Honeymoon ideas - February

[Gad-Westy]

The future Mrs Gad-Westy and I are getting hitched at the end of January next year and will be honeymooning straight after for 10 days - 2 weeks. Due to saving for the wedding this will be our first holiday in 18 months so we'd like somewhere warm and relaxing but not somewhere where we'll be bored after a few days (ideally there will be plenty to see/do locally). Just looking for some ideas at the moment so we can narrow down a shortlist and look into them.

Open to the idea of splitting the time between more than one destination.

Budget £1000 - £1500

So far ideas are:

Cuba
Goa
Vietnam

[Puggit]

Plenty to see and do in Cuba, but you can't trust the weather in Feb. Could be 14oC one day, and 28oC the next.

[Targarama]

Oman. You could even add in a day or two in Dubai (la la land) for a complely opposing Middle Eastern experience.

[Simon Brooks]

Grab a cruise around the Caribbean

[havoc]

Targarama said:

Oman. You could even add in a day or two in Dubai (la la land) for a complely opposing Middle Eastern experience.

Not on that budget! Besides, Dubai is an overpriced sh'thole of a place with a layer of gilt laid over the top to disguise it from the casual traveller! Oman may well be nicer, but will it be much cheaper???


Graham - I assume the budget is per-person? In which case if you can get cheap-enough flights V'nam isn't a bad idea.

Could pair it with Cambodia (Angkor temples near Siem Reap) too, although 'Western' accomodation prices in and around S-R are really silly...there's a nice little colonial-era 'guesthouse' just north of the town run by an ex-pat French journo who's been there since the troubles - Pavillon Indochine. Don't expect luxury or great breakfasts but it's got enough, and the owner can probably arrange a private car and guide for not too much money which will help you avoid the big tour-groups.

[Gad-Westy]

Some good ideas so far thanks.

Havoc, that is the budget per person, oops. Will amend OP. Vietnam is looking like a strong contender the more I look into it. I like the idea of Cambodia as well so I will look into your suggestions. Much appreciated.

Of the other ideas,

Middle east is a possibility, I know very little about Oman. Have been to Dubai with work but not a huge fan. Interesting but maybe not a honeymoon destination.

Not keen on a cruise I'm afraid.

[Don]

Push the budget just a little further and go to New Zealand's South Island.

It will be late summer and warm. There is more to see and do than you can shake a stick at. And the driving - the driving - THE DRIVING! Oh yes.

[schmalex]

Vietnam gets my vote. My wife & I spent 3 weeks there 7 years ago & absolutely loved it. The contrast between North & South is incredible, the scenery breathtaking & the recent history humbling.

We lived like Kings of a few quid a day, visited many parts of the country both on & off the beaten track & swore that we would go back one day

[TimmyArt]

Vietnam sounds cool. I would suggest head east instead of west. Thailand was great but obviously not at the moment so Vietnam instead? New Zealand would be alot more expensive. Having said that, GF and I went to south Island driving around in a campervanfor a week and Fiji for a week (in a 2 week hol) a few years ago. It cost about £2+k each I think. Brilliant holiday!!
Went to Cuba on a budget years ago, package holiday, has put off for life. 4 star hotel, horrible food etc. I'm sure a good time can be had though...

Edited by TimmyArt on Monday 17th May 15:32

[havoc]

Don said:

And the driving - the driving - THE DRIVING! Oh yes.

We were there in Sept-08 - lovely roads, granted, but ridiculously low speed limits and very enthusiastic coppers sitting half-hidden with radar guns. You couldn't even make a boggo Focus interesting on most South Island roads at/near the speed limit, with the exception being the road to Akaroa. Coromandel in the North was a little better...


Oh...and NZ will be a lot more £££ - even staying in Motels everywhere we spent ~£5,000 on a 2 week self-drive holiday across both islands. Didn't do anything outlandish either. Vietnam by contrast was easily <£4k and staying in 4* resorts/hotels, plus two internal flights. NZ was more enjoyable and had some outstanding scenery, but unless you're hiring a camper-van you'll struggle to get it close to the OP's budget...

[The_Doc]

Goa in Feb is great.

Head north away from the airport, my recommendation would be Anjuna Beach, and buy this before you go to set the mood: http://www.anjunabeats.com/anjunadeep-02-mixed-by-...

bliss

[missdiane]

We did Sri Lanka for our honeymoon in Feb, best time to go apparently- a relaxing beach holiday yet still with plenty of sights to see around the country.

Will just about be in budget if you do it right

[LuS1fer]

Kerala in the south of India is much more unspoilt. MyTravel used to do packages to Kerala and Monarch was the airline they used but I know that less people offer the option now. Shame as it's fabulous.




We stayed here at the Kovalam Beach resort

The great thing about India is the people are incredibly nice and you can safely and freely wander where you will using taxis or the local tuk-tuks - mountains, Keralan backwaters, the choice is yours. Wandering alone in some countries can be risky but in India, it's just friendly faces everywhere.

We went two years running in early January, for reference.

Edited by LuS1fer on Tuesday 18th May 08:24

[Benzman]

Brazil - Not too sure when the Carnival is on in Rio, but it is usually early in the New Year.

Mauritius

South Africa

Obviously at that time of year if you want warm, sunny weather then it's got to be the Southern Hemisphere.

[HiAsAKite]

We did Morocco-end of feb/first week in march.. fantastic time.. even the Atlantic was warm when we went surfing

[Dr Imran T]

^^^that looks great. India gets my vote, great people too some lovely unspoilt places there too.