XP: Extensive Travelers, Come In Please!

[Ms.Goggles]

My fiance and I have decided to have a weddingmoon (elope and honeymoon) next July and I need some help deciding on some locations to consider. I know many of you have traveled a LOT and have stayed at some pretty amazing hotels, so I would love it if you could share your gems with us!

Here''s what''s important to us:

* Getting married there has to be legally recognized in the US. We don''t want to get married in a courthouse before we go.
* Beautiful scenery - we''d prefer tropical (think swaying palms, gorgeous sunsets, crystal clear water), but open to other ideas
* Resort that''s very private and quiet - preferably one that doesn''t allow kids (I''m a teacher, so my vacations are a break) & the fewer the guests at the hotel, the better!
* The more amenities the hotel offers the better - I''m imagining the kind of place where you don''t have to/want to leave your room. Love outdoor showers, plunge pools, romantic romantic romantic.
* We are content to be pretty lazy on our vacations, but wouldn''t mind partaking in the occasional activity (hiking, snorkeling, exploring, horseback riding, adventure-type activities)
* Somewhere we haven''t been before - this knocks out Hawaii, Mexico and much of the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. John).

We have about 10-14 days and a good budget to play with! Our top contender right now is Fiji, but it seems that they may or may not have us covered in the spectacular scenery department so I want to cover all my bases and check out other good ideas.

I''ve been looking at all the travel eye-candy threads

, so I''m confident someone will have a good lead!

Thank you!

 

[klewis]

Have you thought about the Cook Islands in the Pacific. Aitutaki is idyllic, very much like Tahiti - blue lagoonish. Kerala in South India has some lovely resorts, like the Neela at Kovalam and the beautiful Surya Samudra. These are ocean beaches so not the lagoon experience.

 

[Jas12]

Funny, i was going to say Cook islands as well!!!

I stayed on the main island Rarotonga and it was very beautiful, extremely private (these islands are teeny tiny) and we had fun taking scooters around the island and having picnics on totally empty beaches!. We didn''t stay in deluxe hotel so i can''t help there, but it is worth looking into.

My other suggestion is the Maldives. I am not sure about the marriage licenses but i know it is an absolutely stunning location (friends travelled there) and i think the Hilton in the maldives have been rated the # 1 hotel in the world several times by some sources. If you have the cash to splurge i think this hotel would make the ultimate honeymoon!!!!

HILTON

 

[October2008bride]

I also am not sure about the wedding license, but we honeymooned in Bali and it was outstanding - I STILL think about it almost daily and it has been 9 months!

We saw a couple get married at one of the hotels we stayed at and it was stunning.

http://www.alilahotels.com/ubud

That is where we stayed! Heaven.

If you were thinking Fiji and didn''t want to spend quite that much, I''d recommend Bali 100%. Pricey to get there, but once you are there everything is reasonable. Even if you splurge on where you stay, food is cheap and the people and scenery are out of this world.

 

[Ms.Goggles]

Ohhh, I love the sound of Maldives or Bali - I am positive Maldives will be too expensive and I have a feeling Bali may not be legal. I''ve checked into Cook Islands and it''s pretty similar overall to Fiji - I have a friend who went to Aitutaki and raves about it! I am getting so anxious- I just want to have our wedding on the calendar! We have been engaged for 7 months already!

 

[freefly]

I''ve been to Bali and the Cook Islands, both are extremely beautiful, but the last time I went to the Cook Islands, (about 10 years ago, there weren''t any really high end resorts, just nice ones which weren''t super luxurious). Bali would have better amenities if you don''t want to leave your room, the Four Seasons there has been a top rated hotel in Conde Nast Traveler many times. New Zealand was extremely beautiful as well. Or you can stay right here in the states and go to one of the more secluded islands like Kauai in Hawaii. That''s where I would want my wedding....

I''ll be going to Thailand in a couple of months, I hear it''s beautiful there as well. I don''t know about the legality of US marriages in any of these locations, except Hawaii of course, but they are all beautiful. What about Seychelles? A friend of mine went there and it was incredible? Good luck with your plans!