Hello fellow Knots! I'm hoping I can get some ideas that I haven't come up with, which is going to be a difficult task as I've got some extreme parameters =/
My husband-to-be and I are getting married July 2014. We've come up with and have shot down every idea we and our family/friends have come up with.
Here's the thing: Just like most young people, we're pretty broke. We're looking at a total budget of $2,500 for our honeymoon. That includes travel and lodging expenses, dining and activities, and any souvenirs we plan to get. Doesn't leave a lot of options, especially since we want to take a trip lasting at least 7 days.
Other factors: We live in Florida, and want to avoid at all possible costs anything that involves the beach, the ocean, or the hot sun. We also do not and will not have passports by the time we are married, so we HAVE to stay in the USA and a cruise is out of the running.
Originally we had wanted to stay in a lodge in WA, until I realized that in was in a pine forest (I am severely allergic to pine trees- any type, so any place involving those is out). After that we had considered staying in a B&B in the New England area and visiting the surrounding areas, but in all reality we know we'll never get up before 9am, and that's when B&Bs stop serving breakfast (usually) so what's the point in spending $100/night+ if you don't get to enjoy all the amenities?
Neither one of us drink alcohol, so it doesn't make sense to go to somewhere like Napa Valley or Martha's Vineyard where the main attraction is the wineries.
We want to avoid children at all costs on our honeymoon. I understand that unless you can shell out $450/night for an adult-only resort it's virtually impossible to avoid children as they live everywhere... But one can hope, eh?
We don't eat seafood, so why go somewhere that's essentially a fishing town? We also already live in a hustle-bustle area and are not interested in places like DC or NYC or LA or Las Vegas.
I'm originally from a small southern town and have less than no interest in going somewhere like Charleston. We've been to the midwest and have no interest in going back.
Additionally, we do not want to stay in a hotel/motel. We like the idea of a B&B but unfortunately we are not morning people and don't want to have to wake up early on our honeymoon just to get the breakfast that is included in our nightly rate. We'd like to find a romantic and out-of-the-way secluded lodge/resort that we could actually afford.
I know, we have unrealistic expectations and too many parameters. You've got to give a little to get a little. Blah blah blah. I'm not looking for someone to judge us on our expectations or be negative Nellies, so please be nice. We're willing to be flexible if we fall in love with an idea that meets 99% of our wants (but please, no kids and no beaches... We just can't stand either of them, and we want to actually enjoy our honeymoon).
We're willing to drive 1,500 miles one way for our trip, after that we'll have to fly and that can get costly (not to mention you always run the risk of losing your luggage or having your mementos break... and children).
Me, I want to be as far away from everything as possible. I want to be waited on, I want to relax, I want to see beautiful things all around me. The man, he'll go for just about anything. He'll want to be able to try new things (activities, not food- he is not the most adventurous when it comes to food).
So... Help?