Trying to plan the Ultimate Honeymoon - HELP!
 

My fiancee and I are excited and very bewildered... there is so much to experience - where should we start???? Helpful hints would include 2 vs. 3 islands, which coasts, any favorite restaurants... <BR> <BR>Thanks very much in advance! <BR> <BR>matt

Could you give us some more information on what sort of things you enjoy? Mountains, hiking, beaches, historical sites, big cities, shopping, dancing? Do you want an active or relaxing honeymoon, is warm weather a requirement? What are your interests, and perhaps where you are from?

When my husband & I got married 17 years ago, we did something a bit different - we stayed home! (And did not tell anyone we were home) We decided together that we would be too tired & frazzled from the actual wedding, (plus we had to PAY for most of the wedding) so we only took a few days off from work. We did a "honeymoon" trip to Florida about 3 months later. IMHO (In my humble opinion), as well as thinking about the questions Christine posed, you also need to consider your budget. You don't want to start off your marriage in debt because of a honeymoon (that is what the wedding is for!) Of course, if a generous relative is giving you the trip of your dreams... take it!

Matt, The great thing about Hawaii is you can either fill your honeymoon with activities, or just relax. We recently went to Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island over two weeks for our honeymoon. We did a lot of activities so we stayed busy. If you want to relax, I'd suggest only two islands. Give us some more info on what you want to do, and we'll give you more suggestions! You'll have a great time no matter what you do!

Hi. I am also planning a honeymoon to Hawaii. I've heard that Kauai is the best honeymoon place, but we also want to experience some of the other islands. Does anyone know how if we stay on Kauai, do we get to another island and which one? thanks

I would do only two islands. Kauai was beautiful and quiet. Can drive from one side of the island to the other in less than an hour. My favorite spot is Poipu which is a lot sunnier than Princeville. Many others will say go to Princeville. I believe if you do a search on both areas you will get some useful info. <BR> <BR>The other island I would recommend is Maui. I like the Lahaina/K-pi area. <BR>There is more to do in Maui than Kauai. <BR>Yet, it is not too overwhelming. <BR>Make sure you do the drive to Hana. <BR>They used to have a tape you could buy that would narrate as you did the drive. <BR>Lahaina had several good restaurants overlooking the water, nice spot to watch the sunset. <BR> <BR>Jenny - There is no boat service between islands. Most people just fly. Aloha, Hawaiian, or there is a smaller airline which I can't remember the name of offhand. Many times if you add the flight onto your regular flights it is a little cheaper. Try it both ways - separate and together, it can change depending on when you are going and what kind of specials they are offering.

Congratulations! The best thing about a honeymoon is that you can do everything or nothing at all. If you are looking for alittle of both I suggest Greece. I got married two years ago and went for two weeks and it was relaxing but had so much to see that we both were happy. Went to Athens (2 days plenty), Mykonos (3 days with 1 day side trip to Delos), Santorini (2 days), Paros (2 days with a half day to Antiparos), and Rhodes (3 days). Only complaint was that we were packing and unpacking all the time, but ran into other honeymooners who complained about staying in one place too long. My thoughts on Hawaii - everyone goes there - and you probably will too at some point in your life. Make your honeymoon something that you probably would never have the time to do so you can look back at it fondly!!! Best of Luck!!!

Have you given any thought to Africa - mixing safari and beach: eg Tanzania + coast / Zanzibar. South Africa + Mozambique Islands (Benguerra). Zambia + Mauritius. Kenya + Seychelles. <BR> <BR>

Anna, great advice.. my husband and I went to South Africa AND Mauritius for our honeymoon this past June/July. We wanted to do something different and exciting, and I have always wanted to see the exotic island of Mauritius. South Africa was the exciting part. We went on a safari and got a chance to go down a real gold mine shaft. We drove through the Cradle of Mankind (beautiful!) and visited Sun City. Safari was my favorite part. We even visited some shanti towns, which made us appreciate what we have even more. Mauritius was the best. We stayed at the Hilton resort, and the service was impeccable! We opened the back door of our room and there was the beach! We had unlimited (free) snorkeling, waterskiing, glass bottom boating, paddleboating, kayaking, and sailing. We went on a deep sea fishing trip, and biked through the town. I wore sarongs the whole time, and we bought a few pashminas. Very neat. Try something DIFFERENT, you only get ONE honeymoon! Sure you can do 2nd and 3rd ones, but you know it's not the same. Live a little!

You do realize this post is almost 4 years old?

yea :) I did. But like me, I know some people will search keyword &quot;Mauritius&quot; or similar and come up with this post.

and another 5 months later...we are also going to South Africa and Mauritius and we couldn't be more excited. We just love the idea of a multi-faceted honeymoon: S.A. wine country, safari, beach-bummin' in Mauritius.

Has anyone recently visited Mauritius? I, too, pasted it into the Fodor's search engine (OLD posts!), but I'm curious re: travel from Germany in late April/early May. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!! (what to see/do, what to avoid, best hotel bets, etc.) Many thanks... Christine

Christine,
Try posting your question on the Africa/Middle East forum. Lots of people have been there (including myself) and I'm sure you'd get lots of replies.

Thanks, ms_katydid! Will do, :-) Christine