Honeymoon?

[SarahLovesJS]

Are you staying in the US (not necessarily continental) or not? We are trying to decide if we should try to go somewhere like Hawaii when it could cost just as much as going to a different country (or countries if you get a good deal). FI and I have both never been to Hawaii, but we also have both never been to Europe. Any advice?

I think we want to keep the budget under about $6,000.

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Sarah,

I''ve posted about this before but if you don''t know, we decided to change our honeymoon plans. I voted "outside US," although we''re staying relatively close to home. We were planning to go to Portugal but the more I looked online at air fares, the more depressed I got. It would have cost us about $1,200 per person just to fly to Portugal. That''s before we rented a car or did anything. We knew the trip would be more expensive than if we went somewhere closer but we really wanted to go. In the end though, we decided to save some money and drive to QC instead (about a 5-6 hour drive). We''re trying to save money overall, and this new honeymoon destination is making that possible. We ultimately chose QC after considering places in the US and other parts of Canada because we spent our first New Year''s Eve there together. It was our first mini vacation. We were only in QC for 2 days but we knew we wanted to return when the weather was warmer.

Have you considered Canada? Where in Europe are you considering?

I can''t give you any recommendations for Hawaii as I''ve never been. My first thought was that it would be tough to stick to a budget of $6,000 if you chose Hawaii but I''m really not sure. It is a place I''d LOVE to go to someday.

 

[CrookedRock]

I voted for outside the US bc, well, that''s what I would prefer to do.... BUT with the dollar being so weak it would make it really tough to go to Europe for any amount of time right now. Just something to consider...

 

[Loves Vintage]

Sarah,

When are you getting married? Where in Europe would you like to travel? I think 6k is totally doable. We are going to Croatia in June, and I''m looking to keep some of our accommodations around the $60 mark. I LOVE to stay in apartments in Europe. It is so much more cost efficient, and so much nicer I think, to stay in a larger space, have access to a kitchen or kitchenette (i.e., not all meals are purchased at restaurants).

A few years ago, I stayed here in Krakow. I think it was $40 per night. We even negotiated with the guy!! This place was gorgeous, plus we were in the middle of the city. It was very lovely.

http://www.krakow-apartments.com/Krakow-flats/apartment-info/30-Art

When we went to the mountains, there are houses to stop at along the way where you can rent a room. We stayed in a beautiful home with a private bath for $16 per night!! Would I want to spend my entire honeymoon that way -- no. Would I stay there for one or two nights to offset the cost of a pricier hotel elsewhere -- probably.

Also, for most cities, a rental car will not be needed and will hinder you because you will need to locate and pay for parking. When we go to Croatia, we are going to rent a car for the first half of our trip, and then spend the rest of it in two locations that will not require a car. We can then fly back to our departing airport for $50!

Fodors.com is a great place to research travel. Join their travel forum, do a little research first, and then ask people for recommendations on your itinerary or specific destinations.

Happy Planning!

 

[Octavia]

Sarah, are you on the East Coast? And how long are you planning on taking for a honeymoon? I ask because my FI and I have been to Maui before and we loved it, we''ll probably be going back for our honeymoon. So I do think it''s a wonderful place to go, and I''m all for keeping dollars in our domestic economy when possible.

However, we wouldn''t do our vacation the same way again. We had only a week, which is absolutely too little if you''re coming from the East Coast. It took about 14 hours to get there, including layovers, so you have to budget an entire day on either end for travel. And it''s a helluva long trip for 5 days.

Also, I think that we spent nearly what your budget is, and we didn''t stay in a particularly nice hotel. It was okay, but I''d be severely disappointed if it was the digs for my honeymoon and not just an impromptu vacation.

So, I guess that what I''m saying is that, while Hawaii is awesome, the travel time to get there (unless you''re on the West Coast) makes a 10+ day trip almost necessary, and I''m not sure $6K will stretch that far. You might be more intrepid than I am and not mind a shorter trip, but I just wanted to put that out there...I really hope it was helpful and not discouraging!

 

[Daydreamer7130]

Hello,

If you want to go to Hawaii, why not do some research into some bed and breakfasts on different islands. In addition, this also may sound a bit different depending on your tastes but the National parks also offer accomodations and are very inexpensive when compared to the pricey hotels downtown Waikiki. Also, the attractions of hiking trails and botanical garden jaunts are within walking distance. You can get around the entire island of Oahu for about a 1.50.

Do some research according to your tastes and you may find that with some creative thinking, it may be within your budget.

Good luck!

Cyn

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Zoe ~ We were thinking about maybe Italy?

CrookedRock ~ Good point about the $$

Loves Vintage ~ Croatia looks really pretty from the photos I''ve seen! Wow you have some serious insider-tips, haha! I didn''t know you could rent apts. How''s the food?

Octavia ~ Yep, we are on the East Coast. We were thinking we would probably go for no more than a week because I don''t know how FI can get off from work any longer. Hmm...I hadn''t really thought about the travel time, but it makes a lot of sense. Lots of planes. In the continental US we were looking at San Diego because we really like San Diego. We''ve also never been to San Francisco. Maybe we should look at CA? I mean I love the East Coast but I feel like we could go somewhere here anytime. Although I have never been to FL actually. Haha wow I am getting confusing!

Daydreamer7130 ~ Ohh B&Bs are a great idea! Thank you!

 

[Octavia]

FI and I went to San Francisco recently and had an awesome time. We stayed in the city most of the time, but rented a car to drive up to the Sonoma Valley one day

Next time, I''d plan half the vacation in the city and half in a B&B up in the wine country so we could spend a little more time at various vineyards (and their tasting rooms

). After a week total, we still hadn''t done everything we wanted to do!

What sort of vision do you have for the honeymoon? Beach bum? Exploring a new place? Something else? If you decide what kinds of things you want to do, it might help you match up places that fit the criteria.

 

[applequeen]

Have you thought about Puerto Rico? My husband and I took a belated honeymoon there in October (yes I know it was hurricane season but we got a GREAT deal and the weather was beautiful). It would be a very easy trip from the East Coast (we live in VA). In our case we decided to take the trip very last minute (10 days before we left) and our options were limited because I had not updated my passport after changing my name. P.R. was a great option for us. We stayed a week and our TOTAL trip ended up costing $2,000... BUT that was during their off season.

If you're looking for an all inclusive option then it may not work for you since I don't believe there are any all inclusive resorts in PR but we did compare the price of a P.R. trip versus US Virgin Islands or Hawaii all inclusive options and decided that we could eat, drink ,and do all the activities we wanted in P.R. and still come out ahead (and we did). We stayed at the Intercontinental San Juan and really enjoyed it. Even though we were honeymooning 7 months after our wedding we were still treated like newleyweds (champagne basket in our room... free champagne with meals...it was very nice).

I booked through cheapcarribean.com which offers hurricane insurance... now granted I'm sure that the conditions under which the insurance would apply are very specific (all the stars have to align perfectly) but it was better than no insurance.

 

[pivotalrex]

Hi Sarah,
My fiance and I are going to Hawaii this May. We''re doing 4 days in Oahu, 6 in Maui. Staying at the Hyatt on both islands. We went to a travel agent since the prices were actually better than what I could find online. We are leaving out of Newark NJ. The trip including car rentals is under your budget of 6,000.

 

[MoonWater]

Date: 3/24/2008 8:45:38 AM
Author: Loves Vintage
Sarah,

When are you getting married? Where in Europe would you like to travel? I think 6k is totally doable. We are going to Croatia in June, and I''m looking to keep some of our accommodations around the $60 mark. I LOVE to stay in apartments in Europe. It is so much more cost efficient, and so much nicer I think, to stay in a larger space, have access to a kitchen or kitchenette (i.e., not all meals are purchased at restaurants).

A few years ago, I stayed here in Krakow. I think it was $40 per night. We even negotiated with the guy!! This place was gorgeous, plus we were in the middle of the city. It was very lovely.

http://www.krakow-apartments.com/Krakow-flats/apartment-info/30-Art

When we went to the mountains, there are houses to stop at along the way where you can rent a room. We stayed in a beautiful home with a private bath for $16 per night!! Would I want to spend my entire honeymoon that way -- no. Would I stay there for one or two nights to offset the cost of a pricier hotel elsewhere -- probably.

Also, for most cities, a rental car will not be needed and will hinder you because you will need to locate and pay for parking. When we go to Croatia, we are going to rent a car for the first half of our trip, and then spend the rest of it in two locations that will not require a car. We can then fly back to our departing airport for $50!

Fodors.com is a great place to research travel. Join their travel forum, do a little research first, and then ask people for recommendations on your itinerary or specific destinations.

Happy Planning!

Wow! Great information! I hope I can find apartments for Italy, Spain, and Germany.

 

[Octavia]

Date: 3/24/2008 4:39:20 PM
Author: pivotalrex
Hi Sarah,

My fiance and I are going to Hawaii this May. We''re doing 4 days in Oahu, 6 in Maui. Staying at the Hyatt on both islands. We went to a travel agent since the prices were actually better than what I could find online. We are leaving out of Newark NJ. The trip including car rentals is under your budget of 6,000.

Pivotalrex, that doesn''t include food or activities, does it? Food was where we got hit the hardest, money-wise, and we only ate at nice restaurants a couple times. Also, activities add up. Even if it''s only driving the road to Hana, gas is astronomical -- it was easily a $125+ trip in gas alone. I took one surfing lesson and it was $85. In total, I think we spent about as much on food and activities as we did on flights. If you''ve got some of this already built into your trip''s budget, you''re getting a fantastic deal!

 

[MoonWater]

Ok, so I immediately started looking for apartments. Of course I chose places like Italy and Spain so the prices weren''t nearly as cheap as what Loves Vintage found (and of course I''ve only been to one site so I need to compare). But I thought this link would be a good start for you Sarah: http://www.ownerdirect.com/

 

[chizzy1982]

Hey Sarah

just like to second the shout for Croatia - I went there a couple of years ago and it was amazing.

We hired a boat and sailed round the south islands which was just idyllic. The food was gorgeous - fresh fish caught that day.

Everyone was so friendly and almost thankful for peolpe returning to the country post war.

It was and still is incredibly cheap - currently the exchange rate is 1 croatian Kuna = 0.21 US dollar. LARGE beer was about 6 - 8 kuna 2 years ago, whole fish about 20 kuna etc, that kind of prices.

Have you thought about the Greek islands - also very beautiful, as is the non party side of Ibiza, Sardinia is fab but a little pricy

 

[pivotalrex]

Date: 3/24/2008 5:21:20 PM
Author: Octavia

Date: 3/24/2008 4:39:20 PM
Author: pivotalrex
Hi Sarah,

My fiance and I are going to Hawaii this May. We''re doing 4 days in Oahu, 6 in Maui. Staying at the Hyatt on both islands. We went to a travel agent since the prices were actually better than what I could find online. We are leaving out of Newark NJ. The trip including car rentals is under your budget of 6,000.

Pivotalrex, that doesn''t include food or activities, does it? Food was where we got hit the hardest, money-wise, and we only ate at nice restaurants a couple times. Also, activities add up. Even if it''s only driving the road to Hana, gas is astronomical -- it was easily a $125+ trip in gas alone. I took one surfing lesson and it was $85. In total, I think we spent about as much on food and activities as we did on flights. If you''ve got some of this already built into your trip''s budget, you''re getting a fantastic deal!

as far as food just bkfst is included. the activities we''re gonna do are actually cheaper to book on our own. I fully expect we''ll spend a good amt while we''re in Hawaii. was just trying to let Sarah know it could be done on her budget and still have about 1000 for spending.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 3/24/2008 3:43:57 PM
Author: Octavia
FI and I went to San Francisco recently and had an awesome time. We stayed in the city most of the time, but rented a car to drive up to the Sonoma Valley one day

Next time, I''d plan half the vacation in the city and half in a B&B up in the wine country so we could spend a little more time at various vineyards (and their tasting rooms

). After a week total, we still hadn''t done everything we wanted to do!


What sort of vision do you have for the honeymoon? Beach bum? Exploring a new place? Something else? If you decide what kinds of things you want to do, it might help you match up places that fit the criteria.

Thanks for all the recommendations everyone, I am not sure where to start! I haven''t really been a lot of places, so for the most part if you asked if I''ve been somewhere the answer is probably not. To answer your question Octavia, our vision is a combination of beach bum and exploring a new place. I''d also like some shopping/great restaurants if possible!

 

[lucy love]

Hi sarah!

If you''re seriously interested in coming to Hawaii for your honeymoon, let me know! It''s my home and I would love to find deals and tell you about the awesome places here. I live on oahu and haven''t traveled the other islands much, but would love to help you if possible.

 

[ahappygirl]

We went to Maui for 8 nights/ 9 days and even though we used frequent flyer miles for our airfare (ended up paying $100 total!), we stayed at totally romantic, private places for relatively cheap!!! and were therefore able to plan several fun activities, rent a car and eat out a lot! The key was the bed and breakfast places we stayed. The first up in the mountain overlooking the ocean, private romantic peaceful breathtaking - can''t say enough about it, and we did activities on that side of the island (drive to Hana, horsebackriding into the volcano (or bike riding down the outside, etc.) The second half we stayed a few blocks from the ocean in Lahaina - lots of shops, restaurants, Kanapali beach (UNBELIEVEABLE!!) went snorkeling, whale watching, kayaking, etc. If we had stayed longer we would have flown over and gone to Pearl Harbor/ etc for a couple of days. This is where we stayed:

www.mauimoonlightgarden.com (we stayed in Mahina cottage)

and www.gardengatebb.com (oceanview suite)

We found the places online and saved a ton of money vs. staying at a resort hotel.

 

[scm1012]

ahappygirl-- thank you so much for the info for the B&Bs in Maui. Was the first place, on the mountain and overlooking the ocean, in a more remote area?

I''ve only been to Honolulu and I loved it because not only was it beautiful but there was plenty of stuff to do. I guess I just like to be near stores. Were there plenty of those on Maui?

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 4/1/2008 5:56:29 AM
Author: lucy love
Hi sarah!


If you're seriously interested in coming to Hawaii for your honeymoon, let me know! It's my home and I would love to find deals and tell you about the awesome places here. I live on oahu and haven't traveled the other islands much, but would love to help you if possible.

Wow Lucy, thank you!! I really appreciate it.

Can you tell me how much flights usually cost? I am guessing around 2k each something like that. Just as much as flying to Japan! Lordy!

ETA: I mean flights from continental US to Hawaii.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 4/1/2008 11:34:09 AM
Author: scm1012
ahappygirl-- thank you so much for the info for the B&Bs in Maui. Was the first place, on the mountain and overlooking the ocean, in a more remote area?


I''ve only been to Honolulu and I loved it because not only was it beautiful but there was plenty of stuff to do. I guess I just like to be near stores. Were there plenty of those on Maui?

I have the same question.

 

[lucy love]

Date: 4/1/2008 11:45:22 AM
Author: SarahLovesJS

Date: 4/1/2008 5:56:29 AM

Author: lucy love

Hi sarah!



If you''re seriously interested in coming to Hawaii for your honeymoon, let me know! It''s my home and I would love to find deals and tell you about the awesome places here. I live on oahu and haven''t traveled the other islands much, but would love to help you if possible.

Wow Lucy, thank you!! I really appreciate it.

Can you tell me how much flights usually cost? I am guessing around 2k each something like that. Just as much as flying to Japan! Lordy!

ETA: I mean flights from continental US to Hawaii.

what city are you flying out of? i can do some research for you on flights.

 

[LegacyGirl]

I think I want to go to the Keys. It will still have that tropical feel but will be a lot cheaper.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 4/1/2008 4:27:25 PM
Author: lucy love

Date: 4/1/2008 11:45:22 AM

Author: SarahLovesJS

Date: 4/1/2008 5:56:29 AM


Author: lucy love


Hi sarah!




If you''re seriously interested in coming to Hawaii for your honeymoon, let me know! It''s my home and I would love to find deals and tell you about the awesome places here. I live on oahu and haven''t traveled the other islands much, but would love to help you if possible.

Wow Lucy, thank you!! I really appreciate it.

Can you tell me how much flights usually cost? I am guessing around 2k each something like that. Just as much as flying to Japan! Lordy!

ETA: I mean flights from continental US to Hawaii.

what city are you flying out of? i can do some research for you on flights.

Oh, thank you! Probably out of Dulles the airport code I think is IAD.

 

[Octavia]

Ooh, Lucy, I think that FI and I might go to Hawaii again on our (delayed) honeymoon. Probably around the holidays, 2009-2010. We''ll probably spend time on Maui again because he loves it, but I''d like to see another island or two while we''re there, and I''m completely open to suggestions! I''d love to hear your thoughts on where to go and what to do. Sarah, if I''m threadjacking just tell me to get my own thread...but it sounds like you might be interested too!

 

[lucy love]

sarah... i also forgot to ask when you guys are going on your honeymoon and for how many days??

octavia... if you want to check out another island other than maui, you should go to kauai. it''s beautiful there!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 4/1/2008 9:53:09 PM
Author: lucy love
sarah... i also forgot to ask when you guys are going on your honeymoon and for how many days??


octavia... if you want to check out another island other than maui, you should go to kauai. it''s beautiful there!

Date: 4/1/2008 9:53:09 PM
Author: lucy love
sarah... i also forgot to ask when you guys are going on your honeymoon and for how many days??


octavia... if you want to check out another island other than maui, you should go to kauai. it''s beautiful there!

Thank you again for being so helpful!!

It won''t be until at least summer of 2009, so we are really far out! I am just trying to think of things ahead of time so we can save money. I don''t see how it wold be any longer than 5-7 days. =D Thank you again for helping!

 

[sna77]

Date: 3/23/2008 11:57:47 PM
Author:SarahLovesJS
Are you staying in the US (not necessarily continental) or not? We are trying to decide if we should try to go somewhere like Hawaii when it could cost just as much as going to a different country (or countries if you get a good deal). FI and I have both never been to Hawaii, but we also have both never been to Europe. Any advice?

I think we want to keep the budget under about $6,000.

I voted for Europe... But--the exchange rate is a kille rright now... My Fi and I are planning 3 weeks in the South of France and the crummy dollar is ruining my plans! grrr

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 4/1/2008 11:07:47 PM
Author: sna77

Date: 3/23/2008 11:57:47 PM

Author:SarahLovesJS

Are you staying in the US (not necessarily continental) or not? We are trying to decide if we should try to go somewhere like Hawaii when it could cost just as much as going to a different country (or countries if you get a good deal). FI and I have both never been to Hawaii, but we also have both never been to Europe. Any advice?

I think we want to keep the budget under about $6,000.

I voted for Europe... But--the exchange rate is a kille rright now... My Fi and I are planning 3 weeks in the South of France and the crummy dollar is ruining my plans! grrr

Man I know!! I was looking at LaurenThePartier''s thread earlier about Italy and I fell in love with Italy, but oh my God the exchange rate kind of kills that for me!

Italy Thread

 

[miraclesrule]

Italy is totally doable on $6000, and in a really great way!! I have one thing to say about Europeon travel..."Rick Steves"

I planned, with the help of Rick Steves'' website and books, an entire Euro trip that included 3 countries and 7 destinations and we did it for less than 10K for the two of us. Granted it was 4 years ago, but if you only want to see Italy, you must also go to Cinque Terra (Italian Riviera) as well.

At some of the places in Italy, which turned out to be our favorite pick over Spain and France, you can do so at very reasonable rates and experience it through the friendliest locals and quaint villas vs. Americanized hotels. Every time we deviated and chose a place to eat, for instance, that wasn''t listed in the book, we were very disappointed.

At many of the most gorgeous B&B''s and small inns, we were treated to the most amazing and filling breakfasts that were included in the price of the rooms that we didn''t expect.

I spent many work hours *ahem* not really working, but planning the trip. Hey, I am a multi-tasker.

Expect to gain 6-8 pounds, though.

You could easily fly into Rome, take the train from there to Florence, then to Cinque Terra and then to Venice. I am not sure how to get out from Venice, so maybe you would have to go in a different order. Or you could take the train to Milan and come home from there.

I may not know flowers, but I know travel.