Sounds like a great trip. As LoveItaly mentioned, S.F. is a VERY romantic city.
I think the Highlands Inn would a great place to spend a few days on a honeymoon.
I've been in one of the fireplace suites with a deck and view and it was nice. I attended a wedding there. I'd look at tripadvisor.com and check out the reviews. There might be some specific mention of room type in the reviews.

-Bill

Carmel would be tres romantique too. I've heard very good things about that hotel, but haven't stayed there. Have stayed in Monterey and agree with Bill.

Which hotel will you go to in SF? I've stayed in Embarcadero and Union Square...preferred the latter.

just the hyatt not at fishermans wharf though....

... what about some other chains, given it any thought? Hyatt is okay, but not anything out of the ordinary. What about Ritz?

If you are still looking for warmer weather, the Hyatt Resort in Indian Wells, CA (Palm Springs area) is great. We were there for New Years, two years ago, and used the pool.

We enjoyed our stay at the Hyatt Embarcadero a few years ago. We really liked the location and had a balcony that faced the Bay. San Francisco is one of our favorite cities, it's one of those places where my husband and I always seem to reconnect. And Carmel! Can't go wrong with either place--happy honeymooning!!!

Congratulations tallahasseegirl!
Something tells me you have been working very hard on this. I believe your honeymoon will be wonderful no matter where you stay or what the weather will be like. You will still have the magic of the moment with you by not postponing. I don't see how you could go wrong in California. From what I've seen of it it's just so amazingly beautiful.
Best wishes!
Hope your magic lasts forever!
Annika

Best of luck and congratulations TG. I do believe it was Mark Twain who said "the coldest winter I ever had was a summer in San Francisco" :S-

The heck with the points. Try Green Turtle Cay, Abacos Islands, Bahamas. My wife and I had a beautiful time there ten years ago in early January.

As a fellow Tallahassee girl (woman, actually-I think my "girl" days are long gone!) I have a couple of thoughts. It sounds like you don't want to put off the honeymoon till a later time. Can't blame you for that but if you are considering it at all maybe you could just go down to Seaside or Destin for a few days after the wedding. Rates are rock bottom in January and no need for airfare. And, as you know, it is quite likely the weather will be reasonably warm-certainly by afternoon.

But, if you want to go ahead with the real honeymoon, I think you would love Carmel and San Francisco. My husband and I went there for our 20th wedding anniversary in Dec.1998 (stayed next door to Highlands at the Tickle Pink) and again last October (stayed at Pebble Beach)

Highlands looked fabulous! We had dinner there on our last trip and it was great. Incredible views! And do check Trip Advisor for specifics about various rooms.

Personally, we enjoyed Carmel more than SF but that is probably because we are just not "city people."

You might also want to consider flying in and out of San Jose to split the difference. San Jose is a small, easy to negotiate, airport-not a lot bigger than ours.

As far as things to do, you can find a lot of info on Fodors. Do a search.

Best wishes to you and you groom! May all your dreams come true!

Thanks to everyone who gave the wonderful advise about Carmel and San Fran!! We have decided we are definetly going (we are planning on going to Eurpoe next Winter). Can anyone tell us where the can't miss spots are in both cities. We've done some research here and at other local sites- we have a general idea of what to see, but we would love more comments/advise. Thanks!!!

Congratulations tallahasseegirl. We loved Carmel... the Highlands Inn will be perfectly romantic for your honeymoon. Great restaurants in the hotel. Like sunshinesue we enjoyed our 20th anniversary in Carmel staying next door at the Tickle Pink Inn. The views are stunning... splurge as much as you can on the room... esp. one with a view... it'll be worth it.

Some don't miss spots that we loved exploring:

Carmel Beach
Carmel Mission
Point Lobos
17 mile drive
Big Sur - we enjoyed Nepenthe and Sierra Mar @ the Post Ranch Inn for lunches - great views
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

I'll attach a link for the trip report I wrote about the things we did. This has been one of our FAVORITE trips.

http://fodors.com/forums/pgMessages....p;tid=34452270

My guess is that you'll find this substitue honeymoon spot to be a huge blessing in disguise. Some things are meant to be... enjoy every minute. ((#)) Congratulations.

I agree with Woodland -- the Hyatt in Aruba is GORGEOUS with a huge pool complex and a great beach location. Awesome restaurants, too, and they do have some rooms available in January. :)

If you are in the Carmel area and the Pirate's Cove restaurant is still there, it's magical - surf crashing just outside your booth; it's not far from the Highland's Inn on the coast highway going toward Big Sur. Nepenthe (lovely place to eat) and Big Sur are certainly worth driving to, if only to go over that crescent-shaped beautiful bridge. Dejeetsen's Big Sur Inn is an absolute delight and I have always liked staying at the California Conference Grounds on the 17-Mile Drive if you can get in - it may be too iffy for a honeymoon, since you usually must just go to their office to see if something is available, but it is perfect if you can stay there. Fireplaces and wood placed outside your door - deer visit often and the ocean is a short hike away - quiet as quiet. It's one of my favorite places in the world. It would be much less expensive than the Highlands Inn as well.

When you look back on this, and sometime after you have visited Cancun....whenever that may be.....I bet you will know that the San Francisco and Carmel trip was the best ever. You will not believe how wonderful it is here. You will love it!

I agree completely. I know you are disappointed about losing the "beach" trip, but I think a SF/Carmel honeymoon will be much, much better - and more romantic!

..haven't read all of the posts..so excuse me if this is repeating. Try Puerto Vallarta. It'll be warm, hot even. Some wonderful hotels along the beaches there..LaJolla Mismoyolla I believe the name of one in particular. The people are great in PV, fun place for a vaca anytime. Personally, I would stay near downtown rather than out in the newer section. Take the buses there for an adventure, horseback ride thru the rain forest...take the cruise to the island and have dinner by torchlight next to your table along the beach(can't think of the name of that trip) Main thing is..if it's warmth you seek, it's there then. You can't trust any part of Florida to be consistently warm in the winter anymore. Why that is, I don't know. Seems like it used to be better that way. Bonita Beach can be freezing in January..or it can be slightly warm, with even a day or two hot...but it is too unpredictable. We bought a time share in the third week in Ft Myers Beach and the first time we used that week, the HIGH temp was 52 with winds from the north at about 20 knots. So, to be sure..Mexico. OR....the peak days of summer are in January in Rio. Stay IN the safe zone and don't venture out into the hills on your own..that's all I'll say about that. Have fun.

tallahasseegirl is headed to San Francisco and Carmel... for more info see her thread, http://fodors.com/forums/pgMessages....p;tid=34698772

The suggestions above for Carmel are excellent. Do try and have dinner at Deetjen's in Big Sur, if they are open. It is quite romantic, but a dark drive back to Carmel. Visiting Big Sur during the day would be better, and Nepenthe is a great place to eat, as is Post Ranch. I LOVE Big Sur.

In Carmel, my favorite spot is the the Mission. The 17 Mile Drive is my next favorite.

San Francisco is a wonderful city and you will have a great time. One of my favorite sites is the Cable Car Museum.

Have fun.