Whoops we forgot to plan the honeymoon

August 24, 2005 11:18 AM

Where should NortonDC and I go on our honeymoon in a month? We would like relaxation (with the option to be active), and maybe to be spoiled a bit.

We were thinking about Mexico, and are still considering this place, though I keep hearing things about hurricanes. We are both interested in Greece or maybe Turkey, but will there be alot of stairs (because one of us has bad knees)?

This is the first vacation either of us has taken in a long time, and it would be so lovely if it was beautiful and fun and relaxing. Here's a sort of running list of preferences we have so far:

Can spend up to $6K or so, but spending less is also good.
must minimize stairs (bad knees)
must have vegetarian food available
prefer international travel or cross a body of water
must be 8+ nights
must not be a continuous cruise
must be sunny/warm
prefer to have a beach
must commence shortly after wedding (9/24)
must have relaxation time
prefer to also have activities available (e.g., the Playacar resort offers dance lessons)
must not be skiing

On food, there must be veggie options for every meal; we love Mediterranean food.

Can anyone offer specific places, especially hotels or resorts, that you've stayed at that have seemed romantic or that you've just really enjoyed? Input into the Greece/stairs question also much appreciated!

posted by onlyconnect to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

see this post for advice on Greece.

congrats and have fun!
posted by killy willy at 11:32 AM on August 24, 2005

Mallorca/Majorca.
posted by devilsbrigade at 11:44 AM on August 24, 2005

Married in June, we honeymooned at Sandals Royal Caribbean Jamaica. There are 11 Sandals total, I think 6 in Jamaica. They have a great reputation, and while our problems were minor, the food was consistently excellent. Plenty of vegetarian fare. Strongly recommend the upgrade to the beachfront room. Our patio was six feet from the sand and volleyball court, 100 feet from the water. Plenty of activities. Study up on Jamaica history to have a leg up for the trivia games. Colin Powell is part Jamaican!

Booked months in advance, six days was about $3,000 each including airfare from LA.

For Greece, I vacationed there and in Venice (too many stairs for your requirements) in Sep '03. Santorini is perfect. Stay at Studio Artemis (website? sorry), it was about $20/person/night. Mom&Pop operation 100yards from a craggly beach, but a fantastic view and a three minute ride from those beautiful cliffs. If you rent a scooter, be careful Artemis' guy, it was $10 or $15/day but he tried to charge $8/day for helmets! Check out the Tropical Bar, across the way from Murphy Bar. Disclaimer: You said stairs, not hills, and while there are not many stairs in Santorini, some of the sidewalks get pretty steep (12% grade?)

Both are romantic, and both are excellent climates during September. Congratulations on your wedding, best wishes.
posted by applecore at 11:59 AM on August 24, 2005

Cyprus; or

Beirut/Damascus
posted by Pollomacho at 12:05 PM on August 24, 2005

I think you're already on the right track. My wife and I loved the Riviera Maya; there's plenty to do there, Playa Del Carmen is a lovely town, Cozumel and Cancún are nearby, Tulúm is close, etc.
On the other hand, this looks like a seriously kickass honeymoon spot to me. And it's probably a little more unusual.
posted by willpie at 12:28 PM on August 24, 2005

We're going here in November for our anniversary.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:24 PM on August 24, 2005

My shiny new wife and I just got back from a honeymoon trip on a canal barge called the Anjodi. It goes up and down the Canal du Midi in southern France and featured awesome food, a very accommodating crew and nice trips to local towns and villages.
posted by bshort at 1:27 PM on August 24, 2005

Shiny new wife here, and let me confirm that hotel barging meets all your criteria except 8+ nights; we tacked on a few days beforehand in a local town to soak up some atmosphere. The food was delicious, the excursions interesting, and my favorite part was relaxing on the deck watching the scenery go by. Feel free to email if you'd like more info. <10 stairs on the boat.
posted by hsoltz at 1:35 PM on August 24, 2005

Biras Creek is in the Virgin Islands. What brings me to consider it for the honeymoon is that they have a couple of small Boston Whaler launches that you can get for the day. My friend who honeymoon'ed there said it like the keys to the boat basically came with the room. So that they each day one could set out to whatever idyllic and totally private beach one wanted... Which is enough adventure for me (skipper) and her (first mate - bad wedding crashers reference).
posted by zpousman at 1:55 PM on August 24, 2005

Re: Pollomacho's earlier comment
Judging by the State Department's current travel warning and consular information sheet on Lebanon, that does not sound relaxing.

Syria requires going through a travel agent in order to avoid the slow churn of visa applications. Keep in mind that they tend to enforce the rule that people with Israeli passport stamps won't get in.
posted by whatzit at 4:43 PM on August 24, 2005

Syria does not require a travel agent, at least it didn't when I went there and Beruit last year (to visit my brother in the State Dept.). The "slow churn" of the visa process took two days and two trips (drop off and pick up of my passport at the embassy near Dupont Circle). In the end the Syrians gave my wife and I 6 month multiple-entry visas, though I applied and paid for 1 month visas, because, "you may like it and want to stay longer!"

It was truly wonderful and relaxing.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:20 AM on August 25, 2005