Honeymoon Ideas?

[Haven]

Hi, ladies,

FI and I are looking for some inspired honeymood ideas. We were originally planning on trying for a pair of tickets to Wimbledon, but the last match day is only two days after our wedding so that''s out.

SO, let me tell you a bit about us, and then please share some great destinations you''ve visited!

We are very outdoorsy, we love nature and wildlife. We''re athletic, we mostly go running and bicycling together, but we''re up for anything (climing, rapelling, hiking, etc.). We LOVE history, I''m a big history buff, so a place with interesting history would be excellent. We''re not big drinkers or eaters, so we''re looking for something beyond the traditional resort sit-on-the-beach-and-sip-pina-coladas-and-eat-all-you-want getaway.

We''d like to go somewhere new, but that''s not necessary. We''ve recently traveled to: Egypt, Mexico, Poland, England, France, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Israel, and I''ll be in Greece prior to our wedding.

Any suggestions? Have you visited an inspiring place? Please share!

 

[mimzy]

what about belize? it''s got the beautiful beaches for relaxing, but also has the jungle stuff for some outdoor adventure action

 

[hazel_eyes]

Hi there Haven!
A friend of my sisters went on a great adventure based honeymoon in Austria of all places a couple of years ago. They are both outdoorsy types like yourself and they didn''t want to do the whole beach/city thing. They did mountain climbing/hiking/abseiling/kayaking etc and stayed in this romantic lodge that looked fab. I''m sure if you search google for activity breaks you''ll come up with some good results. Good luck!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Haven,

Our personalities are very similar to yours--we love a ton of activities and enjoy local culture, but don''t really want to be stuck on a resort. Our first choice for a honeymoon was Antarctica, but it was insanely expensive. I thought that climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa would be a lot of fun, but DH really wanted a beach vacation in addition to doing some climbing.

We sat down with a travel agent and discussed the best places for us based on what we love to do--we narrowed it down to Costa Rica, St. Lucia, Grenada (the two Caribbean islands that seemed to fit "us" best), the Southern coast of Spain, Santorini, Hawaii and Playa del Carmen, Mexico (the only place in Mexico that really interested us because of the Mayan ruins). We ultimately decided that Hawaii was the best fit for us because there are so many things to do and we can relax when we want.

There are so many places that I''m sure you''d love--are you completely open to anything? Europe, South America, Asia? Non beach vs. beach? When we started I had a power point presentation with 30 places I wanted to go and we just kept narrowing it down, but the most helpful thing we did was see a travel agent, I''d definitely recommend it!

 

[AceP]

Hi Haven,

What time of year are you planning to go? I highly recommend Turkey - both Istanbul and the southern part of the country. TONS of history, of course, and lots of options for off-the-beaten-path sightseeing. Istanbul is the most cosmopolitan part of the country, and if you head southeast/south, you'll see amazing ruins and beautiful beaches. Croatia is another option for beaches interspersed with history.

ETA: Wimbledon - duh - you're going in the summer. Well, Turkey and Croatia will both be hot then - esp. Turkey - if that doesn't bother you.

 

[Shannon72781]

If you can afford it (time AND price wise), New Zealand is just amazing. When are you going though? I was there in January (their summer) and the weather was very nice. Can''t speak for the other months though!

There''s tons to do and the scenery is just breathtaking!

Ultimately, I believe we are going to Hawaii, so I would suggest that as well

 

[musey]

Date: 1/2/2008 11:11:49 AM
Author: Shannon72781
If you can afford it (time AND price wise), New Zealand is just amazing. When are you going though? I was there in January (their summer) and the weather was very nice. Can't speak for the other months though!

This is where we'll be going! 16 days in October. I don't know how we'll even begin to fit in all we want to do! It will be a little chilly (well, by our SoCal standards!) then, as it's just the beginning of spring. Summer here is winter there, so it's something for Haven to keep in mind. ETA: Here is a new zealand thread I started awhile back, if you're interested.

We're planning to tack on a couple days in Fiji/Tonga/somewhere similar on our way home, to get a little "beach" time

Hawaii is always a great go-to option because you really can make any kind of vacation you want out of it. The stereotypical choice, there, is the whole beach-and-resort scene, but you can do SO much more (especially on Kauai/Maui/Big Island as opposed to Oahu). When we've gone, "our" Hawaii is more of the hiking/exploring/adventure variety.

 

[mjso]

For some reason, the honeymoon seemed like an easier decision for us than any of the stuff we are planning for the rest of the wedding. We''ve both decided we want to go to Ireland and Sweden (my mom''s family is Irish and his dad''s is Swedish). I''ve already been to Ireland, but I''d like to share it with him and neither of us have been to Sweden.

I''m not sure where you live now, but I''d say you should give Montana some consideration. There are lots of awesome outdoorsy things to do (rock climbing, river rafting, amazing hikes, mountain biking) and it is beautiful. Glacier National Park is amazing, Chico Hot Springs are near Yellowstone and are also a great relaxing place.

If you are looking for something more exotic. I''d second the idea of New Zealand. The FH''s brother just got back from an 8 month trip to Thailand, New Zealand, Australia and Africa. He said Thailand was his favorite part of the trip, but I think part of that might be due to the fact that he had a personal tour guide friend of family to show him around. Anyway, he got his skydiving certification in NZ and the pictures there are just awesome. There''s a lot of "extreme" sports to participate in and you have mountains and the beach really close to each other.

 

[p-nut]

I really want to go to Niagra Falls basically because it''s what I''ve seen in older movies as being the primo honeymoon spot

. My fiance laughed and I admitted it was a bit cheesy, but it really is pretty and something I''d never do otherwise.

 

[Neveah]

Date: 1/2/2008 12:28:06 PM
Author: musey

Date: 1/2/2008 11:11:49 AM
Author: Shannon72781
If you can afford it (time AND price wise), New Zealand is just amazing. When are you going though? I was there in January (their summer) and the weather was very nice. Can''t speak for the other months though!

This is where we''ll be going! 16 days in October. I don''t know how we''ll even begin to fit in all we want to do! It will be a little chilly (well, by our SoCal standards!) then, as it''s just the beginning of spring. Summer here is winter there, so it''s something for Haven to keep in mind. ETA: Here is a new zealand thread I started awhile back, if you''re interested.

We''re planning to tack on a couple days in Fiji/Tonga/somewhere similar on our way home, to get a little ''beach'' time

Hawaii is always a great go-to option because you really can make any kind of vacation you want out of it. The stereotypical choice, there, is the whole beach-and-resort scene, but you can do SO much more (especially on Kauai/Maui/Big Island as opposed to Oahu). When we''ve gone, ''our'' Hawaii is more of the hiking/exploring/adventure variety.

I too agree with New Zealand. You should do both NZ and Australia as they are only a 3 hour flight apart from each other. I went last summer (our summer, their winter.... in July) and it was great. Their winters are MUCH milder than ours, and with all the walking, hiking, etc it was great that it wasn''t humid or too hot. Weather was perfect. (only needed jackets in the evenings!) On that trip I went from snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to snowboarding in Queenstown in NZ! !
My sister actually lives in NZ. She went there for an abroad program for college and never came home

I am probably biased because she lives in Christchurch, but I MUCH prefered the south island over the north. If I could ever go back..... oh I so hope I can!..... I would just skip the north island
I am super jealous!!! We don''t have enough time to do a honeymoon like this (8 days

)
Good Luck!

 

[eks6426]

What about Prince Edward Island in Canada? Beautiful countryside, lots of hiking & outdoorsy activities...and if you go in the summer the water is actually warm.

 

[Dutchgirlll]

Hi Haven!

I'm thinking of South Africa. We've been there 2 years ago and it has just the perfect mix of wildlife, culture, big cities (which I love) and nature. To see some of our pics, check out our website at beyondwindmills. Unfortunately it's still mostly under construction (and in Dutch

) but you can view our fotoalbum (photoalbum), zuid afrika (south africa). I know pictures don't start out with the best views, but please look at all of them and you'll have an idea of how diverse it is...

We drove by ourselves and it was great! We drove from Johannesburg to Cape Town in 28 days and it was one of our top 10 vacations! If you're looking for history: couldn't hit a better spot. And all this is still so fresh: some of this whole apartheid (Dutch word) stuff happened just 10 yrs ago, and unfortunately, still happening in some ways. Wanna do active stuff? Go to the Drakensbergen for wonderful hikes and horseback riding. Or climb or abseil the Table Mountain in Cape Town. Visit a true witch doctor somewhere on the countryside and spot wildlife from your own car in Kruger National Park. Go trail tracking with a ranger by dawn in some of the wildlife parks or go whale watching in Hermanus. Do make a stop around Cape's wineries and enjoy wine tasting after you pet some cheeta's.

So is this sounding like a promo text yet

?? haha I know SA might sound a little scary to some people, but it was just wonderful. I think it would be a nice addition to some of the countries you already visited and something totally different (if that's what your looking for in a trip -I always am

).

BTW you already saw some amazing countries, getting jealous up here

 

[ming]

Ecuador and the Galapagos...

Just got back. Food good but not a foodie, sit back on your tush vacation. You can hike volcanos and crater lakes, snorkel, horseback ride etc.

Also loved Guatamala. Avoid Guat City but be sure to see Antigua. Then go to Tikal, Lake Atitlan, hike the volcano, etc.

 

[Pandora II]

We''re going to Sri Lanka which has a pretty good mix of everything:

Historic places like Kandy; great walks and views; real jungle; beaches - and more gemstones than any country on earth!

Plus a baby elephant orphanage!

It''s way cheaper than the Maldives, with more to do and the same amazing beaches/sea etc

 

[gtn]

I say go to Asia.

If you go to Japan, you could hike up Mt. Fuji and visit the hot springs.
If you go to the Philippines, you could do lots of water sports. I would stay away from Manilla since you have to stay in a resort. I would go to the Southern part (Cagayan De Oro) or Central, not North.
If you go to Vietnam, you could visit the northern part and go hiking up to the mountains or kayaking through Ha Long Bay
Cambodia or Laos, very similar to Thailand, but no beach resorts.


If you don''t feel comfortable going to Asia, I say New Zealand or Australia would be great options as well.

If only I could do all of the above. That would be ideal...

 

[Dutchgirlll]

If you don''t feel comfortable going to Asia, I say New Zealand or Australia would be great options as well.

If only I could do all of the above. That would be ideal...


That''s so funny gtn!! That''s exactly what we are going to do for our honeymoon!!! (I really should start my introduction topic here

). We are going to get married in Bali in August. Afterwards we honeymoon in different spots in Asia. We take an Asia pass and we''ll be heading to Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam and end in a luxury resort in Thailand! That would be so great and a wonderful ending to our very very destination wedding (coming from the Netherlands)!

 

[Independent Gal]

Well, South Asia is my very favourite place to travel, but I''ll just throw in there that I wouldn''t recommend going to Cambodia on a honeymoon. It was one of the most interesting places I''ve ever been, but there was no part of that trip that was even a little bit relaxing. It''s still pretty dangerous there, and is somewhat depressing too. I highly recommend going, just maybe not a cheerful honeymoon destination.

You could also think about Malaysia - low stress, varied landscapes, great jungle hikes in the Cameron Highlands and Taman Nagara (the oldest forest on the planet...how cool is THAT!). There are great beaches, fantastic food, lots of English speakers...

Another idea is the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia. I have some friends who took a month and went to stay in a fishing village there. It''s low key, relatively low cost, and so interesting. Lots of history, nice countryside walks, beaches, etc. As long as you can cope with central european food. YUCK! (no offence, anyone).

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 1/3/2008 5:38:29 PM
Author: Independent Gal

Another idea is the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia. I have some friends who took a month and went to stay in a fishing village there. It's low key, relatively low cost, and so interesting. Lots of history, nice countryside walks, beaches, etc. As long as you can cope with central european food. YUCK! (no offence, anyone).

FI and I went there on holiday 2 years ago.

It is fabulous - incredible water, you can see the bottom 20ft down it's so clear. Has some of the best diving in the world.

We flew into Split, then took the ferry to Korcula - my favourite island, followed by Mijet, which is almost totally deserted with amazing walks and a lake with an old monastry you can kayak out to, followed by Dubrovnik and then back to Split.

The seafood is good - but not much else.

We also didn't find it that cheap.

I will throw in a word of warning though. I got incredibly upset by the number of badly treated animals, especially cats there. I still have nightmares about some of the things I saw in Dubrovnik and can't even think of the place without getting upset. I've been seriously thinking of having hypnosis or something to block the memories. I know that it's similar in many countries - Greece upset me as well, but Croatia was extreme.