Chris

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.

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!!!

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!

Lori

Chris,
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!
There are plenty of lovely hotels on Maui that would make fantastic honeymoon destinations.

Ruth

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!

We'll all be anxious to hear your decision. And I do wish you a fabulous honeymoon wherever you decide to go!

susan

check out Little Palm Island...they have a web site. The web site will say it all

Decent Tropical

From NYC, the Caribbean or FL is so much easier to get to and has so much to offer!

Some places in FL to consider are:

-the small islands off of the W/ Coast like Don Pedro, Anna Maria, Shell, Sanibel, Boca Grande, etc.

-Sarasota

-The Keys

The places I suggest considering in the Caribbean are:

Puerto Rico
Grenada
Dominica
Saba
Dominican Republic

Here's my (incomplete) list of url's:

Here's my (very incomplete) list of recommended url's:

General Travel:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com

http://www.fodors.com

http://www.frommers.com

http://www.travelthe.net

http://www.travelocity.com

http://www.previewtravel.com

http://www.travelscape.com

http://www.trip.com

http://www.lowestfare.com

http://www.1travel.com


Caribbean-General:

http://caribtravelnews.com/

http://www.caribislands.net/

http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/

http://www.where2stay.com

http://www.caribguide.com/

http://www.virtualvoyages.com/carib/carib.sht

http://www.geographia.com

http://www.cbsinc.net/carib.htm

http://www.caribbean-connexion.com/


Bahamas:

http://www.interknowledge.com/bahamas/

Vacation rentals:

http://www.waterviewproperties.com/p.../kamprent.html

http://www.vrbo.com/vrbo/267.htm

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/pages/doc01410.htm

http://www.smallhope.com/CH/



Barbados:

http://www.bajan.org/


British Virgin Islands:

http://proxy-mail.mailcity.lycos.com...elull/BVI.html (has several links to more mainstream sites)


Dominica:

http://www.delphis.dm/home.htm

http://www.ns.net/users/morriss/dominica.htm

Grenada:

http://www.grenada.org

Villas:

http://www.caribbean-connexion.com/villas/villa1.htm

http://www.caribbean-connexion.com/villas/villa4.htm

http://www.highlandvillas.com/

St. Vincent and Grenadines:

http://www.grenadines.net


Saba:

http://www.turq.com/saba/

Vacation Rentals:

http://www.turq.com/saba/saaclist.html#apts

Puerto Rico:

http://welcome.topuertorico.org

http://escape.topuertorico.com

http://www.gorp.com/gorp/location/pr/pr.htm

http://www.rinconpr.com/

Vacation Rentals:

http://www.ifb.com/culebra/index.htm

U.S. Virgin Islands:

http://www.ecani.com/vi/default.htm

http://www.usvi.net/

Hawaii:

http://www.sheraton-hawaii.com/sh-bin/live.asp

http://planet-hawaii.com/

http://www.theinsider.com/aloha/index.html

http://www.gohawaii.com




Florida:

http://www.usastar.com/i95/snowbird.htm (a gateway site with many links)

Vacation Rentals-Worldwide


http://www.vrbo.com

http://www.vacationspot.com

http://www.a1vacations.com

http://www.waterviewproperties.com

http://www.holidayrentals.co.uk/

http://focus-sales.com/windsor/p10-villas.shtml

http://vacationhomes.com/countries.cfm

http://www.unusualvillarentals.com/

http://www.worldwide-holiday.com/accwan.htm

Vacation Rentals-Caribbean

http://www.triple1.com/westind/westind.htm

http://www.caribinfo.com/directory/c...pertyrent.html

http://www.islandhideaways.com

http://www.lime-coconut.com/

http://www.villascaribe.com

Be aware that Puerto Rico is the cheapest and easiest Caribbean destination to reach from N. America and has a great deal to offer.

Let me know what happens!

Paul Rabe

Two things you could tell us that would assist us with your search:

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.

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!!

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!!

Cheryl Z.

How about Carmel/Big Sur/Monterrey Peninsula?

Decent Tropical

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.

Chris

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.

Any more ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!!

John

Hey, Chris,
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?
Or Sam Choy's? No contest.

Jen

Hi Chris!

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.

Hilary

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.

Hope you have a brilliant trip, whatever you choose.

Lorraine

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.
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.
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.
One downside to Hawaii - coming from NY, we're used to the best food and so some restaurants were a let down.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

Ruth

Lorraine,

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!!!

martha python

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.

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).

Michelle

Bermuda! The flight is very short from the east coast and the weather is perfect in late May.

kalena

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?

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!

Kaja

Hi,
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....
I'll be happy to give you more info if you are interested. (I'm norwegian)
The flight time from New York is about 6-7 hours.
My other suggestion is Beijing. It is a wonderful and interesting city to visit. It is defenetly my favourite travel destination.
Kaja

Sandy

MAUI, MAUI, MAUI

sandi

Chris,
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".