Honeymoon- starting from scratch- not as much fun planning this time around!!
 

Good morning,

We were SO excited about our Belize honeymoon in Hopkins this October- the planning was also very fun, and thanks to all for their advice. Delta just cancelled the flight segment we were on, and unless we opt to stay in Houston for a 24 hour layover on the return, we're starting from scratch.

I want to use FF miles- that's the biggest limiting factor. Cities we can fly to include Panama City, Panama Guatemala City, Guatemala, Managua, Nicaragua, and San Pedro, Honduras. We can also fly to almost any city in Mexico. Costa Rica is probably out, as we can't use FF miles, but we could find a decent air fare. (Flights to Belize are too much).

Here are some of the things we're looking for:

1) Private and quiet, but not isolated, so a small village within walking distance. Hacienda del Mar in Panama and Morgans Rock in Nicaragua both look gorgeous, but perhaps too private. Want a smaller resort- under 50 rooms.
2) Mixture of beach/water and other activities (kayak, hiking, horseback riding). Other activities trumps beach, so La Lancha is on the list, but also might be too private. We prefer- but are not limited to- lush, jungle places.
3) Eco and/or luxury- price for lodging, food, drinks, activities- willing to spend up to $4000 for 6 nights.
4) Willing to roll the dice for hurricane season (mid-late October), and fine with rainy season.

I feel like I've searched a lot of reviews on TripAdvisor, Travel/Leisure, CondeNast, and internet searches, and haven't found the right place yet. Mexico is the one country I haven't searched much- there are so many big cities, and it is difficult to sort out for the small village feel we're looking for.

Perhaps I'm being too picky- thankfully, I'm not picky about any other wedding details, or I would drive myself crazy! We haven't ruled out any of the above places, but I thought I would reach out for help or suggestions for these or other places, especially Mexico.

Thanks so much,
Emily

Emily,
Sorry to hear about your flight. I have been to all of the places you mentioned. It sounds like you have already done a lot of research so I am not sure I can help.
Have you looked at Pico Bonito Lodge in Honduras? It's a lovely place and gets good reviews. It may be too isolated for you though.
Also, Granada in Nicargua is a small colonial town and is great as a base to explore. I am also not sure if you could find the perfect place to stay there.
We stayed at Pelican Eyes in San Juan Del Sur which was a great place, but again probably not what you are looking for.
Good luck in your search.

Thanks, ttraveler! Send 'em my way... I love the feedback, suggestions, etc. I'm being too picky so need to cast a bigger net. Pelican Eyes is on our list, too. I haven't checked out the Pico Bonito- doing it now.

THANKS!!

Hi Emily,

congrats.couple of thoughts.

Fly into Managua

Antigua morgansrock.com nice combo

or go on down into north CR

tons of nice stuff in Nicoya

1-costaricalink.com

in Mexico around PV

hotelito.com HM package

there is also a nice Eco Lodge

Baja just outside of Loreto.

Good Hunting,

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Emily,
You could fly into Guatemala city, transfer to Antigua for a couple of nights and then on to Lake Titalan. There are some beautiful places to stay in Antigua and also on the lake. Also, there are plenty of active things to do.. bike riding, hiking a volcano, kayaking ect. I am planning a trip to Guatemala now for Feb. and it looks like a great place to go.

Emily,
Also check out Roatan.

If I was really excited about a vacation that sounded like a perfect fit for me, I'd see an overnight in Houston as part of the deal and just stick with my plan. My vacations never turn out exactly as I invisioned but I've loved every place we've gone and every place we've stayed. Photos below if you're interested (Belize, Honduras, Guatemala). Congratulations and good luck!

http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Hello Emily. First of all Congratulations about your wedding.

Now, after a lot of thinking, ive decided to post this reply even when you said Costa Rica was almost out of the list.

What made me write this, is that after i read your "conditions" about your trip, i noticed that some of the best Costa Rica destinations meet atleast 3 out of the 4 conditions.

Im going to suggest you this website:
www.travelstocostarica.com

It is like an informative site, so wont be scare about advertising and stuff like that. All you would see there are the different destinations down here.

I would suggest you Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. It has different attractions like horseback riding, SKY WALKS ( my favorites ) and many other...

As i said, you can find there alot of information of this beautiful country without all of those advertisings...

If you keep Costa Rica out of your honeymoon, im pretty sure that you will consider it for your next getaway trip.

Hopping you the best... C. Wood.

Thanks, everyone!

Hopefulist, I've checked out your pictures from other posts- love them! It looks like you and your family have had some wonderful adventures!

Ttraveler, I've been reading some of your other posts- Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, and Guatemala are all on my future list. I also have a group of girlfriends that love Latin America- we've been to Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Venezuela.

Emily,
Let us know what you finally decide.I love to travel and Ecuador is on my list. I think I will probably wait until my little one is a little older so that we can also go to the Galapagoes. He's only three so I have a bit of time yet.
Luckily traveling with my friends didn't stop after I got married. I just can't pick up for two weeks like I used to.
Enjoy your planning.