foodie, an all inclusive is probably not your best bet. I have had good but not great food if you know what I mean. For food, Europe is a better bet, if u want the Caribbean, I def agree with St Maarten, St Lucia.

tcnoble

Lored, I totally agree... My family and I have done AIs since I was little and truth be told my family doesn't care much about the food, we just go for the beach! The only reason I'm leaning more towards AI is because it ends up being a "fixed" price, versus selecting another resort and not knowing how much we could end up spending on food. The Iberostar in PC is also adults only and has great reviews overall.

That being said, if my fiancé insists on splurging based on best food, do you have a recommendation for an adults only resort that also offers great food in St Lucia? I've read mixed reviews about Sandals resorts, again they are also AI, so wondering what else is out there???

alithebride

i 3rd Lored. I'm a huge HUGE foodie (and an ny girl as well). I haven't really ever been totally enamoured with the food at any AI. I've obvously not been to every one that exists but about 5 or so. the thing about Ais is that they have to serve everyone the same food so it tends to be cooked for the masses. i find it to be underseasoned and somewhat run of the mill. that's not to say it's bad. it's not. the food the reviews of the foods at AIs have to be taken with a grain of salt. 'delicious' to one might be 'normal' to another.  just keep that in mind.

if you do stay at an AI dont make it be for the food-stay in or near a town wtih good restaurants.

 

tcnoble

Thank you all for your opinions/insight!! We obviously have quite a while to plan but it's great to have some starting points

MKM2014

We went to Catalonia Royal Tulum in May and the weather was gorgeous, beach was gorgeous too and not crowded with other resorts so plenty of space to go on beach walks. Absolute crystal clear water and you can swim right out and snorkel on property!

Honestly the food was just so so. we had some things we thought were good , not really anything that was bad. We ate outside the resort twice and honestly those were the best 2 meals of the trip! But like I said the food wasn't bad and for us it isn't anything that'd stop us from going back. We spent 8 nights for about $4k with excursions, way under your budget.

Honestly, the adults only was really nice. We drank on the beach you know and that'd feel kind of weird with a bunch of little kids around wouldn't want to have to watch my words constantly or get any glares from parents!

Our budget is similar to yours and we are looking at Thailand. It is a good foodie destination, but we are looking forward to markets and street vendors in addition to restaurants. We would like to split between Bangkok & Krabi (gorgeous beaches). If you want to eat at fine dining restaurants all the time we haven't looked much into that. Flights are expensive and very long (we might use points to cover part of it), but accommodations and food are not as expensive as you might find in Hawaii etc.

If food is #1 I think your budget is big enough that you can do without the all inclusive for sure! Go to Italy, Greece, Hawaii... Plenty of places where you can eat freely without worrying about water contamination etc. (which was a concern on our Mexico trip, but we were fine).

MKM2014

Oops sorry, just saw that travel time is off putting to you. Guess that pretty much rules out anyplace I suggested

I have heard all good things about St Lucia, but not food specific.

JoanE2012

Lored said:

I may be flamed for this.....but honestly, I've never been to an AI that I thought had amazing food, even at the specialty restaurants. I really think if you or FI is a foodie, an all inclusive is probably not your best bet. I have had good but not great food if you know what I mean. For food, Europe is a better bet, if u want the Caribbean, I def agree with St Maarten, St Lucia.

This.  Not saying the food is necessarily bad, but if you're looking to be wow'd with food, I don't think an AI is the place to go.

delujm0

I would contact a travel agent or do a lot of research before booking - AI's are not generally known for their excellent food.  So if you realy want to do an AI, it might help to work with an expert who can steer you in the right direction.

 

If you're really attached to a beach, you should reconsider Hawaii - there aren't AI's but there is a LOT of good food to be had there, especially seafood.  it's not necessarily cheap, but it is beautiful and there's something for everyone.  We were there last May - and there were very few children at any of the resorts we stayed at (and we even stayed at the Disney Aulani resort in Oahu).  If you're traveling during a time of year where public school is generally in session, your chances of running into children is substantially lessened. 

 

If you're not attached to a beach, why not try to go to Europe?  Italy or France or Spain - all are known for their delicious food!  And each of those countries also have beach towns available (no AI's though for the most part).  Plus you would have access to other cultural experiences, like museums, etc.  I have also found in my travels through Europe that there are generally fewer children traveling with their parents - probably because of the length of flight and the costs.  Dragging young children around to museums isn't always parents' idea of a great vacation...but kids do love the beach.  so that's something to consider. 

[Deleted User]

Here is something totally off the wall - Road trip!!. Get yourself Diners, Drive-in and Dives by Guy Fi(don't know how to spell the rest of his name, he has shows on the Food Network). It's a list of all the food places he has gone to with his show listed by city and you can do a driving vacation and find some awesome off the normal path food places that you never would probably go to. And see some new areas of the US that you may not normally go to.

mommapizano

Would you consider staying in the US? We went to Los Angeles and there are so many great places to eat! I'm not sure what kind of honeymoon you are planning but we went to extravagant lunches and dinners every day and LOVED it. We also did a lot of fun/cheesy touristy things like a Hollywood tour and going to Rodeo Drive but it was a lot of fun. 

There are a lot of great food cities like NY, LA, SF, NOLA. The list could go on and I'm not sure where all you two have already traveled. The good thing would be that your travel time would be a lot less. If you are open to it, here is a fun article/list:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-cities-for-foodies/1

If tropical must be it, Hawaii is still not a bad option either but food is expensive. You will get some amazing fresh seafood though. I have been to a few islands but I really love Maui. Here are some Hawaii links:

http://www.somuchmorehawaii.com/tag/foodie/

http://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/alohafriday/article/Five-Hawaii-restaurants-that-will-wow-foodies-2481306.php#page-1

As far as Caribbean, I've only been there cruising so it wasn't quite a foodie adventure. I think Grand Cayman was great when we went. We didn't spend too much time since we were cruising but I bet there are a lot of good fit for foodie meals since Food and Wine does an annual festival there every January and the Ritz Carlton is such a beautiful property! Here is Caribbean centric article/list that might be helpful:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/best-caribbean-islands-for-foodies/1

But my final word, is even with 6 days I would still go to Europe. Sure it's not a long period of time, but you will still get to explore and maybe just stay in one or two cities. Going to Tuscany wine tasting in Chianti and exploring Florence would be a great option. Or going to Paris or Barcelona. My husband and I did only 4 days in London and even though it was fast, we were happy we did take the chance to go when we could. 

hoffse

I would also recommend New Orleans.  There's really no place like it and the food is sublime. It's completely unique, and I've never heard of anybody disliking it. Of course, it's a truly iconic city.

and I agree with PP - 6 days isn't too short to go to Europe. It's a perfect amount of time to pick a city and really explore it.

amyelise25

DH and I are big foodies and he still raves about the food that we had in Cabo.  We stayed near the marina at a beautiful hotel (Casa Dorado) and were within walking distance of some amazing restaurants.  Two were just across the street.  And the prices were very reasonable.  For $5K you could stay in a beautiful suite overlooking the ocean and eat in amazing restaurants every night.

ashhastings

Amyelise, I've read a lot about the resort at Cabo you stayed in and most poorer reviews cited salespeople being everywhere and being very persistent to the point that it interrupted vacations! Did you find this to be true? And would you definitely recommend leaving the resort to go to other dining options? I know sometimes there can be safety concerns off the property, just unsure about Cabo in particular. Thanks!

majesty318

My FI's dad lives in Cabo and we like to visit. It is very safe.

STARMOON44

For that kind of money I'd be in Paris.

jdluvr06

hoffse said:

I would also recommend New Orleans.  There's really no place like it and the food is sublime. It's completely unique, and I've never heard of anybody disliking it. Of course, it's a truly iconic city.

and I agree with PP - 6 days isn't too short to go to Europe. It's a perfect amount of time to pick a city and really explore it.

Yes this. I had so much amazing food when went to New Orleans. This is a bit cliche but I think we went to the Cafe Du Monde every day we were there! Their beignets were one of the most amazing things and I'm not even a big sweet person.

CrazyCatBride

My fiance and I both prefer adult only resorts! They are so much more peaceful and romantic. We are also foodies and on a budget so we struggle with whether to do AI. We went to DR lone year and I hated the food! This past summer we went to Jamaica and stayed at the Jewel and we surprised that the food was good for an AI. Of all these islands and trips I have been on, the very best food has been on Celebrity cruise line. It is seriously amazing. The best part is that you can eat on the islands you stop at. I'm not sure a timeline for where you could go for 5 nights. In the US, there was great food in South Beach.