Need Honeymoon Ideas

[Commander Quan]

I need some help here guys. I got engaged a year ago and am getting married in September. Almost everything is done with the planning and has actually been very low stress. The only thing that we can’t decide is where to go on a honeymoon.

What we would like is a week or 10 day long vacation to relax and enjoy each other. Optional activates and tours are fine as long as there is ample amount of down time.

We both like the idea of an all inclusive resort, just for that fact that we don’t have to worry about money and expenses while we are there. However, Kathryn isn’t a fan of buffets and is pretty neutral about the beach. If we were to go, I would like to be able to venture off the property without having to worry about being robbed/kidnapped and all that other fun stuff.

We though about a wine tasting trip, but I think this would get to be a little redundant after a couple days.

I though about New York City, maybe see a couple shows go to some museums and go out to some great restaurants, since we both like to dine. I’ve only been to NYC once and that was on a tour trip in high school. I have no idea how to get around in a city like that, and again I’m worried about things being redundant.

We’ve ruled out a cruse.

Maybe Vegas, Neither one of us has been there, but it seams like a good mix of everything, restaurants, tours or Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon, we could see a show, and I guess it’s easy enough to get around. But I’m not anymore certain about this than any of the other ones.

Any Ideas?

 

[chainfire]

Do you both have passports, or are you going to have to travel within the US?

 

[Commander Quan]

we both have passports

 

[RBE17]

A friend of mine just got back from his honeymoon in Jamaica at Sandal's. He had nothing but nice things to say about the resort and the tours.

My wife and I went to Hawaii. We stopped in LV to eat at Emeril's Steakhouse and then flew to Hawaii. We spent time on Oahu, Kauai and Maui. There was plenty to do as far as excursions and tours. We rented cars on Kauai and Maui and did many things ourselves. Other than that we just chilled out on the beach, ate a lot of good food and spent two weeks in paradise.

 

[raisindot]

Don't know about you, but when me and the missus were getting hitched, after the stress of the planning and everything else, the last thing (she) wanted was a "vacation" honeymoon with lots of tours, museums, etc.

Most women are probably like this. After all, as a groom, all you're doing is showing up. Your fiance is doing all the work, fretting, worrying, and planning for the day that will be (at the moment in time) the biggest day of her life. No matter how happy you both are during the ceremony, there will be plenty of tension that will need to be released (that's what the honeymoon night is for!).

To follow this with a trip that could inspire tension--such as a trip to New York, with its crowds, noise, and unfriendly people--or depression--such as a trip to Vegas--might not start your life together on the right foot.


You should really ask her what she wants to do and take it from there. She may, at first, be nice and agree with your suggestions, but you should really work at her to get what she wants. If she doesn't mind sigtseeing, do that. But if you sense that she will really need to get away from it all, find a way to get away from it all, and make a choice that inspires romance and togetherness. You'll have your whole life to go to Vegas and New York. You have (hopefully) only one honeymoon.

Jeff in Boston

 

[blackfoot]

This may sound weird, but my wife and I went to Mammoth Caves, Kentucky. We rented a cabin for a week or two. It is perfect. We went out once or twice to go on cave tours. We had a fully supplied kitchen, so we brought some food and didn't even have to leave every day. There are lots of antique stores down there to peruse. [cough]razor shopping[/cough]. There is a mall in Bowling Green if I remember correctly. I believe there were a couple of wineries in the area also.

 

[TinFish]

My wife and I took a Vermont Bicycle Tour on our honeymoon. Beautiful that time of year! They offer hiking and cycling tours for all levels of cylclists, quaint bed & breakfast lodgings and plenty of things to do off the bike. If that isn't your thing, then Vegas does offer a lot of variety...and so does Reno in a smaller town with a less glitzy environment. Less than a 1 hour drive to beautiful Lake Tahoe, about 3 hours to San Francisco or the Sanoma wine country....Yeah.....Reno....and our economy can use the help, too!

 

[WhosYerBob]

For our honeymoon we went on a three week wilderness camping trip through Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho. Nothing planned in advance and completely spontaneous the entire time. It was the most wonderful time to calm down after the wedding and enjoy the company of one another. Highly recommended!

 

[The Nid Hog]

Resorts can be fine and lots of my friends had a good experience with places like Sandals. My wife and I shopped around and decided to go with an interesting looking, atmospheric hotel on St. Maarten that had a flexible plan--we could eat at the restaurants on the grounds if we wanted, or we could go out. I rented a Jeep too and we drove ourselves to wherever we wanted to go. It was quiet and unstructured. We went swimming or boating when we felt like it, but it wasn't like being at camp. I'm not a big beach resort guy, but it was also a nice break after a winter wedding. The timing worked out well too--there were no cruise ships in port the whole time we were there, so the pace was nice.

Something urban would be cool too. If you're going to somewhere like New York, you might want to look into renting an apartment. That way, you can go out when you want to and eat in when you want to. I would think that a honeymoon-length stay at a New York hotel, once everything is included, is going to cost you some serious bucks.

Las Vegas? I think that I'd pass on that for a honeymoon.

 

[DaveAri]

The Plaza New York City

 

[The Nid Hog]

What are the renovations like at the Plaza? The last time I was there, it looked like a bomb went off. I guess it's been a couple of years now so I'm sure that everything's finished.

 

[Obsessed]

For what it's worth, I'm not a fan of all-inclusive resorts because I like to have more flexibility.

You should consider Hawaii. It's beautiful, there is a lot to do and see, and you can certainly leave the property without worrying about your personal safety.

NYC would be great and unlikely to be redundant. I've lived in or near the City for years and still have not done all the things I want to.

 

[JECIII]

We did niagra falls.

We stayed on the american side at a bed and breakfast.

Walked in the parks.
You must eat at the red coach inn.

we did maid of the mist

jet boat ride up the rapids

visited the power vista

alot to do there.

Oh and we relaxed too.

 

[stobes21]

I've had good experiences in Mexico with the Palace Resort chain, and a truly fantastic experience at the Dreams location in Tulum Mexico (an hour or so south of Cancun). Tulum has a huge site of Mayan ruins that you can spend all day checking out, and there is a large ecological park that I didn't go to but I heard is very neat. Not much of a night life off the resort though unless you want to go all the way up to Cancun. With the current problems Mexico is having I wouldn't necessarily be looking there though. I would suggest looking at other Dreams locations.

I had a terrible experience on my own honeymoon at the Breezes resort in the Bahamas. It was run down, dirty, the staff was rude, and the food sucked. The wife and I actually cut our trip short just to leave early. However, we spent as much time as we could sightseeing in Nassau and really enjoyed that. There is a lot to see and do there, and the people in the city are very friendly. Perhaps another resort there would provide a better experience (I've heard wonderful things about the Atlantis resort, but it is pricey).

 

[Amer]

My wife and I went to Secrets Capri in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Unfortunately a Tropical Storm took out the first day and so we only had 3 days to spend there (We would have stayed longer, but we were closing on our house the day after we got back!).

It was awesome. The food was amazing as well as the setting. Being at an Adults Only resort was great. Also, this particular all inclusive wasn't that crowded, even though it was in the middle of July. I chalk this up to the fact it was slightly more expensive and Adults Only. However, it was still cheaper than staying along the southeast coast or Florida in the States.

There were many activities to do at the resort. Everyday they had volleyball and archery and other activities on the beach. They'd have mini Spanish lessons by the pool and a band would play every afternoon. We weren't looking to really leave the resort but we could have gone diving or fishing, taken a trip to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, or gone into town to shop. We spent most of our time reading by the pool and taking really long walks along the amazing coastline.

They had one buffet restaurant but everything else was sit down meals off of a menu. They had 4 or 5 restaurants in the place, each a different type. The food was delicious and every morning we had breakfast sitting about 20 feet from the water at the oceanside restaurant.

All and all, it was great and wonderful stress relief. No matter how smoothly things go there is always something that goes wrong or someone that fails to realize your wedding is not about them.

If you decide to go to a big city, I highly suggest spending the money to be able to stay someplace where you will be able to walk to everywhere you want to go and have some sort of transport to your hotel. Nothing is more stressful than having a hard time getting someplace, finding parking, etc. and you really don't need it on your honeymoon. We went to Chicago for our anniversary and it was great because we stayed a block off Michigan avenue and could walk or water taxi to wherever we wanted to go, and it wasn't really expensive. If you go to New York you can get passes for the tour shuttles that take you around and drop you off and then you can get on another one later. Anyway, now I'm just rambling. Hope I helped some.

 

[azmark]

Congratulations!

Atlantis is unbelievable. We did a week there for our wedding and we got out of there after everything was paid for just under $5k. I think it was 4 nights and airfare. This was during the busy part which was Valentines but i think the fall is the off season there.

 

[Miles]

Not a fan of resorts, so the Lady and I found a vacation rental on Kauai. A little private house complete with kitchen, laundry and all the amenities. Rented a jeep for hitting the off-road accessible hiking trails, and spent a good 10 days just lolling about in secluded happiness. The island is fun to explore, with many different and interesting things to see and do depending on what your idea of a good time is.

I'd recommend a vacation rental in Kauai to anyone looking to get away. Good luck!

 

[airplanedoc]

Ireland.

 

[chainfire]

We actually got married and honeymooned for a week in Vegas - there's tons to do both right on the strip and elsewhere. Each hotel is a different adventure - I highly recommend it as a fun time.

Otherwise, a high-end train ride in a scenic area (up the coast to Alaska) has always sounded like an interesting alternative to a cruise and can be all inclusive.

 

[synapticmisfires]

I agree that New York City has a lot of potential for fun and is not likely to be redundant, but I also agree with one of the above comments that it would maybe make for some unwanted stress. Maybe file that idea away for later and take one of the relaxing ideas thrown out there.

YM(and your future wife's mileage)MV, but it seems like the key is to avoid an overly tight schedule. Fun (out-of-the-room fun) should be available, but not compulsory. I think a road trip, one of those train tours suggested above, or maybe--if your lady friend is of the adventurous sort--a camping trip are all promising.