cristine27

Hello everyone!
We're from Greece and we're getting married in July. I'm trying to find a honeymoon destination for that month with the perfect weather, gorgeous beaches and some nightlife! I would love to visit South Africa and Zanzibar but really i'm not very keen on taking malaria pills the days of my wedding.. so my next thought is Hawaii.
It's really very far from Greece.. do you think it's worth it?
From the photos, it does not seem very exotic to me but probably i'm wrong. (in my mind i have Seychelles, Maldives, French Polynesia etc. as very exotic).
Please share your thoughts. Thanks!

Also if you have any other suggestion, i would love to hear it!

annewest

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our two week stay in Hawaii, visitng four islands and staying in condos. Nevertheless do you really want to spend all that time going that far on your honeymoon? I think the time change is also significant. You can verify this but I suspect Hawaii is 12 hours different from Greece. That is too much travel time and too much of a time difference for you to focus on each other and the beauty of your new marriage.

May I suggest Bermuda which is in the Atlantic well off the coast of our southern state of South Carolina? It is clean, english speaking and very British. It is expensive but so is Hawaii. You could also consider the US or British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. If you are concerned about hurricanes which can be a problem in July, Barbados, Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire are located too far south in the Caribbean to be in the path of hurricanes. All are excellent choices for a romantic exotic honeymoon.

You might also consider going to the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey for a more British/French experience. They are charming but certainly not beachy.

Have a long and loving marriage!

anna_roz

First, Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!!

Hawaii is a fabulous destination and we hardly skipped a year in the last 25 or so. However, if I were you today, knowing what I know, I would spend my honeymoon cruising Tahiti and her islands. We did this in honor of my very big Birthday a few years back.

Take a look at Princess Cruises (Tahitian Princess, 670 passengers) 10 night itinerary. It is a rather affordable luxury. Lots of young people--and older also--from all over the world.

Anna Roz

TahitiTams

Congrat's cristine on your upcoming wedding!!
I say that you go to Tahiti which includes Moorea and Bora Bora..
It is about 7 hour flight from Los Angeles direct and Hawaii is about 5+ hours..
It is probably the prettiest place in the world but hey I am bias..
They have great resorts..or do a cruise around all the islands..
Best to you!

airtahitinui.com

nicemama

I like Riviera Maya, Mexico ...which is just one hour south of Cancun. The beaches there are incredible. Have fun!

chepar

Greece is quite a distance from Hawaii!

I live in Hawaii and visited Greece a couple of years ago - travel time (connection times included) from Honolulu to Athens was 30+ hours - quite brutal.

If you're seriously considering coming to Hawaii I would also consider how long your honeymoon is - I'm not sure if I would travel so far for anything shorter than 3 weeks.

Weadles

cristine27,

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Hawaii is very beautiful and in some places I guess you could call it "exotic" ( the desolate, lunar-looking coast of the Big Island comes to mind), but overall, it's not as exotic as South Africa or Zanzibar.

If you're looking for that kind of trip, and willing to go really far, what about Fiji and Australia? I've been to both, and each country offers an abundance of experiences that you can't find anywhere else in the world.

optimystic

Hi cristine,

I'm from the UK, and last summer my husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii for 2 weeks. Yes its a long flight, but we were prepared for it and it was worth it!
We stayed a week in Waikiki on Oahu and a week on Kauai. In Waikiki it was the busy city on the beach... which we loved, we then went to the North Shore of Kauai and stayed in a house on the beach, much quieter, remote, and very beautiful scenery. We loved the contrast. I think Hawaii is very exotic... but I am British! (not much that is exotic in the UK!).

I have to say we considered French Polynesia, which I would love to visit, however we found the cost, and the extra flight time made it infeasible.

cristine27

Thank you so much for all the suggestions! I've seen more photos of Hawaii... i'm sure it's very beautiful but not that special in order to travel for 24 hours. We're from Greece so we have hundreds of beach options here as well and that's why we would like something REALLY special, like French Polynesia.
I've checked the prices and unfortunately it is EXTREMELY expensive Do you happen to know any travel agencies from LA? Maybe it will be cheaper to get there on our own and then buy a package to French Polynesia from US. What do you think?

iamq

If you are willing to fly to French Polynesia, but are finding it too expensive, give Fiji a look. Much less expensive, very exotic, lovely people and great resorts. It is a little further to go, but you can stay longer with all the money you are saving.

I've been reading a lot about Mozambique. The barrier islands look wonderful...and exotic.

Good luck.

cristine27

Thanks iamq,
i'll check fiji as well! All these islands seem heavenly!

Mozambique truly looks wonderful and with Zanzibar they were on top of my list but you need vaccinations and malaria pills, and i'm not very keen on that! Now that i think about it.. i haven't checked if you need malaria pills for the pacific islands as well!