Honeymoon advice

[soxfan49]

I'm trying to plan a honeymoon for next March, but we're really struggling. We fear Aruba may be too hot (like way too hot) although we did find nonstop flights roundtrip plus a resort on the beach for a solid price. We thought about Grand Turk, St Kitts or Barbados but all of those are 2-stop flights and require hours of layovers. Then, we thought maybe a cruise which combines a lot of these islands, but it seems too casual. Hawaii is cool, but Honolulu is essentially Miami minus the extreme nightlife and Kauai is another layover filled trip.

 

Ideas?

[RockRaines]

I'm trying to plan a honeymoon for next March, but we're really struggling. We fear Aruba may be too hot (like way too hot) although we did find nonstop flights roundtrip plus a resort on the beach for a solid price. We thought about Grand Turk, St Kitts or Barbados but all of those are 2-stop flights and require hours of layovers. Then, we thought maybe a cruise which combines a lot of these islands, but it seems too casual. Hawaii is cool, but Honolulu is essentially Miami minus the extreme nightlife and Kauai is another layover filled trip.

 

Ideas?

Aruba shouldnt be too hot in March. Cruises are pretty awesome if you dont get sea sick. We never got to go on a honeymoon but we were down to Hawaii or doing 3 cities in italy. Have you looked at Punta Mita? Thats pretty swank and secluded.

[StrangeSox]

My parents are in Aruba right now. I think it's in the 80's there this week. Hot for sure, but nothing out of line from the Caribbean as far as I know.

 

Maui could be an option for Hawaii, and you can get 1-stop flights on Alaska Airlines from Chicago to Kauai or Maui (stop in Seattle). It's a long trip, but they're both fantastic islands. I'd agree on skipping Honolulu.

 

Puerto Rico's a little shakey with their debt situation right now, but we did our honeymoon on Vieques. Very isolated, not heavily developed, and gorgoues beaches. We stayed here, walked to the nearby town, rented a scooter and had a great time.

[Texsox]

Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

[bmags]

Cruises can be a little too public for me.

 

We went to Curacao on our honeymoon and had fun, they have a very cute downtown that looks like the netherlands. That was late April, hot, but plenty of shade at the places we went. Food was pretty terrible everywhere, as they have like, zero local resources and it all comes from Venezuela.

 

We had a vacation last year to Tulum in Mexico with the opening of Southwest flights to Cancun. We rented a car and its like one road you drive on for 2.5 hrs. Stayed at a bed and breakfast that was actually owned by the couple that opened the Matchbox and Silver Palm.

 

That was our favorite vacation. Intimate as you want, lots of great food and drinks. Lots of beach clubs where even if you were not at a beach hotel you can go there and get towels/drinks.

 

It will be fun no matter what you do though. It's a wonderful slice of time.

[shysocks]

I'm trying to plan a honeymoon for next March, but we're really struggling. We fear Aruba may be too hot (like way too hot) although we did find nonstop flights roundtrip plus a resort on the beach for a solid price. We thought about Grand Turk, St Kitts or Barbados but all of those are 2-stop flights and require hours of layovers. Then, we thought maybe a cruise which combines a lot of these islands, but it seems too casual. Hawaii is cool, but Honolulu is essentially Miami minus the extreme nightlife and Kauai is another layover filled trip.

 

Ideas?

Vegas has decent weather in March. It's not for everyone, of course, but if it appeals to the two of you at all, it's a decent option.

[shipps]

For a honeymoon I think its hard to go wrong. Wherever you go it is going to carry a life long lasting memory. You will think back on wherever you go as some magical place just because of the time you went. Love does that, its all about who you are with man. Its really simple.

[bmags]

Actually here's the one bit of advice I'll give: I think you are right on to be looking at beaches/resort areas. You are going to be exhausted. We were very glad we did not choose a place where sightseeing was the main attraction instead of just lounging around.

[kevo880]

I'm trying to plan a honeymoon for next March, but we're really struggling. We fear Aruba may be too hot (like way too hot) although we did find nonstop flights roundtrip plus a resort on the beach for a solid price. We thought about Grand Turk, St Kitts or Barbados but all of those are 2-stop flights and require hours of layovers. Then, we thought maybe a cruise which combines a lot of these islands, but it seems too casual. Hawaii is cool, but Honolulu is essentially Miami minus the extreme nightlife and Kauai is another layover filled trip.

 

Ideas?

 

We went to Maui and couldn't have had a better time. Plenty of options to be active or just relax on the beach.

[Jenksismyhero]

We did Maui and Kaui for ours. The flight is long and usually only has one stop (we stopped in LA for an hour). I think if you fly out of st louis or indy you can get direct. The flight sucks but it's paradise once you get there and you quickly get over being tired. If you do multiple islands the island hopper didn't take much time so you don't waste a whole day going from island to island. I'd still recommend Honolulu/Oahu. Waikiki is legit, diamond head is cool to hike (and has a great view at the top), hanauma bay has amazing snorkeling and you have Pearl Harbor to check out. The city of Honolulu is just a gigantic city in paradise for sure, but the island itself has a lot to offer. I'd go Maui, Oahu, Kauai in order (have not been to the other islands).

 

I just got back from Puerto Rico. We were in San Juan. I didn't notice any issues with their economic situation. Downtown San Juan seemed to be thriving. If you have money to spend there are places to spend it. Zika may be a concern though if you guys are looking to get pregnant in the near future.

[southsider2k5]

Niagara Falls is everything it is made out to be for a honeymoon.

[Texsox]

Niagara Falls is everything it is made out to be for a honeymoon.

 

Catskills? Poconos? How about the Dells?

 

BTW, FWIW, save money on the wedding and honeymoon and buy a house sooner rather than later.

[Steve9347]

I'm trying to plan a honeymoon for next March, but we're really struggling. We fear Aruba may be too hot (like way too hot) although we did find nonstop flights roundtrip plus a resort on the beach for a solid price. We thought about Grand Turk, St Kitts or Barbados but all of those are 2-stop flights and require hours of layovers. Then, we thought maybe a cruise which combines a lot of these islands, but it seems too casual. Hawaii is cool, but Honolulu is essentially Miami minus the extreme nightlife and Kauai is another layover filled trip.

 

Ideas?

Just fly into Maui and stop thinking about it.

[Steve9347]

We went to Maui and couldn't have had a better time. Plenty of options to be active or just relax on the beach.

This.

 

The zipline tour was amazing.

[soxfan49]

Aruba shouldnt be too hot in March. Cruises are pretty awesome if you dont get sea sick. We never got to go on a honeymoon but we were down to Hawaii or doing 3 cities in italy. Have you looked at Punta Mita? Thats pretty swank and secluded.

I've been on 6 cruises and she's been on 3. We love them. We just don't want to get into the habit of going on a cruise every single vacation we've been on, and so far, that's been the case after 7 years.

 

This one just seems awesome. It's 10 nights and we hit 8 places.

 

Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

My mom's best friend just got back from there and essentially: if you leave the resort, be careful. I'll pass.

 

Vegas has decent weather in March. It's not for everyone, of course, but if it appeals to the two of you at all, it's a decent option.

I live within 1 hour of New Buffalo and Hammond. Aside from the heat, I'd much rather lose $1000 here than $1700 there if you include the flights and hotels. No thanks.

 

Niagara Falls is everything it is made out to be for a honeymoon.

I went there in 2010 after the Hawks won it for the first time. I went with my brother and parents. We stayed in Toronto and saw a Jays game. We wore Hawks jerseys and everyone wanted pictures with us.

 

Unfortunately, I want to go somewhere for 7-10 days and there's not enough to do for us in NF/Toronto for that many days.

 

Catskills? Poconos? How about the Dells?

 

BTW, FWIW, save money on the wedding and honeymoon and buy a house sooner rather than later.

I bought a house in August.

 

Just fly into Maui and stop thinking about it.

I appreciate that advice. I may look into it.

[Chisoxfn]

Europe. Seems like you've done a lot of cruises and thus, I presume lots of tropical type places (although obviously there are cruises in Europe as well)...Europe would be a good change of pace and a new type of adventure. Whether it is going to more rural wine country areas, etc. You could still get your beach fix as well (depending on where you visited in Europe).

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Europe. Seems like you've done a lot of cruises and thus, I presume lots of tropical type places (although obviously there are cruises in Europe as well)...Europe would be a good change of pace and a new type of adventure. Whether it is going to more rural wine country areas, etc. You could still get your beach fix as well (depending on where you visited in Europe).

 

We just spent 3 weeks in Europe last summer for ours. Great choice. Favorite places were Tuscany, Antibes (French Riviera) and Iceland. All are great places if you want to avoid sight seeing destinations like Rome/Paris/London etc...

[Texsox]

Barge or Canals tour in Europe.

[bigruss]

I live within 1 hour of New Buffalo and Hammond. Aside from the heat, I'd much rather lose $1000 here than $1700 there if you include the flights and hotels. No thanks.

Honestly if you're comparing any casinos to Vegas casinos/the strip/fremont st then you REALLY don't know what you're talking about. Obviously casinos are a large part of Vegas but that place is soooo much more.

[Steve9347]

I PM'd this per request, but might as well throw it in here for fun...

 

Hey man, I got married in 2006, so things have probably changed, but I'm guessing not much.

 

Where we stayed - the Hyatt. Stay in a big hotel and check out with a Priceline to get the daily brunch included. Cost on-site is $25/person for those, so it's best to get that worked into your deal. You basically want to stay on Kaanapali Beach. The Hyatt was wonderful, but given location right off of Black Rock, we wanted to do the Sheraton should we ever go back.

 

http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/kaanapali_beach.html

 

There's your big secret. Right outside of that hotel (you can go anywhere on Kaanapali Beach) is black rock. Tons of marine life gets kinda swept in there. For $10 you can rent a snorkel and flippers (at least that was the price in 2006) and you put your head under water and see freaking everything. Gorgeous fish, sea turtles, eels, all that s***. Really, really gorgeous.

 

Other things we did that were awesome:

 

zip line tour through Skyline - http://www.zipline.com/maui

I recommend going to the tour that's in the middle of the island. The drive up there through all the celebrity homes was pretty rad

 

take a Trilogy Tour - http://www.sailtrilogy.com/

 

eat at Kimo's - http://www.kimosmaui.com/

 

Other than that, just f*** a lot and explore Lahaina and have a great time. Definitely rent a car.

[StrangeSox]

I PM'd this per request, but might as well throw it in here for fun...

 

Hey man, I got married in 2006, so things have probably changed, but I'm guessing not much.

 

Where we stayed - the Hyatt. Stay in a big hotel and check out with a Priceline to get the daily brunch included. Cost on-site is $25/person for those, so it's best to get that worked into your deal. You basically want to stay on Kaanapali Beach. The Hyatt was wonderful, but given location right off of Black Rock, we wanted to do the Sheraton should we ever go back.

 

http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/kaanapali_beach.html

 

There's your big secret. Right outside of that hotel (you can go anywhere on Kaanapali Beach) is black rock. Tons of marine life gets kinda swept in there. For $10 you can rent a snorkel and flippers (at least that was the price in 2006) and you put your head under water and see freaking everything. Gorgeous fish, sea turtles, eels, all that s***. Really, really gorgeous.

 

Other things we did that were awesome:

 

zip line tour through Skyline - http://www.zipline.com/maui

I recommend going to the tour that's in the middle of the island. The drive up there through all the celebrity homes was pretty rad

 

take a Trilogy Tour - http://www.sailtrilogy.com/

 

eat at Kimo's - http://www.kimosmaui.com/

 

Other than that, just f*** a lot and explore Lahaina and have a great time. Definitely rent a car.

 

I can second pretty much everything Steve said here. I've been to Maui twice, once in 2005 with my parents and then last year with my wife. That island has pretty much anything anyone would want to do.

 

 

 

[3GamesToLove]

We're doing Quebec (mostly Montreal) for ours, though for March that might not be ideal.

[Panerista]

Echoing the Maui sentiment. My wife and I went there for a non-honeymoon (we went to the Big Island for Honeymoon). Big Island was actually a lot of fun and outdoorsy and was cheaper at the time.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

We're doing Quebec (mostly Montreal) for ours, though for March that might not be ideal.

 

I did a Spring Break in Montreal in March. It's cold but it's still a great city. And Quebec City is basically a European city so that's a neat experience over here.

[soxfan49]

Well, it's official. I'm going to Maui. Can't believe I never really researched it. I was too focused on Kauai. Thanks to Steve and Kevo