Hi all,
The fiance and I are paying for our own wedding and are on somewhat of a budget (we both have good jobs but this honeymoon WILL be put on a credit card, the wedding savings are all used up, so we don't want to go into any sort of crazy debt over our honeymoon).
We have wanted since the beginning to go to an all-inclusive resort and don't really care where (we are coming from Columbus OH). Our idea of a perfect honeymoon is drinking wine, holding hands, taking naps in a cabana by the beach. We are not hiking/water skiing/etc sorts.
I originally was recommended Sandals by a friend, but she is way more out-doorsy than I am and I've read that those resorts are overpriced. Secrets was my next option, and from there I went to Excellence and Hard Rock all-inclusive resorts....and then I got sucked into a google vortex and ended up looking at about 100 resorts and having no idea where to start narrowing it down.
We want somewhere beautiful and relaxing with nice rooms and good landscaping and good food. We want to spend under $2k on the resort.
Anyone have any recommendations? We are planning on honeymooning from Saturday, September 6 - Friday, September 11.
Re: NO IDEA where to start
First of all your honeymoon does not have to be immediately after the wedding. You could delay it to get your finances in better order. AIs may have more amenities that you do not intend to use but are paying for. Maybe what you need is meals covered and you can purchase our own mixers and alcohol to make your own drinks - which is cheaper. We chose a resort that included breakfast and dinner and made our own drinks. We got the most expensive room type and paid $80 per night. Airfare and transportation were a little expensive. We went to Montezuma in Costa Rica at Ylang Ylang Beach resort. This place is more remote/private with bungalows right on the beach (there are less expensive accommodations there too. The room had a refrigerator and the grocery was walking distance. Upgraded one dinner to private dinner on beach for $150. That type of thing costs so much more at mega resort destinations. Shared transportation was cheaper than private and we did a combination to meet our schedule. You may want to check anywherecostarica.com (we used them for a tour and all transportation). Costa Rica s one of he cheaper beach destinations.
Since then we have done a vacation to Sandals on St Lucia (which cost more).
I would suggest you go to a travel agent just so they can help narrow it down for you. You can read many reviews but still not really get a feel for whether the resort atmosphere matches your wishlist. Maybe you want quiet and you end up picking a party place, an agent can really help you avoid that.
Anyways, Sandals are vey nice but they are more expensive due to their activities. If you don't plan to do snorkeling, kayaking, and other activities then I agree it would probably be a waste of your money. You could find somewhere just as nice but cheaper with no activities driving up the price. Sounds like Cancun would probably suite your budget best, and I'm in no way trying to advertise but my mom is a Caribbean specialist travel agent and she absolutely loves the Hard Rock in Cancun.
September is cheap season in the Caribbean too, so that works out for you. I agree with hutchsl that you could postpone in order to not go into debt. But it would have to be basically until the following summer, otherwise trying to go from Nov-April would just end up more expensive for you.
This is NOT a good idea. On paper sure it looks like saving $2400 but what happens when you can't pay the full balance on the credit cards and are slapped with interest fees every month until you can pay it off? Those fees add up fast.
If you can not afford a hm right away then you don't take one. You can always take a mini moon right after and a big trip later once you have saved up enough.