Wedding Blog

We hope you’ve enjoyed our Real Bee Budgets series! We’re wrapping it up today with, what else, but honeymoons! Be sure to check out all the posts in our Real Bee Budgets series!

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The Peep Toes’ Honeymoon

Location: Panama for 14 nights and 13 days
Flight: Air miles. First class the whole way on American Airlines

• In country flights (three legs): $350.
• Rental Car for 3 days: ~$200
• Hotels: Between 150-220 a night: ~$2,500
• Meals: Breakfast was always included in the hotel. Lunch ~$20 per day
• Dinner and drinks: $50 a day. Total: ~$900.
• Activities: zip line, massage, boat tours, snorkeling, hiking, touring, the canal, taxis, gifts (coffee and chocolate): $450

Total about $4,400

“We lived like royalty on our honeymoon. We ate A LOT and stayed at some really great places. Panama wasn’t really cheap, but the dollar did go a bit farther in Panama then in the States. Overall, I think we spent more than we anticipated, but we also knew we had the money in the bank to do it.”

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The Bees’ Honeymoon

• 9 Day Package in Spain booked through Skyline Travel
• 3 nights in Barcelona + airport/hotel transfer - Avenida Palace
• 4 nights in Marbella + 4 days car rental - Hotel El Fuerte

Price: $3554
Tax: $152
Traveler’s Insurance x2 - $184
Total Price:- $3890

Our Spain itinerary (Booked on 1/27/05):

• Day 1 - Arrive Barcelona. Sleep. Eat.
• Day 2 - Half-day bus tour of Cathedral, Olympic Stadiums, and Spanish Village.
• Day 3 - Walked around La Rambla and Gothic Quarter. Half-day bus tour of Gaudi’s famous buildings and Guell Park. Picasso Museum.
• Day 4 - Fly to Malaga. Drive to our hotel in Marbella.
• Day 5 - Drive to Mijas.
• Day 6 - Drive to Sevilla.
• Day 7 - Drive to Granada.

“We decided on Spain because it was one of the only countries in Europe that was warm enough in early March, and I’d never been to Europe before. We absolutely loved Barcelona, Sevilla, and Granada. Marbella is supposed to be the summer vacation destination for many Europeans, but there wasn’t much for us to do there. While our trip was fantastic, we were exhausted from the wedding but still jammed in as much sightseeing as we could. Now I understand why most couples go to a beach and do nothing on their honeymoons! :)”

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The Peonies’ Honeymoon

• 2 days in Athens
• 3 days in Mykonos
• 3 days in Santorini

Price: $5,114 for the package ($2,557 per person)
Tax: $800
Total Price: $5,914

Itinerary:

• Day 1: flight from New York to Athens
• Day 2: arrival transfer from airport to hotel
• Days 2-3: two night stay at the Baby Grand Hotel in Athens, standard double occupancy room
• Day 3: departure transfer from hotel to airport, flight from Athens to Mykonos. Arrival transfer from airport to hotel.
• Days 3-6: three night stay at the San Marco Hotel in Mykonos, double occupancy deluxe room with sea view
• Day 6: departure transfer from hotel to port, hydrofoil from Mykonos to Santorini. Arrival transfer from port to hotel.
• Days 6-9: three night stay at the Santorini Princess in Santorini, standard double occupancy apartment with panoramic cliff side sea view.
• Day 9: departure transfer from hotel to airport, flights from Santorini to Athens to New York

“We booked our entire trip through Homeric Tours and I couldn’t have been happier with them. While other companies only offered pre-made packages, or ignored our budget altogether, Homeric Tours took all our requests into account and managed to go slightly under our budget. They arranged all accommodations, transportation (including the transfer from airports/sea port to hotels), and had someone waiting for us on the first day to explain our itinerary to us. It was also great knowing that they have a 24-hour helpline in addition to a local office in Athens, just in case something happens.”

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The Stilettos’ Honeymoon

Location: Marriott Ocean Club in Aruba
Total Honeymoon Cost: $850 for two round trip plane tickets from Chicago to Aruba

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“My parents gave us a week of their timeshare, so we were open to go wherever we could trade it! Our desire for low airfare, no hurricanes and beachy fun brought us to book our Aruban honeymoon! Looking back, we were so lucky to not have to pay for our lodging, and even though we could have gone crazier on locations because of that, I’m glad that we kept things a little more low key and budget friendly.”

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The Penguins’ Honeymoon

10 days on the Mayan Riviera at at the all-inclusive Excellence Playa Mujeres
Price: $5000 ($700 for 2 plane tix from SFO to Cancun, the rest was spent on the resort. We booked a suite with a private rooftop pool.)

“It was Mr. Peng’s duty to choose and book our honeymoon. I really didn’t care where we went… I was so exhausted from planning the wedding that I was really happy to leave it up to him! We loved our stay at Excellence Playa Mujeres. The staff is so nice, the resort is spotless, and it was really great to show up and know that everything, from food and alcohol, to entertainment, was all paid for. Other than tipping the staff for drinks and dinner and services (they say it’s not necessary but I hate not tipping), we were completely taken care of. If you’re on the market for a no brainer, strictly sun and lounging kind of honeymoon, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Excellence Playa Mujeres, and look forward to possibly going back in the future!”

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The Joeys’ Honeymoon

Location: Western Australia

Itinerary:

• Day 1: Leave Seattle
• Day 2: In the air
• Day 3: Arrive in Sydney - Staying at the amazing Sofitel Wentworth Hotel
• Day 4: Sydney
• Day 5: Sydney and fly to Cairns staying at the Novotel Oasis Resort
• Day 6: Cairns- snorkeling trip. We’re staying on a live-aboard ship (includes room & board) maybe with Cairns Dive Centre
• Day 7: Cairns snorkel trip continued
• Day 8: Cairns
• Day 9: Sunlander Train from Cairns to Brisbane (includes private 1st class berths)
• Day 10: Arrive Brisbane staying at the Holiday Inn Brisbane
• Day 11: Brisbane
• Day 12: Fly from Brisbane to Sydney staying at the Mariott Sydney
• Day 13: Sydney
• Day 14: Leave Sydney

Budget: $5000

• RT flight from Seattle, $827.50 each
• OW to Cairns from Sydney, $151.06 each
• OW from Brisbane to Sydney, $56.75 each (Includes 2 train tickets and 8 nights of accommodation.)

Total Price: $3623

“We got an AWESOME deal on the flights through Delta and used Priceline and Hotels.com for the great hotel deals.

We registered for the snorkel trip but I think we’re going to just purchase that this week. We still have a bit of money to spend and we did say that if we were going to go over budget somewhere, the honeymoon is where it will be. We’re really excited to hug Koalas, see a show at the Opera House (we were gifted tickets) and explore somewhere new. I can’t wait to have pictures to share with the hive!”

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The Cupcakes’ Honeymoon

Location: Antigua at Galley Bay (all-inclusive resort), 7 nights
Price: $5,600 including round-trip airfare, private cottage for 7 nights, and all meals/alcohol

“Our honeymoon was absolute heaven… It was the perfect, relaxing getaway that we needed after the excitement of the wedding. We wanted an all-inclusive resort that didn’t feel like a “honeymoon factory”. We wanted to lounge on the beach, eat, sleep, drink cocktails, and enjoy each other’s company.

There were only about 65 people at the resort while we were there (it can hold about 100, but it was hurricane season) so we always had a lot of privacy. We opted for a private Gauguin Cottage with a private plunge pool instead of a beachfront suite. It was a little bit more rustic, but very clean and comfortable. We were a little hesitant about the food (based on things we’ve heard about some all-inclusive resorts), but the food at the 3 restaurants was absolutely amazing and the service was delightful. We both actually teared up a bit when it was time to leave. We hope to get back to Galley Bay again someday, maybe for a milestone anniversary.

We worked with Liberty Travel to plan our trip and they gave us all the details we needed so there were no surprises.”

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The Gummi Bears’ Honeymoon

Location: Greece
Price: $8,900
This includes all our flights, other travel expenses, accommodations, food, and shopping

Itinerary:

• Day 1 - 3: Arrive in London to see friends, sightseeing and shop!
• Day 4: Day trip via the EuroStar into Paris
• Day 5 - 6: back in London for the day.
• Day 6 - 11: We arrived in Fira, picked up and driven to Oia and stayed in Ikies all but the last night, where we stayed in Fira so we could get to the airport easily.
• Day 11 - 12: Arrive for one night in London, see friends for the last time, then back on the plane to head home

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The Ducklings’ Honeymoon

Location: Kauai, Hawaii

• Booked on miles (September 2009)
• Hanalei Bay Resort, $120 per night (staying for 9 nights)
• Rental Car, $26 a day through Hot Wire
• Food & Excursions, TBD

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The Cherry Pies’ Honeymoon

7 days in Zihuatanejo, Mexico

• Airfare: $100 in fees, the rest covdered by Alaska Airlines miles
• Hotel: Amuleto, a Boutique hotel in Zihua
• Room: Palapa Suite
• Room rate: $550 per night, six nights with seventh free, breakfast included
• Recreational costs: < $500 (used for tour, boat rides, snorkeling)
• Souvenirs: ~ $100
• Food/drink budget: Varied per day

Honeymoon total: ~ $4,000 (not including food and drink)

“We didn’t strictly budget our honeymoon because we wanted to splurge a little and think less about dollars than on our usual shoestring-budget travels. Inspired by Mrs. Dahlia’s post on Bridal Guide, we investigated Amuleto, a boutique hotel in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and it stole our hearts. We booked seven nights in the Palapa suite, a palacial room with two levels, a private plunge pool and terrace, and a beautiful netted bed.

We planned to do nothing but relax, so we kept our activities to a minimum and spent a lot of time in the hotel. We were absolutely thrilled with Amuleto. Our daily (included) breakfasts were incredible, and served either on our terrace or at the restaurant. Amuleto also had lunch and dinner services that were excellent. Most people we met at dinner visited the hotel purely for the food and seemed unaware that it had six lovely rooms. Amuleto was absolutely picture perfect, more breathtaking in person than in the professional photos on the hotel’s website.

We limited our activities to wandering around town, laying about the lovely beaches, taking a private afternoon tour to nearby attractions, and spending a few hours snorkeling off of a local fishing boat.

Our week in Zihua was incredible… both relaxing and memorable. Our last night in Zihua was Independence Day in Mexico, and also a full moon, under which we released baby sea turtles into the ocean. A perfect end to a perfect trip!