How about Norway? It won't be that hot. Although it will be winter in Australia, many parts are still quite warm. And it will surely be a very long flight from Chicago.

A place I absolutely love is the Canadian Rockies and August would be a good time to visit. Spectacular scenery, tons of options for activities, great hotels and restaurants.

Or maybe Argentina? One of the most romantic hotels I have ever been to was in Bariloche, Argentina. In August it will be cool.

What's your budget and how many days to you plan to stay? What are your favorite activities?

Best wishes on your wedding.

I wouldn't rule out the entire Caribbean. Look at the ABC islands, St. Lucia and Barbados.

August is a great time for Alaska.

Seychelles, Tahiti, Fiji, Bali.

thanks for all the replies. Not too interested in Norway but Canadian Rockies sound intriguing. We like to bicycle through cities, history/culture, mellow outdoorsy stuff for me (I don't really rough it very well), i love to dive, fish, and snorkel although i'm prepared to forego a beach vacation this time around. I really liked Buenos Aires and never made it out of the city -- might look into Argentina.

I loved Alaska last July but he doesn't fish and I'd die if I went to Alaska without going fishing. We just got back from Bonaire and Curacao which was wonderful (biking, beaches, some history, snorkeling, good food) but the guest house owner in Bonaire said that even she leaves in August as it's too hot and humid for her.

He has a million Hilton points and we have a few hundred thousand miles on AA (oneworld) and UA (star alliance) and my aspiration is to try to get to Bora Bora or Fiji by getting either a heavily discounted room or air awards but I think we'd have to plan a year out to take advantage of these opportunities.

Our budget is around 3-4k for around 10 days? If we went to Austraila or another high airfare destination, we'd def try to use miles to cover those costs. Since we are planning this last minute, there aren't great deals or availability and I'm almost considering pushing off the trip until next year. (although we'll have a new baby by then which I imagine turns traveling into a very different affair...)

Hawaii has the best hiltons I have ever been to. The Grand Wailea on Maui is now owned by Hilton. It uses lots of points, but is a very beautiful hotel.

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and also the Waikoloa hilton. Both were large beautiful properties.