Need ideas for cheap honeymoon in August
 

Sorry fodorites, still learning how to work this forum thing. Here's a repost of my earlier post.

The fiancee and I have decided to take a smaller, cheap honeymoon and save up more money for a house. The wedding is in the beginning of August and classes start for me on the 17th, so it'd have to be sometime in there. We would ideally have a budget of $1000 and we're planning on doing 4 nights, 5 days somewhere. We'd like to stay at a cottage or b&b that allows us to relax, but is close enough to a city to allow for sight seeing and general adventure. If we're not close to a city, we'd love to be somewhere we could have outdoor adventures.

In terms of sights, we love art, parks, food, water, etc. We're pretty open to anything (no NASCAR though!) If you know of anyplace we could bring our dogs, that'd be great. Otherwise, I'm fine with leaving them home (don't tell him though!)

With our tiny budget, we'll probably have to stay around home, which is Kansas City, MO. Any ideas? We're desperate!

You could probably Vegas for under that easily. I remember when I got married that we went to Lake Tahoe (This was 10 years ago) and we got hotel for 4 nights plus airfare for a grand total of $223 for both of us

Update to original post: we HATE vegas. Went there in Feb and had a horrible time. It is cheap there, though. Good suggestion!

You could probably get a similar to deal in the NW and it never really gets too hot (I think) near Seattle

Well, if you want to take your dogs, my assumption is you need to be able to drive there. I don't really know Kansas City, but I planned a similar trip a month ago, and here's how I went about it. I wanted to get away for about 4-5 days, take our 2 dogs, and drive no more than 4.5 hours (with dogs, any more than that is kind of a pain). So, I played around with Mapquest a bit with cities I thought were there (wanted to go to Charleston, SC - ended up being too far), but I determined that for us, the Outer Banks could work (so now, I've made my first decision). Then, I did a search on "outer banks hotel pets". It turns out the Outer Banks has a really neat website. From the hotels that allowed pets, I picked one that was on the water, and looked okay (turned out to be a Ramada) and called them. We had a great time. Now, the Outer Banks had a ton of houses/condos for rent, as well - but my brain just wasn't working well enough to deal with realtors, so I didn't choose that route. Once you determine where (and I would go by how far a drive if you're taking the dogs), then it's easier for everyone to help you with details. Try that approach. It clariifes quickly what your options are - and it's probably easier for you to do the searches than it is for us - because you really know what's near you..... Good luck, and I think you can have a good time, for not that much money... :)

The outer banks look gorgeous. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to look into it!

Well - the Outer Banks worked for me, but I live near Washington, DC - it wouldn't work for you (and it would be very crowded and VERY expensive in August) - but I just wanted to tell you the logic I used.... Figure out what is convenient to Kansas City.....

Zimma -- take a look at my ideas in my first post. Then forget them, now that I know you're honeymooning in August. Unfortunately, and as I'm sure you're aware, August is NOT a comfortable place anywhere outside the north or the mountains. In addition, this time a traditional vacation time, so just about every place will be crowded -- a real killer for romance. Chicago, Saint Louis, and Memphis are OUT.

To avoid the August heat, you can either go north or to the mountains. On a budget from K.C., this would mean the central part of the U.S. For large cities, this means the Twin Cities of Minnesota OR the Rockies of Colorado. Both are within a (long) day's drive of K.C., both have a lot of "things" to do, both have parks and art. Denver would have more outdoor stuff.

Best wishes on whatever your choice!

I hope you meant "inexpensive" and not "cheap".

Paul, thanks for updates. Being in KS, we're used to the heat, but it would be nice to get away for awhile.

Myers, I read some where that the average american spends $23,000 on the wedding and honeymoon; I guess that's where I'm making my comparison from.

I did the same thing someone else did. I pulled up Kansas City on a map to see what was within driving distance. I know nine hours in a car isn't ideal (especially with pets), but if you could swing it, I think Boulder, Colorado, would make for a great honeymoon. It's a small, artsy town with lots of personality. I like using Frommers.com (sorry Fodors!) to find hotels, and there's one that's easy on the wallet but that allows pets ($10/day). It even includes a fenced 4,000-square-foot dog run. It's called Boulder Outlook Hotel. A standard king in August came out to roughly $100/night. As far as money goes, I think one of the challenges in being on a budget is finding things to do that don't cost money. My husband I just got back from Las Vegas, and everything we did there cost a decent amount of $$, so the key for you would be choosing a place that's not too "touristy" so you can avoid high prices, like Boulder. Plus, I can relate to being somewhat of a foodie, and the restaurants in Boulder are those great, local dives where you can get good food and service without blowing your whole budget. I hope this helps. Congratulations on getting married! I just got married in August, and it was an amazing day. You'll have a blast.

Just a quick addition to my post...
I found a nice website that could help you get a feel for the flavor of Boulder. Here's the link: http://www.boulderdowntown.com
Definitely lots of variety to keep you busy for a few days.

Great tip! I'll definitely have to look into that.

Sorry you guys live in BFE...Try the Land between the Lakes area in Kentucky. About 400 or so miles I am guessing. But you can find a cabin or cottage there & it is very 'outdoorsy'. Other than that - St. Louis ??!!

Check out Cedarburg, WI:http://www.cedarburg.org/
You could fly into Milwaukee or Chicago and rent a car. DH and I stayed there 2 nights in the 90's and really enjoyed our stay (we stayed at the Cedarburg Inn. A romantic spot for a getaway. You'd have to "crunch the numbers" to see if it falls into your budget.

tip for zimmaphobia

If mrlou had referred to me as 'the fiancee' he never would have made it to the step of making the mistake of calling me, 'the wife" which sadly has been know to turn into " the old lady"

I wish you great love and joy. Hopefully, the classes will teach you about the word 'the'

Did I hear you right? You want to bring your dogs on your honeymoon? Why is my question?

gyppielou, being called "the fiancee" or "the wife" (or, heaven forbid, "the old lady") would lead to divorce as fast as getting an iron for my birthday LOL! (P.S. we've been married 35 years)

I'm confused about what I should call him. That guy? The one I'm marrying? Future-Husband? I'll settle on DF (dear fiancee) as I'm assuming DH stands for Dear Husband (god I hope so, please don't make me look stupid Fodors). Thanks for all the help guys. I've now land between the lakes to look into! Ack! I'm starting to think Chicago will be too expensive, what with the daily parking rates and the fact that I will insist on staying in a nice hotel and getting at least one massage (if not one every day).

Travelattorney, DF wants to bring the dogs because we're very attached to them. When we go on vacation, we don't miss our home, but our dogs. The four of us make up our family right now. Of course, I know that bringing them will be a royal pain in the butt, but he wants to bring them and I'll at least consider it...

Zimm, how lovely and tolerant of you to even consider bringing the dogs. Your fiance is a lucky fellow!

Thought I would throw one more sugg. into the mix -- Eureka Springs. I know it's a little touristy, but there are cabins/cottages (where you would be comfortable w/ the dogs), beautiful scenery, and some cool, artsy shops ... It's not that far from KC, either.