declownman

My fiancee and I are looking to have a romantic and secluded honeymoon near the ocean. We are from the Midwest, USA, and have not been travelers but are very excited about getting married and taking this special trip. We can only afford about $3000 for the week. My question is what you think is the most private setup we can get and where?

Ideals:

- We are looking to rent a villa/home rather than stay at a resort/condo - we'd like the option to see no one else unless we choose to do so (and are happy to get some groceries, cook a little together and maybe grill out on our patio)

- We'd like some once-in-a-lifetime luxuries such as our own private pool (and hopefully a jacuzzi, outdoor/garden shower, hammock, etc)

- We'd love fantastic beach/ocean views, but are quite willing to settle for merely beach accessibility in order to get completely private grounds for the vacation home.

- We'd like to mix in trips to secluded beaches, probably snorkel a little, and try out some local restaurants for breakfast or dinner. We want some place warm near the 80s in June, so more like Florida than California.

- We do not want mosquitoes/bugs to ruin our trip (I've read that open-air homes have ruined many a stay, so alas we may have to go with a resort/hotel instead of a villa/home perhaps) and so we'd need a clean, air conditioned home that we can comfortably retreat into (a home that locks, and even gated entry to the grounds, would help our peace of mind as well)

- We will mostly be out at the pool, hot tub, or beach, but we'd love to come inside to comfort for watching a movie, or playing some games... and just basically enjoying our time together away for a week (nightlife and crowds are completely undesired)

So far the best I can find turns up Saint George Island and Jupiter Island near Florida.

Any general recommendations on destinations or specific suggestions on homes would be much help and greatly appreciated. Thanks!

cmcfong

Check vrbo for listings on Jeckyll and St Simon's islands in GA. Do a day trip to Cumberland Island or go to Bermuda and rent through bermudarentals.com
Best wishes on your wedding!

cd

St George Island is nice but close it it (around 30miles) is a place we go, Cape San Blas. Beautiful beaches and no high-rises. There are some homes that have pools but the one we rent only has a hot tub so I can't recommend a particular one. You could check VRBO.com or a realty company for one with a pool. You can kayak in the bay (but get an oceanfront rental)and you can horseback ride on the beach. You can ride to the end of the peninsula into the State Park and the beach will be all yours. I can recommend restaurants if you're interested but mostly you would want to cook because it is slightly isolated.

suewoo

I have 2 questions: When do you plan to travel, and does that budget include transportation?

If you travel to the South in the summer, there are bugs. But we live with them, so I can't imagine they'd ruin anything. It's just

Beaches in summer are full of people. If you want a secluded beach, come in winter, or up your budget.

starrs

I'm a big fan of Cape San Blas and/or Indian Pass - like cd. You can find a wonderful secluded private rental that is beachfront and within your budget. I looked at some yesterday on vrbo.com. I think your problem will be the private pool in that area. You can get the private pool on St George Island - but lose the seclusion, quietness of IP/CSB. Browse vrbo or take a look at the cottage at Turtle Beach Inn. That area of Florida would be perfect - it's called the Forgotten Coast of Florida - but it's hard to get it all at the same time.

AAFrequentFlyer

Look at

www.turtlebeachresort.com on Siesta Key/Sarasota

Very small resort on the inland water side but just a across the street from the Gulf beach. Each unit has a private deck with hot tub.

They also have a pool. They provide kayaks, and other non-mechanical water toys, free of charge.

The beach is beautiful, the resort is nice and quiet, the villas are nicely decorated. It can be as private as you want but it can also provide some interaction with other guests. The nice restaurant next door will have a waiter deliver and serve dinner on your private deck or inside the unit.

The resort is placed at the southern tip of the key so it's very quiet, yet within a short drive to either the south bridge commercial area(about 5 minute drive) or Siesta village (about 10 minute drive), both providing more dining choices, nightclubs, shopping.

Gretchen

What month.
Litchfield by the Sea has some homes with pools. Their condo unit buildings have pools. I would imagine Wild Dunes near Charleston would also with the added attraction of going into Charleston for a fabulous meal.
I think for the amount of money you mention, it isn't going to be a house, unless it is VRBO. And if it's in summer, it's going to be hard to meet that budget.
I think the resort mentioned above could be really nice.
Maybe Edisto? Sue?

LSky

Come to San Diego. There are lots of places to get a nice view of the bay/beach/water.

You might consider an off location here, like Carlsbad. It's close to the beach, it's a nice little village as well.

I did a search for Carlsbad Vacation rental and this came up:

http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacat...promoType=deal

I am in NO WAY affiliated with this property or know anything about the rental company but just using this as an example.

Carlsbad is off the toursit trek in SD it's over 30 miles to downtown or the zoo etc. You'll need a car but you need one in San Diego anyway.

globalgirl6324

Based on what your ideals are, would you be interested in renting a vacation home? I know many people who do this since so many properties on the beach in Florida are vacation homes and are rented out when the owners aren't in town. You may be able to get a great deal......http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/florida

If you're looking specifically for seclusion, maybe Cedar Key in Florida would work for you. http://www.cedarkey.org/

Captiva Island is also fairly quiet with beautiful beaches. Sanibel is beautiful as well.

I hope you have wonderful wedding and honeymoon!

cpilgrim

I wanted to second St. George Island. I have been twice and enjoyed it very much. No high rises or condos, just beach homes. For the best experience, try to get a home on the Plantation, which is a gated community. The whole eastern side of the island is a really nice state park. I felt it was very private, although it is very family oriented so you will probably see kids on the beach. I am not sure if 3000 will get you a pool, as the homes are quite nice and usually set up for large families so the ones with pools, especially in the summer, usually have room for 12 people or so and are expensive. There are only a handful of restaurants on the island so you'll have to go to nearby appalachicola for nicer places and to buy groceries, but it is a really cute town so you will probably want to go. The beaches are nice and the water is very shallow and mild so good for swimming. You can spot a lot of porpoises from your porch and somtimes in the water near you. As far as snorkeling goes, the water quality is touch and go. One year it was crystal clear, the bluest and clearest water I had ever seen on the gulf. The next year it was much murkier due to storms. But there are some freshwater springs nearby that you could easily drive to if you wanted that experience. I have never been to Dauphin Island AL but have heard good things about it.

declownman

Thanks so much for your responses!

Tomsd

I would second coming to SD - and also love Carlsbad - very cute - but there are also other choices here. I like Florida - but in the summer you get bugs and humidity in South Florida - but not here in the best mainland weather in the US.

If you need to more info on SD - please feel free to email me at: [email protected]

Tomsd

And yes, you can get "June Gloom" in San Diego (Marine layer - aka fog) - but it usually burns off and you can have some good beach days. If it's hanging around longer than usual - than visit the Safari Park (previously called - The Wild Animal Park) - and/or the SD Zoo, the many great Museums in Balboa Park, http://www.balboapark.org/in-the-park/museums, drive over the beautiful Coronado bridge to the Hotel Del (where they filmed the movie - Some like it hot - ) - or get up to our "mountains" - and have some great Apple Pie in Julian - an old mining town. http://www.julianca.com/

Tomsd

Another fun thing to do is visit Old Town - and have some good Mexican food - and we love watching through the front window of the Old Town Mexican Cafe - where the women are making the tortillas. http://oldtownmexcafe.com/

And one of the first Missions founded in San Diego is also just above Old Town - the Father Junipero Serra Mission - and you can also get out to Pt. Loma to see the museum/overlook there - where the first Spainish sailor (really a Portguese guy sailing for Spain - Juan Cabrillo) discovered the entrance to SD Harbor and what was to become California.

http://gocalifornia.about.com/gi/o.h...ra_museum.html

http://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm

Tomsd

Oops - forgot to post the Some Like It Hot page - a 60's comedy with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Cute film and it really shows off the Hotel Del.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/

lantana

It might be too expensive but I can highly recommend Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, SC. Check it out! It's not on the beach, it's on the marsh/river - but it's close to Hilton Head Island, is secluded and very high-end and romantic ♥
http://www.palmettobluffresort.com/index.aspx