Weddingbee Blog

What type of honeymoon would you suggest?

Personalized service in a secluded and exotic location (Costa Rica)

or

The all-inclusive resort experience along crystal-blue ocean water (Aruba)?

We honestly do not know.

However, what we do know is that we want to be nearby a beach, secluded, at a romantic and memorable location, preferably in a modern room or villa, and if it were all inclusive, that would be perfect.

It’s taken us awhile, but we’ve finally narrowed down our list of possible honeymoon destinations to two places: either Costa Rica or Aruba. We found really nice resorts at both of these locations, but now we’re faced with some pretty tough decisions. Do we want to a television? Should we be within walking distance of the beach? Do we want to go someplace adventurous? Do we want peace and quiet, or are modern amenities and entertainment more important?

These are the two places we’re comparing:

Riu Palace in Aruba:

• Beach within walking distance
• Modern amenities, including a television
• Multiple restaurants and entertainment options
• All inclusive

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We tried to imagine what we’d experience upon arrival if we went to Riu Palace in Palm Eagle Beach, and after a short shuttle ride to the resort from the airport, voila! Paradise is ours! We’d drop our bags off in the room and no doubt head straight to the beach. There are seriously miles of blue beach and it’s a perfect setting for the Caribbean honeymoon we’ve always imagined.

We absolutely love TripAdvisor and even though Riu Palace is only 77 percent recommended, some reviewers claim it’s the best all inclusive in Aruba! This review from a few happy honeymooners got me really excited about the possibility of going there!

After all, this place has a lot to offer: more than five restaurants, a casino bar, swim-up bar, two pools, complimentary sun loungers, towels and parasols, a complimentary gym, sauna and jacuzzi, and even use of computers with internet access.

Riu Palace fits our criteria perfectly except that it’s not secluded. There are a lot of indications on Trip Advisor that the resort is crowded with families and children, but I think we could easily retreat to our room if necessary:

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The only other downfall with Riu is the price. While it’s within our budget, it’s a little more than we had anticipated spending and it’s twice the price of our other option in Costa Rica.

The total estimate for this trip is $4784.00. A Junior Suite with an ocean view is $630 per night and airfare would be about $400 for each of us round trip.

Oxygen Jungle Villas in Costa Rica:

• Very secluded
• Unique and exotic location
• Modern living space, but no TV (only a portable DVD player in the room)
• Affordable

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*Sigh*

Isn’t it gorgeous? I think so!

I found Oxygen from a thread here on Weddingbee, Our Costa Rican Honeymoon from ETwedding (thank you!). Mr. B had been talking about going to Costa Rica for a while, but I was still set on the Caribbean. I didn’t prefer the place he found there, Villas Hermosos. It has high ratings on Trip Advisor, but is a little too rustic for my taste.

When I looked up Oxygen it blew any other options out of the water! It’s 98 percent recommended and there isn’t a single terrible or even average review; 65 of the total 68 reviewers ranked it excellent! Not to mention, Conde Nast Traveler magazine also listed them on their 2010 Hot List, and it’s no wonder.

Oxygen’s resort villas are scattered through the jungle of Uvita. It’s secluded and offers uninterrupted peace and quiet. We probably would share the resort grounds with just a few other couples, unlike Riu, where hundreds (maybe thousands) of other people will be.

Um, and oh yeah! By the way, the villas are totally glass enclosed!!

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How cool is that?

Everyone says these private porches are a joy, as well:

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The other great thing about Oxygen is the personalized service that would be available to us. Everyone on Trip Advisor mentions the owners, Flora and Edwin and how wonderful and helpful they are in planning day trips, accommodating special needs, and giving recommendations.

There’s also a lot of talk about the food and how the resident chef is really talented; the food is not included, but it’s very reasonable (about $25 per person for dinner, but that’s for four courses)!

Oh yeah, and there’s a yoga studio!

The only thing Oxygen doesn’t have (or doesn’t seem to have as far as we can tell) is that beautiful stretch of blue beach. I think we can purchase day passes to go to the nearby beach, but it’s not like taking a five minute walk from your hotel suite.

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Then there’s the issue of getting there.

Remember how I mentioned the ease of arriving in Aruba and heading straight to the beach? Well, if we decided to go to Oxygen, we’d most likely have to rent a car at the airport and drive three hours to resort! Three hours! That’s a long time and we’re going to need a GPS to get us there. I’m afraid the roads might be steep and windy too. Eek.

We’re definitely nervous about this, but it could be worth it for a view like this:

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One of our favorite things about Oxygen is the price!!

The total estimate for this trip is $2520.00. Villas are $170 per night and we would need at least $100 per day for food for both of us. The flight would cost about $300 per person round trip, plus we’d need about $300 for a rental car for the week.

Which place do you think looks better?

Are you honeymoon planning?

You may find these resources useful (I did!):

• Mrs. Cheeseburger’s Evolution of a Honeymoon to Mexico
• Mrs. Stiletto’s Plans for Aruba
• Mrs. Cola’s Love Shack in Hawaii
• Mrs. Lovebird’s Royal Cruise along the Mediterranean
• Mrs. Sprinkle’s Project Honeymoon to Ireland, Costa Rica, or Hawaii
• Mrs. Nachos in St. Thomas
• Mrs. Fro Yo’s Rivera Maya Honeymoon