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Mr. AC and I are excited about our honeymoon and we have made NO decisions on where we are going. I must say that whoever created the “honeymoon” should get a wedding invite, because it is such a great idea: A vacation after the best day of your life. For Mr. AC and me, having spent years apart, the idea of days together as husband and wife is just so exciting.
BUT… we have a dilemma. Where should we go? We keep changing our minds and finding new places, and I would love to get ideas and thoughts from the community.
Honeymoon Idea Numero Uno
Renting a gorgeous cabin somewhere in the mountains of NC, TN, VA or WV. The cabin would be large and beautiful. It would have a great view, a Jacuzzi, and be located near an adorable town where we can wine and dine.
These aren’t real homes, just log home mock-ups, but you get the idea!
Here is what we like about this idea:
Our concerns with this idea:
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Honeymoon Idea Numero Dos
Going to the Rivera Maya in Mexico. We have lots of friends who’ve been to different resorts here. They’ve had the BEST time. They loved the resorts, the great food and drinks, the activities, and being on the beach.
El Dorado Maroma
Here is what we like about this idea:
Our concerns with this idea:
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Honeymoon Idea Numero Tres
Heading to the amazing St. Lucia and staying part of the time at either the Ladera Resort or Jade Mountain. Everything we have read about makes this look like the perfect place for us. We love the outdoors. We love camping. We love the mountains. We have heard great things about St. Lucia.
Ladera Resort
Jade Mountain Resort
Our concerns with St. Lucia are:
Hive… what should we do? What are your ideas? Are there any places we should consider?
Also, I really have no idea how much people spend on honeymoons. We really only wanted to spend about $2,000, but is that realistic? If you’re open to sharing your budget, where did you go, how long did you stay, and about how much did you spend?
All of those three options sound amazing!!! The one thing I know- I can’t wait for some sun and relaxation!! Whoo hoo!
I am still in the research stage of planning my honeymoon and I think it’s possible to stick with a 2k budget, however, you just might need to consider more places within the US. I don’t think you could do St. Lucia for 2k because flight costs are already expensive to begin with. If you are really into the outdoors, I would imagine you can go to Costa Rico for a lot less than St. Lucia. You might be able to do an all enclusive somewhere in Mexico for about 2k. Ask your friends for advice on their resorts and check out trip advisor. If you are concerned about being bored, look for a hotel with a lot of restaurants and that include some activities (like snorkeling) with the all enclusive fee.
My opinion is you & FI should do what the two of you want for your honeymoon.
We’re going on a 2 week backpacking trip through Europe. Relaxing? Nope. Beach? Maybe.
I love the Jade Mountain Resort though. The idea of being at a tropical resort with mountains in the background is so amazingly surreal to me. 
And as far as log cabins; I don’t know about in your neck of the woods. But in mine a single solitary actual LOG built cabin that is not part of a bigger infrastructure is hard to find! It took me months to find the one that FI actually ended proposing to me at! =D
My vote is for the Riviera Maya! We just returned from our honeymoon there about 3 weeks ago. There’s so much to do! If you decide on that destination, be sure to do the following:
* Spend a day in Playa Del Carmen (beautiful beach, shopping, etc.)
* Do your grocery shopping @ the MegaMart in Playa Del Carmen (SO much cheaper than Walmart)
* Take a ferry to Cozumel Island (departs from Playa Del Carmen)
* Visit Chichen Itza (the Mayan Ruins)
* Swim in a cenote!
We are going to Sandals in St Lucia and we are spending about $6000 including the flight. But mind you we have an upgraded room! I think with a more standard room you could get away with probably 3000-4000 including the flight. And remember this is all inclusive so it includes everything!
our budget is about $5K for Italy….not cheap, but we did get one flight free and found some great deals on hotels.
We are doing the long distance thing too and after so long apart, I wanted our first days together in weeks, (and our first days as husband and wife) to be really special and romantic (although they probably would be even in a little apartment at home). PLus we both LOVE to travel.
We are taking a 3 day mini-moon before we leave for Italy, to relax, sleep and enjoy eachother before we do more touristy things.
That cabin in the woods sounds amazing and terribly romantic too. Campfires and hiking but with the luxuries/comforts of a cabin.
If you really don’t want to fly, maybe you can take a road trip somewhere, maybe like Kiawah Island or drive north up to the Cape or Martha’s Vineyard.
It sounds like you are REALLY afraid of flying (two bullet points about it) so there are quite a few stateside places that are very nice and relaxing.
St. Lucia is AMAZING! I was there about a month ago and of all the places I’ve ever been (and I’ve traveled A LOT) St. Lucia is probably my favorite (Possible second favorite - second only to Kyoto). A good compromise may be doing a cruise. Royal Carribean’s Serenade does a great Southern Carribean tour (which happens to go to St. Lucia as well as a few other islands), as does Celebrity and they treat their honeymooner’s ridiculously well. By the time you go, Oasis, their new ship will be built and that thing looks like it will be absolutely fantastic. The Southern Caribean cruises tend to not really be affected by hurricanes. The best part - You can definately do 7-11 days for $2-2.5K for both of you! Costa Rica is another great option - Here’s a great website that does tours that I would have killed to go on (and you can design your own!):
http://www.ati.travel/tourism_costa_rica_vacation/costa_rica_packages/
*Sorry for the ubber long post.
They all sound great to me! We recently made the decision to scale back and stay local, but it was because of work schedules… Boo!
Whatever you choose, it’s going to be amazing to hang out and be married with you man. No wrong choices on this one (except maybe having a hurricane on your honeymoon!)
A close family friend of ours says you get the best bang for your buck by taking a cruise. She use to work as a retail travel agent and she’s really helped us a lot!! With a cruise you can also stop at several place and there is always something to do so you never get bored. You can also pick how active you want to be or if you just want to lay in the sun. My fiance and I have our honeymoon all set. We are going on a cruise and it will cost us between $2,000-2,500 for 7 days including our airfare. The only thing I don’t know much about is where to go in Oct. Good luck. Can’t wait to see what you decide.
I love all your options - each place looks so amazing and unique. I’m getting married in September and we’ve decided to do a 2 week honeymoon. We’re going for 1 week by ourselves to a really luxurious place on the Mayan Riviera, and for the second week we invited our 4 very best friends (2 couples) to join us in Cancun at a less expensive place. For the first week we’re going to the Zoetry Resort, which is more than you want to spend but seems UNBELIEVABLE. It’s an all-inclusive wellness spa and eco resort. 3x daily maid service, in room espresso machines, champagne/wine bottles daily, private outdoor showers and pools, etc. etc. They have a complimentary honeymoon/anniversary package worth $1200 that includes a 2.5 hour private catamaran trip to a snorkeling location, private dinner on the beach with a musician, massages, champagne breakfast in bed, etc. etc. I highly recommend you look into it if you can all make it work budget-wise.
By the way, I realize Sept is hurricane season so we got trip insurance
On a side note, I went trecking through the jungle in St. Lucia and didn’t really see any spiders… at all - so you’re good on that front, I think.
St Lucia looks amazing, we looked into it as well. In our research and talking to other travelling couples we heard that Costa RIca was just as beautiful for half the price. I have heard rave reviews for CR.
We’re spending a week in Ireland and a week in Croatia. Our budget is $8K and we’re using points for almost all our hotels (thanks work for making me travel).
They all look wonderful but my jaw is dropping overt those pics of St. Lucia.
We’re renting a cabin in the woods. We’ll be near a great state park that has lots of trails for hiking. There are also horse stables nearby so we’ll probably go for a horseback ride, and possible go canoeing on the river. If you like outdoorsy stuff, definitely see if there are any parks nearby with trails. That’s our plan so that we have stuff to do if we’re getting bored! Sounds like you might be near Great Smoky Mountains - they have lots of hikes and TONS of cabins in that area.
obvs i will recommend you the Mayan Riviera (i live in Yucatan, pretty near)! white sands, turquoise water, and like Miss Pinot Grigio said, they’re lots of near places to visit!
unfortunately, you should also notice that hurricane season here it’s from july to november! in my experience (i’ve been living here for the past 6 years) august and september have more hurricane activity, but you can’t predict nature!
I think a $2K honeymoon in the Riviera Maya or Cancun is do-able. If you’re worried about being bored in a particular resort, maybe splurge for a couple nights in a higher end property and then stay at a lower cost hotel or bed & breakfast. The Yucatan is a beautiful area and you can make it as luxurious or economical as you want!
Well, I’d say St. Lucia, but if it’s expensive, spider-y and hurricaine-y…skip it! Indulge in the Riviera Maya!
A few things…
Yes, October is hurricane season. However, the very south of the Caribbean (like St. Lucia) is not hit by hurricanes very often. The Mayan Riviera, on the other hand, is much more likely to have weather that is affected by a hurricane.
Second, I’ve been all over the Caribbean, and I’ve yet to see a spider. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I don’t think I’d bee too worried about spiders if I were you. There are lots of lizards and iguanas though!
Lastly, I’ve been to both the Mayan Riviera and St. Lucia, and I loved both. I also think your first idea sounds really fun.
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Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/Charlotte Age and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications Manager Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008 Wedding Date: October 2009 Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry Villa About Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
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