Honeymoon. Decisions, decisions.

[marlie]

So FI and I are trying to figure out the best honeymoon for us. Our requirements are that it be 2 weeks long and beachy/relaxing but with some fun stuff too (either sightseeing, adventure or other).

Our first thought was Greece. It is somewhere I''ve always wanted to go. The architecture is probably amazingly gorgeous in person and everyone i know raves about their trip there. We''re going away in August and it would be very hot and very touristy there. But still, a great option.

Second thought was Hawaii. Beautiful, beach, relaxing, tropical, fun stuff. Sounds great.

New thought. Bora Bora and Moorea. Huts on the water, amazing beaches, once in a lifetime trip. This is definitely our fave. My fingers are crossed that we can afford it!

Anybody have any tips on any of these?

 

[sba771]

HAHA- your list is exactly the same as our original list! We are actually doing a pre-honeymoon in Greece then doing our honeymoon after the wedding still TBD.

My vote is for Bora Bora and Moorea! To me that seems more once in a lifetime. I know that doesn''t make sense, but I could see myself taking a family vacation to Hawaii one day or even Greece- but I feel like the French Polynesia is just much more romantic and whimsical.

 

[sonnyjane]

I would have loved to do Bora Bora, but it just was not in our budget. We ended up doing Maui for 7 nights/8 days. We went snorkeling at several different locations on different days, scuba diving, whale-watching, hiking on a volcano, exploring waterfalls, and just laid on the beach. The food was AMAZING. I have yet to find a frozen drink as amazing as the ones I had there, and all the food was just so fresh and delicious. I''d still love to do Bora Bora or somewhere like it, but budget-wise, it will have to be for our 20th anniversary or something lol. Maui was a great, relatively affordable choice (although still a little pricey, mainly the food).

 

[marlie]

sba...oooh, a pre-honeymoon! fantastic idea. a getaway sounds awesome right about now. please write about your trip afterwards so i can hear all about it! and i agree that french polynesia is more romantic and once in a lifetime so my vote is definitely for bora bora/moorea too.

sonnyjane...your trip sounds so nice! i love snorkeling and the volcano hike sounds awesome. it''s definitely still a contender. not sure my budget will allow for the other trip. i''m going to contact a travel agent to help with that...maybe they can get us a deal at one of the destinations that will help tip the scale!

thanks for your input. i''m SO excited to book the honeymoon!!

 

[Ms.Goggles]

Hey Marlie! If Moorea/Bora Bora doesn''t fit in your budget (I''d assume about $10k/week depending on where you''re located), you should consider Fiji! It''s more affordable than Moorea/Bora Bora- the dollar is strong compared to the Fijian dollar. There''s only one resort that offers the overwater bungalows- LikuLiku Lagoon Resort We are staying there for the second half of our HM. We were looking for similar things- about 2 weeks, gorgeous scenery, etc. We''re spending the first week here Royal Davui . Summer is high season in both places, but the prices in French Polynesia were just out of budget for us for the time we wanted to spend there. We''re saving a lot of money by going to Fiji, plus it includes all of our meals, some of our activities and we get some fun extras like spa treatments and helicopter transfers. Good luck!

 

[marlie]

Ms. Goggles....thanks! the resorts you linked look beautiful!!! I didn''t realize that Fiji was that much more reasonable pricewise. I may end up copying your honeymoon! It''s funny, when I was younger, I always said I''d honeymoon in Fiji! I did find a ''decent'' price for the accommodations in bora bora but i''ll have to figure this all out. i think i need a travel agent for sure. I want to make sure I don''t end up screwed somewhere across the world! If you don''t mind me asking, where are you traveling from? I''ll be flying out of NYC. Flights are pretty costly too. May look into using miles.

 

[Haven]

Oh I love Greece! It really is amazing.

DH and I honeymooned on St. John in the USVI, it was amazing. We were only there for ten nights, and we could have stayed for another month it was so beautiful.

We snorkeled, visited a few other islands, hiked the National Park (75% of St. John is a National Park) and ate like royalty. We cannot wait to go back. We stayed at the Westin Resort, it was beautiful.

 

[noelwr]

if you''re looking for a quiet honeymoon to enjoy your time together, then don''t do Greece, because like you said it is very touristy. though I do think you might be able to find a secluded spot on Santorini.

 

[justginger]

Greece is lovely, but very busy. If you''d like to visit and get away from all of the normal touristy stuff, I''d recommend going to Milos (and aptly, the saying is "Milos is for lovers"). I went 2 years ago and stayed in a little 10 bedroom homestay-type place, right on the beach, for 40 euro/night (in Pollonia). It was incredible - not a damn thing to do except laze around, read, enjoy the scenery, take a lot of photos, and gather around the campfire at night, drinking ouzo and attempting to have singalongs in a language everyone can understand!

Bora Bora would be my idea of a blissful honeymoon - incredible. I think we''re doing Fiji as our normal vacation this year, but Tahiti just looks PERFECT.

You''ve got a lot of good options there - I think no matter what you choose, it''ll be beautiful!

 

[marlie]

thanks haven, noelwr and justginger for weighing in.

i think the consensus here and from others i''ve spoken to is that greece is an amazing trip but hot and hectic that time of year so I may take that off the list for honeymoon. it''s definitely on my MUST see in my lifetime list though. along with about a million other places.

i''m definitely leaning toward bora bora/moorea/tahiti/fiji. i''d like to do a combo of 2 islands if i can. i just want it to be an experience, not just a trip, you know?

haven, thanks for the info on st.john. i''ve heard that it''s amazing there! i''ll check it out.

 

[Ms.Goggles]

Hey there! We are traveling from Chicago. A lot of agents can price airfare from LAX (and get good rates), so you could always use miles to get you to LAX to make it a little easier! We haven't purchased our airfare yet- we're waiting to see if some good deals come out. Right now, it's about $1600/pp from Chicago to Nadi.

You could definitely do two islands if you went to Fiji. One of the things I really liked about Fiji is a lot of the hotels include your meals (and some include alcohol) and they're adults only. We could have made the budget work for Bora Bora/Moorea (for less time) but, also, the price of food is supposed to be crazy! It is definitely somewhere we'll go in the future. Here are some other places that we checked out:

Qamea
Taveuni Palms
Vatulele
Namale
Matangi

I definitely recommend connecting with a travel agent. I had never used one prior to planning this trip, but she's been SO helpful. She's in GA, but we communicated on the phone and through email. Let me know if you'd like her name or email- she specializes in Fiji AND Tahiti, so she's definitely got a wealth of knowledge!

 

[Haven]

Fiji sounds amazing! It is just so expensive that it''s been on our "to visit" list for a while!

 

[marlie]

Thanks Ms. Goggles! All of those places look great. Is it normal that i want to stay at all of them?? If you could share the name/contact info for your travel agent that would be great. We got a # to one from my FMIL but I think it''d be great to talk to someone who specializes in this area.

Haven...there are too many places on my "to visit" list. it''s sooo hard to choose. why am i not a millionaire with tons of time on my hands??

 

[shertz1981]

If you want to get away in Hawai''i, you should definitely hit up Lana''i and stay at the Four Seasons at Manele Bay or the Four Seasons Lodge at Koel''e for a few days They''re sister properties, so you can use the facilities in both places.

Kaua''i and the Big Island are my favorites for "doing stuff" (a helicopter ride over the Hanalei Bay is a must), but Lana''i, I hear, is amazing for relaxing and being beachy.

 

[Ms.Goggles]

Sure! I don''t know what the rules are regarding emails and such (and I don''t want to get in trouble!), but I think I am allowed to tell you that she works for Easy Escapes Travel. Her name is Caroline. I think I must have contacted 7-8 travel agents (I''m a little OCD when it comes to this stuff) and she was always quickest to respond, most honest and insightful, polite and sweet. She worked with me for MONTHS on both Fiji and Tahiti itineraries before we booked with her. She just got back from Fiji last week actually and she said she''d be updating her page with pictures from her trip! Also, she can price match or beat any quotes, so we had nothing to lose with her. I never thought about using a TA before, but I''ll keep using her for future trips. (hahaha...I must sound like such an ad! I promise I wasn''t put up to this!)

I have to say too, Hawaii and St. John are both amazing places! I *LOVE* to travel...I have a "must visit" list a mile long! Poor FI never did much traveling before he met me; now he''s got the next 10 years of his life planned out! I haven''t been to Greece, but it''s definitely on "the list!"

 

[wsu12]

GREECE!!!! It is Magical.

This is where we stayed (In the Carpenter''s Suite):
http://ikies.gr/

It was so amazing.

 

[wsu12]

Date: 12/8/2009 6:06:54 PM
Author: Ms.Goggles
Hey Marlie! If Moorea/Bora Bora doesn''t fit in your budget (I''d assume about $10k/week depending on where you''re located), you should consider Fiji! It''s more affordable than Moorea/Bora Bora- the dollar is strong compared to the Fijian dollar. There''s only one resort that offers the overwater bungalows- LikuLiku Lagoon Resort We are staying there for the second half of our HM. We were looking for similar things- about 2 weeks, gorgeous scenery, etc. We''re spending the first week here Royal Davui . Summer is high season in both places, but the prices in French Polynesia were just out of budget for us for the time we wanted to spend there. We''re saving a lot of money by going to Fiji, plus it includes all of our meals, some of our activities and we get some fun extras like spa treatments and helicopter transfers. Good luck!

Excellent accommodation choices!

 

[Ms.Goggles]

Date: 12/9/2009 8:44:42 PM
Author: fsu1227

Date: 12/8/2009 6:06:54 PM
Author: Ms.Goggles
Hey Marlie! If Moorea/Bora Bora doesn''t fit in your budget (I''d assume about $10k/week depending on where you''re located), you should consider Fiji! It''s more affordable than Moorea/Bora Bora- the dollar is strong compared to the Fijian dollar. There''s only one resort that offers the overwater bungalows- LikuLiku Lagoon Resort We are staying there for the second half of our HM. We were looking for similar things- about 2 weeks, gorgeous scenery, etc. We''re spending the first week here Royal Davui . Summer is high season in both places, but the prices in French Polynesia were just out of budget for us for the time we wanted to spend there. We''re saving a lot of money by going to Fiji, plus it includes all of our meals, some of our activities and we get some fun extras like spa treatments and helicopter transfers. Good luck!

Excellent accommodation choices!

Thank you! You too! I just saved that Santorini hotel to my "Dream Hotels" folder in my favorites! Holy gorgeousness!

 

[marlie]

Thanks so much everyone for the fantastic recommendations! You are all making my must visit list very long!

fsu....i just was drooling over that hotel in santorini. it must have been unbelievable. you made me just put greece back into the mix.

ms. goggles...thank you so much for all of this info. i''ll contact her to price a trip out. i have a feeling it''s going to be too expensive but i''m not letting it go without a fight! maybe there are some deals she can get us! fingers are crossed. thanks for pointing me in her direction and for all of your help!

i''m seriously ready to pack for my trip now. i''m wayyyyy too excited.