This week, I had dinner with my friend, and we were chatting about her upcoming honeymoon. She and her fiance aren't sure where to go. Perhaps you brilliant readers can help!Here are their requests:
* Somewhere beachy.
* Somewhere outside the U.S.
* Somewhere not too expensive.
* Somewhere that will be warm in late August.
* Somewhere awesome!
Any ideas, my lovelies?
(Photos of Cinque Terre from Marie Claire Maison, via Black Eiffel)
Do not come to Europe. I live here and it is so expensive and with the Euro being so strong it makes it even worse. How about a rental on Nantucket or Coast of Oregon.
ReplyDeleteCroatia is fine... No euro there and a lot of beautiful little islands on the adriatic sea (sorry for my poor english : i'm french ;-)
ReplyDeleteI was thinking Mikonos in Greece. I know people who went there and they said it was amazing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Europe is kinda expensive, but if you manage ur budget wisely, you wont spend too much.
The Far East - Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand have some great beachy islands, but it sometimes rains in August.
San Sebastian in Spain - beautiful, fun and the food is unbelievable!!
ReplyDeleteCroatia is meant to be gorgeous and very popular destination now
or
the island of Cyprus where my family is from is a gorgeous island - very hot though...
I totally agree with AnastasiaC: Cyprus is absolutely amazing, beautiful, and doable on a non-astronomical budget. Also, the island of Djerba in Tunisia is supposed to be amazing. In both places, you get beaches, diving, culture, ruins, and great food!
ReplyDeleteFor a little more money, Merbella in Spain is also one of the most spectacular places I have ever been.
Tel Aviv!
ReplyDeleteMorocco? Tunisia? Egypt?
Djerba IS amazing! They could also try Hammamet, Gabès, or Sidi Bou Said, though the latter is a bit touristy for my liking. It only takes a few hours to get between all these cities (Gabes and Djerba are farther away, but rather close to each other), so it would be possible to do a bit of a tour. Tunisia is so amazing and pretty cheap.
ReplyDeleteMy friends have loved Costa Rica and St. Lucia and they are very cost effective.
ReplyDeleteSperlonga, Italy is amazing... not many people speak English (which is a bonus in my mind), but it is AMAZING! :)
ReplyDeleteWe went to Koi Sumai, Thailand and it fits all of those specifications to a T. It is definitely far away, but it is so reasonable. We spent a little of 2 weeks living in our own hut and also spent some time in Bangkok and for around $4 - 5k. I'd be happy to give your friend more information if she's interested. We can't say enough wonderful things about it.
ReplyDeletePlus, the Thai people are amazing, friendly, and a lot of them (and the street signs) are also in English.
Iles de la Madeleine, Canada. Very beachy, gorgeous and truly unique.
ReplyDeleteCinque Terra is AMAZING! How about somewhere in South America? Brazil/Argentina? The seasons are opposite, so in August it is winter there...but still not too bad. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteSomeone already mentioned it, but I would suggest Costa Rica! It's absolutely beautfiul, the weather is amazing + it's affordable!
ReplyDeleteanywhere along the coast of italy!!
ReplyDeletewith a side trip to the villa at the monte bernardi vineyard in tuscany!!
oh, wait, you said inexpensive...
these are amazing ideas, thank you so much! and keep them coming! :)
ReplyDeletelina, i was thinking....how about ponza, italy; or madeira, portugal, where my sis went on her honeymoon (and LOVED it). and budget travel said that "yugoslavia is the new croatia." apparently the beaches are gorgeous and it's not expensive at all.
budget travel's website is actually a really good resource. they have great ideas, and you know that everything they write about will be not-too-expensive-at-all. xoxo
Loved Bali. After the cost of the flight, everything is really reasonable. Stay half the time beachside in Seminyak or Sanur and half inland in Ubud at Alam Indah in the Hibiscus room that overlooks the terraced rice fields. It's like being in a treehouse. The monkey forest temple is a five minute walk. I was there in November but I think August is supposed to be nice, dry, and breezy.
ReplyDeleteCosta Rica for sure! Cheap, beachy, and defintitely warm in August.
ReplyDeleteAlso- The Greek Cyclades. My boyfriend and I stayed on Andros Island for a week last July. GORGEOUS beaches with cliff diving and snorkling with octopi. Very romantic. Close to Athens and other popular islands for sightseeing- stay the night on Santorini in the town of Oia for the sunset views, stop on Paros for the food in the town of Naoussa, and take a day trip to Mykonos to get lost in the windy little streets. On Andros stay in Batsi!
Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario (Not Niagara Falls) is a lovely, romantic town. Great food, interesting shops, quaint, winery tours, just beautiful - no beach though - but amazing.
ReplyDeletethe only thing about madeira is that it's not really beachy (i mean, it's an island, but it's really hilly and the beaches are rocky)... but there are all these old restored hotels with fabulous pools and gardens. it is the greatest! my other suggestion is st. john in the virgin islands (hotels are expensive but nothing else is -- maybe you could get some kind of deal)... it is totally stunning and the beaches are just white sands and warm water.
ReplyDeletei love Bali, it is beautiful, a paradise. Portugal is also beautiful, i think the best is to go south for a nice warm beach, i was travelling in july, and in the north it is quite chilly. Lissabon is much warmer too.
ReplyDeleteEl Dorado Royale in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. I cannot possibly say enough amazing things about it!!! Super food, scuba diving, service, and it's BEAUTIFUL! It's very secluded and private with a couple different small towns a cab ride away. It's a great bargain and worth far more than what you will actually spend.
ReplyDeleteCosta Rica! So insanely cheap and AMAZING. I've never been somewhere so relaxing in my life.
ReplyDeleteI honeymooned in the Cinque Terre area -- it's breathtaking! I would recommend it highly, but as other people have posted, the Euro makes you want to cry if you visit Europe right now.
ReplyDeleteThe Ligurian Coast (Cinque Terre, Portofino) is amazing, but I imagine the Amalfi coast is good too!
COSTA RICA!! I just returned from there and I couldn't possibly recommend it any higher. It's romantic with amazing beaches but there are also fun, active things to do, like surfing or fishing. And your dollar will go a lot further here (although, not as far as you think, prices are rising quickly as American tourists keep coming).
I've heard Madeira is beautiful, it's on my list of 'next places to visit'.
I know this has already been put out there, but I've got to say COSTA RICA!!! Go to the pacific side, stay at "Si Como No" (an amazing eco-resort that is set right on the coasat in the jungle - literally I followed a troupe of monkeys as they made their way across the hotel one day)!!! It's close to Manuel Antonio national park which has amazing wildlife (take the 7am hike, you see everything!), one of the "best beaches in the world" inside the park, it's safe and you don't have to just stay at your hotel, it's a short plane ride and it's super-affordable! And if you're a surfer, it has great surfing. Ok, that's my two cents. Good luck to your friend - being married is so great!
ReplyDeleteim diggin this hotel http://www.hotelbasico.com/ in mexico
ReplyDeletedid your friend choose a wedding song? which one did she choose? as for honeymoon spots, i don't know. i think i might go to bahia de la luna for my honeymoon.
ReplyDeletewe went to hawaii - it was gorgeous but there is nothing cheap about that place! Punta Mita is supposed to be gorgeous as is Playa Del Carmen.
ReplyDeleteplaya del carmen has a beautiful beach but it's REALLY touristy, lots of annoying spring breakers.
ReplyDeleteif you're heading to the yucatan peninsua in mexico, just drive a little farther and you'll reach Tulum, which still has tourists, but a more low-key, adventurous people....and the beach is SO beautiful, and the town is quieter and much more rustic....
i'm a brazilian living in holland and my suggestion goes to trancoso-bahia-brazil
ReplyDeleteit's an amazing place with a mix of fishman village and trend palce, always sunny and you can find different buget places to stay
i use to go there a lot and i miss it very much
sorry about my english...i'm talking more dutch latelly uuurrrr
I'd say the Andalucia region of southern Spain. Lots of beautiful beaches and old historic places to explore.
ReplyDeleteThe Euro is strong...but I think you can probably budget for your honeymoon (but maybe I'm biased...i just came back from living in London six months. Pshaw! The Euro is NOTHING compared to the pound. :) )
My husband and I got married in Malta and it's so amazing there in the summer. It's not super expensive (although the low dollar is hard to deal with) and there is so much to do and so so much summer fun. Plus, you can take a boat to Sicily which is only about 2 hours away.
ReplyDelete"budget travel says yugoslavia is the new croatia"???!?!? HAHAHA!
ReplyDeleteI just came back from Mexico and I argree Joanna; go to Tulum in stead of Playa del Carmen (although hotel Shangri La is great - not crowded at all and with a private beach). Some other suggestion: Italian island Sardinia, one of the Greek Cyclades islands (for example Santorini) and Bali.
ReplyDeletei would definitely recommend croatia. i was there about 7 years ago (my graduation trip from college) and the coast was quite lovely. beautiful beaches. also, rather inexpensive.
ReplyDeletelet's see...
southeast asia is always a good bet too.
OR...zanzibar! i've never been but have always dreamed of taking a honeymoon there.
MY husband and I went to Italy last August for our honeymoon. I studied there for a semester so I thought I knew how it would be. I was wrong. It was burning hot, expensive and crowded. Cinque Terre used to be an empty off the beaten path place. I used to go almost every weekend and would barely see tourists. Now it's like a girls gone wild spring break destination...ugh. It's still spectacular and the med sea is gorgeous. It was too hot for us so we hopped an over night train for Paris which was cool, beautiful, and the best time of our lives. Though it's expensive, we'll never regret spending our last 3 days there. Best trip ever. Macarons...j'taime.
ReplyDeleteonce again, Cuppa Jo comes through! Jo, this is amazing. I feel like your readers are planning my life--in a good way! It's better than Google :)
ReplyDeleteAll these suggestions are amazing. You've made me seriously consider Tunisia, Mexico, Yugoslavia, Bali, Madeira and Croatia. As for Costa Rica it is totally amazing, but we've both been there already. And Italy is, of course, incredible but I fear the Euro! (and the summer crowds)
Another place we're considering: Vietnam. It looks amazing. I am slightly wary of the 20 hour-travel time, but if anyone has been there, let me know if it's worth it.
And, we haven't picked a song yet, but I wrote down all the ones you all suggested and I'm planning to sort through when I have a moment.
if you want to see us, here's our wedding website:
www.linaandjoel.com
thanks again for all your help!
hi there! i'm from croatia (one of the countries that were created when yugoslavia split up - yugoslavia doesn't exist anymore since the early 90's) and i think its a good idea to consider some of the islands here. especially late august. the sea food is very delicious especially squid!
ReplyDeleteI was so thrilled to see this post. Congrats to your friend on her upcoming nuptials. Seriously, this post could not have come at a better time. I'm getting married in three weeks and we still haven't planned our honeymoon. Yikes! We were going to make plans tonight and all the comments from these wonderful people have helped with some ideas. How serendipitous to find your blog and this post today of all days! :-)
ReplyDeleteI will be coming back for more more more!
oh, sorry, i'm such an idiot! i meant Montenegro--one of the countries on the coast on what was formerly yugoslavia--is the new croatia.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2005/09/27/AR2005092700851.html
yay! i'm so glad celmentine. what a happy accident.
ReplyDeleteI second the El Dorado Royale Resort in the Mayan Riviera! We went there for our honeymoon, and had a wonderfully relaxing time! Adults only, far away from the clubs, all inclusive, you never have to leave the resort unless you want to venture out to the Mayan ruins (which I highly recommend!)
ReplyDeletewe are not cruise people. but I could not handle planning a vacation while planning a wedding so we did a caribbean cruise. it was perfect. you know how much it costs ahead of time... on the days at sea you do not feel guilty at all spending all day in bed or naked on your patio. I wanted to just relax after all the stress and it was great:)
ReplyDeleteIt may be further than your friends are planning to travel, but I would suggest Sri Lanka... it's an absolutely amazing place and totally meets the criteria!!
ReplyDeleteWe were married in December and had a few days on Burgh Island http://www.burghisland.com/ with a view to taking our proper honeymoon (Hong Kong and Japan) in the Spring... but I broke my ankle very badly 10 days after we were married, so we still have our trip to look forward to!!
Morocco? Beaches & culture...
ReplyDeleteBelize & Honduras have nice beach land as well as scuba/diving opportunities though the recent hurricanes may have left some of the good resorts in disarray...
Such great ideas, I'm thinking I need another honeymoon to try out some of these destinations...EXCELLENT post and comments!
ReplyDeleteThe best two weeks of my life were those spent on my honeymoon in Portugal. We flew into Lisbon and did city stuff for a few days, drove south to the coast and played on the beaches of the Algarve for a week, and took off for the north again to visit amazing medieval towns.
ReplyDeleteMy brother-in-law had convinced us to go to Slovenia, but we couldn't get tickets at that time. It definitely sounds like Slovenia's a country to consider, too.
Thailand has superb tropical beaches. Or try Mabul island, Sabah, Malaysia. Tahiti sound georgeous too!
ReplyDeleteZambujeira do Mar - Portugal. :) --> http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=zambujeira%20do%20mar&w=all
ReplyDeletemy husband and i went to morocco for our honeymoon (2 years ago). it was spectacular and...
ReplyDeleteinexpensive
beautiful beaches
warm
tons to see
lots of sightseeing
lots to buy
so beautiful
and....no EURO!
much luck and congratulations!~
hands down....
ReplyDelete{Belize}
Turkey! Cappadocia is amazing, although no beach, but there are loads of amazing cities along the west coast that are gorgeous and have beaches. Not too expensive, either.
ReplyDeleteHow about the Pacific? The Cook Islands are all that (Rarotonga being the main Island). Hot, un populated, beautiful, chilled out, fantastic seafood and just bliss x
ReplyDeleteI looked at Lina's wedding website and I think her new name sounds fabulous. It rolls off the tongue in a delightful way! Lucky her!
ReplyDeleteI've been to the Cinque Terra twice now, and I loved it more with each visit. It's beautiful. However, last fall we went in mid-September and the weather was quite cool- not exactly beachy.
ReplyDeletehow about portugal? although its the euro, its not that expensive and budget travel did an article on the coast of portugal.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2008/01/06/AR2008010602191.html
Tulum or Isla Holbox (both near Cancun) are really awesome in Mexico.
And I would say Tobago is really nice and the conversion rate is great too.
Come here! :) You want beachy, warm and not at all expensive. I'd rec South East Asia. Malaysia in particular :) Check out the East Coast or the islands we have. And Bali of course. Its too beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCome here! :) You want beachy, warm and not at all expensive. I'd rec South East Asia. Malaysia in particular :) Check out the East Coast or the islands we have. And Bali of course. Its too beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCome here! :) You want beachy, warm and not at all expensive. I'd rec South East Asia. Malaysia in particular :) Check out the East Coast or the islands we have. And Bali of course. Its too beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI was so excited to see this post plus your post from Mexico, I had to blog about it to all three of my readership. Just a heads up that I've linked to your posts. It's help me to finally make my honeymoon plans. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI really recommend Turkey,
ReplyDeleteas Anna said Cappadocia is very very beautiful,
Also Antalya, fethiye bodrum and some other seaside cities were very very amazing...
Lots and lots of hotels and tours were there..
At least it is worth thinking on this choice...
I would be wary of using Budget travel company! They tend to be 'package holidays' and you will get just that. Avoid anything that has a 'kids club'! From personal experience they tend to be lower class families at these resorts. Chilling by the pool, beer guts hanging out and I'm not even talking about the men! Not my cup of tea and I don't mean to sound snobby!
ReplyDeleteMykonos is an amazing island if Greek islands are the choice. If they're doing that then I'd advise staying there for the majority and taking a ferry to Santorini for two or three days also. Avoid Ios at all costs! Mykonos is better in very late August and September.
The North of Spain is also beautiful and a nice option.
I've been living on Aruba for the past seven months and I have to say it is honeymoon central! You can play 'count the newlyweds' in the hotel area. It's goreous here and would recommend it but be wary of the tourist traps! Can do Aruba quite cheaply if you're in the know!
Menorca in Spain....
ReplyDeleteis a paradise!
Hoi An, Vietnam! This UNESCO site is a gem! The airfare will set you back a bit. But once there, food is fabulous and very inexpensive--- tradtional vietnamese and curry to the best chocolate mousse... ever-- stay at a romantic "boutique" hotel for 35 a night. Or splurge and stay here (http://www.victoriahotels-asia.com/eng/hotels-in-vietnam/hoi-an-beach-resort-spa). The beaches are awesome!!! Must go...
ReplyDeleteCosta Rica!!!! It's beautiful... pretty inexpensive and always sunny!
ReplyDeleteAlso another idea is Puerto Rico. Technically it's considered a part of the US since you don't need a passport to go there, but it definitely feel like its out of the US - and no customs line! It's really cost effective and its ALL beaches!
ReplyDeleteAustralia!!!! the beaches on the north coast of NSW are absolutely gorgeous. dont go to northern QLD though, because of crocodiles, bluebottles etc. but i live on the north coast and i have to say that our beaches are the best. the water is clear, accomodation is reasonable, our sand is exported its so good, the weather is usually good. its absolutely picturesque. if you need some more info just let me know.
ReplyDeleteHong Kong! I am a bit late for posting but I was reading Read Me's comment about going to Hong Kong. If you have gone could you tell me what it was like going as a tourist?
ReplyDeleteI live in Hong Kong and for me, Hong Kong would be the last place I would spend my honeymoon, or any holiday... I have lived here for 8 years now and as someone who has lives here, I think it is too hot, too polluted, and too crowded. And, well I don't think so anyway, isn't much to do here. I am originally from New Zealand and think living in New Zealand is much better than living here.
Just a heads up.
We took our honeymoon to Positano, Italy! Absolutely breathtaking! We relaxed and just soaked in the astounding beauty around us! It is on the Amalfi coast not far from Naples. Highly recommended! Super romantic!
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