$2000 budget? Is it possiable?

id012

We are looking to go on a nice honeymoon but our budget is only 2000$. do you think its posiable to go out of the country for that much? We are looking for something that is mosly just laying on the beach, eatting and drinking. Maybe a little snorkling or something like that. Also, the wedding is in august (this year). Do you think it would be cheaper to go right after the wedding or wait until right after christmas? That 2k is including airfare too.

We are from CT. Anyone from new england? Do you know if its cheaper to fly out of NY or Bradley?

Thanks girls! Google is completely overwhelming me!

SmallenForever

In my opinion, no. We are spending 2k on our honeymoon and are driving there (airfare was $800 and that was for flying one state over) and we are spending almost $1200 on lodging alone. You might want to look at all inclusive places (I know you can get some great deals for around 2k, but I don't know if airfare is included) or look at going on a cruise. I know that I priced an awesome cruise for 1k, but I also live close enough to where the port was so I didn't have to fly. 

Summer2011Bride

I ditto looking into a cruise. I have never cruised but we were seriously considering it for our anniversary trip this summer so I did a lot of looking into it. I know just plugging in some random summer dates for a week-long cruise I found rates as low as $700-something per person (for the most basic room). I think this was on Carnival. Now you'd still need to fly into port, but you can get some good deals on Airfare through airlines like Southwest. On cruises, food is included but usually alcohol is extra, as are excursions.

Amanda1443994

I'm from CT and it depends where you're flying to--sometimes JFK or LaGuardia is cheaper than Bradley. I know this was last year, but my FI and I went to Cabo San Lucas for 7 days for under $2000 and we stayed at a 4-star hotel. We flew out of Bradley and booked an AI. Places in Mexico are usually cheaper, and cruises are a great option as well.

[Deleted User]

I had trouble trying to book one for that budget. I mainly searched cheapcaribbean.com and just booked ours through them. The best suggestions I can give that I discovered is book a standard room all inclusive,cheapest flight (though may compromise travelling times, for example earliest flight out on the last day, thats a bummer!), go for 3, sometimes 4, star hotels. Most excursions will run around 200 for both from what I have seen. And the other big thing is that the prices change almost daily. I found my resort with everything included was about 3000, and I didn't book until 2 days later and it was $200 more! I am not sure when would be cheaper to fly, but you might be able to get last minute deals if going in August? (I'm no expert in travelling at all!!) Some sites may let you do a deposit and pay the rest later if you are booking way in advance, but it's too late to do that for travel in August. However, it is easy to price compare online just by changing your dates. We are going to the Dominican Republic in August and that seemed to be a little cheaper than most other caribbean destinations except maybe Jamaica and Bahamas. And Mexico always seems to have lots of good deals. Hope that helps!

Katred08

A cruise out of NYC is a great idea!  Or I'd check Apple Vacations for deals that have airfare included....your best bet on that budget is going to be an all inclusive in Mexico, Cancun area/Riviera Maya.....FI and I went to an AI in Riviera Maya (Now Sapphire) for a little getaway this past January and we did 4 nights with airfare out of Bradley for $2100.   August should be a good bit cheaper than January, so definitely check it out.  Unless you have your heart set on a full week, I think $2000 is very doable.   Apple Vacation always seems to be the best for deals.  

ems27

Check out the post in the Jamaica thread a few down- you'd have to look into airfare, but there's a groupon out right now for a great all-inclusive in Jamaica (Jewel Runaway Bay Resort), $649-$750 for two people for four nights and you can combine two of them.  It is for some August, Sept and Oct dates so it'd be a good timeframe for you, you'd just have to check the airfare.

ems27

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_2000-budget-is-it-possiable?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:42776c83-affe-49d4-8860-39faddb455ecPost:9ac83279-b363-442c-84e7-7f8711907868">Re: $2000 budget? Is it possiable?</a>:
[QUOTE]Check out the post in the Jamaica thread a few down- you'd have to look into airfare, but there's a groupon out right now for a great all-inclusive in Jamaica (Jewel Runaway Bay Resort), $649-$750 for two people for four nights and you can combine two of them.  It is for some August, Sept and Oct dates so it'd be a good timeframe for you, you'd just have to check the airfare.
Posted by ems27[/QUOTE]

I did a really quick flight search on kayak.com and you can get roundtrip tickets for $375-450 each from the Connecticut area to Jamaica.  So you could actually probably do the doubled-up groupon with flights for your budget- just be sure to ask lots of questions on the FAQ/call the resort to make sure dates are still available that work with cheaper flights, and book as soon as you get the Groupon if you go that route. 

PPs have also had really great suggestions- have so much fun!

TheSlowskys

Is that just air and hotel, or including food?

It is absolutely possible. If you can, I suggest also considering flights from Boston. (take into consideration parking costs, or see if you can take Logan express from the burbs)

We've been to St. Lucia for 9 days on less than that (Coco Palm), Jamaica for 6 days (private villa, then Breezes), and Bahamas for 8 days (Pelican Bay).  None were fancy resorts, but were clean and comfortable. We always travel in August and book 1-2 mos out.  You just have to be very flexible on where you are going and look for a sale.  

Mexico, Grand Bahama, Jamaica, DR are good places to start on a limited budget.

I've always had the best luck on expedia or orbitz, and always am able to find a coupon code for $1-300 off the entire package.

TheSlowskys

Oh, and traveling on a Tuesday or Weds is usually cheapest.  We save hundreds by doing that.

And I wouldnt wait until after Christmas. If you want to go to the Caribbean, go in August/Sept/Oct. It's hurricane season but your chances of it affecting you is low. Buy travel insurance just in case.  You will not be able to find anything after Christmas in your budget.

jelenybeany

I don't know why people think that's not possible. H and I did 7 nights at Valentin Imperial Maya staying in one of their highest room categories flying out of Maine for $2600. Catalonia Royal Tulum, an adults only AI with good reviews would only have been $2100. If you can wait until the first and second week of September there are really good prices right now. Gran Bahia Sian Kaan for five nights the first week of September would be around 1400 for one of their better rooms. They aren't adults only, but are highly rated. Shop around on Expedia, travelocity, cheap carribbean, etc.

I personally don't think cruises are a good deal if you drink. We crunched the numbers on several and even driving to a port nearby, a seven night cruise would have cost us almost double of what doing an AI would cost. Just plug your dates in and go from there. That's what we did.

TheSlowskys

We are doing 10 nights at vim for 3k Op, if you wait til Sept there will be less of a chance of having kids therenot to state the obvious. Adults only tend to be more expensive than other ai options.

rsaleh84

I think it is TOTALLY doable!  We are doing ours for about $2700 but thats because we upgraded to an oceanfront room, and we added the full insurance, straight shot ride to and from the airport and an excursion.  I would highly recommend using a travel agent.  They are privy to prices/offers that regular people aren't, and they can create a fantastic trip for you that is customized just for you, but without the headache.  That's the route that we took, and to tell you the truth, we couldn't believe how great of a deal we got!  Plus, an upside to using an agent is that you get first hand experience, since a lot of them travel frequently and have great advice and tips.

shadowclaw

Yes! It's very possible, especially if you're looking for a warm, sunny beach vacation with lots of laying about. Check out travel agencies, sometimes they can get you a good packaged deal that's cheaper than booking flight and hotel separately. If you have AAA, they have a nice selection of vacation packages available on their website.

I was recently looking into vacations to Cancun and Cozumel, Mexico, and found decent all-inclusive resorts with airfare for around $2000 for two people for 7 nights. I believe there was even one resort that was $1800. Those prices were based on flying out of Philly or Newark. It would probably be similar to fly from somewhere closer to you. My parents actually went to Cancun last September for a week and stayed at the Solaris resort and I believe they spent $2200 for the both of them, and they flew out of our local airport (which tends to add a few hundred dollars onto airfare compared to a big airport like Newark). They said it was nice. A lot of the resorts in Cozumel (which is a big place for snorkeling and diving) offered free use of their snorkeling equipment, so if you were interested in that, you wouldn't have to pay extra.

mazdachic95

We went to Lifestyles Resort , AI in Dominican Republic in Feb (where we got engaged) and it only cost $700 a person for flight etc..and we  flew out of a smaller hub, Charlotte and had a connection. We loved Lifestyles and actually became members..and are using our new timeshare on our honeymoon trip next month!