Researching Honeymoon destinations. Need your input please!

Hallanole

I would love to see if anyone has any input on any of these places. How to make it affordable, best places to go if you know the area, and any other helpful info you can provide. 

FI and I are researching all possibilities of a budget friendly honeymoon. FI is insisting we get a decent hotel. He doesn't want to stay in a Holiday Inn (I know Holiday Inns down south are much nicer then up here, but his preception is Holiday Inn is scummy looking), Motel 8, or that effect- you know the ones that are like 40-80/night. I guess you could say he's looking for a 3-4 star.

Original plan was Disney World and stay on park grounds for easier access. It was looking to be very costy. Hotel and park tickets alone were about $3 thousand for a week. (we were looking at mid level hotel- The Corondo Springs) No flight, no food, nothing else. Very ouchie on the wallet.

Next option, I was looking at Sandle's St. Lucia- cause well, All Inclusive and price was quoted at about $3 thousand with flight. Not to bad, but still looking for cheaper cause I need options.

The the other night I woke and couldn't fall back asleep. I started watching Food Network and there was this show Rachael's Vacations and featured San Antonio Texas. It looks like so much fun! I researched and hotel and air is roughly around $1500 for 4 star hotel. Also Rachael's show featured a lot of inexpensive eatery's. Yeah, we could be happy with pizza and burgers on our honeymoon except 1 night of a lovely dinner.  

Last resort on our list. If all above fails to be executed, we will go up to our fave vacation spot in North Conway NH. I found this adorable bed and breakfast, has a pool, at night roasting marshmallows outside at a fire pit, a billards table, in room massages, just nice and great for a mini getaway. This option is like 3-4 days that I'm sure we could most likely do.

So- Your input. Has anyone been to Sandles St. Lucia? Anyone been to San Antonio? And Florida - thinking it might be too expensive, but I still kind of want to do it. So where are some nice off park, not needing to rent a car, hotels that are nice? This option needs food/bar there cause a few days we were not planning on doing a whole lot.

Help me with your knowledge so I can research more and find the best deals and details for a wallet friendly honeymoon. Thanks!

bells24412

I haven't been to St. Lucia, so I can't help you there. However, I have been to FL many times with my FI. For 1 week, during peek time (summer) we usually spend about 2k for flight, food, hotel, rental car, and tickets to the park. We tend to either rent a house in FL for the week or stay in Kissimmee, FL. I found the closer you are to the parks, the more expensive it is. We have also stayed in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

Also do you have AAA? If you do, you should totally check the hotel rooms out using your AAA discount you could save some money.

As far as North Conway, NH, There is a hotel called "Adventure Suites" in North Conway. It is pretty much in the center of everything, they may be a little expensive but each room is a themed room and I heard it is very, very nice and well worth the money.

Hope this helps!!

Madisonpenny

I haven't been to any of the mentioned locations however I have heard lots about Sandles as a chain.  I've heard alot of people say that it's nice but for the price they could have stayed somewhere else just as nice but for cheaper.  I don't know if this will help you out, however I must admit Sandles really did get my attention to with their own little private honeymoon "houses"

Vonetra224

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_researching-honeymoon-destinations-need-input-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:78a37d99-0fa7-4f64-b461-f376e095d713Post:f41c67bd-19e6-487a-80a8-e45580b67f5e">Re: Researching Honeymoon destinations. Need your input please!</a>:
[QUOTE]I haven't been to any of the mentioned locations however I have heard lots about Sandles as a chain. <strong> I've heard alot of people say that it's nice but for the price they could have stayed somewhere else just as nice but for cheaper</strong>.  I don't know if this will help you out, however I must admit Sandles really did get my attention to with their own little private honeymoon "houses"
Posted by Madisonpenny[/QUOTE]

THIS. I heard the same thing as well. Have you check with cruises??? You can get a good deal now before the new year...

minionlover

I have been looking into Sandals St. Lucia and I would love to know where you found it for $3k including flights.  I was just looking on Friday and I am getting prices of $4500+ for a basic room. 

As PP said a cruise might be a good option.  They may even leave out of Boston.  I know that they also leave out of NY & NJ.  You could spend a day or 2 in NYC before you go.  Jamaica is also beautiful.  I went there in September and loved it.

Sherri0129

I think it all depends on what you want to do and what budget you're trying to work with. Me and FI refuse to stay in the States because we can do that for any other vacation, not our honeymoon. I say look into a cruise. I've been to two so far and it has been the best vacation for me! Nobody can reach you and the ship has soooooooo many different activities you can do. Also, you don't have to worry about food because it's cover in the cost! And depending on what cruise, they go to various locations!

mekiakoo

I've been to Florida but during my elementary years so I doubt I'd be able to help you out! But I remember loving the parks!

We aren't doing anything fancy- we are going to spend 9 days in Maine at bed & breakfasts, kind of similar to your vacation spot option.

Hopefully other ladies are better help here than I am!

Hallanole

Thanks everyone!

Due to budgets I'm not sure what is completely affordable so I was working a bunch of "I'd like to do this and it costs..." so that I could pick something based on what we can afford when and if things fall together financially.

Why I found St. Lucia a bit cheaper was that I was flying on Monday's. Our wedding is on a Sunday. FI is only allowed 1 Saturday off. So we figured the longest time off for him using as few Personal days as possible. But now that I think about it, I'm thinking to cross this off our list. If many people are saying over priced, then I will wait for another island vacation another time. (Plus I've been to Aruba 8 times)

San Antonio, we both agreed it looked fun. Something different and loving the River walk. If we go this route, we are intending on staying close so that we can walk.
AllyG will you PM me some info I can research more, like awesome places to eat, things to do, Must See, and whatever else you can recommend. I'm OCD and I have to research everything to make sure I have a game plan. Thank you!

FI and I are feeling like doing something a little different for our honeymoon. But it's hard to pick because I've travelled a lot. Him not so much. And we are different peronality wise. I'm quiet and he can chat up anyone and make insta-friends. I will have to research more.

AllyG303

I think the B&B sounds like a fun HM, personally, but I'm into the *I don't want to do anything on the HM but relax with FI* mindset. 

I love Disney, but I feel like I would have to be doing something all the time to get my money's worth out of it and not relaxing enough.  As far as Disney goes, you could always check to see if people are renting out their timeshares on the property that they can't use.  Are you a member of any hotel chains?  They're free to join and can get you free upgrades a lot of times if there is availability. 

San Antonio is great (FI and I are actually going in a couple weeks! Staying).  Stay on the Riverwalk if you go there (it's more fun and doesn't have to be expensive--we're staying @ a Grand Hyatt for only $80/night, breakfast included at any of tehir restaurants).  There are tons of touristy things and fun restaurants and shops to go to. 

I haven't been to St Lucia, so I can't say anything for that, except that I agre with the PPs.  I spend a lot of time on the HM board, and a lot of people mention that Sandals seems overpriced compared to other AIs. 

ski2play

Have you looked at the Gulf Coast of Florida.  We go there many times a year and absolutely love it.  We call it our "mini-moon" location.  We stay in Ft Myers Beach at the Best Western.  Very clean, breakfast included and all rooms have a balcony that is directly over the beach.  Walking distance to many great eateries and bars.  We usually rent a mustang convertible, and do some day trips.  Sanibel Island is so close and so romantic and fun.  Also, Naple, FL is very close.  Cheap flights are easy to find into Ft Myers from almost anywhere.  Check it out.  You will be glad you did.  PM me if you have additional questions.

Libby

singing_lyn

My fiance and his family just went to FL in October and they rented a house for a week for $560, and it had a pool and everything. They did a park hopper pass to Disney and mostly just ate at the house. They got a rental car for I think something like $24 a day from I believe Enterprise. If you do plan on going, try and get a house near Route 192 in Orlando or Kissimmee. That's where all the restaurants and things to do are. If you want to go out to a nice restaurant one of the nights I suggest going up to Winter Park and to Park Ave. They have all these little restaurants that are really nice. I used to live near there. As for Sandals I can't really say anything as I've never gone to one of their resorts. My fiance and I are going to Secrets St. James Montego Bay for our honeymoon as it's an AI, but we're paying $2600+ just for the resort and we still have to get airline tickets and that doesn't include off-resort entertainment that we will be going to do. I hope that some of this information helps you.

MandiNoel

Well, first of all, are you planning to go on your honeymoon in July right after the wedding or waiting a bit?? While there are some really affordable options if you want to do Disney, I wouldn't recommend it in July since that's peak season, meaning the lines and crazy long and it's 100 degrees out. It's misery, and you don't get to do nearly as much as you want to because of the crowds. But, if you are still brave enough to attempt it, try to find a hotel in the Lake Buena Vista area. That's right by Downtown Disney, most of the hotels are pretty nice, and many of them offer shuttles to take you to the parks, so there would be no need for a car. That's where I usually find the best deals when I go.

And also, I've been to San Antonio, and I absolutely love it. There's so much to do there, and since it's going to be so hot (assuming you are going in July) it's a great time to visit Schlitterbahn. Seriously, most awesome waterpark ever. And yeah, the Riverwalk is super fun. There's always pretty lights and fun music and delicious restaurants.