akusyk

My Fiance and I will be getting married in early September 2016, however we likely won't be going on our honey moon until October or November of 2016 (we still have some flexibility to work with).
Our honeymoon will likely be 2 weeks long (but could potentially be a full month) - I'm hoping to go to either SE Asia (Thailand/Cambodia/Bali) or the South Pacific (Bora Bora/Moorea)
We likely would only want 1 week somewhere more relaxing/romantic before moving to somewhere with more activity and action.

I'm not sure if it'll be feasible to do both sets of locales if we get to use a full month to go - however I would love it if we could. If we had to pick between the two - I'm sure we would go with SE Asia, but then I would want to find something as similar to the over water bungalows that Bora Bora has to offer.

We will likely be flying out of London, and are still working to finalize a budget but that is also going to be a bit flexible due to the amount of traveling we do for work/saved up airline miles/etc.

Any and all advice would be appreciated!

Kathie

I've spent time in the South Pacific (Bora Bora, Moorea, Tahiti) and SE Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Bali - also Burma, Laos, Malaysia, other parts of Indonesia). While the South Pacific is lovely and very romantic, it is very expensive. You get a LOT more for your money in SE Asia. Also, SE Asia has more cultural/historic things to see than the South Pacific does.

Start with some good guidebooks and read about these places and see what attracts you. You might find our photos helpful www.marlandc.com which has many SE Asia trips (but not my South Pacific trips). You could easily spend a month in SE Asia but not, IMO, in the South Pacific. I would not try to combine the two locations.

PhiMeow

I agree with Kathie on more value for money in SE Asia but for a honeymoon (which is a once in a lifetime special experience), you can't beat the Pacific - Tahiti/Bora Bora is to die for and if you have not considered the Maldives then you should look at that (very expensive) option too! The clear blue water, tropical fish variety, tropical breeze and sunset in the islands blows SE Asia beach/island destinations away in my opinion.

It all comes down to $$$$$.

rhkkmk

thailand and bali would make for a great time.. if you have a month and go to bali, i love alam shanti for a hotel.. take your beach time on lombok at qunci villas.

akusyk

Thanks for the input so far everyone!
I think because of the amount of time we have available - and to avoid splitting time between the two - it may make the most sense to do SE Asia for the Honeymoon and save Bora Bora/Maldives/Tahiti for another anniversary!

As far as SE Asia is concerned - where would you consider the most romantic spots? I would love to spend some of the time on a beach - not sure if Thailand or Bali would be a better option. But I also understand there can be romance away from sandy beaches

Kathie

If you want a beach, Thailand has truly gorgeous beaches, the most famous on the Andaman Sea side of the country. If you opt for Thailand, add some time in Bangkok - an amazing city with fabulous food, amazing temples, and great shopping. You might want to consider a side-trip to the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. Take a look at Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples to see if you are interested.

Another option would be to choose Indonesia - a beach location on Bali or Lombok, an inland location on Bali near Ubud (Bob has given you excellent advice) and perhaps some days in central Java to see Borobudur.

Do some research and come back with the ideas that appeal to you most and we can be of more assistance.

akusyk

I guess my main question now that I've settled on Southeast Asia is - if I do end up having the full 4 weeks to work with - how many of these countries do you think could feasibly fit in this time?
I would like to dedicate a week to romance - whether that's on a beach or not we can determine later and then 3 weeks or so to exploring.

Unboundly

You could probably fit Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia in one month, it all comes down to how much you want to see of each.

Try figuring out at least some bullet point attractions/destinations that you wouldn't want to miss, then work around that.

PhiMeow

Its quite easy to travel the SE Asian countries (Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Singapore and Laos) as these countries are connected together by land so you have land and air transport options. I'd leave out Indonesia as it will require a longer flight.

The 1 week of romance....look at southern Thai beaches and islands. Krabi is very pretty, as is Samui.

akusyk

Thanks for the input everyone!
I'm fairly set on trying to include Bali - I found the Ubud Hanging Gardens and now can't stop looking at pictures of that hotel So maybe we'll just have to slim down some of our time in the other places.

jmehler

I'm planning my honeymoon for next November to Bali and Thailand as well and am planning on being there a little over 3 weeks. I am planning one week in Bali, then flying to Cambodia for 2-3 days to visit Angkor, 4 days in Bangkok, 4 days in Chaing Mai, and then spending one last week at a beach in Southern Thailand. I haven't decided which beach would be best, but I was thinking of either Krabi and Koh Samui. The nice part about the itinerary is that you get one week relaxing at a beach/resort in Bali, then a week of intense traveling and site seeing, and the last week relaxing on the beach.