Honeymoon?

kristan1022 · March 2012

So even though I really really REALLY wanted to go back to Europe for our honeymoon (FI has never been) we've decided against it because 1) 7 days really isn't enough time to see everything we want to (and as of right now we can't guarantee we'll be able to get away longer than that) and 2) We can spend half of that and go on either a cruise or to an all-inclusive resort.

For the OMH's, where did you go for your honeymoon? If you aren't married yet, where are you going, or where do you want to go? What's your honeymoon budget?

professorscience · March 2012

We had the same thought as you -- we really want to go to Europe, but for our honeymoon, we wanted somewhere where we wouldn't feel the need to get out and do something every day!

So, we went on a mini-moon to Fredericksburg. Wonderful cabin, awesome wineries, and great food. When we take our f'realz honeymoon, we're hoping to go somewhere like Tahiti or Bora Bora. Give me an overwater bungalow and leave me the eff alone, plz.

fallbride1109 · March 2012

We went to Maui. It was heaven. We hope to go back for our 5-year anniversary.

ktwed1 · March 2012

We will probably go to an all inclusive resort. We both love the beach so it will probably be either Jamaica, Virgin Islands, or if I have my way it will be Bora Bora. We both like the fact that the beach allows us to be lazy.

bobbileighb · March 2012

We went to an adults only all inclusive in cancun for 7 days and it was wonderful.

kristan1022 · March 2012

Bobbileigh- we are looking at AIs in Cancun/Riviera Maya. Which one did you go to? Stephie that sounds amazing but FI hates long plane rides (another strike against Europe)

MBS0310 · March 2012

We're going on a princess cruise to bahamas, grand turks, st thomas and st marten and then staying in orlando for 6 days as part of a timeshare. I've been saving up all my PTO since I started my job 9 months ago and I am SO ready for this HM!

ktwed1 · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-8?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:0dccc667-7dc1-4d89-bbf8-1596062560abPost:6f2f5f19-39f5-46b1-8a0f-77f710109be4">Re: Honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]We went to an adults only all inclusive in cancun for 7 days and it was wonderful.
Posted by bobbileighb[/QUOTE]
Love Cancun, went there a couple years ago. Cabo is pretty nice too.

MarieSD · March 2012

We went to Europe, but stuck to just two cities -- Rome and Venice, Italy -- for our 7 days. We didn't put any pressure on ourselves to see everything and didn't take a single guided tour. We literally just walked around both cities, ate great food, and had fun. We spent about $4500 on the airfare and hotels, but I didn't track our expenses beyond that.

My two cents: It really didn't matter where we were, in the end. The best thing about being on our honeymoon was being on the newlywed high. Go somewhere fun, but don't break the bank for it. You don't need much to have a great time on a HM

Our less-expensive alternatives that we considered were taking a cruise out of Galveston and going to San Antonio. We are probably going to SA for our first anniversary, and I'm excited about it!

fallbride1109 · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-8?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:0dccc667-7dc1-4d89-bbf8-1596062560abPost:3241a438-5539-44a1-9707-449a1d8788f5">Re: Honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]Stephie that sounds amazing but FI hates long plane rides (another strike against Europe)
Posted by kristan1022[/QUOTE]
Aww, man, that is too bad. It was about 8 hours nonstop but it went by fast. We are so lucky to live here--most of the people we met were unable to fly direct and it sounded awful!

If I was going to do Mexico (which we never will because Ben refuses to go there), I think I would do Secrets Maroma Beach--it looks fantastic!

fallbride1109 · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-8?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:0dccc667-7dc1-4d89-bbf8-1596062560abPost:23aaa2a2-6314-466b-a72b-e3fcb93a85fa">Re: Honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]We're going on a princess cruise to bahamas, grand turks, st thomas and st marten and then staying in orlando for 6 days as part of a timeshare. I've been saving up all my PTO since I started my job 9 months ago and I am SO ready for this HM!
Posted by MBS0310[/QUOTE]
A former Knottie whose blog I follow did a similar one and it also looked fabulous--they actually had a DW at Disney and then took their real HM later and did the island hopping cruise. Here is her blog if you want to see--it's not the same islands but you might be able to get some ideas:

<a rel="nofollow" href="http://bellebride116.blogspot.com/2010/06/honeymoon-trip-report-directory.html">http://bellebride116.blogspot.com/2010/06/honeymoon-trip-report-directory.html</a>

She also went to Cancun and stayed at <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cunmx-casamagna-marriott-cancun-resort/" rel="nofollow"><font color="#000000">CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort</font></a> (she didn't do AI but they have them there).
<a href="http://bellebride116.blogspot.com/2010/08/umm-hi.html" rel="nofollow">http://bellebride116.blogspot.com/2010/08/umm-hi.html</a>

This woman is my wedding and vacation hero.

aeliza06 · March 2012

We wanted to go to Europe or Thailand too so that we could take advantage of the time off, but decided against it. Whenever we travel in Europe, we go see and photograph everything we can, so we decided on Riviera Maya so that we can just RELAX.

We are going to the all-inclusive adults-only at the El Dorado Royale Casitas. I am freaking stoked. Our flights together cost less than 800$. I will do absolutely nothing all week long. And my work blackberry will stay here in Dallas. Score.

winechic25 · March 2012

We went to Eurpose for 15 days. We went to England and Scotland, and like a few PP, just hung out in pubs, relaxes, drove around and enjoyed hanging out. We spent roughly $5,000, but we were able to fly for free, and paid for at least half our hotels with points and stayed in local, unique b&b's for the rest of the time. That said, I really wanted to go to Bora Bora, but at the time couldn't convince Matt. I finally have, so that's our vacation he promised me once I hit my weight loss goal. Bring it!!

professorscience · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-8?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:0dccc667-7dc1-4d89-bbf8-1596062560abPost:c3a3a8b3-8287-45b6-b334-b9b10abdea85">Re: Honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]We went to Europe, but stuck to just two cities -- Rome and Venice, Italy -- for our 7 days. We didn't put any pressure on ourselves to see everything and didn't take a single guided tour. We literally just walked around both cities, ate great food, and had fun. We spent about $4500 on the airfare and hotels, but I didn't track our expenses beyond that. <strong>My two cents: It really didn't matter where we were, in the end. The best thing about being on our honeymoon was being on the newlywed high. Go somewhere fun, but don't break the bank for it. You don't need much to have a great time on a HM :)</strong> Our less-expensive alternatives that we considered were taking a cruise out of Galveston and going to San Antonio. We are probably going to SA for our first anniversary, and I'm excited about it!
Posted by MarieSD[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>This is so true!

</div>

winechic25 · March 2012

I have heard great things about Belize as well, but you have to stay in the right area, as parts of the island are extremely unsafe. One of my favorite vacations of all time is when we went sailing through the BVIs. I loved it so much I took my mom and grandmother back for a vacation to the island of Jost Van Dyke. You can't go wrong anywhere down in that area, but not sure all in you could stay under three given the price of airfare today.

sparklingdiamond · March 2012

We went to an adults-only resort in St Lucia. It was amazing! St Lucia was so beautiful!

kristan1022 · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-8?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:0dccc667-7dc1-4d89-bbf8-1596062560abPost:2f915525-c1ed-4926-adc2-0658e8d8674d">Re: Honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]We wanted to go to Europe or Thailand too so that we could take advantage of the time off, but decided against it. Whenever we travel in Europe, we go see and photograph everything we can, so we decided on Riviera Maya so that we can just RELAX. We are going to the all-inclusive adults-only at the <strong>El Dorado Royale Casitas</strong>. I am freaking stoked. Our flights together cost less than 800$. I will do absolutely nothing all week long. And my work blackberry will stay here in Dallas. Score.
Posted by aeliza06[/QUOTE]

<div>This is the EXACT resort we are looking at! What made you pick that one over some of the other Riviera Maya AIs?</div>

aeliza06 · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-8?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:0dccc667-7dc1-4d89-bbf8-1596062560abPost:acc7e29f-a58e-4c91-8653-d25ca808fad6">Re: Honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon? : This is the EXACT resort we are looking at!<strong> What made you pick that one over some of the other Riviera Maya AIs?</strong>
Posted by kristan1022[/QUOTE]
FI is really self conscious about his body. I know he will feel more comfortable if something is more secluded and this place seem to fit the bill. We are hoping they will upgrade us to one of the ones with a private infinity pool (that way FI won't feel self-conscious if we go swimming) but if not, I love the idea of having our own little hut without sharing a wall with someone. I loved the private butler, the food selections, the private beds on the beach, and the fact that it is adults only. We wanted a boutique type resort without that big name feel. All the reviews on Trip Advisor were great. Plus, my boss (who is actually paying for this as her gift to us) went here and said it is the most romantic place she had ever been on Earth (and she has been everywhere). This place doesn't have a nightclub, doesn't force you to take a million excursions, and doesn't have "planned activities" for the day- all of which we wanted. <div>
</div><div>Background story- we didn't just settle on this because my boss is paying. She offered to pay for us to stay anywhere in the world. After the cost analysis of going to Mexico (probably last on our list of honeymoon locations) we decided it would be best because it would be just relaxing. After she told me about her personal experience here, I was sold. As much as FI and I wanted to take advantage of the travel opportunity, I personally think that we will be much happier that we are putting the emphasis on us and our marriage rather than the place we are visiting. </div><div>
</div><div>Sorry so long. You should be able to tell right now that I have issues keeping it short and sweet <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /></div>

kristan1022 · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-8?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:0dccc667-7dc1-4d89-bbf8-1596062560abPost:f6901eee-9ed4-4c8d-866b-f10fb4021e59">Re: Honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon? : FI is really self conscious about his body. I know he will feel more comfortable if something is more secluded and this place seem to fit the bill. We are hoping they will upgrade us to one of the ones with a private infinity pool (that way FI won't feel self-conscious if we go swimming) but if not, I love the idea of having our own little hut without sharing a wall with someone. I loved the private butler, the food selections, the private beds on the beach, and the fact that it is adults only. We wanted a boutique type resort without that big name feel. All the reviews on Trip Advisor were great. Plus, my boss (who is actually paying for this as her gift to us) went here and said it is the most romantic place she had ever been on Earth (and she has been everywhere). This place doesn't have a nightclub, doesn't force you to take a million excursions, and doesn't have "planned activities" for the day- all of which we wanted. Background story- we didn't just settle on this because my boss is paying. She offered to pay for us to stay anywhere in the world. After the cost analysis of going to Mexico (probably last on our list of honeymoon locations) we decided it would be best because it would be just relaxing. After she told me about her personal experience here, I was sold. As much as FI and I wanted to take advantage of the travel opportunity, I personally think that we will be much happier that we are putting the emphasis on us and our marriage rather than the place we are visiting. Sorry so long. You should be able to tell right now that <strong>I have issues keeping it short and sweet </strong>
Posted by aeliza06[/QUOTE]

<div>No I'm so glad you went into all that detail! Those are pretty much all the same reasons why we are considering it. A coworker of my dad's went there on his honeymoon and he raved and raved about it. When my dad was pushing us to have a DW he wanted us to have it there, lol.</div><div>
</div><div>I'm excited to talk these over with FI this weekend- hopefully we can make a decision soon before gas gets more expensive! But I'm secretly hoping FI's uncle will give us some frequent flyer miles as our wedding gift :)</div>

winechic25 · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_honeymoon-8?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:0dccc667-7dc1-4d89-bbf8-1596062560abPost:f6901eee-9ed4-4c8d-866b-f10fb4021e59">Re: Honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymoon? : FI and I wanted to take advantage of the travel opportunity,<strong> I personally think that we will be much happier that we are putting the emphasis on us and our marriage rather than the place we are visiting.</strong> Sorry so long. You should be able to tell right now that I have issues keeping it short and sweet
Posted by aeliza06[/QUOTE]

This!! Europe was fun, but personally wouldn't ever suggest it to someone for a honeymoon. You're totally going to want to unwind and relax after the wedding, and constant go-go-go wasn't the right answer for us. We felt like we needed a vacation from the vacation when we got back!

bobbileighb · March 2012

Kristan, we went to Sun Palace and it was really nice. I loved the room and it was so relaxing and nice to have such a short flight. The only thing that I wasnt beyond pleased with was the food, it was good but not great.

The resort aeliza described sounds awesome. Our ideal vacation is somewhere with a gorgeous beach and sun to just read and relax, so we will likely go back to Mexico for our next major vacation.

aeliza06 · March 2012

I will be able to give a personal review once I come back in July. It is a very popular resort on the DW board though and brides have said great things about it

ejheart · March 2012

Sparking, which resort in St. Lucia did you stay at? We are looking at going there and I would love a recommendation!

Jen6862 · March 2012

I think we've finally narrowed it down!

Each is just hitting the $2,000 mark for hotel and air.

St. Maarten at Princess Heights boutique hotel
Turks & Caicos at the Royal West Indies resort

Honeymoon?

Re: Honeymoon?

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