Honeymoon Suggestions

hcollins315

does anyone have any suggestions on decent & affordable honeymoon spots close to Michigan.  I really don't want to travel very far & honestly I have never really been out of the Metro-Detroit Area even though I have lived here my whole life. every suggestion I give my fiance he asks me what is there to do there. He didn't like the ideas of Chicago. I suggested Mackinac & I have said a mx of Niagra falls & Toronto. anybody got anything else??

acaponi87

Traverse City? Are you guys willing to fly? Boston is a pretty quick flight and is a really awesome city. Gorgeous, historic, very fun.

Meegles4

I was going to suggest Mackinac too. It's really only good for a day or two, but you could do a little Up North road trip and hit Mackinac, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Traverse City. You could even go up into the UP and do the Painted Rocks or pictured rocks?! I akways forget Anyway, there are lots of gorgeous places in northern MI and the UP definitely plenty to see over the course of a few days or a week.

hjewell29

We were going to do Traverse City, but then decided to roadtrip to Niagra. We are stopping at a bed and breakfast on the way and going to some wineries and then a boutique hotel and spa in Niagra. I am super excited about it!

Sue-n-Kevin

I've travelled a lot in the US, and could make a bunch of suggestions.

I'm assuming you want somewhere in driving distance to the local area since you asked for something close to Michigan. However, it would help a lot if you described "affordable", as that word has a lot of different meanings for people. Also, a description of the things you like to do, and how long you have.

Your bio says you are getting married in May next year. There won't be any warm beaches in the midwest, but there are some on the southern east coast of the US. The drive there would be anywhere from 12 hrs to 20 hrs depending on how far south you want to go.

If you just like sight seeing and history, with no beaches, these would be my recommendations for a driving distance HM:

-Toronto and Niagara Falls. It may be chilly, but Niagara is amazing, roughly 5 hr drive. However, you will need passports or enhanced drive's license to re-enter the US.

- Nashville. It's about a 9 hr drive. Not just about country music, but you'd need to like it a little bit. There are a lot of cool bars on the main drag with music nightly.

- Washington DC. It's about a 10 hr drive (my son lives there and we've driven it many times). However, it's better to go by air because every hotel charges $30-$50 a night to park a car. It's easy to fly into any of the DC airports, or Baltimore, and take the metro subway or a bus/train mix from Baltimore to get into the city. It sounds like you've never been there, and it is AMAZING. Everything you will probably want to see museum-wise is free, and it's a great city to walk around. It's usually warm in May. You can see the Declaration of Independence, Ford Theater where Lincoln was shot, take a tour of the Capitol, arrange tours through one of the Michigan Senators for the White House (you have to ask a minimum of 6 months in advance). The Bureau of Engraving tour is amazing, you can see sheets of bills rolling off printers. Unless you guys want to spend 20 hrs in the car roundtrip, I'd highly recommend flying there, you can usually get RT airfares to Baltimore for about $400-$500 for two people. If you've never left the metro Detroit area subways can be intimidating, but I took my daughter there when she was 10, just the 2 of us, and I figured it out, LOL. The most budget friendly hotel closest to the main attractions is the State Plaza. It's a former apartment building turned into a hotel. Every room has a kitchen with fridge, stove, microwave, sink, dishes, etc. There is a CVS around the corner that sells microwaveable foods and you can save a lot on meals.

- upper Michigan: Mackinac Island is wonderful & lovely, Petoskey is an adorable little town, Traverse City area has wine tours. You could arrange to stay in B&B's wherever you go, and your stay would include breakfast. Most of the B&B's are adorable and romantic, and in May you might need the fireplaces they usually have. 

- West coast of Michigan. I love Saugatuck. It's a lot like New England, a touristy, artsy town, lots of nice B&B's also. You could drive north from there along the Great Lakes Circle Tour, and go up to Petoskey/Traverse City. 

If you want to fly and go to places within a 2 hr flight, where the RT airfare would be under $800, I'd recommend these:

Charleston SC: fabulous history from both the Revolutionary War and Civil War (of course from the Confederacy perspective). Cobblestone streets in some areas.  Every restaurant is like a 4 star restaurant. The weather is always nice (we were there last January and it was in the 60's). You would be there before hurricane season so should have no problem. In May you could probably stay at a hotel near the Atlantic Ocean and it would be nice. 

I'd recommend Boston or NYC, but my guess is they are not affordable/within your budget. You can get better deals in smaller metro areas. 

Regardless of the area you stay, if your budget doesn't allow you to splurge for a nicer, elegant hotel every night, just stay one or two nights at a nicer one........you deserve it! 

I HIGHLY recommend signing up for www.travelzoo.com weekly emails. They send an email every week with their Top 20 deals, and most of them are not last minute, the rates are good for a few months into the future.

Also, use www.tripadvisor.com for hotel and restaurant ratings. If you want to find the nicest hotel in any area, check out the #1 - #10 rated hotels in larger metro areas, the #1- #4 in smaller metro areas. These are ratings by actual guests and I use this website all the time for hotels and restaurants.

Sorry, long post. But hopefully it helps get your brain started.
 
 

mpickl

What about Ludington/West Coast? The beaches are beautiful and the city of Ludington is super cute. Sleeping Bear Dunes?

spartybride3

I live in chicago & its awesome. So much to do in the summer, especially if you are coming on the weekend. There is always a street festival of some sort. I'm from the west side of Michigan, so anywhere along the coast is great. Look into Ludington, Traverse City, St. Joseph, & South Haven. I'm sure you can find a B & B somewhere. 

hcollins315

thanks everyone