ASC
  • ASC
  • Aficionado Topic Starter
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 1:51:00 PM
So I'm still a few months out...but it never hurts to start looking, doing your research, etc...

The two ideas I'm looking at...is renting a house overlooking the Pacific off some tall bluf in Northern Cali...

Or...

Renting some kind of semi-isolated villa/condo in the caribbean, ocean front. It seems that a lot of you guys are out and about in the southern waters quite often...was wondering if you might have some recommendations that would fit these bills?

There are just *SO* many places out there...thought I would see what you all thought before trying to mine through all of the possibilities.
lukin
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 1:59:00 PM
Fort Bragg/Medocino California is where I spent my honeymoon. Theres enough to do during the day to keep you occupied and absolutely nothing to do at night to keep you from getting distracted. You'll have to bring your own smokes though....no cigar shops there of any distinction.
Burky4467
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 2:01:00 PM
We went to Round Hill in Jamaica, UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Google: Round Hill Resort

They filmed "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" there.

**** Movie, Awesome Honeymoon!!!

Good Luck,

Burky
ryantp
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 2:43:00 PM
I've always thought I'd honeymoon in the Cinque Terra (Italy).
Hoss
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 2:52:00 PM
Pull out all the stops. You only get married once...Sometimes.

Take that honeymoon to...

Flint, Michigan.

Actually, it may seem cliche', but Niagara Falls is still considered a great honeymoon spot. I highly recommend it.
RICKAMAVEN
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 2:52:00 PM
ASC

stay at home with your new bride. sit around close to with other and do nothing but cuddle.

don't tell anyone your plans to stay home.

turn off the phones and don't answer the door.

talk about what you are going to do together.

talk about when you want children.

sit close and listen to quiet romantic music.

if it's warm enough, sit in the yard in the dark and sing together or watch the stars

tell each other what you hope your new lives will bring.

tell her how much you hope to be together forever.

talk about how you first met and when you realized you had found your love and how happy you are to be married and starting life together.

go to some store before they close and buy something silly. a little decoration, a little picture, a trinket. have coffee at some outside coffee shop and sit by yourselves and hold hands.

sleep late and make her coffee or tea or toast or whatever you want and serve it to her.

sit on the floor and watch the fireplace or listen to some romantic songs.

order pizza or anything that can be delivered.

don't wear a watch. let your time be your own. sleep during the day and have somethig to eat at 5 in the morning,

walk together through any store like walmart or home depot that is open 24 hours a day, but walk through with no directio in the middle of the night and look at something in the garden section or the house decoration section. or the shower head section.

make believe you are playing hookey from the rest of the world.

avoid meeting friends.

learn how to be together doing nothing but acting like little kids.

and when you are an old married couple, continue doing the same thing.

you will grow old together and feel the love and joy, the peace and hapiness, that can only come from being with each other.

when you are married a few years travel together, and have your honeymoon when you know each other better.
spadesman
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 4:01:00 PM
I took my wife to St. Lucia for our honeymoon and it was great. We stayed at a Sandals resort (Grand St Lucian) and had a blast.
andytv
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 4:09:00 PM
here is a different suggestion:

Although my love for southern waters is well known, I compromised with my Yankee wife for our honeymoon and went to Put-In Bay.

This bay is on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, just off Sandusky, Ohio. It features a main steet full of bars, winery tours, and good eats. There are no roads to the island, and visitors cruise around in golf carts.

Also, you can take an express ferry back to the mainland and go to Cedar Point, one of the USA's premiere amusement parks.
cigarbidwidow
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 4:19:00 PM
What month are you planning on getting married? Keep in mind when hurricane season is for the Carribean. Trust me, it can destroy any honeymoon plans. Maybe that should have been my first clue that my previous marriage was doomed. Maybe someone was trying to tell me something.

adroomi
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 4:51:00 PM
Get away from the tourists........spend half the money, and see some real paradise. Do a web search for the Maldives. Also check out Thailand, Yap, and the Gold Coast of Australia.

This is your honeymoon, see the world and see it without seeing tourists.
ASC
  • ASC
  • Aficionado Topic Starter
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 6:37:00 PM
HEY!!!
Thank you everyone for posting.

Lukin-Medocino is actually one of the towns I've been looking at. Seems like there's enough 'slow paced' things we could do if we wanted to in the area...but perhaps spaced out far enough that we could just lose ourselves if that's what we decided to do. Can you e-mail me please? I have a few questions for you...

ascampbell at pobox dot com

She's totally an ocean girl...so we want to be at some large body of salt water...preferably away from tourists as adroomi suggested.

No official date planned yet for the wedding...most likely between December-February. We've been dating for a few years...she's currently in China teaching Grad school english...it's her last semester...5 months to the day until she returns to the states. I just got back from a two year stint with an american company traveling through the middle east and central asia...added extra pages to the passport and the whole 9 yards.

I'll have to look into the places you suggested Adroomi. After having done several trips across the big blues though, I'm not sure if I'd be super keen on dealing with jet lag on our honeymoon...especially since we've both been to so many countries already.

Anyhow...keep the suggestions coming...I really appreciate the ideas. There are so many things to consider...it's kind of overwhelming. Balancing the funds I have between a ring (we've already talked through it all...things are unofficially official...we just didn't see the point of being engaged while living on two separate continents) and the honeymoon...trying to figure out the balance of length of trip with cost per day...incorporating air fare, place to stay, food etc... All the details make an all-inclusive look attractive...but we really want more privacy and seclusion 😉.
lukin
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 6:50:00 PM
e-mail sent
Wyteyes
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 8:52:00 PM
Monterey has a lot to offer. The Double Tree Inn is really nice; you get a cookie on the pillow. :o) Nothing like clam chowder in a bread bowl on Fisherman's Wharf. Do a google search "Monterey, Calif."

John
cigarbidwidow
Wednesday, March 2, 2005 2:50:00 AM
Speaking as someone who has had a couple honeymoons.... the best thing is being together. David & I got married last August in Ocean City, MD and honeymooned there as well. We had such a wonderful time. And going back for anniversaries won't break the bank either. Go for what you like and the rest will fall into place.

I don't feel there is any reason to spend thousands of dollars going to exotic places. On your honeymoon, and after being apart that long, how much are you even going to be out of your room anyway? :*) Save the money and make the most of it. Have a blast.

I was in Monterey years ago. It was a beautiful place. It may be a touch cold at that time of year though. The clam chowder in the bread bowl was so awesome. I actually found bread bowls here in PA and made my own when I got back.

Lauren

chipslave
Wednesday, March 2, 2005 3:02:00 AM
I am getting married in October and the fiancee and I are going to Palm Springs, CA. We thought it was a good spring board place to be. Its only a few hours to LA, SD, Las Vegas or Mexico. Its far warmer than ND (where I live) and there is lots to do around Palm Springs as well...
prime1010
Wednesday, March 2, 2005 3:34:00 AM
My wife and I have been married and living in Puerto Rico for over a year now on sort of a never-ending honeymoon, interrupted by the work week of course. For an awesome experience, I would have to recommend you take a look at a couple of islands owned by, and off the East coast of Puerto Rico. Some refer to these as the Spanish Virgin Islands. The islands are called Culebra and Vieques. Vieques is the larger island but both offer a laid back Caribbean trip back in time type of atmosphere. The inns and guest houses on Culebra aren’t fancy but there is a Wyndham on Vieques. Another great place to stay on Vieques is called the Inn on the Blue Horizon. Vieques is said to be the last unspoiled natural Caribbean islands because about half of it is not developed. The U.S. had a Naval training base there for many years but pulled out a couple of years ago. Just recently it has turned all the undeveloped land over to the Puerto Rican government. There are many unspoiled beaches that can be accessed now by the public for the first time in decades. Flamenco beach at Culebra is one of the finest in the world and was recognized by the Travel Channel. Culebra and Vieques are just a short ferry ride from each other. Google them if you’re interested in more info.

David
00camper
Wednesday, March 2, 2005 4:45:00 AM
I agree with RICKAMAVEN. The honeymoon is about being together and merging two lives into one, not about going somewhere else to capture a "special" feeling about your spouse. Staying close to home, playing hookey from the world and learning to be with each other will pay huge dividends in the future.

MACS
Wednesday, March 2, 2005 4:59:00 AM
If'n yer going to Vieques like Prime suggested... watch out for the HUGE potholes all the Naval Gunfire has created over the years...
dapperdan
Wednesday, March 2, 2005 5:47:00 AM
Aaron, A cool country is Costa Rica. For a central American country it is very safe and the people are great. I felt much more comfortable there than the many times traveling in Mexico. I spent a month there with my wife , sister and nephew. We flew into San Jose and rented a small 4x4 and drove over 1000 miles in a country the size of Vermont. It has every thing to offer from beautiful beaches to rain forest and volcanoes. At the base of Arnel Volcano is a hotel were you can sit and watch the eruptions also a great windsurfing lake. The Pacific side has some of the best surf in the world. Unreal white or black sand beaches. Great snorkeling made Hawaii look like a joke (sorry Pabloe) tourist trap. Costa Rica is very up on conserving there land and have the most state protected parks of any of the central and south American countries. The Caribbean side there is a turtle preserve (Tortuga I think) that you can only get to by river on a boat.Awesome country to explore and very reasonable. We made no reservations and never had a problem finding a place to stay although some were just screened in bungalows( Who cares) but all had bathrooms running water and clean. The wild life is unreal from sloth's , Howler monkey , Parrots. It would be an adventure you will never forget and not your typical tourist destination although it has become more popular since I have been. I want to take my kids there soon. There is a book we used that had all the bed and breakfast type places hotels and such ( I can't find it sorry) But any way I could go on for hours, but a place to think about . Dan
thurson
Wednesday, March 2, 2005 6:07:00 AM
ASC, just South of Mendocino in the town of Elk is a B&B called Harbor House, check it out. Not only breakfast but a full dinner too, very nice with private beach and an awesome view.