Kotka

Hello,
My fiance and I would like to go on an All-Inclusive Honeymoon. We would be leaving May 30 or 31.

First off we are going to Poland for around 3-5 days to visit family and then we were thinking of Italy or Greece for our honeymoon.

Really any country in Europe near Poland (spain, france..) We would like to stay in a Romantic 4+ star hotel on the beach somewhere.

Any suggestions, recommendations and/or websites?

Thank You for your input.

nytraveler

How long are you planning on staying? And does the $3000 include airfare?

rex

This is a very tall order. Does the $3000 need to include trans-atlantic air travel for two? from where? in 2004? to where in Poland?

I don't think that an "all-inclusve package" is going to exist anywhere, unless you mean 5 days RT from Warsaw to a "package resort".

You should be aware that the weather will just barely be warm enough for swimming or other water sports in late May on the Mediterranean (but maybe you are used to the English Channel, the North Sea or the Baltic?)

Putting it together yourself, you might have your best luck with Croatia - - though I have never been to the Croatian (Adriatic) coast. You can connect on www.skyeurope.com from Split or Dubrovnik to Bratislava (or Budapest), and then onward to Warsaw (by air )or Krakow (by train).

Best wishes,

Rex

Kotka

We are leaving from New York to Poland where we will stay with family.

The All-Inclusive honeymoon we would like to be on the resort.

Yes, we would hope to have the airfair included in the 3,000 budget.

rex

The airfare from Poland to the resort? or BOTH of the airfares - - from New Yoek to Poland, and then ALSO the airfare from Poland to the resort? Have you priced the New York-Poland airfare yet?

I think you still MIGHT be able to afford to fit in three days in Croatia, MAYBE...

But you are probably going to have to put it together yourself. Where in Poland? Will the family members come pick you up at the airport and take you back to the airport for the "resort trip"?

You might want to contact www.affordablepoland.com in addition to the flights I mentioned on SkyEurope.

I hope that it works out for you...

Either way, I forgot to say... congratulations on your new life in marriage.

HowardR

It'll be difficult to pull it off in any European country for $3,000 including airfare and a stay in a 4+ star resort hotel.

Patrick

I agree -- very difficult especially on those dates.

By the way -- "any country in Europe near Poland (spain,france). . ." Have you looked at a map of Europe?

nytraveler

If the $3000 has to include transatlantic airfare as well as airfare from Poland to the beach resort I think you're going to have to shop very carefully - probably in a remote spot in eastern europe to find an inclusive reosrt within your budget. I wouldn't assume you can get a 4* or anything particularly romantic for that.

Probably the least expensive beach resorts in western europe would be in spain - but the package tours there tend to be mass group efforts that are very basic and not romantic. One of the better resorts on Costa del Sol will be at least $300 per night for the room alone, with meals, car rental, entertainment/activities etc all additional. Perhaps you could find some sort of studio apartment in a time share that would fit your budget. Doing a lot of your own cooking could help cut costs.

Also, I suggest you do a mini budget for the trip before you do any more resarch:

2 transatlantic airfare: $1,000
2 airfare Poland to ? $500

Left for 7 days: $1500 or about $200 per day - definitely not enough to cover even the room at a 4* beach resort.

Kotka

Yes I have seen a map of Europe.

Ok forgot Poland in this trip.
Please tell me a Romantic country with an All-Inclusive Resort.
Thank You.

SiobhanP

Most countries will have something of an all inclusive resort except for maybe some of the Eastern European ones. Try Club med as they have locations in many countries.

Greece can be a cheap option as well as Spain and Portugal. Look up all inclusive resorts on the web. I don't €3000 will do it for airfare as well. Also its a bit late to be booking so try contacting some places on-line asap.

ira

Hi Kotka,

How many days do you want to stay at a resort?

rex

I am suggesting this in the kindest way I know how. You should really be cinsidering the Bahamas. You can have a nice four night all-inclusive honeymoon for $1400 to 220 (does NOT include airfare) - - see http://honeymoontravel.com/rates_sup...s_bahamas.html just as one example - - and maybe pt some money in the bank towards your trip to Europe in 2005 or beyond.

Anything else is going to be so bare bones that it really will not compare.

I cannot recommend starting your marriage out, over-spending to put together this trip to Europe. Go next March, when you can spend $1000 less than it will cost you this year, putting it together under these rushed and stressed conditions for this May.

Patrick

"Go next March, when you can spend $1000 less than it will cost you this year"

Gee, Rex, what kind of insider information do you have? You know a lot of people were saying the same thing when the euro and the dollar had reached an equal value in 2002 -- "outrageous" many people said, the euro's costing 10% more than it did in 2001. I'll wait until 2004 when it comes back down."

ira

Hey Patrick,

I think Rex was referring to reduced seasonal rates.

HowardR

Even dropping the Poland part of your trip, you're still going to have a tough time finding something that'll be what you want at the $3,000 price.
Note the following:
*$3,000 converts to only approximately 2,500 euro.
*4-star resorts are not cheap anywhere!
*You'll have other expenses besides the airfare the the resort--transportation to/from the airport to the resort, for one.
*Knowing all of the above, is it really worth flying that far to Europe just for a few days, honeymoon or no honeymoon?

rex

Yes, I was not making any suggestion about currency exchange at all. I was referring to the normal "cheaper in March than in May" - - but more importantly, the savings possible by planning ahead AND being flexible on the dates. As it is, tying themselves to the wedding date means inherently fewer choices in bargain hunting.

wills

Hi, Felicitations on your marriage! I do not think that Club Med is perceived as four star but I think it may be your best bet. Their packages often include airfare and the resorts in Europe are all inclusive meaning all sports etc and wine and beer with dinner. I think if you focus on the adults only resorts you would be happy with them. There are two in Morocco, one of which is all adult, the one in Athens opens up in the beginning of April so May might not be too expensive. Try Club Med.com and plug in your preferences and you'll be surprised at what comes up. I think the Moroccan one looks intriguing. Best Wishes.

Cicerone

1. I suggest you look into a cruise of the Mediterranean. This would be all-inclusive in terms of all meals and drinks (usually including wine and spirits) and would give you a taste of a few ports. You should be able to find something within your budget, assuming you can get a good deal on airfare on your own or as part of a cruise package. You should post a question on the cruise board, as there are many experts on Med cruises there. You could depart from several ports on the Med, like Barcelona, Istanbul or Citavecchia (Rome), which you could fly to from Poland. It might be cheaper to do a round-trip fare to your cruise departure point (say Rome) and then buy an inter-European flight to go first to Poland from there and then back to depart for the cruise.

2. From a search of the web, I can see that there are many Club Med is Europe, esp in coastal areas of Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain. There is one in Croatia as well. Take a look at Clubmed.com. They would probably be within your budget, not sure if they qualify as 4 star hotels, as the star rating system is pretty strict in Europe. (There are very few hotels which qualify as 5 star hotels and therefore 4 star hotels tend to be excellent and luxurious.)

3. I live in Europe and would disagree with some of the above posters that you will find a lot of all inclusive hotels, in the sense that all meals and drinks are included. You will often find breakfast included, and some hotels will offer a half-board which includes dinner. Some hotels will include all meals, but in my experience these are in ski resort areas and small towns where dining options are limited. In my experience, none of these meal plans includes beverages, esp wine or spirits. In Europe, one of the pleasures is going out for meals as there are so many restaurants in all price ranges. The all-inclusives work well in the Caribbean where there may not be anything else on the island, or people may prefer to stay in the resort for due to safety concerns. This is not the case in Europe. Therefore, other than the Club Meds, I don't think you will find a lot of all-inclusive resorts in Europe.

MFNYC

I can't help with a resort, but I don't believe you've mentioned how long you you plan on staying at the resort. Naturally the price will depend on the number of days.

bardo

I suggest you do one of two things:

1) Leave Poland (and the rest of Europe) out of your honeymoon and simply go to the carribean for less than a week.

or

2) Just go to Poland and then see some other area of Eastern Europe - at a 2 star hotel.