Of course it’s the honeymoon! When all the hard work and planning is over, you want to pick a destination that is just right for you and your new spouse. Somewhere you can both enjoy, relax and share the memories from your wedding day! If you haven’t decided where you’re traveling to yet, take some pointers from these real Boston brides and newlyweds and their very different honeymoon experiences:
ST MARTIN: A Relax-and-Do-Nothing Retreat
– Hannah Huke, Marketing Manager, Boston Event Solutions and The Briar Group
“As a newlywed, I have to say one of the best parts of my wedding was the honeymoon! My husband and I traveled to St. Martin in the Caribbean. We stayed at a beautiful hotel on the French side, L’Esplanade. The hotel had beautiful views of the ocean and mountains, a secluded pool and swim-up pool bar (with awesome bartender Alan), and was a short walk to Restaurant Row in Grand Case (where all the best restaurants are on the island!). Our room included a full kitchen, which we kept stocked with food and drinks from a nearby market to keep costs down, and a private balcony.
“My biggest recommendation to brides: delegate the work to your husband-to-be! I left it to mine to book everything, which took a lot of stress off as I was making last minute wardrobe and flower decisions. I would also highly recommend using Trip Advisor. Once we knew we were going to St. Martin, I sorted hotel reviews by TA’s review rankings – which led us to our hotel, the #1 rated hotel on the island.”
Bora Bora looks perfect right about now.
BORA BORA (we’re told the “r” is silent): Leave It All Behind in The Lap of Luxury
– Adam Feldberg, HR and Training, The Briar Group Restaurants
“We are staying at the Four Seasons Bora Bora for our honeymoon. We chose it for one simple reason…it is the best of the best of romantic destinations. When planning your honeymoon, it’s okay to splurge. This may be one of your last chances to take a luxury vacation before you have kids to take care of, so do it BIG! Bora Bora is big. If you plan on going, get ready for an eye-popping expense. For a week in Bora Bora, you’ll spend anywhere from $10,000 – $15,000. The big expenses are the flight and the food. Breakfast will cost you $100 per person each day. But this will be an experience you won’t soon forget. Bottom line, treat this vacation as your last big gift to yourselves!”
DISNEY WORLD: Magical Fun!
– Sarah Nasznic, Margulies Perruzzi Architects
Oohs and ahhs and romantical magic!
“After our September 7th wedding, we’re heading to the happiest place in the world … DISNEY WORLD! Having met in college when we were 18, we always talked about how we both loved Disney. So, when it came time to decide where we wanted to go, there was no doubt that Disney was the place!
While Disney might not be your traditional “relaxing” honeymoon, it is going to be amazing between all the different places to eat, attractions to see and of course all the rides. At times it seems overwhelming with everything there is to do and see, but regardless of whether couples decide to go to a much-to-do-Disney type of place, or somewhere tropical and on a beach relaxing, do your homework before you go!
“Staying true to both of our ‘inner child’ personalities, Disney is truly the one place that Tony and I can kick start our married lives together … as ‘adults,’ haha!”
MEXICO: Tropical, All-Inclusive, I’ll Take Another Margarita
– Jody Nugent, Manager, Anthem Kitchen + Bar
“When deciding on our Honeymoon destination my fiancé and I put together our ‘must have’ list then searched for spots that had everything we wanted. Our major points were all-inclusive, adults only, tropical with a beach and lots of pools. We eventually decided on Mexico, where we had gone once before and had an amazing time. The only thing left was to sift through the hundreds of resorts. After talking with a travel agent and seeing many options we ended up going with the Secrets Silversands in Cancun. The pictures were gorgeous, it had all of our ‘must haves,’ and the reviews were almost all 5 stars. We are so excited to get away after all the wedding planning!”
ST. LUCIA: Eat, Drink, Beach… and Stay in a Treehouse!
– Kelly Shea, Eastern Standard Kitchen and Drinks
“We knew that after we had spent all of this time planning the wedding that all we wanted to do for our honeymoon was eat and drink on a beach. We started to research top honeymoon destinations in the Caribbean, making sure that we found an island that neither of us had ever been to so that it would be special and would only be filled with new memories. St. Lucia kept popping up. I researched top resorts there and fell in love with this one place which unfortunately was way out of our price range. A little more research led us to HomeAway where we were able to discover a little “tree house” set on the side of a mountain with a private pool, housekeeper, and gorgeous views of the ocean. This rental is within walking distance of the fancy resort that we’d originally discovered. We learned that the resort beach is actually public, so we get to use the beach, the spa and restaurants, all for a fraction of the price of staying at the resort. Also, as much as we both love eating out, we also love to cook! We are going on the honeymoon for 11 days, and are excited to be able to grill and cook and not have to go out every night. Counting down the days!”
Paradise in Thailand: Phang Nga Bay
THAILAND: Exotic Adventure Awaits!
– Melissa Czerkowicz Stehler, Boston, MA
“My husband Jared and I were married at the Boston Public Library on August 10, 2012. We decided to honeymoon in Thailand for its exotic location and opportunities for adventure. We wanted our honeymoon to be bigger and better than anything we had done before.
“Having never traveled in Asia, I spent a lot of time doing research before our trip. I booked our flights and resorts through Expedia with the help of Wiki travel guides, the Trip Advisor website, and a Lonely Planet guide book.
“We signed up for guided tours that included exploring the Phi Phi Islands and Phang Nga Bay, riding elephants, snorkeling, and touring a floating fishing village. In between scheduled tours, Jared and I took advantage of resort life for some rest and relaxation: lounging by the pool, fine dining, and strolling along the beach. We visited temples, petted tigers, cooked authentic Thai cuisine, rode in a tuktuk, bargained with vendors, explored a rice paddy, chatted with a Buddhist monk, and bravely sampled street food.
“Jared and I loved every minute of our Thailand honeymoon and plan to return someday! In our experience, Thailand was a wonderful country to visit: beautiful scenery, delicious food, and friendly residents.”
So now that you have some ideas for booking your honeymoon, time to get back to big day details.
Contact Boston Event Solutions for all of your shower, rehearsal dinner and wedding event needs!
