Hi all ... helping my best friend plan his honeymoon. We're thinking about somewhere in Costa Rica or Europe for him and his bride, to give you an idea of what we're thinking about, but we're open to suggestions, since neither of us have traveled much and wouldn't want to miss out on a gem. We'd also like to not spend a lot, but, again, we're open to every type of suggestion, whether full-blown luxury or dirty hostel, so we could at least take a look at it. Any thoughts?
Reply to this Cheap but luxurious.............definitely not in Europe where it is pricey. For half what they'd spend there, they can get luxury honeymooning somewhere in Southeast Asia.
Reply to this Thanks ... I had heard that (that Asia was a good bargain), but they don't wanna go there. Any recommendations, though? I'd like to go some time next year if possible (friend of mine is moving back to China). It would be a solo trip, but there's a chance my friend would tag along with me if I hop over to another part of Asia during my stay.
Reply to this Yes it does! Try a home exchange.. Hotels get expensive and usually total to half of your travel expense. There are several sites that offer home exchanges but www.vFlips.com is free and has the most features.
Reply to this Too many choices.
Sun and sand + shopping in Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam or Malaysia. Get templed out in Indonesia, India , Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos. There are many blogs on these sites which you can check out to suit your fancy, depending on how much time you have.
Reply to this Thanks for getting back to me liliram. I really appreciate it as I'm new to all of this. I'll check out some of the other blogs and see more of what's out there ...
Reply to this You need to give a clearer definition of budget, timeframe, and what you call luxury.
If budget is an issue, and you are currently in the States, because the USD is low, keep a USD region in mind. South America is often way cheaper than Central America, and does not cost much more in term of flying.
Luxury in Brazil cost a lot more than luxury in Argentina.
Next question is when! Asia during the rainy season could be cheaper...but not always the best for a honeymoon!
Tonight we stay in Thailand on the beach with a private swimming pool...tomorrow we are camping, in a small tent on a very small island. For me both are serious luxury...but it is clearly not the same thing!
Reply to this PA Leslie - thanks so much for getting back to me ... I didn't include any details in my original post because I didn't want people to be limited by our budget, desired region, etc., so we don't miss out on anything good. I'm new to TB ... do you suggest I include that stuff when I post in the future?
Our budget is USD $5k-7k (ideally, but might be willing to splurge if worth it), end of August/beginning of Sept. 2010 (7-10 day trip) and luxury to my friends (I'm planning this for them) would be Jade Mountain. Now I don't think we'll be able to get something like that for 7k, but I'd like to find something maybe not quite that nice, yet still quaint, safe, not terribly touristy but still developed, and at a decent price, if such a thing exists.
As far as location goes, they're pretty settled on either Costa Rica, Aruba, or Europe. They'd like to travel outside of the States if possible and aren't terribly interested in Antigua, South America, Africa, or Asia (in spite of the recommendations from this site I passed on to them).
I know that's a pretty tough set of requirements I've provided, especially with the desired budget, but I'd appreciate any recommendations you (or anybody else) has, even if it falls out of or well below the budget or you have something in Asia (maybe I'll like it and check it out for myself!). Thanks so much for your time ... I know replying to these posts isn't exactly a 2-second procedure.
Reply to this The only thing i can suggest to your friend for his honeymoon is
.With the Mediterranean being a highly accessible destination from the UK .It has beautiful beaches ,resorts and sight seeing places. Reply to this Thanks ptrjakson ... I'd love to go to the Mediterranean!
Reply to this If you wanted to have a luxurious holiday and get as much for your money as possible then Europe probably isn't the way to go. Everything will be a lot more expensive than if you were to go somewhere in Central America - Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama will all have nice hotels and beaches if you're after the 'laze around on the beach and east great seafood' kind of holiday!
Reply to this Luxury and cheap don't quite mesh together. :D
But for an option, how about boarding a cruise ship?
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