Honeymoon (Katanne)

bakes218

So FI and I are seriously considering San Souci in Jamaica. Katanne, I saw in your BIO that you went there. How was it? Why did you choose that Couples Resort and not one of the others? How was the drive from the airport?

Where is everyone else going on their honeymoon or where would you love to go on your honeymoon?

Any other suggestions???

breezerb

My best friend went to Jamaica for her honeymoon and absolutely loved it although I'm not sure what resort she went to.

My dream honeymoon is to take a Mediterrenean cruise and see places like Spain, Portugal, Italy & Greece.

HeartOverMind

My dream honeymoon....Ireland. I know that's not an ideal honeymoon for most, but I would absolutely love it!

coastiegrl25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_honeymoon-katanne?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:f014c6d9-bc2e-4603-b8e6-33ceecfca695Post:7405c952-b214-4486-bba2-750ce4fbb192">Re: Honeymoon (Katanne)</a>:
[QUOTE]My dream honeymoon....Ireland. I know that's not an ideal honeymoon for most, but I would absolutely love it!
Posted by HeartOverMind[/QUOTE]


i have an aunt and a cousin that go at least twice a year..from their pics, its bE U TIFUL!!

HeartOverMind

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_honeymoon-katanne?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:f014c6d9-bc2e-4603-b8e6-33ceecfca695Post:db371203-b8de-4fce-a728-0953187d2b6a">Re: Honeymoon (Katanne)</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon (Katanne) : i have an aunt and a cousin that go at least twice a year..from their pics, its bE U TIFUL!!
Posted by coastiegrl25[/QUOTE]

Wow...that would be awesome. I want to go so bad one day!

calindi

I've been to Ireland... my Dad was born in Dublin and my Mom's Dad is from Cork, so most of my extended family still lives there.  It's gorgeous, and would be a fantastic honeymoon as long as you're not looking for a beach cabana and fruity drink!  Some Guinness and beef stew are far more exciting for me, though!

We're going on a trip in a week (OMG only 8 days *squeeee*) that would make a fantastic honeymoon - we're going to Vienna, Munich, and Paris, with one night in the Champagne region at a little B&B.  It's going to be absolutely incredible!  I'll AW when I get back with some pics.  We also did an awesome vacation to Costa Rica last year which was definitely honeymoon-quality - we drove around the whole country and spent half the time in the jungle near an active volcano and half the time on the beach.  Amazing, and we want to go back sooo badly!

coastiegrl25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_honeymoon-katanne?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:f014c6d9-bc2e-4603-b8e6-33ceecfca695Post:73e6739d-04bb-40cb-991e-8ef90d9350f3">Re: Honeymoon (Katanne)</a>:
[QUOTE]I've been to Ireland... my Dad was born in Dublin and my Mom's Dad is from Cork, so most of my extended family still lives there.  <strong>It's gorgeous, and would be a fantastic honeymoon as long as you're not looking for a beach cabana and fruity drink!  Some Guinness and beef stew are far more exciting for me,</strong> though! We're going on a trip in a week (OMG only 8 days *squeeee*) that would make a fantastic honeymoon - we're going to Vienna, Munich, and Paris, with one night in the Champagne region at a little B&B.  It's going to be absolutely incredible!  I'll AW when I get back with some pics.  We also did an awesome vacation to Costa Rica last year which was definitely honeymoon-quality - we drove around the whole country and spent half the time in the jungle near an active volcano and half the time on the beach.  Amazing, and we want to go back sooo badly!
Posted by calindi[/QUOTE]

That sounds perfect, as we can't figure out what to do away from the beach since we live on one. and also. I am SO jealous! I am going to live vicariously thru you and your pics :)

motoLyn

I was aiming for a honeymoon to Fiji, always wanted to dive the reefs there. But BF convinced me to switch to Denmark for Christmas as a honeymoon, cause and I quote" Denmark has the happiest people during Christmas" so says a book that has a 1,001 places to go before you die.  Hahaha, I have never seen a white Christmas so this might be interesting. 

heyimbren

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_honeymoon-katanne?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:f014c6d9-bc2e-4603-b8e6-33ceecfca695Post:aa392d0c-7ea4-461e-988d-e85a79c19333">Re: Honeymoon (Katanne)</a>:
[QUOTE]I was aiming for a honeymoon to Fiji, always wanted to dive the reefs there. But BF convinced me to switch to Denmark for Christmas as a honeymoon, cause and I quote" Denmark has the happiest people during Christmas" so says a book that has a 1,001 places to go before you die.  Hahaha,<strong> I have never seen a white Christmas</strong> so this might be interesting. 
Posted by motoLyn[/QUOTE]

What?! It always blows my mind when people say that. A guy in my residence in first year had never seen snow before.

aperitisa

I looooved Ireland and need to go back.  We were only there for a short time but I fell in love!

calindi: that trip sounds fantastic!  Have you  been to any of those locations before?  I really loved Paris (but really, how can you not?!) and really want to visit Vienna.  Take pics and PIP them!  

For our honeymoon we are going to spend one week in Egypt (or maybe Rome? Or Spain.....but we are trying for Egypt) and then just over two weeks in Greece!  A few days on the mainland, then heading to Rhodes for a couple days, and then spending the rest of the time on the island that my family is from, Karpathos!  

My entire family spent 3 weeks on the island this summer and I wished I could have joined them...but I'm holding out for our fantastic honeymoon next June!

calindi

motoLyn, I've also heard that Germany and Austria have incredible Christmas spirit!  My boyfriend is insistent that we spend a Christmas in Munich at some point.

apertisa, I've been to Vienna and Paris, albeit briefly for both.  Vienna was literally a 12-hour side trip from Prague, and Paris was 2 days by myself at the end of my conference in London in June.  My boyfriend has been to all three, but neither of us has been to the Champagne region, so that'll be a joint adventure.  We're super excited for all of it!  Beer, brats, snitzel, wine, champagne, bread, cheese, foie gras... I'm going to eat myself into a coma!

My BF says he's always dreamed of doing a honeymoon in Swizerland and Germany, which we'd both love.  We're really into microbrewing, so we've talked about renting a car and just driving to all the small towns and trying lots of different varieties.  Another dream we have is to fly to Buenos Aires, rent (or buy) a car and drive up the west coast through Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, and fly back from Costa Rica.  We'd have to take at least 3-4 weeks for that kind of trip, but depending on when we get married, it's possible we'll have it!

motoLyn

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_honeymoon-katanne?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:f014c6d9-bc2e-4603-b8e6-33ceecfca695Post:b4aaccbc-902d-4216-9ead-fedc9c787327">Re: Honeymoon (Katanne)</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon (Katanne) : What?! It always blows my mind when people say that. A guy in my residence in first year had never seen snow before.
Posted by heyimbren[/QUOTE]

Bren, living in Southern California, has afforded me to surf in the morning and snowbaord in the afternoon, BUT a white Christmas has eluded me for the 27 years that i have lived on this planet.  But my BF spent Christmas last year in Demark and it was snowing his whole visit.  I've been to the mountains and had it snow on me while I was there.  But watching TV and seeing a white X-mas is like seeing Big Foot on TV but never in person.... is it real?  LoL! 

So I very much look forward to visiting Denmark for the X-mas holidays, BF tells me of all these fun traditions they have.  My family has traditions, but none of them come close to what the Danish have going on. 

Though a tropical honeymoon sounds so relaxing, Ireland I definitely would love to go see, but that's been a trip that my BFF and I wanted to do. 

motoLyn

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_honeymoon-katanne?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:f014c6d9-bc2e-4603-b8e6-33ceecfca695Post:c984ecf6-70f3-4022-ac2e-28632a2d4ae9">Re: Honeymoon (Katanne)</a>:
[QUOTE]motoLyn, I've also heard that Germany and Austria have incredible Christmas spirit!  My boyfriend is insistent that we spend a Christmas in Munich at some point.
Posted by calindi[/QUOTE]

I think in general the Northern European Countries all share some very strong holiday spirits.  So visiting family in Germany and hopping over to Austria, and Sweden would definitely make the trip more interesting! 

katanne9

YAY BAKES! I'm so glad you guys are looking at San Souci. We loved, loved, loved it and I would definitely highly recommend it.

We picked it bc we wanted to go to a couples only resort that was small. We did not like the "high-rise" feeling of many of the other larger resorts. We also got a GREAT deal. We splurged on a fancier room - so we had a daybed on our balcony and had a fantastic view - totally worth it.

The food was great - we loved all the restaurants, the grille and the in-room service. There were tons of included activities - snorkeling, sailing, yoga, chess, crafts, so on and on and on!!

We loved it because there were tons of nooks and crannies. It never felt like you were with tons of people. It was nice and quiet. Everything was so beautiful.

There was live music every night. The only off-site excursion we did was the Dunn's River Falls trip (which was included in our package.) That was also fun. We also got complimentary messages, champagne, cheese and cracker platters bc we were honeymoons (you do have to show proof of marriage certificate tho).


Only downsides:

Once you arrive in Montego Bay there is a 2 hour bus ride. That was probably the crappiest part bc we were tired of traveling. Next time I might spring and $$ for the direct flight. It was fine, we just napped and they (the drivers) point out all sorts of stuff while you drive. But that really was the only crappy part of the whole week.

It's not a flashy resort. If that's what you are looking for you might be unsatisfied. We wanted something small and intimate without feeling near lots of people, and that's exactly what we got.

The beach isn't HUGE. We didn't mind bc we live near the ocean, but just don't expect an endless sprawling beach. : )

I'll try to PIP later. We really did love it though.

dwest2201

FI's grandparents went to Ireland for 3 weeks this summer and their pictures are breathtaking.  The water is soooo blue and the grass is sooo green.  If I didn't know better I would swear that the pictures were enhanced!  We would really like to go there one day... among about a million other places.

heyimbren

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_honeymoon-katanne?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:f014c6d9-bc2e-4603-b8e6-33ceecfca695Post:3e7f6cb3-2915-41b0-bc6e-efc40fb37493">Re: Honeymoon (Katanne)</a>:
[QUOTE]I looooved Ireland and need to go back.  We were only there for a short time but I fell in love! calindi : that trip sounds fantastic!  Have you  been to any of those locations before?  <strong>I really loved Paris (but really, how can you not?!) </strong>and really want to visit Vienna.  Take pics and PIP them!   For our honeymoon we are going to spend one week in Egypt (or maybe Rome? Or Spain.....but we are trying for Egypt) and then just over two weeks in Greece!  A few days on the mainland, then heading to Rhodes for a couple days, and then spending the rest of the time on the island that my family is from, Karpathos!   My entire family spent 3 weeks on the island this summer and I wished I could have joined them...but I'm holding out for our fantastic honeymoon next June!
Posted by aperitisa[/QUOTE]

I didn't love Paris when I went :( I think I was expecting more and felt a bit...underwhelmed.

desertsun

We really, really loved Kauai, but I've heard you get more bang for your buck in the Caribbean than in Hawaii. The flight was shorter, though, and we saved money by renting a condo instead of staying at a resort or hotel. We had a big bedroom, marble bathroom with jacuzzi and shower, living room, dining room, and full kitchen for LESS than it cost to stay at one of the resorts. We were really close to Poipu beach still, and there was pretty much always parking available right across the street from the beach, so it worked out really well for us.

bakes218

Katanne - That is exactly what we want. Very small and not like the Sandels. I was worried about the bus ride also. There are other couples resorts in Jamaica though, why did you pick San Souci? Is the bus ride maybe shorter to the other couples resorts like Swept Away or Couples Negril??

katanne9

My husband was actually the one who did all the research, and trust me, he is one of those people who researches EVERYTHING. Seriously, he printed out graphs comparing the average temperatures and windiness for that week for all the major Caribbean hotspots.

From the research he did, San Souci was the most bang for your buck. I believe that was the driving factor. That, and we just thought it looked really nice.

I believe all the resorts are a bus ride away. Couples Tower Isle is only 10 minutes from San Souci. I believe the Negril one is over an hour and geared more towards cliffjumping beaches. I'm not sure about Swept Away.

We spent about $2500 for EVERYTHING. Literally. Flights, travel, resort, meals, drinks, excursions, massages, sailing, music, everything. We spent about $30 in the airport during layovers, but that was it. That price was even with our upgraded room. I'm sure you will get a great deal if you are going in the wintertime.

prodigalgirl

No ring yet, but BF and I have discussed this.  We'd like to go somewhere in the mountains where we can have some pretty views, but NOT feel the need to go sightseeing the whole time (we're waiting until marriage, so our honeymoon will mostly be spent indoors).

bakes218

Thanks so much Kat! I priced it out and that is what I came up with also, about $2500. We are only going to go 4 nights and I upgraded to a beachfront. I think if we just did oceanview I think we would even save money. I also found flights with only one stop so the traveling should not be too bad!

Thanks again, I would love to see pictures but I think we are going to go there for sure. The reviews on Trip Advisor were very good also. I am a  little OCD about this kind of thing, I have been looking for months!!!

breezerb

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_honeymoon-katanne?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:f014c6d9-bc2e-4603-b8e6-33ceecfca695Post:b4aaccbc-902d-4216-9ead-fedc9c787327">Re: Honeymoon (Katanne)</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon (Katanne) : What?! It always blows my mind when people say that.
Posted by heyimbren[/QUOTE]

THIS. I see snow for almost 6 months of the year.  Ottawa is one of the snowiest places in Canada I think.  For a good chunk of the winter the snowbanks are taller than me. 

[Deleted User]

breezerb - I took a cruise around the Greek Islands, Turkey and then Yugoslavia when I was 14.  It was beautiful - absolutely loved it!

bren - I was like you, I was pretty underwhelmed with Paris when I went.

For everyone talking about a white Christmas - I've never had one either.  I did go to college in Flagstaff, AZ, so I have lived in snow before, but never in Vegas (we do get the rare snowfall in Vegas, though).

FI and I can't afford a HM right now.  We've basically decided that over the next several years, we'll take a bunch of "mini" honeymooons.  There are several little things we want to do/places we want to go and just decided why not call them all a HM.  Everyone we've mentioned this to said it sounds cute and always gives us something to look forward to.

jemmini6

FI and I actually just bought a 'trial' timeshare, so we will be using that for our HM.  We will be going to Cabo.  If we didn't have that, we'd both love to go to Belize, or if time (and money) allowed, Australia.  We are both divers, so that's been the focus of our vacations lately. 

Eventually I'd like to go check out Europe.  FI lived in Germany for 3 years and has family in France, so I'd like to see both of those (with my private tour guide) and then maybe see some places neither of us have been like Spain and Italy.