Where to go - lowish budget for longer trip?

marston258

Like many of you, we are trying to figure out where we want to go. We love to travel, but we have already done all of the cheaper options (Cruise, Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic), and want to do something new for our honeymoon. The other thing is that we really want to go for 12 days. We want to take the time to really relax and enjoy a new place. We are trying really hard not to spend more than $5,000. However, we do have enough airline miles to get us to anywhere in the US, or the caribbean, and almost enough for Hawaii (we could swing it if we had to buy maybe $75 worth of extra miles), Any suggestions of a place/specific resort or hotel? We dont' need to stay at the Ritz, but we also want a place that is nice, has some amenities, ect. Typically we are really interested in history, water sports, and good food, not so much about the nightlife. I have looked at Sandals, but for 12 days, I can't find anything outside the above mentioned places for under $6,000. Same seems to go for alot of other places. Hotels in Hawaii seem to be about $3000-$4000, but I hear food is very expensive there...

gordysgirl

Have you tried http://www.homeaway.com ? They are a great site where you can rent apartments/lofts/cabins for great prices all over the world! Most places are far less expensive than hotels, and have many different amenities options like fully equipped kitchens, personal pools, extra privacy, you name it!

You might want to look into Puerto Rico, since you seem well-traveled in Latin America, plus they use the US dollar there!

hoffse

Costa Rica - lots of great resorts there, and the flights are about $550/person out of Atlanta (not sure what they are out of Philly).  So you could probably do that with your airmiles.  The dollar is strong down there, and you have the option of beach or jungle or both.

JoanE2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_where-to-go-lowish-budget-for-longer-trip?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:41c74aee-66a9-4df2-8b4d-525a09d2a6b4Post:f1ff09f9-e9bc-4a64-93b6-58ee9085a811">Re: Where to go - lowish budget for longer trip?</a>:
[QUOTE]Spain.  Aer Lingus has roundtrip from New York JFK to Barcelona for around $930 pp (no baggage fees).  You can take the train to a resort on the coast.  Flamenco? <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g315917-d530708-Reviews-Hotel_Puerta_del_Mar-Nerja_Costa_del_Sol_Andalucia.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g315917-d530708-Reviews-Hotel_Puerta_del_Mar-Nerja_Costa_del_Sol_Andalucia.html</a> $99 per night includes full breakfast!
Posted by CMGr[/QUOTE]

I will second Spain.  Costa del Sol was one of my favorite vacations.  I looked a few weeks ago on Expedia and airfare and hotel was around $1300 per person for a week leaving from NYC flying into Malaga.  We stayed in Torremolinos right across from the beach.  Tons of restaurants and shops within walking distance and plenty of excursions to do (Gibraltar, Morocco, Granada, Cordoba, Mijas, etc).  We even took the train to Seville for a day.  It's one of the few places I would love to visit again!

smartn2sexy08

I was just asking on a post if anyone had used Groupon Travel, but they seem to have fantastic deals. Recently saw a 10 day trip to Ireland with stays in a castle for some of the nights and the other nights in a country estate. Airfare, rental car and some meals included for $900 pp. If I can find out more info on peoples experiences with Groupon Travel, that is the route we are going. We are just going to wait til their sale dates are in the time frame of when we want to leave, and then buy whichever place we would like to go to that fits our budget.

hz80408

Ireland.  We just did an anniversary trip. For ~$1100/person we got flight, rental car and hotel for 7 nights.  You could be well under your budget (we spent about $150/day on food/drinks/sites). I realize that's not as long as you want though; but if you're interested Living Social, Groupon and Travelzoo have all had deals recently. We had a good experience booking a Sceptre Tours trip via Travelzoo

SigKap289

There's a unique wedding registry called Registry10 (registry10.com) in Philadelphia that offers a honeymoon fund so perhaps that may help. It's a tactful way to request part of your honeymoon as a gift. It's broken up into airfare miles, hotel stay, etc. Good luck!

Giaspo

I second Costa Rica.  My friend went for a 2 week honeymoon and had an amazing time.  H and I are considering it for our 1 year anniversary.

Also, if you want a travel agent rec, PM me... ours was amazing and worked within our budget.  She is in south Jersey and a honeymoon specialist. 

laurbar12

I would also like to recommend Costa Rica (we got engaged there..so it holds a special place in my heart ).  We only went for a week back in february, but spent less than $2500 and that included airfare.  

caitlincallahan

Secrets or Dreams Resorts in the DR or Mexico are ALL AMAZING!