Please help me find the BEST place for honeymoon
May 17th, 2010, 04:44 PM
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Please help me find the BEST place for honeymoon
Hi guys...first time poster. I am tasking yall with helping me find the BEST place to go on my honeymoon. This task has been assigned to me by the most amazing woman on this planet and she deserves to have the BEST. With that being said, let me give you our requirements....
1) Beach. The room/villa/suite must be on the beach. We need to be able to walk out from our room and get to the beach. There cannot be a road or long path to cross or go down to get there. We would like to be able to lay in bed with the doors open and peer out at the ocean.
2) Room must have A/C. Non-negotiable.
3) Room must be nice. doesn't have to be too big, but we would like a bedroom and some small sitting area. A plunge pool would be nice or a jacuzzi, but that is not a hard and fast requirement.
4) Culture to experience.
5) HOT!!!!! We are from South Central Texas. We like it hot!!!! We love the water and the lake and we love nothing more than 100+ degree days baking in the sun. While I understand that I'm not gonna find many places that hot, the requirement is mid 80's minimum!
6) Extra-curricular activities. We're interested in rain forest type places with places to go hiking, or biking. Horseback riding. Maybe a drive through some trails in a jeep. We love to scuba and snorkel, but will not make it a deciding factor. We figure we will scuba at least 1 day, maybe 2.
7) Budget: Wedding is July 17th. So probably would leave the 18th and come back around the 27th. So we are looking to do a 9-10 day trip (including air travel). We'd like to spend no more than $7K, $9k for all inclusive. We might could make it a little shorter to get within budget.
8) Food: We love great food. We like different places, holes in the wall, we like to venture out and find different places, so all inclusive is what we'd rather NOT do.
I think that is about it. Just to give yall a little background on us...I am 30, and my beautiful bride to be is in her younger 20's. We've been to the Keys, Bermuda, St. Croix, The Caymans, Vegas, Europe, Hawaii, Cozumel, Mexico, and of course all over the big state of Texas.
We'd like to go somewhere other than where we have gone before.
So, your task, should you choose to accept it, is to help be find the BEST place for our honeymoon.
Thank you all so much for your time. I eagerly look forward to you guys suggestions.
Cheers!!!
Brandon
1) Beach. The room/villa/suite must be on the beach. We need to be able to walk out from our room and get to the beach. There cannot be a road or long path to cross or go down to get there. We would like to be able to lay in bed with the doors open and peer out at the ocean.
2) Room must have A/C. Non-negotiable.
3) Room must be nice. doesn't have to be too big, but we would like a bedroom and some small sitting area. A plunge pool would be nice or a jacuzzi, but that is not a hard and fast requirement.
4) Culture to experience.
5) HOT!!!!! We are from South Central Texas. We like it hot!!!! We love the water and the lake and we love nothing more than 100+ degree days baking in the sun. While I understand that I'm not gonna find many places that hot, the requirement is mid 80's minimum!
6) Extra-curricular activities. We're interested in rain forest type places with places to go hiking, or biking. Horseback riding. Maybe a drive through some trails in a jeep. We love to scuba and snorkel, but will not make it a deciding factor. We figure we will scuba at least 1 day, maybe 2.
7) Budget: Wedding is July 17th. So probably would leave the 18th and come back around the 27th. So we are looking to do a 9-10 day trip (including air travel). We'd like to spend no more than $7K, $9k for all inclusive. We might could make it a little shorter to get within budget.
8) Food: We love great food. We like different places, holes in the wall, we like to venture out and find different places, so all inclusive is what we'd rather NOT do.
I think that is about it. Just to give yall a little background on us...I am 30, and my beautiful bride to be is in her younger 20's. We've been to the Keys, Bermuda, St. Croix, The Caymans, Vegas, Europe, Hawaii, Cozumel, Mexico, and of course all over the big state of Texas.
We'd like to go somewhere other than where we have gone before.
So, your task, should you choose to accept it, is to help be find the BEST place for our honeymoon.
Thank you all so much for your time. I eagerly look forward to you guys suggestions.
Cheers!!!
Brandon
May 18th, 2010, 11:39 AM
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Costa Rica might fit what you want. Australia is fantastic but not hot in July. Brazil or Venezuela? Morrocco, Spain and Greece would be hot'ish in July and have beaches, culture and extra curriculars. The Phillipines or southeast Asia? Basically open up a map of the world, look near the equator and a bit north and you're going to get hot. You listed a few places you've already looked at... do those not work for some reason or did they just not really make you excited? You don't have a lot of vacation time so Asia might be a bit far and use up a lot of your time simply in getting there.
Basically any country with a beach is likely to have a nice hotel/resort with beach access so you need to narrow it down a bit more. Some people would be more comfortable with Europe than with Asia, you need to give more information for what you're interested in. You've got two months before you want to leave. That's not a lot of time, but it's not exactly last minute.
There's often not a lot of traffic on this board, so you might have better luck if you repost to the individual boards that interest you the most. Read some trip reports for those areas and see if it might be a good fit for you.
When looking for beach access, air conditioning and the room itself remember that those details are just dependent on the hotel you choose. Figure out a country or at least a region, then worry about details like the exact hotel room.
Basically any country with a beach is likely to have a nice hotel/resort with beach access so you need to narrow it down a bit more. Some people would be more comfortable with Europe than with Asia, you need to give more information for what you're interested in. You've got two months before you want to leave. That's not a lot of time, but it's not exactly last minute.
There's often not a lot of traffic on this board, so you might have better luck if you repost to the individual boards that interest you the most. Read some trip reports for those areas and see if it might be a good fit for you.
When looking for beach access, air conditioning and the room itself remember that those details are just dependent on the hotel you choose. Figure out a country or at least a region, then worry about details like the exact hotel room.
May 31st, 2010, 03:24 AM
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I would not go all the way from Texas to Bali. Just not worth it, IMO. Maybe if you wanted to stay up in Ubud, it might be worth it, but Ubud is up in the hills, not beachside. The beaches, IMO, aren't that nice.
Unfortunately, most of SE Asia will be underwater in July. Some places claim that they aren't, but look at the numbers and you'll see what I mean. Also, in Thailand, all beaches are public, so most of the big resorts do not have the kind of walk out to the beach from your patio deal you are looking for. If I had to suggest something, I would note that Koh Samui is less wet than most, and has some very nice hotels - we loved the Sala, which had a (very) private pool, but no direct ocean access for any rooms. Still, SE Asia is a long way, and not worth it to me.
European beaches will be absurdly expensive for what you want. We went to Crete last year and a non-beachside room in our hotel was going for close to $800/night (we used points). Don't get me wrong, the Greek Islands are great, but the kind of luxury and location I gather you want (and it is your honeymoon, so I don't blame you) is way overpriced in Greece and in Europe broadly.
The Caribbean can be a great deal in July, IF you are willing to take a chance on the hurricanes. You already mentioned St Lucia, which is a good choice. You might also check out some of the resorts in the BVIs. Most aren't flashy, but there are some top-notch places. We've stayed at Little Dix Bay and it would suit your needs (assuming you don't need TV). In the USVI, we also stayed at Caneel Bay (you can book a combo package with Little Dix), and it would also suit your needs. Neither have much in the way of local culture, but that is a trade-off for private, quiet beachside bliss and understated luxury.
Out of the hurricane belt would be Aruba. No rainforest, but fantastic beaches and good diving. There are some hiking and biking opportunities, but it is an arid scenery. Avoid the big resorts here, as they are high-rises and do not offer great beach access. We stayed at the Bucuti Beach Resort and it would work well - no kids, great beach with plenty of room, and nice rooms if you get one of the cottages or one of the Tara Suites. Perhaps not luxury service, but friendly service.
Unfortunately, most of SE Asia will be underwater in July. Some places claim that they aren't, but look at the numbers and you'll see what I mean. Also, in Thailand, all beaches are public, so most of the big resorts do not have the kind of walk out to the beach from your patio deal you are looking for. If I had to suggest something, I would note that Koh Samui is less wet than most, and has some very nice hotels - we loved the Sala, which had a (very) private pool, but no direct ocean access for any rooms. Still, SE Asia is a long way, and not worth it to me.
European beaches will be absurdly expensive for what you want. We went to Crete last year and a non-beachside room in our hotel was going for close to $800/night (we used points). Don't get me wrong, the Greek Islands are great, but the kind of luxury and location I gather you want (and it is your honeymoon, so I don't blame you) is way overpriced in Greece and in Europe broadly.
The Caribbean can be a great deal in July, IF you are willing to take a chance on the hurricanes. You already mentioned St Lucia, which is a good choice. You might also check out some of the resorts in the BVIs. Most aren't flashy, but there are some top-notch places. We've stayed at Little Dix Bay and it would suit your needs (assuming you don't need TV). In the USVI, we also stayed at Caneel Bay (you can book a combo package with Little Dix), and it would also suit your needs. Neither have much in the way of local culture, but that is a trade-off for private, quiet beachside bliss and understated luxury.
Out of the hurricane belt would be Aruba. No rainforest, but fantastic beaches and good diving. There are some hiking and biking opportunities, but it is an arid scenery. Avoid the big resorts here, as they are high-rises and do not offer great beach access. We stayed at the Bucuti Beach Resort and it would work well - no kids, great beach with plenty of room, and nice rooms if you get one of the cottages or one of the Tara Suites. Perhaps not luxury service, but friendly service.
