sorry to say that i have been away from this awesome forum for a few weeks. but other duties called. i am here to seek advice (of course). but this one is important and travel related so where else would i turn to.

i need to find a location that is favorable for winter travel...last two weeks (maybe 8-10 days) of december . this is for honeymoon plans. so i would hope that it would be a place amenable to a bit of outdoor activities and enjoyment...maybe greece or southern italy...i even thought egypt would be really cool (maybe too strenuous). paris is too cold otherwise it would fit the bill perfectly (obviously). but i am open to suggestions. thanks all.

How warm are you after? Greece and Italy tend to be chilly the last two weeks of December, although you can definitely participate in outdoor activities.
Rome at Christmas time is truly amazing, and can be very very romantic. Maybe for your trip you can spend a little time in Rome and then go to Sicily, which is as warm as you get in late December in Italy. Now that I write that, I'm thinking maybe that's what we should do for Christmas this year!!!

I haven't been there, but also give some thought to Spain or Portugal.

warm enough to enjoy eating dinner outdoors if we wanted. that would be ideal. this will be her first trip to europe...so i guess i am putting on the pressure for perfection.

hmm, spain could be good. i was thinking that we could have a delayed honeymoon and wait for the weather to get better, but i hope that i can come up with something great in that time frame.

It sounds like you are expecting Europe to be more tropical than it is. Maybe you can check a map as to where these countries are in relationship to the US--that is winter. Even in Seville, the temps get down in the 40s at night in winter.

Why don't you go someplace around the equator where it is always warm (Central America or Caribbean) or go to South America below the equator where the seasons are reversed. That's what I'd do -- go to Buenos Aires, it is summer there in December with avg. high around 83 and evening low at 60.

What about the Canary Islands? Here's the historical weather records page from the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...ml?tt=TT004740

I would not consider Egypt a very good honeymoon place, and Argentina is going through major financial difficulties, so I would avoid Buenos Aires.

You might also think about Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Thailand.

i guess i may be misrepresenting my expectations. i don't really need tropical weather. we really don't want to do a beach/resort type thing. that's why i thought europe...southern europe. we would like to see some sites and enjoy our time. and if we like the place a lot then we'll come back for a toursity vacation another time.

Hi UC,

Congratulations.

>..warm enough to enjoy eating dinner outdoors...last two weeks (maybe 8-10 days) of december ...<

This does not compute, even for places that have radiant heaters.

May I suggest that you take your bride to Paris, or Venice and Rome, and don't get hung up on outdoor dinners?

thanks ira. i guess i was hoping southern europe was just warm enough (mediterranean temps in the winter). but the thought of simply going with paris, venice or rome is tough to argue against. the outdoor dining is fine to skip, but would like to be able to walk around the city comfortably. we are both living in socal so mild temps are what we are most used to.

Hi Uc,

Paris avg high his about 45, low about 36 end of Dec.

Rome is 57/41

Palermo is about 60/52, but it is the rainy season.

Malta is about 62/52.

Hope this helps.

thx ira. i think greece, rome/another italian city, or paris make up the list as of now. although i think we could wait to do paris in the spring the following year maybe. it's a tough one...i want her to see it all...i think that's what is making it so hard.

Ira slipped in a great suggestion with Malta there; I had a wonderful time there wandering about and exploring. (There are some pix here: http://community.webshots.com/user/missalg )

Another thought is Madeira; you could spend some time in maybe Lisbon/Sintra and then fly to Madeira for the warmer temps (mid 60's, I believe, in December.)

"...and it has to be perfect" Just a little input on another tack. If you can let go of the idea that your honeymoon has to be perfect you're sure to have a better time than if you're expecting perfection. I doubt that anyone, anywhere ever had a perfect honeymoon. Wonderful? I hope so. But perfect? Not likely. Any time you travel to Europe (or any different land or culture), stuff happens. The stuff may be stressful at the moment, but will make the best stories in the years to come. Have a great trip, wherever you choose!

thanks betsy. true...perfection is not going to exist no matter how hard we try. enjoyable is all you can go for. i'm sure you're right that this will all be part of the stories later...

she's always mentioned greece as a place she would love to go so i think that's why i'm heavily considering it.

...and you seem like a real sweetheart for wanting to take her there.

I love Greece, and live there part year. I say that so you understand that my comments have nothing negative to do about Greece. That being said, I would not go on a honeymoon there in December. It just will not meet your expectations.

In fact, we often leave Greece for Christmas, and my single favorite place to go for the holiday is Rome. Save your trip to Greece for May or September (or the summer), at a time when you can sit in outdoor cafes and otherwise enjoy the commodious climate in Greece.

i guess i should make a practical decision (with my brains) and plan the appropriate destination. i must say rome/malta would be a real good combo.

well i thought the best thing to do is to talk to her. i gave her some options (pros and cons) and she said an italy type thing would be great.

You will not be sorry in the slightest!

I'll, of course, vote for Paris, the time of year you will be going you should be able to get great deals on airfare & other amenities. Otherwise, based on teh criteria presented, you'll need to move the honeymoon or move the date.