Honeymoon on a very small budget

littlemissteach

Hi folks,
My fiancé and I are getting married in December and are wondering where could we go(outside of Ireland) for our honeymoon.We have a very small budget- €1500 each, total €3000.

As it's our honeymoon we would love something "special", but I know from having been to lots of travel agents and searching online that "special" costs money!

So if you have any ideas or have been to somewhere really lovely that's not tooexpensive, we would really appreciate your help
Thanks

PCPhoto

special does not have to cost loads of money ..... choose a country ... fly there..... book a hotel (does not have to be honeymoon suite - any room will do)

Rent a car/go scuba diving/do a few tours .... whatever you want to do together.

Personally I would recommend sicily as a place to go and see (magnificent beautiful landscapes)....How about a mediterranian cruise (Only mentioning it because I spotted readers offers in the indo Sat)

Thailand ? and the countries surrounding it ?

Visit some country you have never been ? .... or part of a country you would not normally do .... Parts of USA could be fantastic.... flights to almost anywhere in Europe can be done reasonably cheap, ....finland, Norway (see the fjords and ice-hotel), Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, ..... even Russia ..... your honeymoon is about you doing things together as a couple .... friends of mine went backpacking in South America (manchu pichu, etc etc) .... at the moment I'm not even engaged but myself and the girlfriend have travelled quite a bit so choosing a honeymoon destination could prove difficult.

problemchimp

A ten day walk on the Camino de Santiago in the north of Spain will cost very little and it's better than sitting on a crowded beach watching people turn red. With the money you have left, you should have enough for a romantic weekend in a Lisbon.
Lisbon is like Barcelona before all the tourists arrived in their millions, and quite cheap too.

wicorthered

problemchimp wrote: »

A ten day walk on the Camino de Santiago in the north of Spain will cost very little and it's better than sitting on a crowded beach watching people turn red. With the money you have left, you should have enough for a romantic weekend in a Lisbon.
Lisbon is like Barcelona before all the tourists arrived in their millions, and quite cheap too.

Lisbon is cheap but it's also a dump!! Loads of better cities around Iberia.

Tuscany in Italy is an amazing place.

Marsden

Try alpharooms.com. I never booked through them but I have friends that said they have great bargains.

problemchimp

wicorthered wrote: »

Lisbon is cheap but it's also a dump!! Loads of better cities around Iberia.

Tuscany in Italy is an amazing place.

I spent almost 5 months in Lisbon and from my experience it's not a dump. May you had a bad experience.
Tuscany is very beautiful indeed but generally not cheap.

Evonatron

I would recommend Italy, myself and one of my friends went to Rome and Sorrento the year before last for about €650 each. Although we arent a couple we were looking for a girly laid back holiday but if we wanted to do a tour etc we could. We spent 2 nights in Rome, I think you should stay there at least 3 nights so you are not rushing there is brilliant sight seeing even strolling though the city at night was fantastic. We found it very safe (both women in our mid-20's) and just loads of night life and restaurants, dinner is about the same price as here, but soft drinks are very expensive so beware.

We then got a train to Sorrento (about 2 hours, €20) we did have to stand for about an hour and were wrecked as you are carting your suitcase everywhere. We then stayed in Sorrento centre and it was absolutely stunning, there are loads of pubs and restaurants, not really alot going on after 10.00pm, no real nightclubs but Im sure you wouldnt really be looking for that. We stayed in a 4 star hotel which was just amazing for the price we paid, you can go to visit Pompeii, cruises down the Amalfi Coast and I cant remember anything overly expensive. Do allow to spend alot of money on food though. The Spa in our hotel was fabulous as well, so maybe look out for that as well? There were a quite few honeymooners staying in our hotel. If I hadnt gone with her I would have thought about it for my own honeymoon. ( My best friend worked in travel for 10 years so she was fantastic for doing all this research)

I also went to Thailand, but you would be paying up in the €1300 region, we stopped off in Malaysia on the way- but honestly I thought Italy was nicer and a way shorter flight!

HTH- Dont book through a travel agent, do it all yourself, pop into a travel agent and get some advise on hotels and routes but its way cheaper to do it yourself and save money. Just make sure you have travel insurance and email the hotel yourself before you go a few times to build up a relationship.You can then get advise from them concerning transfers from the airport,train times , bus times and prices you should pay for taxis. I would advise you to take your time, research loads and double check times and dates before getting the credit card out!!!:)

littlemissteach

Evonatron wrote: »

I would recommend Italy, myself and one of my friends went to Rome and Sorrento the year before last for about €650 each. Although we arent a couple we were looking for a girly laid back holiday but if we wanted to do a tour etc we could. We spent 2 nights in Rome, I think you should stay there at least 3 nights so you are not rushing there is brilliant sight seeing even strolling though the city at night was fantastic. We found it very safe (both women in our mid-20's) and just loads of night life and restaurants, dinner is about the same price as here, but soft drinks are very expensive so beware.

We then got a train to Sorrento (about 2 hours, €20) we did have to stand for about an hour and were wrecked as you are carting your suitcase everywhere. We then stayed in Sorrento centre and it was absolutely stunning, there are loads of pubs and restaurants, not really alot going on after 10.00pm, no real nightclubs but Im sure you wouldnt really be looking for that. We stayed in a 4 star hotel which was just amazing for the price we paid, you can go to visit Pompeii, cruises down the Amalfi Coast and I cant remember anything overly expensive. Do allow to spend alot of money on food though. The Spa in our hotel was fabulous as well, so maybe look out for that as well? There were a quite few honeymooners staying in our hotel. If I hadnt gone with her I would have thought about it for my own honeymoon. ( My best friend worked in travel for 10 years so she was fantastic for doing all this research)

I also went to Thailand, but you would be paying up in the €1300 region, we stopped off in Malaysia on the way- but honestly I thought Italy was nicer and a way shorter flight!

HTH- Dont book through a travel agent, do it all yourself, pop into a travel agent and get some advise on hotels and routes but its way cheaper to do it yourself and save money. Just make sure you have travel insurance and email the hotel yourself before you go a few times to build up a relationship.You can then get advise from them concerning transfers from the airport,train times , bus times and prices you should pay for taxis. I would advise you to take your time, research loads and double check times and dates before getting the credit card out!!!:)

Hi,
thanks for that reply and indeed thanks everyone for all the replies.
However I should prob be more specific, our dream honeymoon was to go on safari in Africa, however that was coming in at about €3000- €5000 each.

We would like somewhere where the weather will be fine(it will be the start of January).
And we would like to go somewhere that we have not been to before, so that would exclude Paris, Canaries, Algarve,the Spanish "Costas", Rome, New York, Bulgaria, Cape Town,and himself has been to Thailland and Bali.

Benny_Cake

You're a well traveled couple! For nice weather, somewhere like Egypt might be good, although with the ongoing turmoil in that region maybe not such a good idea. I would suggest Vietnam - your big expense would be in getting there, but it is incredibly cheap once you arrive. As a country it has everything, scenery, food, culture, beaches... as others have pointed out, wherever you decide to go, book it yourself and not through a travel agent.

Pythia

My boyfriend and I went to Dominican Republic last year. It was 1400 each for 2 weeks all inclusive. It was amazing. There were 7 restaurants you could eat at inclusive, as well as unlimited drinks, free room service and mini bar. We booked with Twohigs as I researched it online and it was a good bit chaeper than doing it ourselves. I normally am against travel agents but this time it was cheaper.

orchidsrpretty

How about Dubai, you could get return flights quite cheaphere and rent an apartment over there. Weather is nice all year round over there.

wexford12

Pythia wrote: »

My boyfriend and I went to Dominican Republic last year. It was 1400 each for 2 weeks all inclusive. It was amazing. There were 7 restaurants you could eat at inclusive, as well as unlimited drinks, free room service and mini bar. We booked with Twohigs as I researched it online and it was a good bit chaeper than doing it ourselves. I normally am against travel agents but this time it was cheaper.

Hi Pythia iv just been looking at honeymoons in the Dominican where did you stay what was the area like etc was there much to do and see. Any ideas how the weather in Sept is normaly like

wexford12

littlemissteach wrote: »

Hi folks,
My fiancé and I are getting married in December and are wondering where could we go(outside of Ireland) for our honeymoon.We have a very small budget- €1500 each, total €3000.

As it's our honeymoon we would love something "special", but I know from having been to lots of travel agents and searching online that "special" costs money!

So if you have any ideas or have been to somewhere really lovely that's not tooexpensive, we would really appreciate your help
Thanks

Is 3K a very small budget god i must be getting very mean lol I think its ample amount to spend i know we don't want to go above it and hope to get an all inclusive for that price

littlemissteach

wexford12 wrote: »

Is 3K a very small budget god i must be getting very mean lol I think its ample amount to spend i know we don't want to go above it and hope to get an all inclusive for that price

Ya I kow what you mean!!3K is a big enough amount to spend on a honeymoon I think, but we had been gettin quotes 7-10K for a safari and sun honeymoon ,so hence totally having to rethink honeymoon options!
Where are ye thinking of going wexford12?

wexford12

littlemissteach wrote: »

Ya I kow what you mean!!3K is a big enough amount to spend on a honeymoon I think, but we had been gettin quotes 7-10K for a safari and sun honeymoon ,so hence totally having to rethink honeymoon options!
Where are ye thinking of going wexford12?

Hi Been looking at the Dominican Republic for Sept hoping to get an all inclusive for about 3k. Have a look at www.sunworld.ie

Pythia

wexford12 wrote: »

Hi Pythia iv just been looking at honeymoons in the Dominican where did you stay what was the area like etc was there much to do and see. Any ideas how the weather in Sept is normaly like

Hi,

We went to Dreams Punta Cana. We actually went in September last year. The weather was hot, around 30. It can be slightly humid then too. It's officially the rainy time of year and we did get a few very heavy showers but it would be like 30 mins of heavy rain and then an hour later you would have no idea it even rained.

Dreams is a little removed from the main town but the resort is so gigantic you don't really feel the need to leave. As I was saying it has 7 restaurants, loads of bars, a night club and they organise evening entertainment which is actually really good. The pool is absolutely gigantic and since in September all the kids are back in school, it's very quiet. There were sun loungers at the pool available at all times of day.

You can do lots of water sports and we also did two excursions. One called Marine Explorer which was scuba diving, sea kayaking, a massage, swimming with sharks and string rays and then repeating one again of your choosing. We also did ziplining which was really cool.

If you want more info on Dreams, let me know!

ncmc

Hi littlemissteach, I don't think 3k is a small budget at all, I would never spend much more than that and we have been on some pretty nice holidays. But I know what you mean, it is small if you start looking at safari's etc. I think the travel agents know what's popular with honeymooners and ramp up the price accordingly! It's crazy what some people spend on their honeymoons.

For your budget you have loads of options (some great ones already mentioned) I would just add a few more.

-Florida: Should be very doable with yout budget in January, especially if you book everything seperatly yourself. There is so much to do there, the beaches are fabulous, Clearwater and St Pete's on the Gulf side, Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the Atlantic side. You could do a week on the beach followed by a drive down the Keys. Or you could do Disney for a few days followed by the beach.
-Cuba: Has everything Dom Republic has and then you have the amazing historic city of Havana. You could do 10 days on a beach (Varadero is beautiful) followed by a few days in Havana (this is what we did for our honeymoon). Havana is just incredible, it is like stepping back in time, I have never been anywhere like it.
-West Coast USA: This may stretch the budget as flights can be pricey, but hotels are not expecially expensive, so it may be possible on your budget. You could do LA, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Diego, San Fran etc. Wouldn't necessarily be beach weather in Jan, but it is an amazing part of the country and there is so much to do.

Let us know what you decide!

littlemissteach

ncmc wrote: »

Hi littlemissteach, I don't think 3k is a small budget at all, I would never spend much more than that and we have been on some pretty nice holidays. But I know what you mean, it is small if you start looking at safari's etc. I think the travel agents know what's popular with honeymooners and ramp up the price accordingly! It's crazy what some people spend on their honeymoons.

For your budget you have loads of options (some great ones already mentioned) I would just add a few more.

-Florida: Should be very doable with yout budget in January, especially if you book everything seperatly yourself. There is so much to do there, the beaches are fabulous, Clearwater and St Pete's on the Gulf side, Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the Atlantic side. You could do a week on the beach followed by a drive down the Keys. Or you could do Disney for a few days followed by the beach.
-Cuba: Has everything Dom Republic has and then you have the amazing historic city of Havana. You could do 10 days on a beach (Varadero is beautiful) followed by a few days in Havana (this is what we did for our honeymoon). Havana is just incredible, it is like stepping back in time, I have never been anywhere like it.
-West Coast USA: This may stretch the budget as flights can be pricey, but hotels are not expecially expensive, so it may be possible on your budget. You could do LA, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Diego, San Fran etc. Wouldn't necessarily be beach weather in Jan, but it is an amazing part of the country and there is so much to do.

Let us know what you decide!

Thanks so much for all those ideas!!Will deffo do some research tonight on some of these ideas!I thought 3K was plenty to spend too but according to travel agents its nothing!!
I think you're right though that I should book things my self, I never use a travel agent for any other holidays I go on , I suppose I thought they would be a good idea for a big holiday like a honeymoon, but maybe if I do some good research I can find something just as good!Thanks again, will keep you posted

another native

Littlemissteach - can I ask if you are travelling around the New Year? That time is generally considered peak season and consequently more pricey.

littlemissteach

another native wrote: »

Littlemissteach - can I ask if you are travelling around the New Year? That time is generally considered peak season and consequently more pricey.

Well our wedding is 28th December, so we would be looking to travel at the start of Jan, around the 2nd or 3rd I guess

bills

We went to san francisco & las vegas for 10 days about 2 years ago & it cost 1100 or so each. We stayed in the mgm in vegas so we were not slumming it either. We booked flights ourself using american holidays one way & gohop the other. I think we used alpha rooms for hotels. You will definetely get something good for that price if you research yourself. Good luck!! Heading on my own honeymoon in a few months & cant wait!!

wexford12

Iv been looking at agents and also to book on line flights hotels etc. So far it has worked out cheaper to use an agent we are looking at Dominican Republic best quote so far is from www.tropicalsky.ie or .com they are in Kerry and Dublin we have also looked at www.twohigs.ie and sunway. 10 days all inclusive about €2800 per couple

ncmc

Sorry, just throwing another one into the mix have you considered a cruise? Both my sisters did a cruise last year (one was a honeymoon) and they had a super time. Your budget would definitely cover a cruise in the Med and may even stretch to a Carribean cruise if you price around. You could combine it with a few days on a Florida beach.