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Just got engaged - Help me pick honeymoon destination!
I hope everyone will help me out. I will start off by telling you that we went to Aruba for 10 days this year, and have been to 5-6 other places in the carribean. She spent time in France in the last year and Amsterdam. I once spent 3 weeks touring France and have spent a significant amount of time in London. I have also spent a week touring Scotland. We live in NYC, so we have visited all the destinations up here numerous times. <BR> <BR>Now that I've given you a brief summary of where we've been in the past, let me tell you that I'm considering Hawaii. However, I'm not looking forward to being on an airplane that long!!! <BR> <BR>Any and all suggestions will be considered! Destinations do not have to be in the US! Thanks and I look forward to doing extensive research based upon your replies!
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Chris, <BR>Congratulations. Do consider Hawaii, preferably Maui. Why not break up the trip with a few days in either L.A. or San Francisco. I realize the flight from NY is long (not much worse then us west coast folks going to Europe tho) but the destination makes it bearable! <BR>There are plenty of lovely hotels on Maui that would make fantastic honeymoon destinations.
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Chris, Hawaii is fabulous! You really can't go wrong - if you have one week, make it Maui or Kauai, and if you have another week, throw in one more island. If you're really into nature in all it's glory, and hiking, then I'd chose Kauai (and maybe the Big Island.) If you like a little bit of everything, then Maui. It's heaven! History buffs like Oahu, and once you see and do the fun things around Waikiki for two or three days, you can leave the city and find lush greenery, beautiful uncrowded beaches, lovely mountains on that island, too. I personally love the atmosphere in Waikiki for a couple of days, but there is much more to the island. And of course, the Big Island is amazing - you just need to know what to expect! If you choose Hawaii, Frommers travel guides seem to do the best job of staying on top of things there! <BR> <BR>We'll all be anxious to hear your decision. And I do wish you a fabulous honeymoon wherever you decide to go!
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check out Little Palm Island...they have a web site. The web site will say it all :) <BR>
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Two things you could tell us that would assist us with your search: <BR> <BR>1) what type of background / ambiance are you seeking? Many people find sunbathing at a sandy beach romantic; I can't think of anything I would enjoy LESS. The more specifically you tell us what you are looking for, the more likely we are to tell you where to find it. <BR> <BR>2) when are you going? Places that are wonderful at one point of the year are awful at another. I love hiking in the mountains, but I wouldn't try doing so in January!! <BR> <BR>It seems you enjoy tropical ambiance; thus Hawaii is a good choice. But pick the right time of year, and Florida isn't so bad either!!
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<BR>How about Carmel/Big Sur/Monterrey Peninsula?
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The pictures and descriptions of Montery, Carmel and Big Sur have made them the places I most want to see in CA but they are certainly not tropical and you can get to Puerto Rico from NY in less time and for less money.
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Sorry I didn't give more info! We are getting married 5/28/00 and plan to leave on the honeymoon on 5/30/00. We do enjoy the sun, but do not necessarily have to go to that type of location. <BR> <BR>Any more ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!!
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Hey, Chris, <BR>I know this is the US forum, but puh-leeze, you both know something about France, it's a shorter plane ride than Hawaii, and amour is the national passtime. Aix en Provence? A canal boat on the Canal du Midi? Monte Carlo? Brasserie Lipp or the Tour d'Argent? <BR>Or Sam Choy's? No contest.
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Hi Chris! <BR> <BR>My husband and I just returned from 9 dys in Maui. We were celebrating our second anniversary and my 30th b-day..just to give you a little info on us. We stayed in Wailea at the Four Seasons and we absolutely loved it. My husband...who doesn't like the beach or lying in the sun...loved it. It was very romantic and there was so much to do. You can take it easy and relax by the beach/pool, or you can go out on adventerous hikes, rides, etc. In our opinion, the Four Seasons was expensive but worth it. Enjoy.
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Don't know how long the journey is for you but Italy's hard to beat as a romantic honeymoon destination. We did the Amalfi Drive from Sorrento, staying in Positano, and also visited Capri for the day, and all during the first week of June. It was WONDERFUL. I remember saying to my husband at the time that it would be a great area for a honeymoon trip. (See my response to "Amalfi Coast - Where to Stay?" in the Italy forum.) Also Venice is very special and I personally loved Verona - visiting "Juliet's balcony" is a pretty romantic thing to do, even if it is a bit touristy. You could perhaps do a two-centre trip combining an Italian city with one of the lakes. Or Rome (great place)with Amalfi etc. <BR> <BR>Hope you have a brilliant trip, whatever you choose. <BR> <BR>
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I'm also from NYC and spent my honeymoon on Maui in Oct. 97 (at the Hyatt). Wailea (southern Maui) is said to be nicer and quieter than Kaanapali and you can choose from the Four Seasons or the Grand Wailea (www.grandwailea.com). Kauai is another option or a mix between the two would be great. Definately rent a convertible there. <BR>We found the atmosphere to be completely relaxing and enjoyable. We spent our 1st anniversary in Italy and decided that Europe would have been too much after the excitement and anxiety of a wedding. <BR>One of the previous posts had an excellent idea - stay over in San Francisco on the way back for a few days. Going there is fine because you're excited, etc. Coming home is another story. <BR>One downside to Hawaii - coming from NY, we're used to the best food and so some restaurants were a let down. <BR>Good luck with whatever you choose.
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Lorraine, <BR> <BR>Please tell us what restaurants you were disappointed in! There are many fabulous restaurants in Hawaii now - you must have sampled the wrong ones or gotten a good one on a bad night! We love good food and are particular, and we can't find time to fit in all the great places!!!
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I second Hilary's recommendation of Italy for a honeymoon. We did it and it was wonderful. Flight from the east coast isn't too terrible, either. <BR> <BR>I'm not sure what Lorriane means about Europe being too much after a wedding. I guess if you're the sort of people who would feel obligated to do a lot of sightseeing, it's not such a good choice. Luckily my spouse and I have the gifts of sloth and gluttony, so we had a great time. Sloth, glottony, and lust are also good activities in France (as noted above).
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Bermuda! The flight is very short from the east coast and the weather is perfect in late May.
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As (Hawaii) islanders, we honeymooned in France (cycling in Normandy and the Loire). Now THAT'S a long flight! But occasional bouts of island fever do set in, and we like to travel far and wide. How about Bali? Or Ireland? <BR> <BR>We've celebrated anniversaries at the Princeville on Kauai, the Lodge in Koele and its sister property the Manele Bay (where Bill Gates got married), in Lanai. Maui has many proponents for both the diversity of activities there and its many lodging options and we enjoy our trips there too. Your perfect romantic destination will depend on your interests, whether historic, cultural, culinary, athletic, or a combination of all the above, which is what we seek out. We prefer to avoid crowds, and enjoy good service. You'll get many more ideas here. Aloha!
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Hi, <BR>Why don't you consider Norway? It is a lot different than all of the places you have been before. Norway has a lot to offer tourists. Especially the breathtaking nature.... <BR>I'll be happy to give you more info if you are interested. (I'm norwegian) <BR>The flight time from New York is about 6-7 hours. <BR>My other suggestion is Beijing. It is a wonderful and interesting city to visit. It is defenetly my favourite travel destination. <BR>Kaja
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MAUI, MAUI, MAUI
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Chris, <BR>Forget the length of plane time, go straight to Hawaii to celebrate your marriage! Dont waste time or cut Hawaii short by stopping elsewhere! Do it! The flying time goes by fast, the plane is bigger so you can take a walk, do laps here and there. There's movies. It's worth the trip to be anywhere in Hawaii! I will watch for your posts for requesting more specifics on places in "Heaven".
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Chris, <BR> <BR>As your east coast 'neighbor'from Philadelphia [no comments, please!] I would flip out if my husband had planned our honeymoon in either Tuscany or Northern Calif., including a stay at Timberhill Ranch Inn located in Cazadero near Mendocino. Late May/early June perfect for both locales. <BR>Very romantic, but rather interesting. <BR>Let us know what you ultimately decide! <BR>elaine
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Hi Chris! <BR>Hope you and your bride will have much happiness! <BR>I've read all the exotic places you and your intended have been and all the exotic places others are sending you. <BR>My pick for a romantic time would be The Great Smoky Mountains. Tons of shopping, great restaurants and mostly the beautiful mountains. Accomadations are endless, resorts to secluded cabins. <BR>Hiking the trails are fun, horse back riding, ski lift to the smaller peaks; in May, just to look at the scenery. <BR>Guess I think of a honeymoon as a quiet time to be together. <BR>Best of luck with your search,' <BR>Esther <BR>
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Chris, <BR> <BR>Congrats! Okay, take some advice from a travel agent. Hawaii is is overrated and expensive. Ideas on romantic but typical vacation spots with cheap air and shorter flying times.... <BR> <BR>1) Key West - romantic and fun. Small carribean twon atmosphere with night life and water sports. <BR> <BR>2)Cancun - same as Key west but the Latin influence is Mexican, not Cuban :) <BR> <BR>3)New Orleans - quaint and historic <BR> <BR>4)St. Augustine - quaint and historic and beachy. <BR> <BR>5)Vail or Breckinridge Co. - okay, so it's not coast or tropical but the mountain scenery is incredible. <BR> <BR>6) San Fransisco - need I explain why? <BR> <BR>Enjoy your honeymoon.
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How about Colorado?? I booked a honeymoon couple into a cabin outside Estes Park. The cabin had a small kitchen and they are situated next to a creek. www.streamsidecabins.com <BR>Sounds like you've been lots of places outside the country but not east of the Mississippi. Spend some time with in the boarders. Outside the boarders??? What about Montreal?? <BR>
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OK....I second Troy's nomination of New Orleans. Love it, Love it, LOVE IT!! Stay at the Embassy Suites or the Marriott. Where I stayed was a litte far out but very quaint Masion St. Charles. Streetcar goes right in front of the hotel. <BR>
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O.K. So this may not be responsive. But, in reference to the travel agent who feels Hawaii is overrated, I suggest that a professional travel agent that knows her travel spots might at least provide the correct spellings for: <BR>Caribbean, Breckenridge, and San Francisco. <BR>
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Hawaii-island of Kauai. Out of this world beautiful. Princeville resort! <BR>Rent the video Six Days Seven Nights and see the view for yourself. <BR> <BR>Bermuda would be second.
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Sorry about the speeling errors (oops, there's another). I hope my suggestions that I gave earlier are helpful despite the typos. I would like to suggest that "spell checker" take a vacation too! He or she needs one. <BR>
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I'm in the same, boat Chris! I live in Atlanta, but am from NYC and will have the wedding there (and take off for the honeymoon from there.) Our wedding is 08/12/00, so we figured it's too close to hurricane season for the Carribean. So we are probably going to Hawaii. (Other suggestions welcome). Probably stay in Oahu a day or so in Waikiki for the dining, shopping, etc then on to more remote island like Kauai. Finally, stop off in San Francisco to break it up on the way home. Another idea for you is an Alaskan Cruise. Or Figi. Or Bora Bora. We're looking into those too. <BR> <BR>One question out there -- has anyone heard of Halekulani (on Waikiki), and what do you think of it? Good place for a special occasion? What kind of atmosphere/people there? Older? Honeymooners? Thinking of going there.
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Wherever you go, save your receipts. For our 40th anniversary I wrote to the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco about another hotel back east offering couples who stayed at their hotel on their honeymoon another stay on their anniversaries at the same price. They called and said they couldn't let us stay for the $14 we paid in 1955 but turned around, how about $41. Take your reciepts and put them in your wedding album. You want to call it cheap, we called it romantic. We were treated like royalty at third world prices. Good Luck
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Everyone, thanks for the wonderful ideas! I'm definitely intrigued by some of the suggestions and they have been added to my list. If you have any more suggestions please keep them coming! <BR> <BR>Also, thanks for your congratulations!
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How about driving the Coastal Highway along the California coast for some of the most spectacular views in the world? My husband and I took the trip in the early 90's and it was the best vacation we ever had. Carmel and the Monetery Bay area is very romantic. You can even drive to Yosemite National Park for a couple of days. Congratulations! <BR>
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go to Bermuda - -stay at Stonington or The Reefs or Pompano Beach - -incredible beaches, so close for the flight and you'll be pampered. We did that and are saving Hawaii when we have more energy than we did after the wedding!!!
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If you are from NYC I suggest getting away from a big city. <BR> <BR>My wife (who is from LI) and I enjoyed a spactacular honeymoon in the Bitterroot mountains of Montana. Check out the Triple Creek Ranch ( www.triplecreekranch.com ) <BR> <BR>It was pricey, but well worth the money. You can be as pampered as you want or as independant as you want. The staff is super friendly. I felt like I was visiting friends instead of a posh mountainside resort. The food was beyond compare. <BR> <BR>The weather in May when we were there was gorgeous. We spent our days hiking, whitewater rafting, ATVing, horseback riding and exploring. We spent our evenings enjoying drinks with the other guests (you're free to make your own drinks in the bar if you wish) comparing stories from the day's activities. We spent nights watching the stars from the hot tub of our private cabin. We would fall asleep everynight to sound of one of the ranches three creeks rushing by our cabin. <BR> <BR>Everything (food, all activities on the ranch, drinks, etc.) was included. <BR> <BR>It was simply the best vacation I have ever taken.
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Chris, <BR> <BR>Just to my two cents in. We spent our honeymoon in Lake Tahoe and I would highly recommend it to anyone. We stayed at Harrah's in south lake tahoe in a suite that was wonderful. Lots to do (gambling, watersports, lake cruises, etc.) scenery was spectacular. We were there in April and the skiing and snowmobiling were still great. Had Sun first part of week and snow the second. <BR>
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Hey SmackDaddy, hope you and the SmackMissus have a terrific trip and a wonderful life together. I think everyone has given some excellent suggestions and although I've never been on a honeymoon I have two of my own: first, my friend went to Morocco for her honeymoon and really loved it, but it does sound like it would be a lot of work and speaking some French is practically a requirement; second, I stayed (with a rich relative who payed the bills) at an incredibly romantic hotel in Brugge/Bruges, Belgium, called the Duc de Borgogne. It's a small inn on one of the canals, just gorgeous. The dining room is intensely romantic, especially a table for two in a secluded corner right over the canal with a view of the swans swimming by, and the food was some of the best I've eaten in my life. (Sounds like you would be going at exactly the same time of year, when there's tons of amazing fresh foods, with the standouts for me being the salmon and the white asparagus.) As for things to do around there, all we did was go to museums and restaurants (all around Belgium), but if that's what you like I don't think you could pick a better place on such an intimate scale. And while we're on the subject of places with canals, Stockholm (in the summer) is fantastic, if a little pricey.
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Chris...you've got it---the Halekulani is the BESTBESTBEST place and my idea of luxury in Waikiki. All we were able to manage was an evening walkthrough, and a rest by the pool, but I'd pick it in a heartbeat for a Waikiki honeymoon! Be Pampered, you might be CHANGING Pampers in a few years (:~)
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Hi Chris, I posted earlier but I've now remembered some other stuff which might be interesting to you and/or others. I once came across a website for a company that rents out themed cottages, most of them just for couples, at Big Bear Lake in California. Gone with the Wind, Robin & Marion, and Antony & Cleopatra are some of the more potentially romantic themes (they even include costumes for you to wear!) Kitch, yes, but they look quite fun. Their site is http://www.bigbear.com/castlewood/index.html <BR> <BR>Also a destination I have promised myself we’ll treat ourselves to one day (it’s pricey) is the Pangkor Laut Hotel on an island in Malaysia. I saw it featured on a travel programme once and it looks absolutely wonderful .... some of the villas are set on stilts over the sea & are linked by wooden walkways. It looks like heaven on earth and to my mind the perfect honeymoon spot. Their website is http://www.pangkorlaut.com <BR> <BR>I’d also recommend the beautiful island of Jost van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands - the Caribbean at its absolute best. Or amazing Virgin Gorda but go when the crowds aren’t there. In a completely different vein, I would also second Bruges in Belgium as a romantic place to visit ... I remember thinking the Hotel Rembrandt looked like a lovely little spot for a weekend. I’ve also been trying to find some info I thought I’d kept re a hotel somewhere in the world that’s under the sea, and another one that’s made totally from ice, but I’m afraid I can’t remember where they were or find the stuff at the moment. Perhaps someone else knows what I’m talking about. <BR> <BR>It’d be interesting to hear where you eventually decide to choose, so do please let us all know. (And we can all turn up .....!) <BR>
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I agree with the comments about breaking away from the city and emphasizing relaxation after the stress of the wedding. We honeymooned in Maui and Kauai and found it the perfect antidote to both. Yes, it's expensive...but hopefully you're not anticipating many more honeymoons. It's worth the splurge if you can swing it. Is Hawaii overrated? Not if you value safety, a high standard of living, a wide choice of reliable high quality hotels and restaurants, and well behaved fellow vacationers (i.e. reasons it might be considered superior to the caribbean, Keys and Cancun). Honolulu may not be the perfect change of pace, not that it's NYC. The Halekulani is a truly outstanding hotel, though. The 4 Seasons in Maui is still my favorite in the islands. The flight is a big downside. Excellent suggestion about stopping a couple days in Carmel or the Tahoe area. Tahoe in May is absolutely beautiful. My wife and I have considered it almost as beautiful as the Swiss Alps at times (her parents live there, so we visit twice a year, winter and summer). France is an excellent suggestion, as well, but apparently not novel for your fiancee.
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And "nj," don't forget to add to your list the MAGNIFICENT SCENERY!!!
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