honeymoon under $2000.00?
 

hey everyone, i feel bad.. i started a post on having a honeymoon in florida but having second thoughts... reason we didnt want to go out of the country is because we dont have passports. we did some research and turns out we still have time to get them before we go. (thought it was a really long process)? so now we are considering a honeymoon outside the country. (anywhere but Mexico) and looking for some advice/info. as you can see from the title we dont have much to spend.. paying for our own wedding leaving about 2000.00 for our honeymoon. we are looking for all inclusive beachfront resort that we would enjoy. we are in our mid 20's and just want to relax. seems whenever we go on vacation we always try and do everything and stress cause we are so busy. NOT THIS TIME!! want to lay on a beautiful beach somewhere with all the free food and drinks we want! we are going in late june and want to stay for 5 night (pending on cost). our goal is to not spend much money once we are there. outside shopping and such. sorry for the long post and look forward to all the great info you guys have to offer. thanks so much for your time guys. its very hectic and stressful looking online for all this stuff. just trust someones words over a website. something we americans have lost haha! thanks!

All inclusive sounds like Mexico at your budget level.

It's a shame you have nixed Mexico as a possibility. Your money would go much farther in Mexico than probably anywhere else. It's not necessarily cheaper to go there, but you get much more quality for your money than in most AI resort destinations, and both Cancun and the Riviera Maya are quite safe tourist destinations where you could have a wonderful time.

Your other choices are the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

You may have problems finding a package for 5 nights for under $2000, but I'm confident you can find something if you are traveling after Easter (airfares are the problem here ... resorts aren't that much more expensive than last year).

But if this is your first travel experience in the Cairbbean, I'd hate for you to stay in a cheap, low-rent resort that might not meet your expectations. Even at the prices you can pay, $2000 is on the lower end of the scale, and you should not expect a luxurious room, excellent food, or top-shelf liquor. You're paying basically $100 per night for a resort, and you get what you pay for. And you might have to reduce your stay to 4 nights from 5 depending on the resort and the airfare cost.

I'd look at an Iberostar resort, which has better basic rooms than most AI resorts and good food over all. The Iberostar Rose Hall Beach resort in Jamaica is nice, and I've even stayed there so I can recommend it personally. But Riu resorts are fairly cheap and can be ok as well, though I'm not fond of the Riu resorts in Jamaica. Do check with a travel agent, though. You can often do better on packages to AI resorts with a travel agent package; Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and CheapCaribbean.com all offer such packages.

However, your originating airport is important, and this will affect your costs. Where are you coming from?

Your budget is only $2000 and you're going to spend $300 of it on passports?

And how much of the $2000 will be spent on airfare -- it will help to know what is left for the hotel, food and entertainment.

I just did a quick search for vacation packages for Cancun - chose SFO as the originating airport - there are several flight and hotel packages at AI resorts for around $1000/person in June. I know you said anywhere but Mexico - I am assuming that the reluctance to go to Mexico has to do with safety concerns, but the Yucatan really is fine - probably less risky than Florida where you were originally considering.

Just wondering why "anywhere but Mexico?"