billgatesceo

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

billgatesceo

Just to add a few things. Places we have looked at is:

Bali, Africa (too expensive to do right), Tahiti, Bora Bora (too expensive), St Lucia, and Maldives.

Hanuman

Well Mr. Bill Gates point 1 and 2 seems to contradict each other. Having the A/C on and leaving the door open is not ideal IMO.

Point 7 you want all inclusive then point 8 you rather not.

Be aware that 100+ Texan heat is different from 100+ high humidity Asian heat.

Other will give you recommendations.

Kathie

Bali is certianly a good option. Many people divide their time in Bali between a beach location and an inland location.

The Maldives will have the beach, etc, but not the culture. You will also not have other dining options in the Maldives.

rachelnyc04

Since you posted this in the Asia forum, are you leaning towards Asia for some reason?

My suggestion given most of your requirements (except for the "rainforest" part) would have been the Greek islands. My husband and I spent our 1st anniversary on Santorini and it offered all of the above - was completely luxurious, visually stunning, delicious food, lots to explore including wineries, hikes up the caldera, red rock beaches, etc. However, you would have to decide if you could deal with the uncertainty of the political climate there at the moment as they have had recent strikes. It really is amazing - we stayed at the Dreams Luxury Suites (all have private pools/jacuzzis on large terraces, has been the cover of numerous magazines) and also the Above Blue Suites which is the same ownership but almost brand new when we went. Neither are in the main tourist town of Oia but you can easily rent a car or 4-wheeler for your trip (which I highly recommend anyway) and get there and back, and from Imerovigli you view the whole caldera and have more privacy in my opinion. I would not, however, spend 9-10 days there so either plan on hopping to some other islands or even combining it with a few days on the mainland in another country.

If you want something more tropical, we have booked a holiday to the Maldives via Dubai in the fall that I have done extensive research on and also got recommendations from frequent visitors. Sounds amazing, although wouldn't have much of your culture aspect. (Also I am an American living in London so flights are much cheaper from here, than I imagine they would be for you) We are booked to stay at the W Retreat (looks very stylish, all rooms have private plunge pools, and it caters to adults but still offers a variety of activities) however I have been told that the Four Seasons, Banyan Tree, Soneva resorts, and Reethi Rah are all also very nice.

How much do you want to deal with an unfamiliar language/culture?

Lastly, I know this is a far trip, but I married an Aussie and am lucky enough to have been there a few times, and it is my favorite place on earth if you are up for the flight. From Texas it will only be 2 flights I'd imagine, and you could combine all of your requirements by visiting even two different areas. Check out the islands and areas of the Great Barrier Reef like the Whitsunday Islands. The photos are stunning and it is their dry season, so you'd have tropical days but less chance of rain. You could also spend a few days on the way there or out in Sydney or Melbourne (both, however would be quite cool) to soak in the sights and culture. Very friendly nation (in my experience) with fantastic food and lots to do.

Happy planning!

rhkkmk

the thing that bothers me in your requirements are two: the length of your stay suggests a place not too far and lying in bed and seeing ocean...

for asia you are talking about at least 2 days to get there and one day home....

greek islands might be an alternative....canary islands...any med island, like sardinia, corsica or marjorica...

brazil or argentina might work...

but for asia i would look at: langkawi in malaysia (datai, 4 seasons, bon ton, sheraton); amari vogue or ritz at krabi in thailand or hyatt or sheraton at hua hin or meridien or jw marriott at phuket or jw marriott or meridien at khoa lak;
bali (high season there)--alam shanti (no ocean) at ubud, bali hyatt in sanur, sayan or legian at seminyak...

cabo in mexico..

nantucket in MA--- white elephant or waiwinett (perfect choice really)

rachelnyc04

Sorry I have one other suggestion - if you really do like hot weather in July. How about Anguilla? Beautiful carribbean island (my friend's honeymoon destination as well) and believe they have a new Viceroy hotel on it. I stayed at the Viceroy in LA and loved it, modern, clean, but still lush.

billgatesceo

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I think that in order to do an Asia/Bali trip right, that I need to do a 2 week at least trip. I guess we will save that for the next trip.

You guys are awesome!!!

crosscheck

Cook Islands - much closer than Bali or anywhere else in Asia, cheaper than Tahiti, incredibly unspoiled and exotic, but not edgy. Otherwise Fiji, but the Cooks are more off the beaten path. Check out Aitutaki...If you like it, I'm happy to answer more questions.