[JP10]

So I've been going back and forth with my fiance for a few months now regarding where we want to honeymoon. My issue with a lot of these places is the amount of time that it takes to get there and back. Places like the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, French Polynesia, etc. just take so long to get to. Almost 20hrs in some cases one way.

I've traveled pretty far for work, 30+ hrs each way, but again it was for work and I was being paid. I don't know if I want to waste essentially two full days on just travel to get to a destination where I am suppose to relax. I'm pretty low maintenance. I've opted for a few resorts in Mexico, but we've been numerous times and she wants to go other places. Have also been to punta cana. My boss has a few places in Costa Rica, and I've been trying to talk her into that as we can most likely stay for free.

So two questions. Is the crazy amount of travel time worth it? We will most likely stay 10 days. And are there any locations in a closer proximity that you would recommend? We're looking for an all-inclusive and just to relax. I figure after wedding shit is all said and done we will be looking to just kick back.

Appreciate the help!

[Salty Dog]

Niagara Falls.....seriously though, my wife and I did a bicycle tour in the South of France, it was fantastic. I wasn't sure when she suggested it, but it was the best holiday I've ever had.

First two honeymoons were to the Caribbean and they were ok, but that's something you can do anytime.

[R3dliner]

Just booked our honeymoon to Fiji. With a layover in LAX our 4:55pm flight arrives in fiji 4:40am +2 days. Our 8 days turned into a 5 night vacation.

Last year our trip to the maldives was longer due to the 6 hour layover at Dubai. If you never been there I highly recommend it. The waters and the over water villas are the best in the world.

[Conissah]

I'm in a pretty similar boat, wedding is in April. We wanted to go somewhere fun and somewhere she hasn't been before. Were thinking Italy, Hawaii, Aruba, Turks, but we didn't want to spend 2 days traveling.

Ended up booking a place in Cozumel, all inclusive, a little over $200 a day. Flight will be short and cheap, it'll be a nice place to relax, and since her family is from Mexico, and I can speak a good bit of Spanish, it'll be fun. I know you said you've been there a ton, but FOR US, we didn't think the long travel times nor the expensive prices were worth it, at least not currently.

[Salty Dog]

Travelling any distance has become such a pain in the ass really. I dread going to the airport, the investment of time before you're even in the air is literally hours, the flight suck just because flying sucks now, but it's almost the best part, and then when you arrive you've got the airport and transfers etc at the arrival point. It's had to go anywhere that you don't lose a day on either end at the minimum.

[R3dliner]

Originally Posted by Salty Dog

Travelling any distance has become such a pain in the ass really. I dread going to the airport, the investment of time before you're even in the air is literally hours, the flight suck just because flying sucks now, but it's almost the best part, and then when you arrive you've got the airport and transfers etc at the arrival point. It's had to go anywhere that you don't lose a day on either end at the minimum.

With that mentality you'll never get to visit any nice places. I agree the travel times sucks and I dread it, but hey there's business class.

Did I bitch on my 24 hour 2 layover flight to bali? Sure did, but the moment I got there all my bitching and moaning was forgotten with priceless memories.

[JP10]

Originally Posted by Salty Dog

Niagara Falls.....seriously though, my wife and I did a bicycle tour in the South of France, it was fantastic. I wasn't sure when she suggested it, but it was the best holiday I've ever had.

First two honeymoons were to the Caribbean and they were ok, but that's something you can do anytime.

We're looking for more of a beach vacation, but thanks for the feedback. I'd like to go to Niagara, but not at this time haha.

Originally Posted by R3dliner

Just booked our honeymoon to Fiji. With a layover in LAX our 4:55pm flight arrives in fiji 4:40am +2 days. Our 8 days turned into a 5 night vacation.

Last year our trip to the maldives was longer due to the 6 hour layover at Dubai. If you never been there I highly recommend it. The waters and the over water villas are the best in the world.

Damn that is a lot of travel time. So bottom line it's worth the distance?

Originally Posted by Conissah

I'm in a pretty similar boat, wedding is in April. We wanted to go somewhere fun and somewhere she hasn't been before. Were thinking Italy, Hawaii, Aruba, Turks, but we didn't want to spend 2 days traveling.

Ended up booking a place in Cozumel, all inclusive, a little over $200 a day. Flight will be short and cheap, it'll be a nice place to relax, and since her family is from Mexico, and I can speak a good bit of Spanish, it'll be fun. I know you said you've been there a ton, but FOR US, we didn't think the long travel times nor the expensive prices were worth it, at least not currently.

I'm in complete agreement with you. My fiance on the other hand is not. I think the longest travel time she's had in the air is only 6 hrs to Cali. I don't think she understand that after traveling 20+ hrs you are worn out and it sucks lol.

I have enough flyer miles to cover 1 round trip anywhere in the world, so would just have to pay for the other ticket. Then a lot of the places we are looking are around $500/night for all-inclusive. It's a little more than what I want to spend, but arguing the financial side of things never works out for me. That about all I think about and she is the opposite. Probably be looking at around $6,000 after nights, flights, food/drink to and from.

[R3dliner]

Originally Posted by JP10

Damn that is a lot of travel time. So bottom line it's worth the distance?

Yes, we wanted to go back to maldives for our honeymoon but this time at a 5 star resort(stayed at a 4 star last time) but wifey said wanted a different scenery this time. You get drained but the min you step into your villa it's worth it. If you don't want to travel far I highly recommend turks & cacios. Best in the carribean.

We went over budget on our honeymoon but hey you only live once and those experiences and memories are priceless.

[KingOfJericho]

Maldives look amazing on paper but you're essentially a hostage once you're at your resort of choice. It's not like you can pop out and experience local culture. You're on a speck of sand with only the hotel, its restaurants, and the staff. That's. It. Anything more than five days and you go a bit stir-crazy, making the four days of travel to get there seem much more onerous.

Grace Bay in Turks & Caicos is the nicest strip of sand I've ever been on. It is gorgeous. If you want high-end, Parrot Cay and Amanyara have a similar issue as Maldives. It's a secluded paradise but you get tired of the dining options and there's nowhere to explore.

Another option is Harbour Island in the Bahamas. It's gorgeous and less-traveled and fairly exclusive. It's WORLDS closer to home, yet a world away.

As cliche as Hawaii may seem, the north shore of Kauai is stunning. Hanalei Bay is exquisite. It's SUPER laid back.

There are some other obscure locales in the Caribbean. Canouan Island has a Mandarin Oriental that's supposed to be nice. Palm Island in the Grenadines.

[nyalpine90]

with coronavirus outbreak on cruiseships i would be hesitant to travel any where until it under control

[R3dliner]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Maldives look amazing on paper but you're essentially a hostage once you're at your resort of choice. It's not like you can pop out and experience local culture. You're on a speck of sand with only the hotel, its restaurants, and the staff. That's. It. Anything more than five days and you go a bit stir-crazy, making the four days of travel to get there seem much more onerous.

People go to private islands in the Maldives due to the seclusion. I like the fact that I see no human beings and can enjoy the private beach and do absolutely nothing but drink and relax. If you do want to see the local culture, its typically a 15-20 mins boat ride to a nearby island.

You only lose 1 day of travel depending on how long your layover is.

[JP10]

Originally Posted by R3dliner

Yes, we wanted to go back to maldives for our honeymoon but this time at a 5 star resort(stayed at a 4 star last time) but wifey said wanted a different scenery this time. You get drained but the min you step into your villa it's worth it. If you don't want to travel far I highly recommend turks & cacios. Best in the carribean.

We went over budget on our honeymoon but hey you only live once and those experiences and memories are priceless.

I'll check out Turks & Cacios. Appreciate the advice, I'm wary of the travel time, but maybe I shouldn't be. Like you said it melts as soon as you get there.

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Maldives look amazing on paper but you're essentially a hostage once you're at your resort of choice. It's not like you can pop out and experience local culture. You're on a speck of sand with only the hotel, its restaurants, and the staff. That's. It. Anything more than five days and you go a bit stir-crazy, making the four days of travel to get there seem much more onerous.

Grace Bay in Turks & Caicos is the nicest strip of sand I've ever been on. It is gorgeous. If you want high-end, Parrot Cay and Amanyara have a similar issue as Maldives. It's a secluded paradise but you get tired of the dining options and there's nowhere to explore.

Another option is Harbour Island in the Bahamas. It's gorgeous and less-traveled and fairly exclusive. It's WORLDS closer to home, yet a world away.

As cliche as Hawaii may seem, the north shore of Kauai is stunning. Hanalei Bay is exquisite. It's SUPER laid back.

There are some other obscure locales in the Caribbean. Canouan Island has a Mandarin Oriental that's supposed to be nice. Palm Island in the Grenadines.

Thanks for the suggestions! Going to browse around and see what I can find.

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

with coronavirus outbreak on cruiseships i would be hesitant to travel any where until it under control

I've been following coronavirus pretty closely. Fortunately this is not until late September, hoping that the world gets it's shit together by then. Vaccination should hopefully be developed by then (who know's maybe we're all screwed). Regardless, after what happened on the Diamond Princess I am a little wary of the cruise ships.

[Conissah]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

with coronavirus outbreak on cruiseships i would be hesitant to travel any where until it under control

Not to make this thread about Corona, but you shouldn't be afraid to travel... We know the nCov numbers are fake, but lets assume they're 10 times what has been reported. That is a 0.0106% chance of contracting it. The odds of dying in a car crash are 0.9708%. You are 91 times more likely to die on your commute to work than you are of CONTRACTING the virus, I'm not factoring in the mortality rate of it...

Fear mongering is what causes mass panic and the spread of false info. Let's try and be realistic.

[F32Fleet]

Be mindful of hurricane season and Dry/Wet seasons.

For example, youay not want to travel to the tropics during the dry season with its greater chance for power interruptions.

[thegump]

Are you wanting to do any exploring of the islands or will you mostly just be relaxing in the resort?

We went to Sandals Whitehouse Jamaica (now called South Coast) and absolutely loved it. It was awesome but the resort is the only thing around within an hour or so. It also has over water bungalows that are pretty much the same as the Bora Bora ones, the water might not be as clear depending on the weather tho.

Leaving Birmingham we were there within 6 hours.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by Conissah

Not to make this thread about Corona, but you shouldn't be afraid to travel... We know the nCov numbers are fake, but lets assume they're 10 times what has been reported. That is a 0.0106% chance of contracting it. The odds of dying in a car crash are 0.9708%. You are 91 times more likely to die on your commute to work than you are of CONTRACTING the virus, I'm not factoring in the mortality rate of it...

Fear mongering is what causes mass panic and the spread of false info. Let's try and be realistic.

How much experience do you have in ID?

[Alfisti]

When are you travelling?

If it's after May, I can highly recommend Nice. It has a half decent beach plus a massive rail station so quick day trips to Antibe, Monaco, San Remo, Cannes etc are fairly slow paced and rel;axed but changes your scenery.

We did one day nice, rent two beds and eat at the beach, lazy all day. Next day on the train to wherever. Rinse and repeat for 8 days.

It was brilliant.

[JP10]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

Be mindful of hurricane season and Dry/Wet seasons.

For example, youay not want to travel to the tropics during the dry season with its greater chance for power interruptions.

Unforutantely our wedding and honeymoon will be during the wet season. So taking a little bit of a gamble. With that in mind, a lot of these all inclusive resorts are cheaper when you book non-refundable (by close to $1,000 since I'm looking at 9 nights). Do I gamble on that or make sure that I can be refunded? I know what I should do, I just don't want to pay that much extra.

Originally Posted by thegump

Are you wanting to do any exploring of the islands or will you mostly just be relaxing in the resort?

We went to Sandals Whitehouse Jamaica (now called South Coast) and absolutely loved it. It was awesome but the resort is the only thing around within an hour or so. It also has over water bungalows that are pretty much the same as the Bora Bora ones, the water might not be as clear depending on the weather tho.

Leaving Birmingham we were there within 6 hours.

I'd rather just relax honestly. Too many horror stories with excursions an things of that nature. For instance they advertise it to be a 6hr event and people aren't back for 12hrs. So being on the resort the whole time is fine by me haha. I believe I looked at that resort, but it was a little pricey especially for the bungalows. I'll have to check again, thanks for the idea!

Originally Posted by Alfisti

When are you travelling?

If it's after May, I can highly recommend Nice. It has a half decent beach plus a massive rail station so quick day trips to Antibe, Monaco, San Remo, Cannes etc are fairly slow paced and rel;axed but changes your scenery.

We did one day nice, rent two beds and eat at the beach, lazy all day. Next day on the train to wherever. Rinse and repeat for 8 days.

It was brilliant.

Travel will be late September. We've been back and forth trying to decide whether we would like to explore or just relax. Since we have been doing nothing but scheduling things for the wedding for months now I feel like kicking back in one spot is more what we are looking for. I'll save this for future vacation ideas though, sounds like a great trip!

[Alfisti]

Man that's when we went. It was brilliant, not too busy but still a buzz.

Highly recommended as the beach places are essentially like an all inclusive with better food and PAYG . But yeah, beach, towel, bed, food and drink all in one spot.

[Rmtt]

We wanted something different than beaches and sand, and you live in a location we love to go to for that fix.

We did 3 weeks in Alaska. I planned everything, but it was the best trip of our lives. 2-3 days in each location, drive where we wanted, and had at least one excursion planned everday.

Helicopter out to a Glacier for a hike. Denali National park, float plane ride, paddle boat ride, whale excursion, day and dinner on a private island, para-sailing and accommodations at Alyeska resort, train ride in Talkeetna, panning for gold, sled dogs, fishing.

It's a different type of trip, but you can do as much or as little as you want. And it's beautiful everywhere you go.

We were the youngest tourists I seen on the trip, but I would recommend it at least once to everyone.

[Darth One]

I feel like people are answering two different questions here. The first one being ‘what’s a good place/alternative place to go on honeymoon’. And the second one being ‘is it worth it to spend a significant amount of my precious vacation time and sanity on 20+ hour trips’.

I’ll refrain from jumping in on the first one because there are probably as many opinions as there are destinations on that one.

On the second, I’ll say that airlines and their ilk have certainly made it suck worse than the past, and with every year it seems to get worse. I think the only people who are willing to overlook the pain of these trips are 1.) going to a place they’ve always dreamed of going and will bear the pain to have their dream realized, or 2.) people who have had the travel bug all their lives and will tolerate suckitude as a cost of their hobby, the same way a car guy will tolerate stiff suspension and catless exhaust fumes.

Since you’re asking the question, I’m guessing you guys aren’t 2.

So are any of your options someplace you have always dreamed of going, or is it just someplace that you’ve heard is nice to go? The more emotionally invested you are in your destination, the more suck you’ll be willing to tolerate, i think

[AntF32]

We had our Honeymoon in Hawaii, specifically the big Island and have been back since. I would highly recommend it, just not Hilo as it seems to NEVER stop raining!!