Honeymoon Destinations?
This is perhaps the most obnoxious humble brag ever (go ahead, you can give me a virtual smack; I deserve it) but PIC and I are having a hard time finding a honeymoon destination because we’ve both already been to too many places. More importantly, we’re both already been too many places with other people.
Spain, for example, is completely off the list for this reason.
Ditto most of Europe.
And while I’m well aware that there are entire continents I have yet to explore (Asia, Africa, and South America to name just a few…) they’re not the sort of continents I want to go to on my honeymoon. I intend to drink lots of mai tais, have lots of sex, and take lots of long, luxurious bubble baths. And if I’m just a stone’s throw from let’s say the Great Wall of China for example, I’m going to feel guilty doing all of those things. I’m going to feel like I should be going on tours and taking notes and doing research—I’m going to feel like I should be working.
The obvious solution would be to just go to an all-inclusive somewhere in the Caribbean like a normal couple, but I want no part of “normal” in this case (or in any case, really, even if it means biting off my own nose to spite my face). Plus I’ve already been to most of the islands in the Caribbean, and I can’t stand spending more than a few days at the beach.
So… once again I turn to you all for help.
Suggestions? We intend to go for 2 weeks at the end of the spring and would like to spend less than $5,000 (including air fare). Considerably less if I have anything to say about it… and before any of you suggests Cuba, PIC is (sadly) not into this idea.
Somewhere in Europe or Asia would be great (a few but not too many museum and historical sites; a few but not too many beaches) and I am especially into the idea of any place that has one of those over-the-water-private-bungalow thingies.
And hot tubs.
And swim up bars. Even though I know from experience that these aren’t all they’re cracked up to be because they leave your torso exposed to the cold air.
Anyway, suggestions?
(Keep in mind that sounding cool is almost as important as actually being cool in my book.)
Kat Echevarría Richter 
31 Responses to “Honeymoon Destinations?”
I was going to recommend Fiji. It has the bungalow over the water, is very private, no museums “near by” and is very private (did I say that before?).
Yeah, Fiji or Tahiti would be really cool I think– bungalow city!! But I do want like the option of ONE museum (or something other than sitting around)… plus unless we find a flight-inclusive deal on Groupon, I’m not sure we’ll be able to afford the airfare. Thanks for the suggestion though, we’ll keep it on the list.
It’s not Europe or Asia, but I highly recommend Buenos Aires. It’s a lovely city, tons to do (or not do – they’ve also got some really great hotels ;), plus you can tango on your honeymoon!
It’s definitely on my bucket list (the colonial architecture looks stunning) but I wouldn’t want to go until we both KNEW how to tango. Going there to learn for the first time would seem like a waste to me 😦 I did a bit in college but I was never great at it and haven’t tried in years. PIC, as far as I know, hasn’t ever danced tango and the thought of trying to fit lessons in sometime between now and the wedding is giving me a headache! Probably because I’m just hoping we’ll be able to do a passable salsa or waltz by then…
I gotta tell you, we had our honeymoon in Costa Rica and I would hands-down recommend it to anybody. We had a blast and didn’t spend a ton of money. No matter where you choose, I hope it’s amazing and a trip you’ll treasure forever.
Yes, I’ve always heard good things about Costa Rica 🙂 I just can’t quite give up on the idea of going to Europe (or the idea of going someplace tropical… hence my ridiculous conundrum).
I’m confused by your qualifiers. You said Asia wasn’t a the sort of continent you wanted to go on your honeymoon, but then said it was… obviously that’s where you’ll predominantly find the mai tais and over-the-water huts and such. Though mai tais are made with Curaçao liquor, so maybe you should go to Curaçao if you haven’t been? I’m concerned about being able to do Asia for two weeks (including airfare) in semi-luxury accommodations for less than 5k, but you seem pretty thrifty. You didn’t mention Central America… what about Belize or Mexico? Mexico has a bad rap but a pretty popular travel blogger I work for is choosing to spend her birthday there. (She’s nomadic and can go anywhere she wants, but she picked Mexico.) Also… have you been to Hawaii? It doesn’t sound super exciting since it’s part of the U.S., but I am absolutely in love with Hawaii, and I’ve only been to two of the islands so far. Justin and I honeymooned in St. Lucia and actually ate dinner at a hotel that happens to be on MyScienceAcademy.org’s list of top 20 hotels to see before you die. 😉
Confused by my qualifiers? Haha- that makes 2 of us 🙂 More later…
Ok, back again finally: firstly, thank you for your suggestions. There are few people I would trust more than you in this department 🙂 Secondly, I meant mai-tais in the sense that I say “I’m going to Starbucks for coffee” when really I mean, “I’m going to a generic coffee shop for a decidedly-non-coffee beverage because my system can’t actually handle coffee.” So it’s not so much the mai tais per se, but rather the IDEA of cute, girly colored drinks with little umbrellas in them. The only way to do 2 weeks in Asia would be to do an air inclusive tour, and although I’m loathe to do tours in general, there are some great deals on Groupon and I’m not terribly confident in my ability to do Asia WITHOUT a tour at this point in time (unless of course I spend the next 6 months researching, which I COULD do but don’t really want to do). I have been hearing Hawaii from several folks now though, so we’ll see.
Have you been to Prague? (Czech republic) Krakow? (Poland) Both are beautiful cities. Even I might humbly recommend my homecountry; there are a lot of spas in the mountains (just spent my honeymoon in Trencianske Teplice) and the autumn here is just gorgeous in the forest. Also, it is rather cheap. (All three of them.)
Anyhow, even if you prefer something more fancy for the honeymoon itself, I definitely recommend travelling eastern Europe if you haven´t because it is absolutely charming (and I only found out about it when my husband and foreign friends covinced me), cheap and still more welcoming and adventurous than the western Europe. And the culture is different, too.
I am quite curious where will you end up going 😉
Hmmm… Prague yes, but Krakow no (have been to Warsaw though, and spent a few days touring some small villages in the mountains but I don’t remember the names). I’m ashamed to admit I had to look up where Trencianske Teplice is… (like I said: worst travel writer in the world here) but the pictures do look lovely. My future sister-in-law’s family is from Eastern Europe- I can’t remember where exactly but it might be Slovakia; she and her hubby did an anniversary trip this past summer and their pictures looked great. I did like Prague a lot and Croatia too. Definite food for thought!
Hahaha well I wouldn´t expect you to know where Trencianske Teplice is, it´s a really small village with a weird name in a country most of people don´t know exists 😀 Before the war, Kiev also was said to be a beautiful place…now, I´m not so sure how it goes over there.
Tahiti (Polynesia) won’t be cheap, but you can find the over-the-water bungalows and endless pools with underwater barstools. For our honeymoon we went to Dominica in the Caribbean, next door to Martinique. It was atypical, with rainforest, waterfalls, and hot springs. Other islands boasted endless beaches; this one was known for rivers. Or go to Hawaii, to an island you haven’t been to yet. If it’s in the summer, consider renting a cottage in the Canadian Rockies (oh, the wildlife!), or a treehouse in the Pacific Northwest. If you want a city, I recommend Vancouver, which has beaches too. I am delighted that you want to find a place that intrigues both of you! I can’t wait to hear what you world travelers choose!
Thanks for the suggestions, Laurie! You are (like I said to Katie) one of the few people I would really trust in this department. We’re looking at early June due to my teaching schedule.
Come to Alaska! Not only do we have rich culture and museums and beaches but we have glaciers and wildlife. If you come to Juneau or any part of Southeast AK you’re guaranteed a rainy day or two to spend in doors 😉
Haha! Sadly I’m not sure that Alaska would be conducive to my honeymoon wardrobe (which I’ve been amassing over the past few months, slowly but surely…) It’s definitely on the bucket list though!
We had a similar conundrum, even though we weren’t as well traveled as you are. We knew we didn’t want a total beach area, and wanted some historic sites, as we also were lucky enough to have an 11 day honeymoon. At that time (30 plus years ago) the Yucatan peninsula was perfect, alas Cancun has become yet another Americanized tourist destination, I do hope you find the perfect blend. I have heard great things about Costa Rica too, and we do know people who could give you native advice 😉
Yeah, I wish Cancun was like it was back then 😦 It’s just hard having so many choices! (As if this is the last time I will ever go anywhere…)
What about Cyprus? I’d recommend the southern part. Beautiful beaches, friendly people, good food, Europe – and, if not museums, always a few interesting ruins around, if you like history. Also, it’s not like Turkey where you absolutely HAVE to see the ruins, they’re not that spectacular, and there’s a few cute museums, wine tours (great wine), or even go hiking if you’re tired of the beaches, there’s gorges and mountains and waterfalls. Plus, the island pretty small, so plenty to see, plenty to relax. There are tourists, but if you go in spring, it’ll be pre-season, so most of them won’t be there, and you’ll have most of the island to yourselves.
This sounds promising. I had classmate from Cyprus in grad school and she was very nice (so clearly everyone else there is too, right??) I like Turkey so I’d probably like Cyprus. I’m not sure if early June counts as pre-season though? 😦
We were there from the beginning of May to the beginning of June, and that’s just about when things slowly start to pick up. July and August I think are the busiest months. Southern Cyprus has definitely more tourists, but also better infrastructure. Northern Cyprus seemed a little dead to me, but if you are looking for a few days completely off the beaten path, with gorgeous beeches that you’ll have almost to yourself, I recommend the Karpas peninsula in the northern part!
Awesome– thanks so much! Good to know 🙂
I know most of europe is out, but Ireland. Has beaches (probably too cold to swim), has lots of history but in a charming ‘honey, let’s go wander through a castle and then go back to the castle-turned-hotel we’re staying in and have sex’ kind of way. I’m not so sure about the mai tais, but you’ll definitely be able to get whiskey. And really good dairy products
Haha, yes– me and Ireland have a long history. As in I purposely never went there because I wanted to go on my honeymoon (and lose my virginity in an Irish castle… my high school BFF and I actually made a pact about this- LOL!) I grew up thinking Riverdance was just about the coolest thing on the planet and made another pact with my college roommate that we would both go when we turned 30 if we were still unmarried (I subsequently broke that pact as well). I’ve been eyeing some Groupon tours though…
My husband and I had a similar conundrum since we love to travel and explore when we travel, but we wanted a honeymoon where we could truly relax. We ended up finding a great deal on TravelZoo for the Four Seasons near Puerto Vallarta at the end of May. The end of May is the start of Mexico’s slow season, so prices to fly down there are really low and room rates are amazing. Case in point, we stayed at the Four Seasons resort for the price of a regular hotel and we think there were more hotel staff than there were hotel guests while we were there. I know Mexico is kind of “boring” but we were able to do nothing and we were able to relax after all of the craziness of the wedding while enjoying the beach and beautiful weather.
The Four Seasons/Punta Mita (where it is located) is nowhere near the main part of Puerto Vallarta but we just took a taxi into town and spent an evening wandering the city and boardwalk. I’ve also had people rave about going to visit Sayulita for a day or two, which is just up the road from Punta Mita.
The Four Seasons resort is not all-inclusive, but the quality of the food and drink is outstanding and worth not paying for mass-produced nastiness! And their margaritas are delicious and made with fresh lime juice and quality tequila– after only 2 of them, my 180-pound husband was wasted! The fresh seafood was mind-blowing and we went to one of the restaurants twice just to get one of their fresh sushi rolls again.
If you do decide to go there, ask for their nicer suites– it had a private balcony with hammocks and a small private pool for those times we were even too lazy to walk down to the beach! And yes, they have swim-up bars in the public pools!
The resort is not enough for a 2-week honeymoon, so you may be wanting longer, but we did 5 days and that was the perfect amount of time to feel relaxed but then ready to go home and get back to real, married life!
No matter where you choose, I wouldn’t underestimate the need to sleep in and do nothing all day but lounge around and lay in the sun/bed 😉 The stress of the wedding will do more to you than you can even fathom! (Sorry for the long post – there was just so much to say and suggest!) (This totally sounds like a paid pitch for the resort, but I promise it’s not– it was just that great that I want to tell everyone about it :-))
Indeed! When I first started reading I thought “this is a robot” but then I kept reading it really does sound great 🙂 I haven’t looked on TravelZoo yet, so thanks for the tip! Will check it out. And those margaritas do sound yummy. Not to mention the private pool!
That’s an exciting conundrum. Just think, wherever you go, you’ll be together– and experiencing it the very first time as husband and wife. So I think you’ll be fine with whatever you choose. Sorry I cannot help much in the way of spots to choose from. I am not very well-traveled (though I’ve been out of the country a few times). My perfect honeymoon destination, in my mind though, is the Caribbean– but ultimately wherever my hubby is– in our first day of matrimony (insert hearts emoji).
Yay! I can’t wait to hear how your counseling is going– we need to do drinks soon! PIC and I haven’t really traveled internationally yet, except when we went to St. Maarten with his parents but that was a family thing so obviously the dynamic was different. You’re right though: ultimately it’s about the people (or the person, in this case), not the destination per se.
taiwan
My husband and I just spent six weeks for our honeymoon in Costa Rica and Panama. We had planned to travel more but Costa Rica ended up being so incredible! There is so much to do and so many good beaches. I (unfortunately) gained about five pounds just from girly, tropical drinks ;). We also spent the last year living in Prague which is SO romantic but definitely not tropical. There are islands in Croatia (Korcula, for one) that would be perfect: full of small walled towns to explore, but tons of beaches and perfect clear water. It’s also not so expensive! At least compared to much of Europe.
Croatia (a tiny place like Zivigosce Blato maybe?) OR Ubud, up in the mountains in Bali, Indonesia (so cheap)