Where should we goa?

January 29, 2008 12:29 PM

Honeymoon Destination Ideas, something cultural and exotic but with a nice beach in November. Slightly adventurous but we definitely want to be able to chill out as well. Goa? Thailand? Any input appreciated.

So in November right around the Thanksgiving break my new wife and I will be taking our honeymoon. We've been thinking of Southeast Asia ideas mostly, Goa and Thailand, maybe even Vietnam? Any other ideas and recommendations or revelations about Goa or Thailand? Thanks!

posted by bitdamaged to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

The wife and I spent our 5th anniversary on Caye Caulker Belize. Definitely a lot of chill time, with all sorts of adventurous snorkeling, diving, caving, Mayan ruins, wilderness walks all within an hour or so. Also their dollar is pegged to 1/2 the American dollar, so everything is very affordable, and everyone speaks English. It's my goto place whenever anyone wants a good cheap getaway.
posted by sanka at 12:54 PM on January 29 [2 favorites]

Cuba. Get there before Castro dies and the Americans overrun it with Wendy's outlets and imported sombreros manufactured in China. Go, go now, hurry. Lovely, amazing, time capsule.
posted by Mrs Hilksom at 1:12 PM on January 29

As much as I love India, I wouldn't recommend Goa for a honeymoon. India just comes with hassle, inevitably, and if you're not accustomed to it, you might hate it. You'd find Thailand to be a cleaner, comfier, less frustrating option, all round. I'd say the food's a lot better too, although Indian food is right up there with the best in the world.

You might also want to look up the climate in Southeast Asia. I find that it seems to hover around 30+ degrees celsius & 80+% humidity, pretty much every day. This means constantly being damp & sweaty, whenever you're out of the airconditioning. Not exactly conducive to romance, and it can get to be a bit draining.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:28 PM on January 29

I say Thailand. The rainy season ends the tail end of October and November is the perfect month to visit the Land of Smiles.

I have heard good things about Koh Samu (not sure how to spell it but that is how it sounds...)
posted by konolia at 1:37 PM on January 29

Koh Samui.

have been through Thailand a number of times, but only ever did the island-beach thing once, on Koh Chang, which is more of a national park / backpacker island. Koh Samui looks beautiful from photos I've seen. Koh Phi Phi also.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:18 PM on January 29

Thailand is beautiful in November, but avoid the touristy islands. Koh Samui is unfortunately no place to have especially good Thai food and the beaches will be packed.

The least-touristy of the islands - and the last rainforest island in Thailand, if not all of SE Asia - is Koh Chang, a 2 hr van ride and 1.5 hr ferry from Krungthep (Bangkok). Once there, take a songtaew to the backside of the island - skip the hippy-dippy and fancy resorts, and go to Sea View Resort on the back, which is not as tiny as it used to be, but still has an excellent restaurant, one of the prettiest beaches in Thailand, and a very nice staff. Instead of the hotel, stay in one of their beautiful bungalows, encrusted in bougainvillea, on a cliff over the ocean.

Our honeymoon included 3 days there, and I wish it had been more.

The interior of the island has some of the nicest waterfalls I've ever seen and lots of interesting hiking, elephant-riding and mountain biking; rafting, too, in some seasons, and kayaking too. The snorkeling is equally fantastic and every meal we had was incredible, perfectly prepared local seafood. I'd go back in a minute.

In the Americas, I'd recommend flying into Cancun & then getting out ASAP, either on a ferry to Isla Mujeres or a $3 government-run Colectivo a few hours south to Tulum, where you can stay at Ana y Jose or one of the other very nice, small bungalow developments along the beach.
posted by luriete at 2:18 PM on January 29

2nding UbuRoivas, India is not a honeymoon destination. India is a (rewarding) challenge, not a vacation.

Thailand for the win. I recommend getting the lonely planet guide. Favorite islands of mine include Ko Phi Phi, Ko Pha Ngan, and Ko Tao. I would avoid Phuket and Ko Samui, they are too much Germans on mopeds with hookers on amphetamines.

Although Bangkok is ok as cities go, try to limit your time there to 2 days.

Backpackers prefer the north and, as awesome as the beaches are, I think I do too. Honeymooning, however, is beach business.

If you go to India's west coast, try Gokarna instead.
posted by sisquoc15 at 4:52 PM on January 29

ah, dear sweet Gokarna - infinitely preferable to Goa. only rickety huts when I was there; now a mid-priced resort at Om Beach...? oh, well...
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:21 PM on January 29

(as an afterthought, the answer kinda depends on what you & your partner are like. i actually *would* go to india for a honeymoon, but that's partly becoz i'd never in a million years consider marrying anybody who didn't get a kick out of that kind of travel. and, if you do india big-budget style - instead of my usual $5/day approach - you get a *lot* of bang for your buck - palace hotels, personal drivers etc - on far less cost than just about anywhere else. for a treat, you can live like a majaraja)

((another afterthought: beaches + western women = indian men showing up specifically to ogle, brazenly. don't do beaches in India with women, unless you can somehow find one that's totally private & fenced off))
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:31 PM on January 29

maharaja.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:32 PM on January 29

Mr. Amusebuche and I did a 10-day holiday in Thailand in early December, and I think it would make a great honeymoon destination. We didn't love Bangkok (hot and polluted), but found a small boutique hotel there that had some romantic charms nonetheless.

We spent four days in a beach town on the coast 3 hours south of BKK, called Hua Hin. The town is billed as being a favorite getaway for Thai's and supposedly less touristy than some of the islands further south. For us it was all about extreme relaxation— a full-service resort with couples massage, wonderful food, cocktails at the pool bar, etc. The landscape is probably not as idyllic as some of the islands, but we were very pampered and there weren't a lot of people during the week so we really felt alone together, without being far from civilization.

We also spent 3 days in Chiang Mai, and found the city itself quite romantic and well-worth a longer stay. It is well-situated for hiking and exploring in the nearby mountains, and the wats and night markets in the city provide a great setting for a memorable adventure together. No beach there, however.

I must say, I also like the Cuba suggestion above, though.
posted by amusebuche at 5:36 PM on January 29

Oh, yes yes yes, if you get a chance and have time, definitely go to Chiang Mai. Take a sweater for some of the evenings in November, tho. I would go again in a heartbeat.
posted by konolia at 6:31 PM on January 29

Ha! My wife and I honeymooned for three weeks in India. But yeah, I wouldn't recommend it for a first-time-traveling-together-in-Asia experience. Thailand's easy to get into and get around. If beaches are a must, then Koh Chang would also be my recommendation, but if you can swing it Chiang Mai is relaxing and will teach you a little about Thai cultural history. And what could be better than that on a honeymoon?
posted by pantagrool at 8:08 PM on January 30

Watching a bit of ping-pong?
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:13 PM on January 30