Desperate need help
 

Over the last few months I have been trying to get my Honeymoon planned. I have sought your advice on where to go and I have also tried making plans of my own. None of these seem to work for my Fiancé. So I am at my wits end. She is normally not hard to get along with but I think this wedding stuff is making her nutty.

So here is where I am living at. I would like to get the most bang for my buck, not trying to be cheap here but the wedding is taking its toll every where. I would like to stay under 3000.00 if that is possible. I have thought about the all inclusive resorts but we don’t drink and I can’t see paying an inflated cost based upon liquor consumption.

I would like to go for a week or so, I want to be able to relax, to enjoy the location to sleep in a hammock or couch or beach to sleep anywhere without being disturbed.
A tropical climate would be nice; I don’t want to deal with a bunch of drunks and don’t care much for places that have wonderful night lives. I

What I really want and what I think she would like is a nice warm kind of quite place where we can shop, enjoy nature and relax.

If any of you have any Ideas or suggestions please let me know.

What time of year are you looking for?

Sorry I always seem to forget something any more we will be getting married September 13th and would like to leave on the 14th or 15th

What about looking into a cruise? Looking at travelocity, there are cruises that per person are around $900-1200 so once you add in airfare you are around your $$$. Be aware it is hurricane season so there is risk involved. These prices do not include alcohol, but do include your meals on the ship.

Where are you departing from?

Why not Acapulco? Or Playa Conchal in Costa Rica? Costa Rica you can do as much or as little as you like, and the dollar goes really, really far.

Vieques or Cuelebra in Puerto Rico.
Or fly to Panama, rent a car and drive up to Santa Clara. Rent a cottage on the beach and live like kings for very reasonable $$$$. The Georgia Isles (stay in St. Mary's and take the ferry over to Cumberland Island).

Best wishes on your wedding.

Out islands of Bahamas.

Can't help with specific question - but normally nice, sane people have been known to become temporarily otherwise when planning wedding.

I am not usually a travel agent user, but it might be good to have someone in the middle here - take your requirements to a travel agent and see what they say. Then fiance can get mad at travel agent andnot you.

And anytime you think it can't get any worse, see if you can find an episode or 2 of Bridezillas on TV - it will make anything she does seem tame.

maybe tell us what sorts of ideas haven't gone over well w/ your fiance . . . . . .

Ok folks here are the ideas that flopped.

Thailand-to expensive wants to save toward a house did not know if she could be gone that long from work. (I had this one completely planned)

Pa - (Amish country, Hershey) thinks that it would get dull, not really a honeymoon.

Cruise- is ok with the idea but does not like the idea of being on a set schedule

Hot Springs Ar- Laughed and said it was not what she was expecting

We also talked about staying at an island in the Bahamas but she wants to see more then one so that went by the wayside.

It was at this point that I have asked for guidance. To be fair she is a really wonderful woman and she is not as bad as what I have seen from some in regards to the wedding. I just feel like that with all the work she is putting into the wedding she expects the honeymoon to be as good if not better.

We live in Kansas so we will have to travel to just about any place that we want to go. It’s a great place to live but not for honeymoons.

She has said something about the Gulf coast like in Alabama? Any thoughts on that?

What about Siesta Key in FL? Definitely one of the best beaches I have been to.

How about Nova Scotia. Definately in that price range. It's an absolutely beautiful place. My sister went there on her honeymoon and loved it. We've been twice and love it. It has everything you need for a honeymoon- solitude, very nice people, beautiful scenery, good food (lobster), plain places to stay or fancier B&Bs. We've been all over Nova Scotia. Stayed in one place that I can tell you about, it would make an amazing honeymoon.

Cruise to Bermuda. You can go from Boston, NYC or possibly other ports. It is a good mix of cruise versus land vacation since ship parks in Bermuda for 3 days or so and you use it as a floating hotel for the time you are there. You are free to tour Bermuda on your own - and it is very easy to do so since everyone speaks English, British influence is still there and so everything is very organized and orderly, public transportation system is excellent, it is very safe.

You also get about 3 1/2 days at sea to/from port - so you are also on your own schedule. Bermuda cruises tend to attract fewer nutty drunks than some other destinations, and in September it should not be over-run with kids.

Only downside of Bermuda cruise or anything Carribean is that September is hurricane season, so ship plans could be changed. But it is early enough in season that chances are you will be OK.

She will refuse anything you say! Just tell her it's a surprise, and take her where you want to go!

I personally would pick a cruise. 24 hrs room service if you wish, get offshore whenever you wish, and do what you want all day and all night!

I'd give Costa Rica a serious look.

Alabama's coast in the middle of September? September 10 is, on average, the height of hurricane season, and even at that, I'd rather be on a Florida Gulf coast beach. The great thing about cruising is that they can avoid hurricanes - have you looked at any that go to several Caribbean islands?

You might give this site a look. I've linked to the Florida page, but you can navigate from there.

allaboutthehoneymoon.com/florida.html

Also the Sanibel Inn has an interesting site to check out.
sanibelcollection.com/sanibel%5Finn/

Sounds like Costa Rica might be the place. Bugswife1 is correct, dollar goes far in CR. I have wonderful memories of sitting on the balcony in a leather chair with a view of the rainforest and the Pacific Ocean.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

Hey Sunflowerguy03-

What happened to the great ideas mentioned in your previous thread, "need help with my Honeymoon"?

Are you no longer interested in small towns and antique stores?

Have you asked her for her suggestions?

Not many of these suggestions are going to come in at under $3000 I'm afraid (except the cruises perhaps).

Maybe the Sanderling Inn in the Outer Banks of North Carolina? Nice beach, lots of nature.
http://www.thesanderling.com/

Other than that I agree with the suggestion that this might be the rare time to hit a travel agent.

Orlando-Vic what happened to them? They were not what my fiancé had in mind in regards to a honeymoon. They sound like great trips but they are not what were envisioned.

We still like small towns and antique stores but that is our vacation norm so I think she wants to do something out side of the box. However we do have some really great ideas for regular vacations now.

I have asked her before about what she wants in regards to a Honeymoon and that seems to change depending upon the day. I have a rough idea as to what she wants and what she has been consistent about and plan to build on those.

On a side note I don’t plan to run this one by here until she has the bulk of the wedding done.

Thanks to all for the advice so far I am looking into everyone’s suggestions

Another idea - Sanibel. Wonderful nature. Great kayaking. Great beach, shell collecting. Not so much antiques - but hey, you're not going to shopping on your honeymoon!!! LOL

Check this out:
http://sanibelcollection.com/song_of_the_sea/

http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/

http://www.tarponbayexplorers.com/kayak.html

And my final idea - Monterey! OMG what's there not to like?

http://www.montereyplazahotel.com/

http://tinyurl.com/2oobou

http://www.monterey.org/

Sanibel is one place I was not sad to leave- we were there in September of 05. The beaches were closed due to bacterial contamination (not a red tide), there were stinky dead fish all over the beaches- including one that was at least 2 feet long. Ok, so they had a bad weekend- but the beaches that are great for shelling means that the beaches are strewn with broken shells and really aren't safe to walk on barefoot.

I would second Puerto Rice though- splurge on a night or two at the El Convento to see Old San Juan, go to Vieques for some beach time and the biobay, then stay in the rainforest for a few days. Other than the shower, we looooved Nelson's Country House- and it was under $75 per night in high season. It's not luxurious, but the views are incredible, and I love the hammocks! The pictures on their website really don't do it justice.

Go on luxurylink.com and you might pick up a bargain as well as some great ideas. I have used luxurylink with no problem and got a great deal at a fantastic place.

Other thoughts are the Royal Hideaway Resort in Playa Del Carmen Mexico (outside of Cancun). Again look around, we got it at a steal and it was wonderful. Plus it is a nice size resort and no kids. Food was great and the service was wonderful. For nature you could rent a car and go to the ruins at Tulum as well as visit Exacret (might have that misspelled). Plus you can take the ferry to Cozumel for fantastic snorkeling.

If you want domestic, then check out the Inn at Blackberry Farm in the smoky mountains of Tennessee. Its includes food but no liquor. They have a ton of activities to do, the service is top-notch, the surroundings amazing and its very romantic.

Hope this helps.

Well, not tropical....but New England weather is almost always absolutely beautiful in mid-September while the crowds are gone and rates are lowered. You could fly cheaply into Boston, then rent a car and drive down to Cape Cod. Lots of information here on Fodors if you search "Cape Cod" and "Chatham". Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are also good places to look at.

The southern coast of Maine is only an hour or so drive from Boston airport and there are some lovely secluded places to stay and some great hikes...as well as some fine dining. Search "Ogunquit" and "Kennebunkport" for some ideas.

I think the New England suggestion is a good one. The weather will still be pleasant and there are any number of beautiful seaside towns where you'll get shoulder/off season rates. Anywhere along the southern cost of Maine, Portsmouth, NH, Newburyport or Rockport or Marblehead, MA, Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket Island - all great places for a honeymoon (we spent ours on Nantucket in September). Lots of seeing, doing, antique shopping, dining, and, of course, magnificent scenery.

Aruba.

Greetings from a fellow Kansan, temporarily residing in Chicago but hoping to return soon.

We honeymooned in Destin, FL, at the recommendation of a friend, rented an oceanfront condo. Returned to the area a year later but stayed at Navarre Beach, which is a few miles from Destin. We loved both locations, beautiful water and white sand beaches.

Hope you have a great time, wherever you end up!

What about San Fransisco or the idea of Monterey metioned above? California coast would be nice in general.
I also like the New England idea.
As far as islands and Florida go, it is the hurricane season and it is a maybe that you will be smack dab in the middle of one. I had an August honeymoon about 20 years ago and we did go the Bahamas so it is not impossible to go and have great weather.
For islands, Bermuda is the prettiest (my opinion), but pricey. Aruba might offer a good deal and is far enough south that you might skip all hurricane issues.They are rarely affected.
Good luck with everything.

As others have mentionned--a September Honeymoon in a tropical place may be at risk for a hurricane. That is high season for bad storms in much of Florida, Caribean and Mexico. You also may be able to get a package deal to the coast of Italy, French Riviera or Spain. I think you should do some research to find out where you can get nice, sunny weather at that time of year. There are many wonderful places to go, so do your homework.

I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for the first time in April and it was really nice. Maybe PV?