craigorymaas

Hi all

I'm brand new to this site but I stumbled across while searching for a honeymoon destination for my fiance and I. We had originally planned on going to Belize, but apparently the weather is no good there in August/September so we are trying to pick a new place.

We want an adventurous honeymoon..We were excited about repelling, cave floating, and potentially white water rafting (although I don't think that's much of an option in Belize). But we would also like some romance. We are definitely outdoors people but a few days in a big city would be great as well. We'd also prefer mostly english speaking and maybe beaches?

The new places we're thinking about are New Zealand, Greece, Switzerland.
Our budget is approximately $5-$7 thousand US for the whole trip and we'll be leaving out of either California or New York...we haven't decided yet. We'll probably be spending somewhere between 7-10 nights depending on the amount of vacation days we can get.

Do you guys have any suggestions? Suggestions of other places I haven't thought of are great as well, I'm not much of a travel person...yet! I plan on posting our itenary here as well as soon as we decide on a place.

Thanks so much for your responses!

Jean

Wrong time of year for New Zealand IMO, unless you don't mind cold temps. I also think, considering the long flight to NZ even from California, you'd want to spend more time there than just 6-9 days. Greece could be very hot, so Switzerland would be the Goldilocks destination weatherwise.

Switzerland is generally more expensive, though, so whether or not you could stay within your budget would depend on the air fare, how many days you end up with, and the hotels you choose. I think you'd find all the outdoor adventure activities you want in the Berner Oberland area which is easily combined with a city stop either before or after.

Jean

Would you consider something closer to the U.S., like the Canadian Rockies?

http://www.banfflakelouise.com/thing...mer-adventures

travelerjan

Greece in August is NOT what you want ... can get terribly hot and what seems like ALL the population of Northern Europe gets in Jumbo jets and lands on Greece. crowds crowds crowds. Greece in May-June is divine, and after about the 5th of September, fine.

What does August/September really mean?

craigorymaas

We are getting married August 14. Our original plan was to go late September because we were going to go to a concert in New York on the 23rd of September. However, we nixed that plan because we wanted to spend more time at our destination. So really, we could go whenever...anytime after August 14. If it means a much better experience we are fine waiting a month or two.

craigorymaas

Jean - We would consider something closer to the US, but most likely we want to get a little "out of our comfort zone" I guess you could say.

Jean

What does that mean exactly?

craigorymaas

out of our comfort zone...a different culture. For example the places I listed or Thailand or Peru.. There are so many options, we are having a very hard time narrowing it down!

brotherleelove2004

September is a great time for the Greek islands. The water is nice and warm but the hot summer has passed. Many visitors will have gone home due to the school year having begun. Prices will have dropped for many of the hotels from high down to middle or low season.

cheryllj

Go to New Zealand in August if you want to go skiing on the south island. Otherwise, it's too cold for what you want.

And I hope you've looked at a map and realize that Switzerland is not about beaches. So that leaves Greece. Go in September to avoid the August crowds.

Although really, if you are looking for rapelling and white water rafting along with beaches, I would say to go back to the drawing board and look for a new destination. Is there white water rafting in Greece? I didn't see any, but I wasn't looking for that, I was looking to relax, and it's ideal for that.

What about Costa Rica? I've never been but everybody who has seems to love that place. Beaches, plus adventure activities.

www.adventurecostarica.com

swandav2000

Hi craigorymaas,

The problem with Switzerland in August/September is that it is wall-to-wall tourists and tour busses at that time.

If that's not a concern for you, here are two sites to get you started on your research.

Interlaken adventure sports pages:

http://www.interlaken.ch/erlebnisse/...sport.html?L=3

And from the central Switzerland tourist site, their pages on adventure sports throughout the country:

http://www.myswitzerland.com/en.cfm/...ns-214965.html

Have fun with your research!

s

cheryllj

Let me back up and take back what I said. I didn't do adventure stuff in Greece, but I know it's there.

I remember wanting to go to Crete for hiking and outdoor stuff, but we ended up opting not to go there because we didn't have enough time. Maybe someone can chime in with what other outdoor activities are in Crete, but there is a lot to see and do there. Athens and Crete would be a good mix of city and outdoor adventures, and maybe you could add in a couple of nights in Santorini for more traditional honeymoon relaxation and fabulous romantic views.

Greece is so gorgeous, but then again, so is Switzerland. If I had to rank the most gorgeous places I've ever been, they would both be high on the list. They're just very different. Greece is definitely cheaper though.

But I would still consider Costa Rica, although if you excluded Belize because of weather that might apply to Costa Rica too, I don't know.

craigorymaas

Thank you so much all for you replies so far! Greece sounds great...Peru has been added in to the mix, and now my cousin has offered us to stay in his cottage in Maui. This would be the cheapest option easily, but we went to Maui last year, so we'll see. I will keep you updated on our plans. But again, thank you so much! Greece is sounding pretty good.