October 9, 2004

9:21 PM

Belated Honeymoon : My husband & I are planning on taking a much-put-off honeymoon next spring, preferrably somewhere in Caribbean/Latin America, and could really use some tips. (more inside)
posted by littlegirlblue to (8 comments total)

1.Our budget is around $5000 including airfare. We can go over by a few hundred.
2.Glass-bottomed boat ride & snorkeling are musts!
3.As are delicious, head-sized margaritas.
4.We'd like somewhere reasonably-priced to stay that's not too icky.
5.And finally, would it be better to go when I'm on spring break (March-ish), or after school lets out (late May)?

Thanks!
posted by littlegirlblue at 9:25 PM on October 9, 2004

Given your budget and desired activities, I'll strongly recommend an all-inclusive beach resort in the Dominican Republic or the Caymans. Lots of bang for your buck, and not a lot of kid tourists during spring break.
posted by Dreama at 11:54 PM on October 9, 2004

If you're willing to go off the beaten track, I would highly recommend trying out the island of Roatan in Honduras. It's got some incredible diving, (don't know about glass bottomed boats).

This place really is a diver's paradise, and the island is very nice too. Don't expect lush rain forests or anything, for that you should look at Belize which also has nice diving but is becoming much more expensive.

You can really stretch your dollar on Roatan. But do your research on the dive companies, some of the lower budget companies there are kinda sketchy.

It's definitely a "young persons" vactaion getaway, there will be lots of maragaritas, dancing at nights, etc. But don't expect polished US accomodations.

Info here
posted by jeremias at 4:42 AM on October 10, 2004

I am a huge fan of Isla Mujeres and the area south of Cancun (Cancun itself is pretty yucky). Tulum, specifically, has some great quiet and wonderful beaches, and Ana y Jose is a wonderful place to stay with one of the better restaurants on the "Maya Riviera."

If you like to snorkel or scuba dive, the cenotes of this area (google Buddy Quattlebaum, who runs a great outfit near Tulum) are some of the best diving I've ever done anywhere in the world. Warm, freshwater underground caves, they are really like nothing you'll see anywhere.

Isla Mujeres is super cheap and if you get back toward the backside of the island and either rent a place or stay somewhere just on the edge of the beaten path, like Casa Maya, where I like to stay, I can assure you that you'll have a terrific and very inexpensive time.

It's about a 45 minute ferry ride from Cancun. Tulum is a couple of hours south by Colectivo bus, which will run you about $2 from Cancun. They run every 15 minutes or so. You can also take a first class or regular tourist class bus from the Cancun bus station for about $10 per person.
posted by luriete at 11:41 AM on October 10, 2004

I second Isla Mujeres (luriete - shhh...you're letting the secret out!)

OK, it's not really a secret, but only 30 minutes and a world away from Cancun.

Casa Maya is nice (quite simple but also inexpensive). I can also recommend the Villa las Brisas, the Hotel Posada Del Mar, and the Hotel Secreto. I've heard good things about Villa Rolandi, which I've never stayed at. It's more of a fancy/resort type place - but anywhere on the Isla should be well within your budget. I think a couple would have to work pretty hard to spend more than $400 a day total (and that is being quite generous.).

Feel free to email me if you'd like some more info.
posted by sixdifferentways at 4:38 PM on October 10, 2004

Google is your friend when it comes to specifics, but I just pulled a good place to start out of my bookmarks: The Isla Mujeres Message Board.
posted by sixdifferentways at 4:57 PM on October 10, 2004

I've been to Isla a few times, always with an SO, and would have tremendous problems spending more than $250 a day, and that would include hotel, eating at one of the better restaurants, and scuba diving or fishing or glass-bottom-boat touring etc.

And make sure that your golf cart is one of the sturdy ones, with the big off-road tires!
posted by luriete at 5:31 PM on October 10, 2004

I'll second (third, fourth, whatever....) Isla Mujeres. I found it by accident after a planned week in Playa del Carmen was sucking so bad after two days we looked for somewhere else to go. Ended up having a great time.
posted by spilon at 1:46 PM on October 11, 2004