Luxury Resort or Longer Stay?

hugsy76103

Hello! I'm looking to plan our honeymoon for July 2015. I'm really open to go ANYWHERE! I'm throwing around different ideas to talk with my FI about. I've been trying to think about our options for length of stay vs. upgraded room/more luxurious resort.  I'm leaning more towards an all-inclusive if we stay somewhere in the caribbean/mexico/costa rica. I've seen many resorts that I like that are very reasonable and could easily fit in our budget, but I've also seen a few more upscale hotels/resorts that I would consider. I'm not opposed to ideas in Europe/Asia either, but that would definitely shorten our trip a little because of flights. Ideally, If I had to choose, money being no problem, I'd do a 9-12 night honeymoon. But for example, I've looked at some of the Sandals resorts, and if we would stay at one, we may be only able to do 6-7 nights. I'm just looking for any opinions on whether to splurge and go for the ultimate experience, or maybe cut back just a little and take a couple more days.  Also, any suggestions on room upgrades....for whatever we book, would you recommend choosing the best room that we want with more amenities right from the start, or maybe book a more standard room and try to upgrade the day we arrive? I would hope that if we chose to do that, they may give us a better deal for an upgrade with it being our honeymoon. Has anyone done this?

Thanks so much!

mlg78

I think it all depends on what type of travel people you guys are...  Are you sit on the beach with froo-froo drinks kinda people?  Or do you prefer exploring where you are?

Jells2dot0

What about a stay at Sandals made you interested in it? Was it just that it's a higher end all inclusive or was it the really splurgy concierge rooms with pools and butler service? If it's the former, there are a few higher end AI resort brands that tend to price a bit less than Sandals. Check out Couples, Secrets, Excellence, El Dorado, Iberostar Grand. You may be able to get a similar high end experience in a gorgeous room without the butler price tag.

jenna8984

Honestly, 6 nights in the Caribbean doing nothing is plenty for us. You might be different but we were so ready to come home after 6 nights. When I go to Europe/ Asia I agree that the flight is so long, and there's so much to see so I stay 2 weeks. But just sitting an an all inclusive, I think 10 days would be overkill.

mlg78

I agree with Jenna. The thought of being at an AI for very long sounds painful to my ADD self.  I prefer to go out and explore the area.  That's why cruising works well for me...some relaxation, some exploring.

thisismynickname2

We just did Europe for 8 nights and the flights really aren't that big a deal. You fly overnight to get there, and can generally get back in one long day.  

That said, we upgraded ourselves from our normal travel habits a little bit.... We're explorers, not sit-around people, so we normally get 2 or 3 star very basic hotels. For our honeymoon, we did a 4-star. It was worth it because we didn't explore every day and it was nice to relax by a nice pool and enjoy the restaurants and have a comfy suite. We didn't go for all-out luxury though-- couldn't afford it. 

My recommendation is to go a step above your normal travel habits because it's your honeymoon, after all!  Even 8 nights was a long time away... we were glad to get back and talk to our friends and family. 

hugsy76103

thank you all! im normally an exploring type person, but we both talked about not really planning much for the honeymoon as in the extra tours, activities, excursions, until we actually get there.Once when i planned a cruise for us, i kinda went overkill and booked four excursions, and that had us exhausted and not really able to enjoy the areas we were in. we went to an all-inclusive in February to mexico for four nights and LOVED it, but both agreed we wished we stayed longer (obviously!) Our normal vacations are a week, 6-7 nights, we usually just do one big trip a year, and maybe a weekend getaway or two. I thought about doing Costa Rica for HM, but I have read that might be best to do if you plan to stay at 2-3 different places. I think what we both want for the HM is to mostly relax (with the froo froo drinks!), but still have the option to explore if we wanted to.

I liked the Sandals resorts because most of them have lots of options for food and drink and are adult only. and there are different ativities to do. Some of them, like the Grenada one, I really like everything about it except for the rooms, some of the rooms only have a shower, and I'd want a room that has both tub/shower. I dont necessarily need butler service, we would want some privacy, and another concern with an all-inclusive would be the food quality.

jenna8984

I hear you on the planning too much. Our last 3 trips have been city, run around, non-stop. We did a beach honeymoon and both of us were so glad to just not have plans! Spent so much time lounging in the ocean, lounging under the cabana, and napping in the room and we didn't feel guilty about missing out on any sights or anything. But we did partake in the resort's things that were included like snorkeling and kayaking.