What is important to you on your HM?

MsRo1976 · December 2011

Hi Everyone,

FI and I are having a hard time deciding on where to go for our HM. We just staretd talking about it yesterday, and ruled out a cruise. We know that alone time will be important to us as well as beach time, and going somewhere new (our HM is end of August 2012). We also started looking at Secrets/Sandals/Couples resorts, but have no idea what distinguishes one from the other.

So, what is important to you and how did you decided on your HM?

graysquirrel · December 2011

It was really important to H to go on a relaxing beach honeymoon, so that is where we started. From past experience and cost comparison, we knew that we wanted an AI in Mexico. We wanted a beautiful, sandy beach that was fairly private (not on a crowded strip), a place that was more for leisure than partying, and had nice suites and great food. I then spent a ton of time researching different hotels on expedia and trip advisor. I narrowed it down to a few places and read every review I could to make sure we picked the right place. We settled on the Valentin Imperial Maya in the Riviera Maya and it was fantastic!

So I'd say to have a discussion about what amenities are important and start researching online or with a travel agent. I love the functions on expedia that let you narrow down what you want and it brings up hotels with only those things. Read tons of reviews and look at pictures on Trip Advisor from real travelers so that you know what you are getting.

amys325 · December 2011

We got married down in St. Thomas, USVI and stayed for an entire week, so for our Honeymoon we wanted it to be more sight-seeing and exploring, so we chose Italy and Greece.

I do think a lot of people choose beach honeymoons because believe me, Europe is less than relaxing. We walked everywhere and toured around a LOT. I was tired when we returned from our 2 weeks there.

I did want a little bit of relaxing time, so when we were in Santorini, I was able to lay on the beach for one of the days we were there, but besides that it was go go go.

You and your fiance just need to discuss what you want to do. My H and I travel a lot, so I didn't think of the HM as our one big trip. I did take advantage and use the excuse of the honeymoon to take 2 full weeks, when I normally would go for a week or less.

rlavach · December 2011

Well, we had some limitations regarding where we could go, so we decided to go to Cape Cod, MA. For me, it is important to have a lot of activities. I love exploring towns, hiking, kayaking, sightseeing and just doing everything possible. My FI is much more laid back and just wants to relax by a pool.

So we chose Cape Cod because it is a tourist spot, so there are lots of activities, but since it's April, it will be before the tourist season, so it will be quieter. Plus, we have an indoor pool so my FI can relax

Maggie0829 · December 2011

The only thing that was important to my H and I was to have a fun and relaxing vacation. At first we wanted to go all out (read as lots of money spent) on a 14 day honeymoon to Maui. Well after buying a home and looking at our much smaller bank accounts we knew that wasn't going to happen. So we decided on a fun vacation to Key West. We flew to Miami and then drove the rest of the way. We had a blast (and saved a lot of cash). We snorkeled, which neither of us had done before, people watched (which is the best part of any vacation), relaxed by the pool, ate some great food, and watched some amazing sunsets. In the end, I realized that a honeymoon isn't about where you go, but spending time with your H. We would have had an amazing time anywhere because we love being together and always have a great time no matter our vacation location.

jemmini6 · December 2011

H and I wanted a big room with a comfy bed and soundproof walls

Kidding (to an extent). But we wanted somewhere we could relax and still do a few activites that we've never done before. We also wanted somewhere with perfect weather (& water temp) in November, so we went to Cabo. We stayed in an amazing hotel with a fantastic pool, did a few excursions, had a massage on the beach, and hung out in our room. It was great.

bridetobemo · December 2011

We knew we wanted AI in the caribbean, so we knew an amount to budget from the get go, and didnt have to worry about bringing a ton of other money, we also wanted an AI that was couples only and offered great excursions, so we decided on couples tower isle, it was right on the beach, a fairly small resort so no matter where our room was we were a short walk to the beach and all the restaurants and we were able to go snorkeling, on a catamaran cruise, horseback riding and to dunns river falls for no additional cost

AdeleDazeem · December 2011

It was important for us to go on a trip to somewhere we both always wanted to go. We chose a destination wedding in Bermuda so we got a luxury vacation. That was fine with me! I've never done that before!

Had we married in the States and then could have picked anywhere for a honeymoon, we would have gone to Europe. Hands down.

We're big on culture, sight-seeing, eating at various restaurants, and exploring. Beaches are nice and all, but if I'm traveling somewhere, I want to experience the place beyond lying somewhere still for days on end. We ended up traveling from one end of Bermuda to the other while we there!

jc04100657 · December 2011

We knew we wanted to do nothing, but relax!! We wanted beach, alcohol and a nice room. We went to Sandals Resort in Jamaica and did just that

SuMmErKuTiE · December 2011

We knew we wanted to go somewhere neither of us had ever been, and some where that was secluded and romantic. We knew we didn't want to go to a big AI resort (don't get me wrong we love AI resorts), but for our HM we wanted something quieter and we wanted our own villa on the beach. We found everything we were looking for in Fiji. Our resort only accomodated up to 36 people at once, and everyone stayed in an oceanfront bure (villa). Gourmet meals and most activities were included, but alcohol was extra. It was paradise for us.

quiggels219 · December 2011

We knew we wanted a relaxing beach hm that also has opportunities for exploring and doing new things, meeting locals, and eating great lical food and trying different alcohols (whatever was a specalty of tht area), and had a great night life because we live to go out dribking and dancing. We didn't want an ai resort because we have done them and it just doesn't fit with either of our travel personalities. We also knew that we had to budget it some because we have lots of school loans and would like to buy a home soon. Fi mom offered us her timeshare on the beach in cancun and it was perfect because it's a beautiful hotel, with balconies and hot tubs in the rooms, she upgraded us to have a full kitchen. It's not all inclusive so we wont feel the pressure to stay and eat at the hotel an can also go explore the Myian ruins which I think sound so interesting and the week of accommodations is free! Also we can spend a few days lounging by the pool with cocktails which is one of my favorite activities.

carrieloomis · December 2011

We really wanted something that was stress free. I'm a planner and I know that if I had to worry about where to stay, what to eat, what to do etc. I would have driven myself crazy and it would have ruined the entire honeymoon. We decided that a cruise was the way to go! We did save money by getting a balcony deck room rather than the luxury suite which was fine by me

samrae12 · December 2011

I'm letting my fiance plan the honeymoon. I told him the only thing I HAD to have was a canopy bed.

KatePlusNate04 · December 2011

Because of my job (I work at a school) and getting married during the school year (Sept), compounded with a lack of funds, we did a mini-moon over a long weekend in Oct. about 3 weeks after our wedding. We went to Chicago. I grew up near there and had been a ton of times, but we both love the city and went there frequently when we dated, so it was kind of our "thing." Plus we stayed at a new hotel and tried out new restaurants, so it was still vacation-feeling to us.

It was nice to just relax and be pampered (we got a couples massage, a splurge we would never do at home). We had fun wandering around and even rented bikes at Navy Pier. We did some of the touristy things that we never did growing up near the city. So I guess your HM depends on a lot of things but you can make it what you want, even if you stay near home. For me, it's more about enjoying being together and enjoying each others' company.

girliegirlral · December 2011

Warm waters, amazing food, beautiful scenery - we ended up going to St. Barts and it was truly and experience of a lifetime. We got the French culture while being in the Caribbean!

ARJ6511 · December 2011

We knew we wanted to go on a beach HM and wanted it to be all-inclusive, preferably adults only. We also wanted to go somewhere that we have never been to so we decided on the Dominican Republic. We found Secrets Sanctuary Cap Cana and fell in love with how gorgeous the resort was and booked right away. We absolutely loved it!!

RyansBelovedBride · December 2011

A bed.

That's all.

(Other than that, I don't care, but I think Ryan does. I know he was talking about a local luxury hotel in India, or maybe the Himalayas, something like that. We'll see.)

GreenEire · December 2011

We wanted to relax and be in a a beautiful location. We couldn't afford Hawaii (our first choice), so we decided on a cruise through the Bahamas. It was relaxing, beautiful, and the cruise took us from place to place so we didn't have to deal with transportation ourselves. It was nice seeing new areas and having a private balcony off our room didn't hurt either.

krizzo17 · December 2011

I wanted somewhere with maid service every day, and I wanted to leave right after the wedding, not put it off.

Also, after we started planning, we realized we needed somewhere with lots of taxis/activities within walking distance, since we're too young to rent a car (we got a quote from an agency in hawaii - the "under 25" surcharge was TWICE the cost of the car rental itself!)

We're going to St Lucia for 2 weeks - the first at an all inclusive in the north, the second at a more secluded, treehouse type location in the south. So excited!

NLMeisch · December 2011

I'm getting married at the end of August as well, and my Fiancé and I had a hard time deciding where to go. We wanted some place warm, with more stuff to do then just sitting on the beach. We also had to consider that the end of August is peak hurricane season for the carribean. We decided on Australia, it's there winter, but as long as you stay north and along the east coast it will be in the 80s which is perfect to us. Honestly though, as long as we get to spend the time together we would be happy anywhere

celticmyss · December 2011

For us it was more about knowing what we didn't want.

A cruise has always seemed like a terrible way to travel for us. Lots of people around and a brief glimpse of the touristy parts of ports just aren't something we are interested in. Neither of us wanted to be stuck at a resort far removed from the reality of the country we were visiting. FI doesn't swim and would get bored quickly sitting around a pool.

We do want a lot of things to do, cycling is a requirement for FI, and we wanted to experience someplace new that we usually wouldn't be able to justify visiting cost wise.

Right now we're leaning towards Belgium and the Netherlands but Alaska is also a strong contender. A lot of it will depend on finances which are still TBD.

Giaspo · December 2011

We wanted a warm beach vacation in a place that is known for it's food. My husband is a foodie and we wanted to leave the property to eat at great restaurants. Our original plan was Anguilla, but we had to cancel twice because of hurricanes. We rerouted ourselves to Barbados and had a great time! If you leave right after your wedding and want to visit the Caribbean, make sure you are out of the hurricane belt... Aruba, Barbados, etc. are all good choices because they are south. You may want to consider using a travel agent, ours literally followed the hurricanes on our wedding day and called DH the next morning with options she had researched. I see you are in NJ... I can share her info if you'd like. Good luck planning! Oh and congrats on your dress! :-)

6billionsouls · December 2011

We love snowboarding! We are getting married in July 2012, but are planning a trip the French Alps to go snowboarding in January 2013. We don't have much planning done yet, but that is the goal.

LittleMissCutiePie · December 2011

First and foremost, we wanted to do something that wasn't really expensive. I'm not ashamed to admit my wedding's a bit of a PPD, so we need to be budget conscious on the HM. We want something fun, and we always talked about how sad FI was that he's never been to Disneyland. So, we decided on Disneyland. Lots of you US knotties might think this is a lame HM, but we're from Canada, so it's "exotic" enough, lol. We'll have private time if we want, and we're going to rent a car and go to Venice Beach for some "beachy" time. I'm really excited.

scrpio421 · December 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_important-hm?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:31197cf2-8417-4ef7-a4d2-76d006ef3e01Post:9a8d6155-8147-4e1c-a1ff-ade3f9bded50">Re: What is important to you on your HM?</a>:
[QUOTE]We knew we wanted to do nothing, but relax!! We wanted beach, alcohol and a nice room. We went to Sandals Resort in Jamaica and did just that :)
Posted by jc04100657[/QUOTE]

That's what we are doing too! Which resort? We are going with Royal Caribbean at Montegro Bay. We got a crazy deal plus a sweet room upgrade for booking on Cyber Monday.
Our must have was an AI in the Caribbean and a couples only resort with lots of things/activities to do.

goodine11 · December 2011

I don't know where our honeymoon would have been if we weren't having a destination wedding. We got in engaged in April and by the end of May we had decided to do go away to get married so , we never had a chance to talk about were we would have gone.

Our HM is away from our guest. So we can do somethings alone, but still hang out with our guest if we want.

We actually told our guest to look for our wedding as a vaction b/c after the wedding we are not doing any hosting.

Amanda1443994 · December 2011

We knew we wanted a relaxing vacation where we could just hang out on the beach or in a private pool. It was a must to have our own private villa with private pool and we wanted to go somewhere we've never been. The only place that we really found and loved that I haven't been was St. Lucia. So we decided to go their for 8 days and I cannot wait (:

What is important to you on your HM?

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