Honeymoon Advice
 

Hi all!

So I'm trying to plan our honeymoon and of course am overwhelmed by all of the options. My fiancee and I are in NJ so we would be traveling from either Philadelphia (closer to us) or Newark. I would rather not navigate one of the NYC airports like JFK. So direct flights from PHI or EWR are ideal. I think Id rather a layover from EWR or PHI rather than go to JFK for a direct.

We settled on the Caribbean because we'd like to keep our flight around the 4 hour time.

Our wedding is 8/6/16, but can travel any days between 8/13-8/27, so days are flexible. Somewhere around 7-10 nights.

More than anything, we are looking to enjoy each others company and take things slow. We do like to "party" occasionally but from what I hear about resorts such as Sandals, that's all it is. So I would rather a place with good restaurants where we can sit at the bar for the night, rather than go dancing at a club. We love food and drink. And honestly, while we both enjoy being around the beach and definitely looking at it (a view is desirable), he hates sand and my sensitive skin is irritated in the ocean (at least at the Jersey shore! ;-) ), so we don't necessarily need to be able to walk onto the ocean from our room, as long as we can see it and make our way there when we have the urge.

As far as activities, we don't need much. We aren't necessarily "extreme" people, but would enjoy a hike or jet skis. We just don't want to be tied or pressured into anything. I like to know what's available and do it if we feel like it.

As far as budget goes, I don't really have a good idea of what is reasonable, so hopefully you guys can help! Off the top of my head, I'd like to stay around 5k if we can. But if that just won't happen, we'll just have to do some more saving!

I don't have a clear picture for what AI's are good for. I'm just not married to either needing one or not.

I've fallen in love with Ladera in St. Lucia. But it could totally be way out of budget.

He hasn't been anywhere in the Caribbean. I was at Grand Cayman once as a kid so I don't remember it much, and of course couldnt enjoy all of the things that we could now that we're older. I was also in Anguilla 2 years ago and stayed at Viceroy (I was working for a rich family. I could never afford that myself lol), and while the food at the hotel was great and the island and resort were unbelievable, I ventured out of the resort just once and didn't see much else going on. Just more resorts. Perhaps I didn't go to the right places, so correct me if I'm wrong. I keep reading that Anguilla is supposed to be known for it's food, but I didn't actually see much local cuisine going on. If there is more to it than I experienced, I would surely go again. My sister went to St. John for her honeymoon and they loved it.

Any thoughts and ideas are appreciated. And I'm happy to give more info if you need it!

Based on your description I would suggest you look into Secrets Maroma. The resort caters to couples and is situated on a beautiful beach about an hour from Cancun (its closer to Playa del Carmen). The service at the hotel was top notch. The flight is direct from Newark. And I think it would fit your budget easily. There are plenty of free activities to join if interested. We did a tour to see the mayan ruins of Tulum which we enjoyed. Nice spa and the restaurants are great for an all inclusive. I would check out reviews on trip advisor to see if the resort would suit your needs.

7-10 nights is a long time in the Caribbean for people who aren't big on the beach, especially in the summer! However, Puerto Rico is a large enough island that you can fill your time with plenty of non beach activity and then spend a few days at the beach as well. I would suggest you look into flying into San Juan and spend a few nights in that area. You can either stay in Old San Juan or stay in Condado or Isla Verde where you can have some beach/pool time, easily get to OSJ in 15-30 minutes, where you can walk the cobblestone streets of the beautiful old center of San Juan and visit the forts. There are some great local restaurants in OSJ, Condado and Isla Verde. If you rent a car you can also visit El Yunque rain forest, Luquillo and Guavate for a Sunday pork roast and salsa party. Then you could drive to another part of the island (e.g. Rincon) or take a ferry to Vieques for a few nights. I am not sure about the budget because there are a wide range of hotels and restaurants in all price ranges, so you would have to do some research.

Does your budget include airfare?
Have you considered a cruise?

I think your budget is quite doable for a week at Ladera since August is the off-season (assuming you are willing to take one of the cheaper suites ... though all are pretty fabulous). My only concern is that Ladera has no a/c, and the rooms are open-air. The resort does offer packages so you can spend part of your time at Ladera and part at a beach resort, so you might want to consider that if you have a full week. Ladera is fairly isolated, so you'll likely eat most meals there, but the restaurant is good. And while Ladera is high on a hillside, there are beach resorts fairly closeby, and the resort offers a free beach shuttle.