April 2013 Weddings

Honeymoon or HoneyHELL?

Chris and I have spent more time on figuring out the honeymoon than every other wedding decision combined (and times 100). 

I think we're being too picky, we start reading reviews and as soon as we come to any bad one we we get disinterested and look for another.

It is literally sucking the life out of me! haha. I just want to find a place and book it.  Any suggestions, or is anyone going through the same hell? 

ox
Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml

Re: Honeymoon or HoneyHELL?

  • Can I just say that the title of this post literally made me lol.

    We had kind of the same problem. We didn't really know where we wanted to go, and we have a budget that we are trying to stick to. What we did was browse Groupon and Living Social about once a week for their getaway deals. When we found something that we liked that had decent reviews and was affordable we booked it (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands for 5 nights!)

    Is there somehwere in particular that you want to go, or are you open?
    135 invited image | 45 Yes image | 11 No image | 79 Still need to reply! image
    RSVP Deadline: March 23
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    April 2013 Siggy Challenge: Bridesmaids Dresses
    image
  • Haha, glad it make you laugh :)

    Maybe we should just start taking tha approach (groupon and living social) instead we have been on Tripadvisor, which is a great site, but reading all the reviews is part of what is making this so tough on us.

    We've mostly been searching for a place in the Dominican Republic. But I think we're pretty open. 
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • I understand what you mean about the reviews. We ALMOST booked a trip to Panama, but we read reviews on the resort and they were terrible. But if something has mostly good reviews then I would consider it safe. There are always going to be some people who are unhappy no matter what, so don't let a few bad reviews ruin a resort or hotel for you guys. 
    135 invited image | 45 Yes image | 11 No image | 79 Still need to reply! image
    RSVP Deadline: March 23
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    April 2013 Siggy Challenge: Bridesmaids Dresses
    image
  • I read some awesome reviews about the Iberostar resorts in Dominican Republic. I think you need to just stop reading reviews. We just went to a Sandals in St. Lucia and there were a lot of negative, mixed in with positive, reviews. And we had a great time. I think if you go into it being picky and picking out the bad parts about everything, your trip will suck no matter what. It's all about your attitude when traveling- nothing will be perfect! So just pick a place that is affordable and looks awesome, and chances are, you'll have an awesome time!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I agree with all of these posts.  You may also want to check the country's safety info using the travelDOTstateDOTgov websites.  If you're planning on anything adventurous outside of your resort/hotel, you'll want to be aware of the safety concerns.

    We went with the Los Suenos Marriott in Costa Rica mainly because I've wanted to go there for a few years after studying their environmental policies but also b/c FFIL gifted us the skymiles we needed and FI has racked up a bajillion Marriott points.  Do y'all have any points systems you can take advantage of?  We also chose Costa Rica because it's main income is tourism so they take care of their visitors and there's not a lot of crime, in comparison to other countries.
  • I stressed for a while but then FI just said we should just go with our gut and take the plunge. Now I'm really excited for our trip. We're going to an ecolodge in Belize (Table Rock...they have amazing tripadvisor reviews, btw). We liked the idea of an ecolodge because it's still inclusive except alcohol (which means no planning for what to do!!) but very natural and, well, ecofriendly. Plus, it's more affordable than a lot of the fancy-all-inclusive places. And, we liked Central America because we wanted something warm but not a beachy place as we both spontaneously combust in sunlight :)

    Anyway, point being - stop making lists and researching. Think about what first pops into your head (beach? ruins? cities? food?) and then go from there in terms of budget and availability. Then, when you have a good feeling, just go for it!
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_april-2013-weddings_honeymoon-or-honeyhell?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:820178d7-4f43-4671-bcab-c5c2c01eef1eDiscussion:6c0454f7-ef55-4d16-914b-b20d8718e0a5Post:b27047db-267a-415e-b505-c50d942a122e">Re: Honeymoon or HoneyHELL?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Haha, glad it make you laugh :) Maybe we should just start taking tha approach (groupon and living social) instead we have been on Tripadvisor, which is a great site, but reading all the reviews is part of what is making this so tough on us. We've mostly been searching for a place in the Dominican Republic. But I think we're pretty open. 
    Posted by jakigaudet[/QUOTE]

    <div>FI and I are going to the DR.  We are staying at the Excellence is P#ntaCana.  We have friends who have gone there and they all say great things about it.  It is an adults only all inclusive.  We booked through travelocity instead of their website and saved almost $1000.  We also heard if you tip the guy at the desk a $20 they will upgrade your room so there is no reason for paying more upfront.</div>
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_april-2013-weddings_honeymoon-or-honeyhell?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:820178d7-4f43-4671-bcab-c5c2c01eef1eDiscussion:6c0454f7-ef55-4d16-914b-b20d8718e0a5Post:1804c90e-6331-488a-8108-4225448197f2">Re: Honeymoon or HoneyHELL?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon or HoneyHELL? : FI and I are going to the DR.  We are staying at the Excellence is P#ntaCana.  We have friends who have gone there and they all say great things about it.  It is an adults only all inclusive.  We booked through travelocity instead of their website and saved almost $1000.  We also heard if you tip the guy at the desk a $20 they will upgrade your room so there is no reason for paying more upfront.
    Posted by dandelionsgirl[/QUOTE]


    we are going to secrets maroma beach in riveria maya. We were freaking out over bad reviews too but then we realized that when majority are good, the bad ones may just be from people who like to complain and NEVER have anything good to say! Some people will always find something wrong, so if the majority are 5 star reviews i wouldnt even worry about the bad
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_april-2013-weddings_honeymoon-or-honeyhell?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:820178d7-4f43-4671-bcab-c5c2c01eef1eDiscussion:6c0454f7-ef55-4d16-914b-b20d8718e0a5Post:1804c90e-6331-488a-8108-4225448197f2">Re: Honeymoon or HoneyHELL?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon or HoneyHELL? : FI and I are going to the DR.  We are staying at the Excellence is P#ntaCana.  We have friends who have gone there and they all say great things about it.  It is an adults only all inclusive.  We booked through travelocity instead of their website and saved almost $1000.  We also heard if you tip the guy at the desk a $20 they will upgrade your room so there is no reason for paying more upfront.
    Posted by dandelionsgirl[/QUOTE]

    <div>
    </div><div>good to know! thank you for the tip!</div>
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • My FI and I spend 7 nights in the domician about 2 years ago and stayed ay the Excellance resort.it was AMAZING!!! check it out,  highly recommend!!!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • Thank you everyone for the help and support. We booked the HM this morning! Yippee :) We'll be staing at the Paradisus :) I feel like i can breath more easily already. 
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards