Where should we go on our honeymoon?

[basil]

It''s a little premature, but I''m trying to get an idea because fiance''s parents have offered to pay.

We''re getting married late September 2008. We''ll probably only have a few days - Wedding is on Saturday and we will most likely have to be back at work the following Saturday. So we''re looking at Mon-Friday, basically.

We''re not particularly seasoned travelers, though I''ve been to Europe a handful of times and fiance regularly goes to Asia with his parents. We''re looking for someplace that''s really easy. Easy to get to, easy to get around, easy to book. Preferably English-speaking. And relatively affordable cause I don''t want to ask fiance''s parents to pay for an exorbitant honeymoon.

Weather, not all that important. We''re not really beachy people anyway. Food = very important. If I could sleep in a comfy bed and eat gorgeous incredible food everyday with perfectly paired wine every day...well, I think that would be enough entertainment for me.

We don''t want to spend a lot of time traveling and our wedding is in RI. I''ve tentatively thought of Martha''s Vineyard or Nantucket. Short travel time, relatively affordable (?), and maybe less crowded by September than in the summer. I would imagine there are some nice restaurants and hotels/B&Bs there, but I''ve never been there (shame on me!), so I don''t really know.

I would love to go to Hawaii, but it seems like it may be too long of a trip for just a few days. Plus add in the time changes, and I think we''d just adjust by the time it was time to come home. I''ve also thought of someplace in Ireland/England/Scotland or California, but I don''t really know if there''s a particular area we should be looking at. We definitely wouldn''t be up for any left-sided driving in the UK, so I think that would limit our options.

Anyway, that was long-winded! Any specific suggestions of resorts or destinations would be more than welcome!

 

[Gypsy]

You said food was important.


http://www.cuisinartresort.com/


I'm not sure about the whole hurricane thing. But we looked at this place and it looked FABULOUS.

Also this place in Mexico gets RAVE reviews for food and everything. It looks really expensive on the site... but if you book it through Alaska Air or Northwest Airlines they have FABULOUS packages.

http://www.grandvelas.com/


Look these up on tripadvisor for yourself!

Oh and Luxurylink.com auctions luxury packages all the time... some mediocre ones but also some seriously great ones ... just cross check the places with tripadvisor if your uncertain... and post here to see if anyone has any experiences with it.

 

[neatfreak]

Vineyard is overrated in my opinion, too many rich people with their kids (no offense to anyone-and I love kids usually). Nantucket on the other hand is GORGEOUS, but certainly not cheap. But since you wouldn''t be flying, it wouldn''t be a crazy price. But you will need to book the nicer places well in advance because they book up.

Something else to consider is that many of the caribbean islands are only 3-4 hours away by plane and have fantastic food and resorts.

St. Lucia comes to mind for Caribbean...or maybe St. John or St. Barth.

 

[chiefneil]

For food I love NY city, San Francisco, and SoCal. La Jolla or Laguna Beach might be nice spots to consider - you have a beach, but also great restaurants and shopping nearby and great weather. If you like wine, then you could spend a few days in SF then drive up to Napa/Sonoma for a few days. From where you are, I think Paris is closer and easier than Hawaii, so that''s something to consider too.

 

[SquareCut]

http://www.niagarafallsembassysuites.com/default.html
How about the honeymoon capital of the world? Quick flight. Not expensive. You can drive to a day in Toronto and a day at Niagra at the Lake. I''m going here on my mini-moon and then to Positano, Italy for my honeymoon. For me Hawaii is not worth being trapped for 12 hours on a plane. It''s overpriced and the food is not great.

 

[Independent Gal]

This may sound crazy, but have you considered Iceland? It's a really short flight from the East Coast (4ish hours? so like going to LA), I loved the food (but if you don't like fish, it's probably not for you). Everyone speaks English, they have legendary nightclubs, gorgeous shops, and they have great low key activities like hiking, horseback riding, lying around in unreal super-cool natural spas. Plus, in September the lighting will be just right I guess (not too dark, not too light). And it really doesn't get that cold. Not even as cold as the east coast (yay gulf stream!). Everything is very design oriented and there are beautiful hotels.

Might be a titch on the pricey side, but Iceland Air has amazing inclusive packages and things, particularly a little off season, like in September. Check out their website. www.icelandair.com

Also, did I mention that there were rainbows constantly while I was there? (just like Hawaii!) and that the landscape was totally bizarre and totally spectacular. Would make for a really memorable and unique honeymoon.

I LOVED it there.

ETA: I just remembered that end of August (so Sept too?) is peak time for the Aurora Borealis in Iceland. If you have never seen this, trust me: it is worth a four hour flight!!

 

[Independent Gal]

How about these packages?

http://www.icelandair.com/home/packages/lifestyle/

They also have more adventurous ones, but that 3 night spa thing is calling me... And I think they fly from Boston direct to Rejkjavik.

 

[mrssalvo]

we went to Mexico for out honeymoon. although it was nice and we enjoyed it, if we had it to do over, i would choose to stay in the states where there is no language barrier or room to be a tourist target and pulled over by police who will accept bribes

. We got married in Sept. too and I really wanted to go to Maine, it's right when the leaves are changing and you can bundle up to walk the beaches and sit by fires in the b&b's. I'm betting there is some pretty amazing food in the hotspots too. hubby really wanted to go someplace warm and faraway which is what we did. But one of these years we will get to Maine.

 

[Kaleigh]

Nantucket is a great spot to honeymoon. We have been going there for many years. If you want info, I can give you B&B''s, hotels, etc.. Going there on Saturday... It''s the restaurants that are expensive. The beaches are gorgeous, very private... I love just packing a picnic and spending the day on the beach.

Maine is lovely too, love North East Harbor, went there as a kid.

Bermuda is where we honeymooned 20 years ago. The weather in September is fabulous. Such a great island.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/13/2007 10:12:21 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Nantucket is a great spot to honeymoon. We have been going there for many years. If you want info, I can give you B&B's, hotels, etc.. Going there on Saturday... It's the restaurants that are expensive. The beaches are gorgeous, very private... I love just packing a picnic and spending the day on the beach.

Maine is lovely too, love North East Harbor, went there as a kid.

Bermuda is where we honeymooned 20 years ago. The weather in September is fabulous. Such a great island.

Bermuda is one place I would love to go! I have a friend who went and her pictures are amazing.

I wish I had suggestions for you but Bermuda sounds wonderful!!!

 

[scarleta]

How about " Riu Palace" in Cancun? All inclusive and the food is great really great, I mean great.See if they have specials.I would not book it as anything special just a vacation...Look them up...I am not sure about the prices we went after the had hurricane in Cancun so we got really good deal.They have 3 Rius in Cancun and you can viist , eat and see shows in all of them, but Palace is the best by far.World class shows also..

 

[basil]

Ooh, some great suggestions here!

Unfortunately, I think Mexico is out. It sounds kind of silly, but fiance''s paranoid of traveler''s diarrhea (i.e. "montezuma''s revenge") so he really doesn''t want to go there. Yeah, we could just take some Cipro with us and not drink the tap water, but whatever. I guess he does get a say too

IG - I LOVE the idea of Iceland! Nightclubs aren''t so much our scene, but I could totally see us hiking by day (and taking photos of the amazing scenery), dining in the evening, and relaxing in the hot springs at night. I once "knew" a guy on another internet BB (photography) who used to take the most amazing photos there. Definitely will have to look into that further.

Kaleigh - Bermuda is another great option I hadn''t considered. I keep forgetting it''s not really part of the Caribbean. Might be a nice compromise of beachy but not too hot and maybe less touristy (?) Any advice you have about Nantucket would be most welcome. When you say the restaurants are expensive, are they more pricey than say, Boston?

And thanks for the advice re: Martha''s Vineyard vs. Nantucket, Neatfreak! Funny, I''ve lived in MA/RI most of my life and never been out to either one of them! This would probably be the easiest option and the most comfortable. I know it sounds unadventurous of us, but we really don''t want to go someplace where we''re struggling with maps and signs trying to figure out if we''re on the right train. Not that it''s not fun, but for our honeymoon, we sort of just want to veg!

 

[Kaleigh]

Nantucket Inns and Hotels

1) Cliffside Beach Club- small cottages on the beach
1-508-228-0618
Their restaurant is called The Galley, and is the most romantic spot on the island for dinner. Right on the beach, you see the sun set, and it''s amazing. The food is tooo die for.
2) The Wauwinet
1-508-228-0145
Outside of town, but highest rated hotel on the island, but $$$$
Food is awesome

3) Ships Inn
1-508-228-0040
Quaint, in town and has a great restaurant.

4) Vanessa Noel Hotel
1-508-228-5300
Again a quaint hotel, in town. I know Vanessa, she did a great job with this hotel. She''s a well known shoe designer.. Has a bar downstairs with a swing!!!

 

[Kaleigh]

5) The White Elephant
1-508-228-200
Loves it

6) The Jared Coffin House
1-508-228-2400
A staple, in town and very pleasant.
Great food.

 

[basil]

Thanks, Kaleigh! I''ll have to save those!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/13/2007 11:55:16 PM
Author: basil
Ooh, some great suggestions here!

Unfortunately, I think Mexico is out. It sounds kind of silly, but fiance''s paranoid of traveler''s diarrhea (i.e. ''montezuma''s revenge'') so he really doesn''t want to go there. Yeah, we could just take some Cipro with us and not drink the tap water, but whatever. I guess he does get a say too

IG - I LOVE the idea of Iceland! Nightclubs aren''t so much our scene, but I could totally see us hiking by day (and taking photos of the amazing scenery), dining in the evening, and relaxing in the hot springs at night. I once ''knew'' a guy on another internet BB (photography) who used to take the most amazing photos there. Definitely will have to look into that further.

Kaleigh - Bermuda is another great option I hadn''t considered. I keep forgetting it''s not really part of the Caribbean. Might be a nice compromise of beachy but not too hot and maybe less touristy (?) Any advice you have about Nantucket would be most welcome. When you say the restaurants are expensive, are they more pricey than say, Boston?

And thanks for the advice re: Martha''s Vineyard vs. Nantucket, Neatfreak! Funny, I''ve lived in MA/RI most of my life and never been out to either one of them! This would probably be the easiest option and the most comfortable. I know it sounds unadventurous of us, but we really don''t want to go someplace where we''re struggling with maps and signs trying to figure out if we''re on the right train. Not that it''s not fun, but for our honeymoon, we sort of just want to veg!

Aww...no to Mexico for fear of montezuma''s? What can we do to dissuade your FI?

Seriously, DH took me to Mexico (an AI Riu resort), Playa Del Carmen, and it was fabulous, when we first started dating. After that we went to jamaica for ten days...by the time we took a honeymoon we ended up just going to Vegas because we''d done a few tropical vacations together already. I would definitely recommend Playa Del Carmen, though, your FI just needs to understand that he won''t breathe in the air and start having an uncontrollable urge to go to the bathroom!

 

[basil]

Date: 6/14/2007 1:19:36 AM
Author: monarch64

Date: 6/13/2007 11:55:16 PM

Aww...no to Mexico for fear of montezuma''s? What can we do to dissuade your FI?


Seriously, DH took me to Mexico (an AI Riu resort), Playa Del Carmen, and it was fabulous, when we first started dating. After that we went to jamaica for ten days...by the time we took a honeymoon we ended up just going to Vegas because we''d done a few tropical vacations together already. I would definitely recommend Playa Del Carmen, though, your FI just needs to understand that he won''t breathe in the air and start having an uncontrollable urge to go to the bathroom!

The funny thing is, he''s a doctor! You''d think he would be logical about these things...

Another friend of mine went to Playa del Carmen for her honeymoon and loved it!

But I think part of his reluctance is what mrssalvo mentioned, too. Language barrier, tourist target stuff. I do have to admit, I went on a cruise once to Jamaica and Cozumel and they were beautiful places, but just not my cup of tea. Too many people, too hot and sunny. Jamaica I actually found kind of scary (in a sad way)...people there seemed really desperate and all the shops, etc., had big gates and huge fences to keep out the "natives".

On the other hand, I did some research about Iceland and I''m super-psyched now! I''ve been to Norway and Denmark and I love Scandinavia. I found we could do flights and hotel for about $2k, which I think would be a reasonable number to approach fiance''s family with. Then we could cover our excursions, meals, etc ourselves.

 

[Independent Gal]

Glad you're thinking about Iceland! It really was one of my favourite trips. We did a 6 day trek and then hung out in Rejkjavik for a couple of days.

I know I'm going to be embarassed for admitting this, since I guess it counts as, literally, toilet humour, but one thing that I thought was great about Iceland is that their word for 'bathroom' (or restroom as you call it in the US) is "Snyrtingar".

For some reason, I never ceased to find this hilarious, and to this day, when I'm with my sister (who was my Iceland companion), we always refer to bathrooms that way 'Hey, where's the snyrtingar?' Endless hours of fun.

Go on. Say it out loud without giggling. I dare you.

 

[Dogmom]

I would highly recommend Bermuda. The weather would still be nice in September and not so many tourists.

 

[zoebartlett]

basil, what about Bermuda? You're in RI, right? It's a very short flight from Boston, and I'm assuming it would be a similar flight from RI. Bermuda is beautiful! THe colors are amazing and you'll have a very relaxing time. It was the perfect vacation to go on a few years ago --we were gone for 4 or 5 days and it was the perfect get away. We were a million miles away from life at home, yet we were close enough to be home in a few hours' time.


ETA: oops! I posted before reading other replies...for Bermuda.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Looks like Iceland is the winner. But if you''re still open to options I suggest St. Maarten. The French side has absolutely wonderful food. They all speak Dutch, French, and English there. No language problems and it''s an island so it''s easy to get around.

HTH

 

[ladykemma]

be careful of carribean travel september height of hurricane season.

a food vacation? san francisco, baby!