Tammy

Hello to all of you wonderful travelers. We really need your in put on which place is most romantic and best to visit for our honeymoon. We are at the very beginning of the planning stage. We were going to go to Greece but with current events we don't want to go that far away. We live on the West Coast and don't mind going to the Caribean but really that's as far as we want to go. We did visit Ocho Rios in Jamaica a few years past and that was our first real time out of our country. We would like to see some place new so we were thinking of the Virgin Islands, Nevis etc. Fiji also looks beautiful and so does Kaui. Each of these sound beautiful so we are relying on your experience and feedback. To get to know us a little better we like romance, discovering each other, visiting the locals, and enjoy off property excursions. We would love to go horse back riding on a beautiful beach, rafting on some mild to moderate river for example. I just celebrated 10 yrs. clean and sober so we don't drink and bar hop. We do enjoy some night life though like good night time live shows and moonlit strolls on the beach. We also don't have a lot of money to spend for example the Ritz in V.I. is out of our budget. Thank you so much for all of your help. We look forward to hearing from you.

Louis

I looked at your posting with some interest. Most certainly, first Fiji and then Kaui, offer the most garden of eden type of beauty. The Virgin Islands are in a different catagory and the closest destination for you is Kaui. You can get to Fiji or the Virgin islands in about the same length of time and perhaps at a similar cost. This is perhaps twice the cost of going to Kaui by air. From here it is difficult to comment. I am not familiar with the cost of the Ritz in the V.I. as this is not our type of destination. The total cost depends on length of time, air fare, accomodations, meals and drinks, and extra activities. With a total budget in this regard, it easy to suggest what is possible. You have indicated a desire for a lot for a modest price and I know that you will accept less. Finding an island where you can gallop down a beautiful beach freely without guides is not easy. I perhaps know on one but it would not meet other criteria. Finding a small island with rafting to meet your criteria is not easy either. Viti Levu does in Fiji have a rafting trip I think but you have to be prepared to carry the raft over the rocks. Tonight I dicovered that I had no idea what is meant when sombody says that they like romance. I looked up the definition and really could not find anything that really would apply to an island. At best I could say it would be a place where people react well to each other. This must be something between you both and may have nothing to do with where you are. If you need a lot of external help perhaps you both need a new partner. Forgetting that I would suggest that you spend as little as you can in a nice place. The most important thing is discovering each other under a new relationship. This is true even it you have already been living together. This is best done by dealing with things together both good and bad.

Diane

Has to be Fiji. Tammy, I have been to Hawaii,and the Caribbean many times and Fiji twice. Fiji is far and above the best destination. It is very romantic, a fantastic cultural experience, but quiet and relaxed. The people of Fiji are beautiful, friendly people. If you go you must attend a meke or a church service. Singing is a big part of their lives, and they have the voices of angels. It is unspoiled and natural. This would give you a taste of something that is not "Americanized"....not a criticism, especially at this terrible time in our history, but just a suggestion to try something different than we are all used to. It is also very reasonably priced once you get there. I come back from Fiji feeling like I know what is important in life. <BR>Diane

Tammy

Hi everyone. Thank you Diane for your straigt forward reply. We really do like the idea of going to Fiji and it has been 2nd to Greece for a long time. I just would like to know if it's safe for Americans. I know the Fijian's are friendly I have also heard their is a large population of Muslim and Indian. Fine by me I just don't want our safety threatened any more than it has to be. I have some clients of the Muslim faith and they are wonderful. I just want us to be safe. Any suggestions on places to stay, sounds like you have good experiences. Thank you. The Honeymooners

sunny

hi <BR>i would like to endorse kauai - you mentioned horseback riding and rafting and there are many well-organized outfitters in the area- besides, they are really hurting from sept 11 and could use the tourism business. <BR>we had our honeymoon in the caribbean. it was nice, but a little dull and certainly very expensive. it was also very structured, we felt penned in to our deluxe resort. hawaii is a very "on your own" type of place with some amazing 5 star hotels- i'd recommend princeville or the hyatt. <BR>i have not yet been to fiji and i hope to rave about it when i return in january, but for now i wanted to give you at least a little info on the other destinations you mentioned. good luck!

Diane

Tammy, <BR>I was going to say that I could promise you that you would feel no fear whatsoever, and I'm 99.9999% sure that I can but..When I was there one year ago, it was six months after the coup and you would never know that there was any kind of tension. I don't know about the muslim population in Fiji. The indiginous (spelling?) Fijians I believe are mostly Christians, and church plays a large part in the lives of these wonderful people. There is also a large Indo-Fijian population, now whether they are sihk, hindu, or muslim, my guess would be not many muslims. My boss is a Muslim, and I love him to bits. He is appalled at what happened on September 11th, as are most Muslim people. All this being said you will find the Fijian people the most beautiful, warm, kind, generous, friendly people you will ever meet. Not a day goes by that I don't think of my time spent there and how amazing it was, mostly because of the people. Take a look at Rob Kay's Fiji Guide website and join in on the bulletin board. You will see what I mean. Meet ya there!;-D <BR>Diane

karyn

Tammy, <BR> <BR>We are going to Kauai on Friday and if you're concerned about cost, do what we're doing. We rented a condo with an ocean view for the week right next door to the Hyatt. It's your honeymoon, so you may want to splurge, but if you can't, condos are a good alternative. <BR> <BR>Also, you mentioned Fiji but not Tahiti. We spent our honeymoon in Tahiti (Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora). I think Fiji and Tahiti each have their pros and cons, but we like about Tahiti was (1) 7.5 hour direct flight from LA, (2) different culture/language (French food and language) and (3) how much it was like "Gilligan's Island"! I'm sure that Fiji is similar in that respect. <BR> <BR>If you have a chance to go somewhere exotic like Fiji/Tahiti, I would take it. You can always to to Hawaii.

Louis

Tammy: I have not read every word of this thread but it you really want to be safe today, FIJI is the CHOICE. In spite of the somewhat recent problems there is more love there then the rest of the world today. Also, I was not aware of a Muslim population. Almost half of the population is Hindu and the rest are Christian and stuff that goes way back in time. There is absolutely no disagreements with people from the US. Isn't that amazing for once. We are not even the source of their major tourism.

Tammy

Hi Everyone. A big thank you to all of you. We have happily decided on Fiji. Hawaii is beautiful but very close to us. We feel we can do it almost any time and want something romantic. Since we've been to Jamaica going the other direction is really appealing. Yes, Louis, the idea of the Fijian friendliness and the fact that Americans are not their primary living is very refreshing. We wanted to espcape to an exotic paradise, and with everyone's help we have found it. Thank you very much. May all of you have peace and lots of fun going on your travels. The Honeymooners B & T

Serena

I think Fiji is a great choice for a honeymoon. When are you going? we spent 10 days there for our honeymoon four years ago. We went to Vatulale, a private resort on a small island. It was expensive but a once in a lifetime exper and we have been so hapy we did that, it was memorable and that's how we wanted to remember our honeymoon. I have found that Fiji does accomodations very cheaply (stay in the village with a hammock) or very expensive ($500-1000 a day on up) and anything in the middle is like a Holiday Inn, not great for a honeymoon. Next time we go, we'd like to stay at Turtle Island for a week and then take a cruise for 5 days and see some of the small islands and beaches you can't get to otherwise. We spent 5 weeks in the Greek islands and while it was fun to see their architecture, I found the Greek people to be very difficult to like, very reserved, rude,and gruff. Not a honeymoon place for me. I will never take a taxi in Athens again! Italy would be romantic, Venice....it's the fun loving happy energy of the people there. I live on Kauai and think it has awesome natural beauty (the North shore and best in the summer when the waves are calm and it rains less)...it would be less exotic but in some ways easier. Best Wishes..

LizF

You have been saved by recent events if it has stopped you from going to Greece. <BR>Athens is a dirty cesspot of a place with rude people and no transport system at all.<BR>The islands are ho hum for architecture and history ( many better places in the world) and they lack any beauty as does the sea around them. Sit on the beach at sunset and watch the rubbish wash onto the pebbles for something to do. Fiji would be lovely but make sure you find a place on an outer island and not near any city. It will be romantic and beautiful.<BR>Good luck