budget honeymoon suggestions...

BKane2B

we live in iowa - we'd love to go somewhere like perhaps colorado, or somewhere out east, within driving distance - nothing over, preferably 15 hours drive away (i know that's the distance to denver, co).

we're on a pretty tight budget when it comes to our honeymoon - and we only have a wed-sun available!

I'd love to hear some suggestions on hotel savings, vacation packages....sad to say, but we want to keep our budget for a honeymoon really close between $1000-$1500. I know, to some, that's not very much - but it's alot to us!

Thanks!

veijes

Your budget is definitely doable! Last year FI and I went to Florida from Minnesota for $300 a person, that included round trip tickets, convertible car rental, and food. We did stay at my grandma's villa so that was free but for $600 total we had a fun vacation. Since you are driving it will be pretty cheap but I would also look into flying, My friend is gonig to Colorado for spring break and she said the tickets are $75 each way and then they are renting a car.

I would look into all of it on www.priceline.com they always have great deals!

BKane2B

does anyone think that disney honeymoons are a good budget-way to go?

tinydancer842

possibly - however you would probably want to stay outside the park if possible as it can get very expensive to eat in disney/stay there. Vegas can also have some really good deals. I went in june w/my FI with about your budget & stayed at the Mandalay Bay, had a spa treatment, had a fancy dinner out, went to the bodies exhibit at the Luxor, and spent less than $1,500 for 4 days & 5 nights.

ecupirate12

That's actually not a bad budget at all.  Don't feel that you have to stay within the US on that budget, unless that's what you really want.  I found a deal on orbitz for an All Inclusive- one week trip to Cancun for 600$ per person and that included round trip air from NC, all your food and accomodation.  Mexico is very cheap if you are interested in going outside the country.  If we had gone for only 5 nights it probably would have been cheaper.   Try going to orbitz.com and clicking vacation packages and try random destinations until you find one within your budget. It's usually cheaper to book that way because it books your hotel and flight together and some even include food.

If not I'd suggest Poconos resorts in Penn.  It's def within your driving range and they have awesome looking suites for reasonables prices and it's geared just for romantic getaways.  Here's their website
http://www.covepoconoresorts.com/

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

king26

I totally agree with PP.  The Poconos are gorgeous and very romantic.  It would be a great honeymoon location.
  Vegas is also a great option.  We went this past summer and flight from Pittsburgh and hotel for 5 nights was $400 a person.  We then went to a show for $150 (total) and had one or two nice meals.  It was great!

Sue-n-Kevin

The prior posters gave you great ideas. If you are looking into anything outside the US (Mexico, Canada) you will need a passport if you don't have one. It can take a while to get them so apply quickly.

Because you have 5 days and a weekend overnight stay, you could get anywhere within 4-6 hrs from coast to coast by air. June will be tough because rates may be high, but all inclusive airfare & hotels can help.

Driving, think of the bigger cities or touristy areas that have nice hotel/spa packages, or B&B near a city with lots to do.

It really depends on what you and your fiance like to see and do when you are together. If you like history, DC is fabulous and if you fly into Reagan airport, you don't need a car because the Metro subway system has a stop there. If you like sports, go to a major city that has baseball, or one of the sport halls of fame (Cooperstown NY is supposed to be a great and adorable little town), or the hockey hall of fame and a visit to Toronto, which will require a passport, but is a great city to visit.

If you want a european feel, Quebec City and Montreal are great.

Good luck. Your budget is really not that low for a 5 day trip, and I posted a thread a few days ago about how to negotiate better hotel rates (June might be hard because school is out in some areas, and parents take kids on trips)

NillaWafer10

Check out costco travel.  A destination honeymoon might be cheaper than you think

NuggetBrain

I second Florida or Vegas.

jessNlane52804

Check out www.hotwire.com for hotels. It's the site where you don't find out the name of the hotel until you book, but my family uses it all the time with much success!

ashlylynnface

check out renting cabins. i'm in washington but we're renting a cabin for about 6 days and it'll cost us about 1500
it has a privtae hot tub, king bedroom suite, a hammock on the wraparound porch and everything

BKane2B

I like the idea of the poconos, but i think it's a little bit far of a drive from iowa...

Does anyone have some suggestions for northern minnesota? I used to vacation there w/my family as a child & have fond memories there!

Thanks for all the suggestions, btw

nefariousmango

I think Colorado's a great idea, especially when you remember that summer is our off season so the hotels are a lot cheaper!  Check out some of the ski towns just outside Denver: Breckenridge is my fav for non-skiing activites, it's a real town that then became a ski resort, but the mountain is far enough away from downtown that it doesn't feel so ridiculous.   Avoid Copper and Keystone as they are not really towns so much as they are areas for post-skiing activities.  You might also look at Frisco or Georgetown, or a bit further to Winter Park. 

Good luck!

disturbedkitty

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_budget-honeymoon-suggestions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:9fa1beed-414b-42ab-b7e7-9c5003b4be5cPost:9af80ac7-960d-4588-a714-d85a15304e50">Re: budget honeymoon suggestions...</a>:
[QUOTE]does anyone think that disney honeymoons are a good budget-way to go?
Posted by BKane2B[/QUOTE]

<div>Sure! Disneyland and Disney World can be pretty affordable. If your going to DL, stay off property and eat outside of the parks. If your staying in Disney World, try to stay in one of their value resorts during their value season (they can be much cheaper than some of the off property hotels). That way, you can use Disney's FREE transportation to and from the airport/ your hotel/the parks/etc (you wont have to rent a car). If you have the money for it, I suggest looking into the WDW dining plan. If not, make reservations for at least one nice restaurant (I like Le Cellier in Epcot).</div><div>
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</div>

vgmartinez

We're in Iowa with a honeymoon budget too of about $1,000. We were looking into driving to Folly Beach, SC and staying at a B&B. It's about a 17 hr drive but it looks beautiful out there. We also looked into Mackinac Island, MI. It's a ferry ride off the Michigan lakeshore. It's a beautiful town that doesn't allow cars, only horses and carriages. The only thing is that their off-seasion is basically from November-May when most of the businesses close and horses leave the island.

geminishele

After the wedding costs, no wonder a budget honeymoon is necessary!  We have the same woes, so I started looking in November to catch any amazing deals that came along, and a great way to keep on top of that is to sign up for travelzoo.com newsletter.  They're affiliated with a bunch of big travel wholesalers plus somehow they get direct deals with hotels/resorts/etc.  I booked a 9-night all inclusive BRAND NEW resort in Cancun, including RT air San Francisco to Cancun, for $2100!  I am still amazed but we could have stayed 5 nights for much less even.  I see deals all over on their newsletter but we decided we needed something blue & hot, so the Caribean or Mexico was our choice.  I'm sure you'll find something you want, Colorado or Boston or even Canada!

Mickey 

laura_fett

I was looking at places in Northern MN, and there is a place in Duluth called Beacon Pointe Resort. It would be in your price range, and the place looks like it would be a good choice for a honeymoon. I haven't been there before, but here is their website: www.beaconpointecondos.com

Good luck in your search!

rmdewey

I second Montreal or Quebec City if you wanted to go out of the country.

As for domestic, check out the Ashland/Washburn area in Wisconsin. The landscape is beautiful! Within driving distance of Crystal Falls and Ottawa National Forest in Michigan, Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota, and you can spend an entire day backpacking on Isle Royale National Park or shopping and doing the tourist-thing in Minneapolis.