How did you pick your honeymoon destination?

mlemoe03

I'm getting married in December of 2015, so I have time to figure this out, but I'm sort of overwhelmed with all of the options. FI and I have talked and we want all inclusive, somewhere Spanish speaking (Dominican, Mexico, etc), I also want a resort with 4+ restaurant options and (most importantly) a swim up bar. I just don't even know where to begin to look. Any help or suggestions are appreciated!

MayDay513

Congrats on your engagement.
I think you got step 1 done, which is to talk to H about where you wanna go.
All inclusive is definitely the way to go for the countries you are considering.
I would do a little research on making sure that weather will be good during that time. It's not hurricane season so that's a good start.
I've only been to Cancun (on a family trip) and the Bahamas for our honeymoon.

This is the resort we stayed at in Cancun (http://www.fiestamericana.com/cancun/hotel-condesa-cancun-all-inclusive) I would definitely recommend it, and we would definitely stay there again if we went to Cancun. It was right off the bus line so we took the bus into town one day. My girlfriend just went to Cancun and did an excursion out to the "Ruins" which she has awesome pics for.

Other things to think about: Do you want Adults Only? Will that make a difference? For us, we did Sandals because we didn't want to deal with kids at all.
Late night activities?
Spa?
#of Pools?
Tipping versus non Tipping Resorts?

You have plenty of time to book and look around. Good luck.

beachyone15

We wanted adults-only, all-inclusive so we could feel pampered. Oh yeah, and I NEEDED a jacuzzi in the room, lol. That was non-negotiable. We also wanted the option to lay on a beautiful beach, but also have cities/excursions around us because we like to do active things as well. We decided on Secrets Maroma in Mexico. It's all about what you and your FI want the most. I'd check out Mexico, Jamaica, Aruba, and the Bahamas. The U.S. Virgin Islands are supposed to be pretty nice too. We consulted a travel agent who confirmed our choice was the right one for us.

tcnoble

Where are you located/flying from? That can influence your destination choices, as far as how much time you want to spend traveling.

Adults only? How many nights? Is a calm, swimmable beach important? Availability of excursions? Not just quantity of restaurants, but is QUALITY important? What's your budget?

I love vacation planning so throw out some answers and we can help you!

mlemoe03

We're traveling from Detroit Michigan. And we're probably traveling the week between the holidays. I know  that increases the cost, but FI is a teacher, and he's on winter break at that time, so it's just easier to travel then. Probably December 26-Jan 2. Of course quality of food is important, but I'd like more options. I don't want a resort that has 2 restaurants for a 6 night stay. We are really looking at Spanish speaking destinations because FI is Mexican and he wants to go somewhere he speaks the language (Mexico, DR, Puerto Rico, etc). Excursions would be nice. I think relatively calm waters on the beach is prefered to rough surf. I'm not sure on budget...Probably in the $5,000-6,000 range...Thanks!

MayDay513

mlemoe03 said:

We're traveling from Detroit Michigan. And we're probably traveling the week between the holidays. I know  that increases the cost, but FI is a teacher, and he's on winter break at that time, so it's just easier to travel then. Probably December 26-Jan 2. Of course quality of food is important, but I'd like more options. I don't want a resort that has 2 restaurants for a 6 night stay. We are really looking at Spanish speaking destinations because FI is Mexican and he wants to go somewhere he speaks the language (Mexico, DR, Puerto Rico, etc). Excursions would be nice. I think relatively calm waters on the beach is prefered to rough surf. I'm not sure on budget...Probably in the $5,000-6,000 range...Thanks!

You can definitely do an all inclusive for two for that amount. I've heard girls on this board talk about Secrets resorts as well. If not, go to "Book it" .com and start browsing resorts.

tcnoble

@mlemoe03 your preferences sound a lot like mine and FIs when we started planning, and I'm also a teacher so those breaks are crucial! We ended up planning our wedding/honeymoon around my spring break. Anyways, we are doing Secrets Maroma Beach. Check it out and see if it might fit the bill! We also considered Iberostar Grand in Dominican Republic, but opted for Secrets Maroma because of the shortened flight time from Vegas (where we live).

thisismynickname2

For the overarching question of "how", I'll provide feedback since this is a common concern for brides.

1) List what's most important in terms of amenities and overall feel.

Be really honest with yourself on what you want to DO there. We started looking at all-inclusive resorts, but in reality, we sit on a beach for an hour and get bored. Why break the bank for something that's just not our style? 

2) Think about the time of year (since we're getting married in September, we didn't want to go to Mexico/Caribbean because we're paranoid a hurricane will ruin our plans). 

3) Look at where you can travel to relatively easily, as the more planes you have to hop on and off, the greater the risk for a ruined vacation.  I would kill to go to Tahiti, but it'd take us 3 or 4 planes. That risk and travel time cuts into our actual honeymoon time.  No need to be cranky and stressed.

4) Make a short list of possibilities and start digging into hotel costs, transportation costs, activities costs, food costs, exchange rates. Make a pro/con list if you must. 

5) Sleep on it.  

By following these steps, FI and I got down to two possible spots: Chile for wine tasting and Lake Como for all the Italian goodness.  After sleeping on it, I told FI I kept daydreaming about Italy, not Chile, so Italy it was! 

lyndausvi

How?

We lived in the US Virgins Islands.   We had no desire to do a typical beach wedding.  I've travelled a lot, but had always wanted to go on Safari.  DH agreed and we made it work.  After finding that all the less expensive flights stopped in a European city we decided to stope in Amsterdam a few nights before heading down to SA.   On the way back we picked Paris as a stop.  These stops did not add to flight costs, only to hotel.  

jalyndani

To answer your initial "how" question-

FI and I determined a list of locations we'd like to visit w/i our budget (about $5k). Our criteria were:

a.) We knew we didn't want a tropical/beach setting because 1.) FI hates the beach and 2.) EVERYONE goes to the beach for a honeymoon and we wanted something a little different. 

b.) We knew wanted to go somewhere that we'd never been.

Next we determined what we wanted to get out of the trip- relaxation? Sight-seeing? Guided itinerary vs. blank slate schedule? Did we want to do as much as we could in one trip or go somewhere that we could revisit in the near future? Did we want all-inclusive pricing or try to piece it all together ourselves?

Our third step was....well, I have two glorious words for you: Travel. Agent. This took such a weight off our shoulders. She priced out several packages for the destinations that we gave her- some domestic locations, a Canadian location, and Ireland. She included flights, hotels, and rental cars on each package. Bottom line- she showed us how we could do a honeymoon in Ireland for the same price as one in Montana. Seeing as we won't really be able to travel internationally once we graduate from our respective doctoral programs in the next 2 years- because we plan on starting a family after we get well established in our careers- we decided on Ireland. We can't wait, and all we're having to do is decide on what we want to do once we get there! 

[Deleted User]

Our honeymoon location was based on budget. Once we figured out how much wedding was going to cost us (we paid for it ourselves) and how much we would be able to save up and how much was left over then for our honeymoon. We would have loved to do a big trip, but due to budget, we ended up with a 3 night getaway a few hours away. We still had fun being away for a few days just the two of us.

carliealissa

lyndausvi said:

How?

We lived in the US Virgins Islands.   We had no desire to do a typical beach wedding.  I've travelled a lot, but had always wanted to go on Safari.  DH agreed and we made it work.  After finding that all the less expensive flights stopped in a European city we decided to stope in Amsterdam a few nights before heading down to SA.   On the way back we picked Paris as a stop.  These stops did not add to flight costs, only to hotel.  

Ohh, how did you manage that!  We are doing SA for our honeymoon too (SO EXCITED) and I was excited about stopping in a European city on our way home- there are plenty of layovers- but to extend the layover a night or two the plane ticket is always hundreds more.  The best I have found so far is an 8 hour daytime layover in London- enough time to leave the airport at least- but the idea of spending two consecutive overnights on planes isn't incredibly appealing.  How soon out did you book your flights?

What was your favorite aspect of your trip?

OP- I'm in Detroit and getting married in December too!  2014 though.

Peaseblossom55

We discussed places we both wanted to go and we also wanted to have some relaxation and some activities to do. Then we began to create a budget and from there we drilled down to what fit into our budget and what we wanted to spend.  So we're going to Belize, FI has always wanted to see the Mayan Ruins so that swayed us there as well. 

sheslikeasunburn

the first thing we agreed upon was that we wanted it to be a totally indulgent, once in a lifetime trip.  then we agreed upon a budget ($15K).  then we agreed that we wanted to be in total relaxation mode.  no itineraries, etc.  we live and work in nyc with very intense jobs and wanted a nice juxtaposition to our day to day.  we asked our best-traveled friends and travel agent for recommendations.  we landed on bora bora & moorea. 

to simplify:

1. determine level of luxury you are looking for

2. determine budget

3. determine the experience (beach, city, etc)

4. combine 1+2 to determine length of time you can afford.  ie luxury accommodations + small budget = short hm, budget accommodations + small budget = longer honeymoon

5. use #4 to determine places that make sense to travel to that fit #3.  ie the bahamas would be a good distance to travel if you can do ~4 days, but bali would not

sheslikeasunburn

ps there are infinite resorts in mexico and the dr that fit your high-level description (a la carte options, ai, swim up bars)

i personally recommend iberostar resorts(mexico + dr) or bahia principe ambar (dr)

CamiSelene

FI wanted to go somewhere we haven't been before and had never been to an AI before. I wanted to go camping (which we both love) so we compromised.... We are spending one week in the Dominican at an AI and then the following week hiking and camping in the mountains (work off all the booze from the week before!!! Hahaha)... I'm super excited!!