January Honeymoon Ideas

sparklerunner

For some reason the January 2014 board isn't working so I thought I'd try my luck here.

My fiance and I are getting married in January 2014 and looking for a good honeymoon location. We'd prefer to go somewhere tropical and once-in-a-lifetime, but I'm having trouble finding infomration on good places to go in January. Hawaii is the only place I know with beautiful weather year-round, but we'd like to go somewhere that neither of us have been before. Has anyone gone on an amazing tropical vacation in January that you can suggest? Thanks!!

Jells2dot0

You probably won't be able to find too much in the way of packages for 2014 yet. You won't even be able to book airfare for then until February 2013. That being said, what is your budget? I have been to French Polynesia many times and consider it to be one of the best honeymoon trips! It is their low season in January, but you can get some fantastic deals and the weather is not something you can predict for FP, or any tropical destination. Just be aware that it may rain from time to time. Hawaii is also similar. January will be cooler and it can rain more.It does depend on what side of the island you are on, though. The Maldives are nice in January- just getting into the dry monsoon season. And not to count it out, most of the Caribbean is fabulous in January (Bahamas and Turks can be a little cooler). There are some AMAZING luxury resorts there! The Caribbean is at its priciest then, tough.

sparklerunner

We aren't entirely sure of our budget yet, but it will probably be around $6,000. We're trying to save money on wedding items like flowers and decor in order to have more budget for the honeymoon.

French Polynesia would be a dream! And I know FI has been to the Carribbean but I haven't so I'll definitely be looking into that as well. Thanks for the suggestions!

Jells2dot0

FP on $6000 is doable, especially in January, but you will be limited as to how long you can stay there, which islands you can visit, and what room categories (you won't be able to get an overwater bungalow every night). Check out Moorea and Huahine on tahiti-tourisme.com.

I agree with pp about Australia (we just got married and HMed there) but January, the GBR areas will be quite warm and I think trying to do it on $6K may be tough. The airfare alone will probably be $1400/person. That being said, Sydney may be a good option for a mix of beach and city and it's more doable than some of the other areas.

BTW- there are a TON of islands in the Caribbean and they are all so vastly different. I would talk to your FI about trying out an island that he hasn't been to and I can guarantee it will be a completely different experience. Also, check out some of the all inclusives in the Riviera Maya area of Mexico. Beautiful resorts and great beaches with reasonable prices.

Katred08

I'm honeymooning this coming January!  We're headed to Cabo for 5 nights, then Palm Springs and Vegas for another 5.  I'm calling it our "desertmoon"...haha.

We seriously considered Fiji, Thailand, Antigua, Anguilla and New Zealand, and had a VERY hard time choosing.  Ultimately we decided on a spendy resort in a cheaper location (Cabo) vs. spending the same amount of money but having to be more frugal w/ our lodging and dining (NZ, Fiji).  It's our honeymoon, so I felt it was the only time we'd splurge on such a nice resort (Capella Pedregal).  Antigua and Anguilla both looked great but we knew we wanted to either begin or end the trip in Vegas (we love it), so it just didn't make as much sense to go to the Caribbean.  Plus we live in CT so it's relatively easy to hop a 3 hour flight to the Caribbean for a long weekned. 

With your budget you have a ton of options.  I was in Riviera Maya last January and it was nice during the day, but does get chilly at night, which I was a little surprised by.  And if the sun went behind a cloud, it was a touch uncomfortable in a bathing suit...but still better than CT, so we didn't mind!  

Aruba will have guaranteed warm weather, great food.   As PP said, all the different islands have something to offer, so start researching and see what appeals to you. 

sparklerunner

Thanks for all the great tips everyone! I talked to my fiance last night and after some deliberation and chatting with a few friends who have gone we're highly considering Costa Rica now. I just wanted to say if anyone else is planning a January honeymoon Costa Rica is just getting out of their wet season (which I had no idea!). There seems to be a good mix of adventure (ziplining, hiking, water rafting) and relaxing (all-inclusives, drinks, pools, hot tubs and beaches).

We probably won't be booking for a few more months and I'm still going to do some research on the other places suggested but I just thought I'd update in case anyone else has the same questions

alithebride

which islands in the caribbean has your FI visted? they're all different and all have somethign special about them so having been to one is not having been to all.

i've been to costa rica-I went at the end of july-during the rainy season and it was fine-it just rains in the afternoons every day. it's a country with a lot of different climate areas so you can't group the whole country into one. head to your library and take out a book about it and see when is ok weather wise and when isn't.

Kristin789

Talk to your already-married friends about the real truth about how totally exhausted you and FI will be.  You've just had the most stressful, most magical, most spiritual three months of your life - and probably a lot of unexpected stuff happened that you had to deal with, and you will be totally wiped out.

You really don't want to have to get on a plane for some 10 hour plane trip to a foreign location with different language and different money and so on.

Go to San Diego for four days, THEN go somewhere exotic.  We did a local mini-moon for four days right after the wedding, THEN got on the plane.  We thought it was just right.