Honeymoon suggestions

arco13

I know there's a honeymoon board, but It's nice to hear more local opinions.

We haven't really set any parameters yet, FI and I both love the beach, but we also want to see a lot of europe. I just want to hear what some of y'all did/are planning for your HMs. I'm honestly not even sure what we have the budget for, we've never traveled together on a large scale, so I just want to get some suggestions so I have somewhere to start. We'll be going the last week in May next year.

angelsong21

We opted not to take a "real" HM due to finances.  We threw a more elaborate wedding than we had originally planned, and H really wants to go to Australia for 2 weeks.  That's an expensive trip that we're not in the position right now to take, but we decided we'd rather save up for it instead of blowing our money on another HM we wouldn't be all that into.  We just did a "minimoon" at the Four Seasons in Irving for two nights and plan to take a few small weekend trips over the next year to keep our sanity.

I love the British Virgin Islands as well.  Thats dream vacation #2... a very close #2 at that!

arco13

Yeah, my main worry money-wise is the fact that my car may be on its last leg, and having a car is non-optional for me at this point, as both my 2 jobs and my school are about 20 min drives from our apartment, so is FIs, and we don't have the same schedules. 

If all else fails, I know we'd be able to afford a beach trip to Gulf Shores in Alabama, which FI has been going to all his life (We get to go a month from today! yaaaaay), and while it's not exciting and exotic, it's a place we both love and wouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg for. Since we're keeping the wedding somewhat smaller (we might actually make this happen for under 5 grand, depending on the final guest tally), we may wind up with some extra wiggle room.

professorscience

We went on a "mini-moon" to Fredericksburg and really loved it.  We stayed at the Cotton Gin Lodge, which was just heavenly, and went on a ton of winery tours.

We're hoping to save up for something a little more tropical (Bora Bora is our dream destination) later on down the road, but we'll have to see.

arco13

Has anyone done Hawaii? FI and I are discussing it right now and both like the sound of Hawaii. I love that it still feels more exciting and exotic without a lot of the hassle of passports/money exchange/etc.

nextrightthing

I've been to Hawaii, not with FI, but as a kid.  It is beautiful and amazing, but way too expensive for us right now.  Otherwise I think it is a perfect HM destination.

We aren't entirely sure where we are going for our HM....probably Mexico, Jamaica, or the DR just because they are all cost-effective, not too far, and have plenty of all inclusive.

Have you considered any of the above?  I haven't been to any of them yet except Los Cabos, Mexico, which was beautiful.  The only thing that was less than perfect for me is that many of he beaches aren't swimmable or white sand, both of which I want for our HM. 

cwaggoner07

I am going to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. It's very affordable, given that both flights to Mexico and the AI in Mexico tend to be a bit cheaper.
It's also a small little island, so it won't feel like 'party Mexico'.

If you want to stay domestic, I am taking a group trip with friends to the Carolinas (not EXACTLY sure where) next year and we are stoked! A guy I work with went to Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia and loved it.

professorscience

A LOT of former Knotties went to Hawaii for their honeymoons.  I think some of them lurk here, but only during the week, so hopefully they will pop in and offer advice!

professorscience

And Carrie, H's best friend lives in SC with his fiance and I LOVE visiting them.  I think one of their favorite places is Hilton Head.

fallbride1109

We went to Maui and it was heaven. We hope to go back for our 5year anniversary.

prlmrg08

We went to The Royal Playa Del Carmen for an anniversary trip and it was WONDERFUL!!! I booked it through www.beachbumvacation.com and they were seriously awesome! Their suggestion was right in line with what I was wanting. 

MarieSD

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-suggestions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:64550ac2-2bf0-4c4b-8cb3-7d5444d84219Post:9fe1ce7b-4e93-459c-ae7d-059559b26a1f">Re: Honeymoon suggestions</a>:
[QUOTE]A LOT of former Knotties went to Hawaii for their honeymoons.  I think some of them lurk here, but only during the week, so hopefully they will pop in and offer advice!
Posted by professorscience[/QUOTE]

I think I remember that Stephiehall went to Hawaii and loved it. Her bio had a review on it. I remember because we researched Hawaii at one point.

We looked into taking a Carnival cruise out of Galveston or spending a weekend in San Antonio (our more budget-friendly options) or Hawaii or Italy. We ended up going to Italy (Rome and Venice).

I did buy a Rick Steves Hawaii book though, so I'm hoping I get to use it someday!

arco13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-suggestions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:64550ac2-2bf0-4c4b-8cb3-7d5444d84219Post:d12e3ad1-d8a5-4fb6-a1ab-9ded31a3b1a3">Re: Honeymoon suggestions</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon suggestions : I think I remember that Stephiehall went to Hawaii and loved it. Her bio had a review on it. I remember because we researched Hawaii at one point. We looked into taking a Carnival cruise out of Galveston or spending a weekend in San Antonio (our more budget-friendly options) or Hawaii or Italy. We ended up going to Italy (Rome and Venice). I did buy a Rick Steves Hawaii book though, so I'm hoping I get to use it someday!
Posted by MarieSD[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>Where do I find it in her bio? I was having trouble and didn't see anything there, I'm still a little unfamiliar with some aspects of TK.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div>

professorscience

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-suggestions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:64550ac2-2bf0-4c4b-8cb3-7d5444d84219Post:ebc9bb21-ded2-4387-af65-0450cd92e6dc">Re: Honeymoon suggestions</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon suggestions : Where do I find it in her bio? I was having trouble and didn't see anything there, I'm still a little unfamiliar with some aspects of TK.
Posted by arco13[/QUOTE]

<div>A lot of people make planning websites on weebly, and I imagine that's what Marie is talking about.  In Stephie's sig, there are two links.  One says "Planning the meal" and the other says, "With all the trimmings."  One of those is a link to her planning bio!</div>

rsaleh84

We are going to Playa del Carmen, which was very affordable considering the price of flights these days! 

I have an excellent travel agent who is my closest friends aunt, and she was the one who booked our entire trip. She's a local agent, works out of Arlington, and is super sweet and VERY experienced with out of country travel, especially resorts!  If you would like her number, just private message me!

winechic25

So we did Europe. We spent two weeks in England and Scotland. While we had a great time, if I were personally to do it again, I wouldn't go there for a honeymoon, as it's just not as relaxing enough. Bora Bora is also our dream vacation, and we seriously considered that for our HM, but H was worried about the length of the flight. I also know a ton of people who have done Hawaii, and everyone has loved it. That said, my favorite vacation of all times has been sailing around the BVI's. Waiting for the day we can do that again!

roseofdeborah

We are going to the W on Vieques Island in Puerto Rico. It's somewhere FI didn't have to get a passport he didn't have plus the beaches there are more untouched and just pure beauty! Gah one more month!

karulyne

we're putting the honeymoon off, but I think we're going to do something in Europe once we've saved up some money (I'm angling towards spending a week or two in Santorini), first priority is to get wedding paid for, then we're saving towards a house, and I'm in school part time so I need to pay tuition. So probably we'll get a honeymoon on our 5th year anniversary or something! I kind of like that we'll be home after the wedding anyway to spend time with our friends and family that are flying into TX for the wedding, most of them haven't been here before so it will be fun to show them around town. I think Hawaii would be a good choice, all the convenience of staying in the US but definitely different from the mainland! I've never been but its on my list of places to see.

fallbride1109

Here is the direct link to my Honeymoon.

http://110709wedding.weebly.com/honeymoon.html

ejheart

We are going to Antigua. Although I wouldn't say that it's super budget-friendly, it's probably still quite a bit less than Hawaii. Originally we wanted to do St. Lucia, but we couldn't afford the super fancy places there so we would have been limited to Sandals. Those options still seemed really nice but I really didn't want to fight a million people for a lounge chair on my HM (nor did I want to "splurge" for the butler rooms), so we opted for Antigua. It's a similar vibe/look but the resort we're staying at has several miles of beach with nothing surrounding it and even at full capacity there isn't a fight for chairs.

However, we took a trip to the Dominican (where we got engaged) last summer and it was awesome...especially for our first, grown-up, out-of-country trip together. It was also really affordable. We stayed in P unta Cana. I know it's becoming more popular now, but I still think you could find something romantic.

arco13

Thank you all for the advice-it's helping a lot!

I'm worried we will be restricted to the mainland at this point, I just found out this morning my Jeep will cost over $1000 to be repaired, and it's not even worth that much, so I'm about to have to buy a car, which means car and insurance payments for the first time. Boooooo

skeppler1

We are going to Aruba and it was actually very resonable compared to other locations we were looking at.  We are even at an all inclusive hotel with an ocean view suite.
Where ever you go, it will be amazing.

aeliza06

DH and I have both traveled extensively through Europe (read: for months at a time) and while the beaches there are incredible, I really wouldn't recommend it for a honeymoon.

 Don't get me wrong, the island of Ios, Greece is beautiful and you can get a hotel room there for 20 eur per night, but the constant travelling/walking/taxis/waiting in lines isn't exactly romantic. 

That being said, DH and I had plans to really take advantage of the time off and go someplace exotic for our HM, but ended up in Mexico and I wouldn't have changed a thing! 

We went to El Dorado Royale Casitas (very important, the casitas are the nicer part and WAY less "party mode" than the normal part of the resort). It was adults only, AI, and I seriously hated boarding the plane to come back. DH and I definitely got our moneys worth of food, drinks, and our room was incredible: outdoor shower, balcony with a queen size bed overlooking the ocean, two person jacuzzi, king size four poster bed, 24 hr room service, personal butler... the list goes on. Plus, our flight from DFW was only 2.5 hours. Not too shabby.