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]

I suggest you look into Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. Also there are some superb coastal resorts in Kerala, India- like the Neela resort at Kovalam or Surya Samudra resort. Hmm I just realised you''re going in July which is monsoon time in South India. How about Tahiti?

 

[atroop711]

How about the Four Seasons at NEVIS. My friend who's a travel agent LOVED it there. Said its so private there is no TV or phone.

She went to Bora Bora on her honeymoon and stayed in one of those huts over the water. Total seclusion if you want. She LOVED IT.

Barbados is an AMAZING island too. Haven't stayed there but we have cruised there. GORGEOUS place

My personal pick would be Maui or Kaui or the big island but you have been to the Islands

 

[whitby_2773]

ok Ms.Goggles - i've got you covered...

if you want the best of the best and you're willing to get to fiji - this is for you....

turtle island

conde nast describes this as 'hyper romantic' and this should lay to rest forever the question of whether fiji has enough to offer you in the scenic department.

turtle island is where the movie 'blue lagoon' was filmed - the quintessential island paradise. this is one of my ultimate romantic dream getaways.

and i know you said you'd been to st lucia - but - have you ever been to the Jade Mountain resort?

take a look at this. these rooms only have 3 walls; they're open to the great outdoors and an uber-view. it just doesn't get any more spectacular than this.

i know you wanted tropical paradise, but if i can suggest 2 other things which are out of the ordinary...

have you heard of 'glamping'? short for 'glamorous camping', i dont think there is ANYTHING more atmospheric and romantic than this; if you want a honeymoon with atmosphere, this is the one.

and finally, edinburgh. if i was getting married again, i'd have my honeymoon here. edinbirgh is my favorite city in all the world, and i think it would be an amzing place to get married. and the balmoral hotel is Luxury with a capital 'L'!

(if for some unknown reason turtle island doesnt suit as a fijian island, try vatulele - equally as luxurious!)

 

[Ms.Goggles]

I knew you all would have me covered!

klewis- A friend of mine suggested Aitutaki as well. It looks absolutely gorgeous! As for Tahiti, I thought for sure that's where I wanted us to go, but we can't get legally married there. Plus, it's crazy expensive! I was quoted $11,000 for one week on Moorea/Bora Bora not including food or airfare! It looks like one of the most gorgeous places on earth, but I really want somewhere a little more private. When I see the rows and rows of bungalows, some of the mystery and attraction wear off on me. I want to be in paradise with FI "alone!"

FI and I agreed we'll go to Bora Bora for an anniversary someday.

atroop711 - Nevis! I had completely forgotten! When we first got engaged and thought we were going to do a destination wedding, I saw a picture from the Four Seasons Nevis and was totally knocked out. It's on the list! Barbados is gorgeous - we did the coolest catamaran trip when we were there and swam with the sea turtles. I will definitely go back there someday. Haven't been to Kauai, but we are going to Maui in two weeks!

whitby_2773 - You are a girl after my own heart. Turtle Island is TOTALLY up my alley! I actually have a request in with them to have them send me their brochure and DVD. It does look hyper-romantic, doesn't it!? Private bures, gourmet meals, the beach, ahhhhhh. I have a feeling it will be out of our budget since Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears both stayed their for their honeymoon (hmmmm....and thinking about it, look how those relationships turned out!) Have you been to Fiji? I noticed you know about some of the resorts there! We looked at Vatulele as well! As of right now, here are the three resorts we're leaning towards (we'll choose two) Know anything about them?

www.royaldavui.com
www.likulikulagoon.com
www.taveunipalms.com


Jade Mountain as well as Ladera do look fantastic. I'm kind of weird when it comes to my travels. I have a laundry list of places I want to go so I try not to go to the same place twice too close together. We just stopped in St. Lucia on a cruise we took in April. I

loved

it though - mmmm, Pitons!

Oh my GOSH! Where did you ever hear of glamping! That's so cool! Now that's the way I'd like to camp!

 

[whitby_2773]

MsGoggles -

i''ve heard of Royal Davui, and it was all good stuff - but all three of those resorts look fabulous.

i wanted to ask, tho, do you have any thoughts on going to australia? when i read your original post, i wondered if you''d considered the Whitsunday Islands? from what i''ve seen, they''re as gorgeous as anything on earth. here''s a general link....


take a look here....

have a look particularly at Lizard Island, Bedarra Island and Orpheus Island (look under the title ''Great Barrier Island Resorts'')

there''s some gorgeous things here and some are considerably cheaper than resorts like bora bora or tahiti.

my husband and i used to go to these islands every second year and they were never anything less than stunning. something gorgeous to consider....

 

[Blackpaw]

Oooh yes Lizard or Bedarra islands would be lovely!!

Or hayman is beautiful too. And from there you could go to heart reef!!

http://www.hayman.com.au/

 

[innerkitten]

I traveled a lot in my 20s but mostly as a backpacker and I''m sure you don''t want to spend you''re local honeymoon at a youth hostel lol! But I just wanted to say that I think Italy would be an amazing place to get married and I know you can do destination type weddings there.

 

[innerkitten]

You know Bali has all the things you''ve mentioned. It''s such a dreamy place. But I''m not sure what the situation is like there as far as marriages go.

 

[MsP]

I second the coastal India suggestion.



One thing to consider is the amount(proportion) of money spent on travel (ie flights, ferries, etc) when you''re considering some of these smaller obscure islands. You said you would be completely content laying low and enjoying the luxuries and beauty just around the resort/compound/etc. I think you might be happier going to a more common location(ie cheaper air fares) and then putting the rest on super exclusive and luxurious accommodations and services.

I mean if what you want is a private location, beautiful beaches, a private chef, butler, a nice pool, etc... you would be surprised what you can find at pretty "normal" locations.

What about chartering a yacht in the Caribbean?

 

[vespergirl]

Hey there, I just wanted to chime in that I had a destination wedding in Bermuda in 2006, but if you are worried about having your marriage recognized in the US, you should really limit yourself to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

In 2006, the Social Security Administration changed its rules about recognizing marriages that took place outside the US or US territories. Even though the wedding may be legally recognized (and mine eventually was), now the SSA reviews EVERY WEDDING on a case by case basis to check for fraud. So, even though both my husband & I were US citizens who did all the appropriate paperwork to make it a legal marriage, in took over 6 MONTHS to be able to legally change my name and get a new social security card. Even though I had all the necessary paperwork with me from Bermuda, I was told that the Office of Homeland Security had changed all of their previous rules, and now any marriages outside of US territories were reviewed by immigration lawyers on a case by case basis before a new SS card would be issued with my new last name. I remember sitting in the SS office with two other women who had just gotten married in the Caribbean who were going through the same rigamarole - if I had known that they had just changed the rules, we would have gotten married somewhere else.

I had a friend who was planning a destination wedding at the time, and they were looking at Bermuda as well, but decided to get married in St. John, USVI instead, and they didn''t have any issues with name change, legality, etc. when they returned to the US.

 

[klewis]

Date: 7/5/2009 12:16:54 AM
Author: vespergirl
Hey there, I just wanted to chime in that I had a destination wedding in Bermuda in 2006, but if you are worried about having your marriage recognized in the US, you should really limit yourself to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

That limits your choices a bit. Couldn''t you get married in the courthouse to get the legal recognition as soon as you get home? That would mean each year you would have two anniversaries to celebrate! Imagine all the anniversary gifts.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 7/5/2009 12:33:55 AM
Author: klewis

Date: 7/5/2009 12:16:54 AM
Author: vespergirl
Hey there, I just wanted to chime in that I had a destination wedding in Bermuda in 2006, but if you are worried about having your marriage recognized in the US, you should really limit yourself to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

That limits your choices a bit. Couldn''t you get married in the courthouse to get the legal recognition as soon as you get home? That would mean each year you would have two anniversaries to celebrate! Imagine all the anniversary gifts.

You know, that''s a good idea, and that''s what the people at the SS office suggested we do - just get married again in the states. But I didn''t want to have to do that since we already had a legal wedding that the US had to recognize, and the jerks that were working there brought out my stubborn streak

Still, though, it''s a good option for anyone who doesn''t mind having a different "legal" wedding date.

 

[Ms.Goggles]

Hi, whitby! You know, we hadn''t really talked about Australia, though it seems a shame if we were to go all the way out to Fiji! The Whitsundays look fantastic! You''re so lucky to have had the opportunity to visit them! I wonder how the prices would compare with Fiji. I really like that the three resorts we''re considering all include food in the price - no surprises once we get there! It''s also considerably less expensive than Tahiti, which is a good thing, but we think it will still be quite beautiful. Hayman looks quite nice as well, Blackpaw. My only "knock" against it would be that they allow children. Don''t get me wrong, I love kids, but I love my summer breaks too. Heart reef looks so cool! We love to snorkel and I''d really like to leave to dive; FI is a little scared and not a great swimmer.

innerkitten- Bali was on the list for consideration for a while. I think the legalities were more complicated and we would feel more of a need to get up and go in Bali. We definitely want to go somewhere where the biggest decision of the day is mimosas on the balcony or mimosas on the beach! It''s on my list for the future for sure though!

Interesting point, Miss Prudential. We have a friend who chartered a yacht in the BVIs and had a phenomenal time. I get kinda seasick.

Vespergirl - Wow...thank you! This is huge. Where can I read more about this? It sounds like a pain and a half! I''d really like to look into it more before we make a decision, no matter what. I''m sure you''re glad for that whole fiasco to be over!

 

[Blackpaw]

OOhhh Ms Goggles you should definitely learn to dive, its the greatest thing

and dont worry about the swimming, neither my SO or I are good swimmers and it makes no difference when you''re UNDER the water

 

[Ms.Goggles]

Date: 7/7/2009 12:10:17 AM
Author: Blackpaw
OOhhh Ms Goggles you should definitely learn to dive, its the greatest thing

and dont worry about the swimming, neither my SO or I are good swimmers and it makes no difference when you''re UNDER the water

This is what I keep telling him! Believe me, this is not a finished conversation...I''m still workin'' on him!