I know, I know--it's all been posted before, but please help us with our honeymoon.......PLEASE
 

We will be honeymooning in Europe from May 21-June 7---we've been through the "too many cities in too few days" routine before. Our problem is that we've been to Paris, Venice, Florence, Sienna, Rome, Athens, Santorini, & Crete....we want to try some new places.... on her lists of "wants" are Spain, France (not Paris), Italy (Amalfi, and Southern Italy), and Switzerland. We like sights, museums, night-life, and great food. How would you plan a smattering of some of these areas, without over-doing it.....a tall order, we know----too tall for us to know how to do it, so we plead for advice..... c'mon, I know it's old news to you seasoned travelers, but make it our wedding present. <BR>thanks

How about the Algarve coast? Spain and Portugal are beautiful.

BJ, <BR>We will be honeymooning from Jul. 2 to <BR>Jul. 18. Do you have any suggestions <BR>about the possible hotel choices on Algrave Coast? Also, what is the closest city that we can fly into and how can we get to the coast once we get to that city? <BR> <BR>Thanks a lot, <BR>Igor.

I would not try to do too many places; my own preference is too concentrate on one country or geographical region, rather than flying from one country to another. There's enough to cover in any region to take up the entire trip. <BR>On my own list of trips (the one AFTER the next trip) is southwest France and northern Spain; perhaps that would be a possiblility for you and your fiancee. <BR> <BR>My general plan for this trip is the Dordogne; Carcassonne; the Basque region (France: Pau and to the western coast around Biarritz and Bayonne); over to Spain, by San Sebastian and Bilbao (for the Guggenheim), drive east through the Pyrennees to Barcelona, perhaps driving along the eastern coast (Coullioure, France to Cadaques, Spain gets great reviews). <BR> <BR>And, if you decide to go through any of those areas, let me know, since that trip isn't planned till 2002!

Suggestion: <BR>Barcelona for 5 days, 2-3 days in Monaco for some blacktie casino, <BR>and the remainder at a hotel on the Amalfi Coast...to travel at leisure. A combination of vibrant city culture, romantic elegance, and relaxation.

mark, <BR>could you suggest some hotels in Barcelona for our honeymoon. Also, <BR>would you fly to Monaco from Barcelona? <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>igor.

Hotel Regencia Colón (ask for 6th floor room with terrace), Hotel Colón (smaller cousin), or Le Meridien Barcelona. All in the old town, near the Cathedral. <BR> <BR>I prefer trains, and you can get an overnight train from Barcelona to Monaco (leave around 7:30 pm, one switch around 10pm, arrival around 9 am)....but unless you want to experience a night train in a 1st class cabin, something which could be either a romantic adventure or a very tedious nuissance, and since you will see nothing along the way, a flight may be preferable. <BR> <BR>Normally, it pays to do the active, big city activities at the start of the trip and end with a more leisurely lay-about. <BR> <BR>Bon voyage y chance!

You might also want to consider the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. It is not in the cente of town, so you willneed to take a short taxi ride to the Ramblas etc. It is, however, an excellent Ritz Calton. It will allow for more 'down time' than most other hotels in the city, with a wonderful pool area by the water.

Try Provence and Burgundy. Check these web sites for two great places: http://www.demessey.com/en/default.htm <BR>http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/c.../gb/index.html <BR>

How about a combination of Southern Italy and Sicily. You could limit yourself to two bases: 1) Amalfi coast or Sorrento - If you plan on doing more than a couple of day trips and will not have a car - I would say Sorrento, if you have a car, I would say Amalfi coast. You could easily do day trips to any of the following: Capri, Herculaneum, Naples, Paestum, Pompeii. None of this would have to be decided before the trip, so you could jsut take it easy if you wanted. <BR> <BR>2) Somewhere in Sicily - perhaps Taormina or Syracuse. Again, there would be daytrips available for sightseeing, if you were so inclined.

Thank you, Mark. Hotel Colon looks great to us. We will try to reserve a room there. We wanted to spend the rest of our honeymoon on Mallorca. Does <BR>anyone know any good hotels there? <BR>We want something small and upscale. <BR> <BR>Again, thank you all. <BR>Igor.

If you do go to Sicily during this time period, I'd recommend getting your hotel rooms book FAST. I'm going mid May and having a bit of trouble. Also, recommend looking at Karen Brown guides (sorry Fodor)

thank you all, especially Howard---we're working on it fast and furious.