Help with beach/warm weather honeymoon

[Gripen]

The wife and and have been blessed to be offered a little help in taking a beach/warm/all inclusive perhaps/ for our honeymoon this fall.

We are both well traveled in Europe and Med but neither of us have ever done a beach destination trip. Looking for some mag advice.

Looking to go for a week-end days from Calgary/Edmonton/Kalispell in Oct or early Nov and want to avoid hurricanes/monsoons/etc. We're done with natural disasters. Also on somewhat of a budget.

Advice???

[hutash]

Send your wife to the beach here in Ventura, I'll make it a honeymoon she will remember

You are pretty much at the end of Hurricane season, so just go where ever is cheapest. I don't know what fares are like from Canada, but I suspect most head tot he Caribbean, but Mexico would seem like an obvious choice from western Canada. The resorts are reasonably safe. Hawaii is nice. I have been all three places, and they all have pluses and minuses.

[grskier]

My wife and I are taking our first real vaca in a few years. We've been looking at the Mayan Riviera, lots of options as close or far from populous as you want. We have a 1 year old and are thinking something closer to all inclusive would be nice.

[jfost]

wear something underneath your boardshorts, especially if they are white or off-white.

[XXX-er]

how about cuba fairly cheap a unspoiled and best of all ... no americans

[Baaahb]

Hawaii if you want to pack a lot of variety into a week and relaxed, easy getting around by car.

Cay Caulker in Belize if you just want to lay back, go barefoot all week and get some world-class snorkelling. Ambergris Cay in Belize would be a bit more lively.

Mayan Riviera is awesome if you're comfortable driving around by youself in Mexico and like exploring and history.

Lots to offer in the Caribbean/Southeast Asia as well, not that I've ever been to the latter. Also lots of other places in Central America.

[Supermoon]

Pacific side in Costa Rica would be awesome that time of year. Or x2 on Belize.

[LightRanger]

Package deals to HI can be affordable. We did all-inclusive to Maui (air, Camaro convertible rental, hotel with $200 food and booze credit) for like $4100 for a week. Air for you will be more expensive (we flew out of Oakland), but still. Not a "remote tropical getaway" with few people, but definitely cool. I'd been to Hawaii before, she had not.

Condo rentals on VRBO are even cheaper...

Edit: Sorry, by "all-inclusive" I really meant airfare-hotel-rental car package. My bad on the terminology. We were on our own for activities. So we: drove to Hana, drove up Haleakala to see the sunrise, hiked to "blowholes," snorkled off a catamaran, eat good food in Lahaina, etc.

[DougW]

Not going to much help with specifics as haven't done much of the all inclusive beach thing as found didn't like it. What worked for us was pre marriage holiday to Crete, simple room, nice beach, great food, real town, snorkeling was meh but water was clear so could look up and see some topless girl swimming by. Broken up with two day trip saw more of island , forts and nature stuff. All good. Did I mention beach topless? yes it does bare mentioning again.

Did an all inclusive to DR 5 years ago and really was bored silly. No surf , pretty crappy snorkeling, buffet food that after a while you felt like a cow. For me anyway wasn't enough to do. Went again for wedding to DR and that worked. More like a family reunion beach party where no one had to cook or tend bar. Maybe its me but if all I have to do is read I don't want to read.

My only point is make sure something to do.

[Tippster]

Costa Rica. Hands down. We did our honeymoon there (wow - 16.5 years ago!) Check out the Punta Uva area on the Caribbean side or the Samara/Nosara area on the Pacific. Great place. If you end up going be sure to do a Raft trip down the Pacuare or Reventazon rivers. Great white water and it's not cold!

[Cruiser]

Cozumel is a nice little island with interesting beaches, good snorkeling, and quality seafood. You can rent a car and drive all over the island without any real worry about traffic. It's fairly cheap there too with lots of places on VRBO. Dunno about all inclusives though.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using TGR Forums

[Badger]

X3 on Belize. Caye Caulker is the most relaxing place in the world and is still surrounded by tons to do if you get tired of relaxing.

OTOH, if I were Canadian, I'd totally do Cuba before they start letting Americans in.

[keipow]

Belize or Cuba. If Cuba, ensure that your security clearance won't be impacted if you want to work for NATO.

Belize is cheap and has great coral reefs for diving. Also stay or eat at the Francis Coppola beach hotel.

[philth]

Popoyo, Playa Santana Nicaragua. look it up. Awesome. Like Costa Rica 30 years ago.

[zion zig zag]

OTOH, if I were Canadian, I'd totally do Cuba before they start letting Americans in.

They already do cheap flight to Cancun and then hop a plane to Cuba. Bring nothing back and admit nothing. They won't even stamp your passport in Cuba.

But yeah, Caye Caulkler is nice, but I really think about 4 days there is the stir crazy limit. More to do in Costa Rica if you have the time.

[Tippster]

I loved Havana, but "cheap?" No.

[Baaahb]

Note that the temptations at a singles beach hangout - like Cozumel -- can be incompatible with a honeymoon in some situations, maybe not a concern for you. Just sayin.....

[XXX-er]

In Cuba there are the casa particulare which is basicly a B&B and they are cheap, its the only way for people to get the foreign dollars, they will cook you good meals, rent bikes, arrange bootleg tours and on the way out of cuba buddy took us all to the airport in his original 56 chevy

A friend of mine stayed with a doctor who ran a casa and doc said he made more from the casa than he did being an MD

Standing on the Malecon in Havana I looked north across the water and imagined that >100miles away is the most powerful military industrial nation in the world and cuba still exists in spite of it...see it while you can

[smmokan]

Kauai, HI (check out my TR from June this year)
Big Island, HI
Punta Uva, Costa Rica (look for my TR last year)
Belize
St. John, USVI (cheap options available)

[Gripen]

how about cuba fairly cheap a unspoiled and best of all ... no americans

Well, that wouldn't be true if I was there!

Lots of good info. Leaning towards Belize or Cuba but haven't done much cost comparing yet.

[AK47bp]

Just got back from Maui - Kaanapali Beach - Stayed at the Westin. It was awesome to say the least, best pool I have ever been to and great beach. They are doing some construction on one of the towers so be sure to ask about it if you go there.

[Like a Boss]

Kauai, HI (check out my TR from June this year)
Big Island, HI
Punta Uva, Costa Rica (look for my TR last year)
Belize
St. John, USVI (cheap options available)

+1 for USVI. Sure it's not even outside of 'Murica, but hardly any customs hassles and the sketch factor is quite low. Be sure to check out the Soggy Dollar on the Brit side.

[Shaggy]

Stay away from all-inclusive resorts, unless you like watching overweight people binge eat.

If you've never done a beach-destination trip before then maybe choose somewhere (like Costa Rica) where stepping off the resort won't get you stabbed. This way if the beach scene isn't for you, you have a plan B.

[Hugh Conway]

Stay away from all-inclusive resorts, unless you like watching overweight people binge eat.

If you've never done a beach-destination trip before then maybe choose somewhere (like Costa Rica) where stepping off the resort won't get you stabbed. This way if the beach scene isn't for you, you have a plan B.

I was going to be Hugh your balls before you edited

[Shredhead]

I'm really fond of the Bahamian out islands. Elbow Cay is safe as can be, good fishing, surfing, snorkeling and spear fishing right off the beach.

My bud owns this place right in Hope Town.
http://www.elbowcayrentals.com/scrip...?file=bythesea

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...s_Bahamas.html