Honeymoon

Saint Sonner

Me and my girlfriend are starting to think about our honeymoon. It will be September 2015.

Anyone any ideas for that time of year re good destinations, weather etc.

We're going to try and make the most of it so we're even thinking 3 weeks away could be on the cards if we save enough.

We've been to Europe enough so were looking elsewhere in the world.

The only place I really would like to go is Rio De Janeiro can anyone recommend a possible multiple stop hol to take in Rio.

Thanks

jonnyfingers

We're going on honeymoon for the last few weeks in August so I'm somewhat well placed to answer. A lot depends on what you're looking for. Are you looking for sun and sand, some city breaks or an adventure holiday?

For sun and sand you need to be aware that September will be Winter in the Southern Hemisphere so that may rule some places out, e.g parts of Australia and South America. Now the closer you get to the equator that won't be much of an issue. Rio would be quite nice in September, you may get some cloudy or rainy days where it might be slightly chilly our on the beach but when the suns out it would be very nice. Other parts of South America may not be as nice at that time of year.

South of the equator Indonesia is another option, indeed we're going to Singapore and Bali for our honeymoon. South East Asia is a good option as you will get a lot for your budget but watch out for some places as it's the rainy season, e.g. Thailand. Now rainy season may not be a huge issue for some people but it's worth bearing in mind. Parts of Malaysia are ok in September however.

Depending on budget you could also go for Fiji or Tahiti.

In the Northern Hemisphere you'll be coming towards the end of the summer season so you should be fine for most sunny destinations. You have the USA, Mexico and the Caribbean which will all be lovely in September. Parts of Canada would be quite pleasant also.Our original plan was a USA West Coast honeymoon, staying in Vegas and various other parts of California. We ruled it out as it started to become quite expensive. However I'd still love to do it someday.

Hope that helps. I actually did lots of research on destinations for an August honeymoon so if you need anything more specific just let me know.

Dubliner28

What is your budget here?

I would look at the west coast of the states. August over there its still 28-35 so still hot.
Loads of options to stop off along the coast. Map out a route for yourselfs & hire a car and drive it. Spend no longer than 5 days in each place, maybe finishing up with 5-6 days at a major resort/place for some RNR.
Experience of a life time.

Saint Sonner

Dubliner28 wrote: »

What is your budget here?

I would look at the west coast of the states. August over there its still 28-35 so still hot.
Loads of options to stop off along the coast. Map out a route for yourselfs & hire a car and drive it. Spend no longer than 5 days in each place, maybe finishing up with 5-6 days at a major resort/place for some RNR.
Experience of a life time.

Thanks for the ideas.

Haven't even a clue what our budget should be. What would your figure be for 18-20days? 4/5k?

jonnyfingers

Saint Sonner wrote: »

Thanks for the ideas.

Haven't even a clue what our budget should be. What would your figure be for 18-20days? 4/5k?

I costed a two week honeymoon to the US west coast staying a few places from San Diego to San Francisco and it came in closer to 8k. Now that was staying in relatively nice hotels, but some of them were 300 or 400 dollars a night (The really nice hotels were 1000 dollars a night!) and that was the problem. We could have done the trip cheaper but would have had to stay in average enough accommodation and I preferred not to do it as part of a honeymoon, we could always do it as another holiday some other time. The cost and the amount of driving was the main reason we didn't go for the US it in the end. Instead we're now doing a 16 day trip to Singapore and Bali, staying in 5* accommodation the whole way for a little over 5k.

I would still love to do the US trip but just feel we're getting more bang for our buck in SE Asia.

Saint Sonner

jonnyfingers wrote: »

I costed a two week honeymoon to the US west coast staying a few places from San Diego to San Francisco and it came in closer to 8k. Now that was staying in relatively nice hotels, but some of them were 300 or 400 dollars a night (The really nice hotels were 1000 dollars a night!) and that was the problem. We could have done the trip cheaper but would have had to stay in average enough accommodation and I preferred not to do it as part of a honeymoon, we could always do it as another holiday some other time. The cost and the amount of driving was the main reason we didn't go for the US it in the end. Instead we're now doing a 16 day trip to Singapore and Bali, staying in 5* accommodation the whole way for a little over 5k.

I would still love to do the US trip but just feel we're getting more bang for our buck in SE Asia.

:eek: Time to start putting a bit more away!

Thanks for the info anyway!

jonnyfingers

Saint Sonner wrote: »

:eek: Time to start putting a bit more away!

Thanks for the info anyway!

No problem. Don't be too put off though.

You can get good deals on flights to the US, maybe €1000 for two if you book them at the right time (currently €1100 for flights from DUB to LAX for this September). If your budget for flights, accommodation and car hire is €4k - €5k, and you wanted an 18 day trip, it would be maybe €350 for the car hire and that would leave you with $200 - $275 dollars a night towards accommodation. That should be doable, and you could quickly check out a few hotels in that price range on TripAdvisor to see what standard you'd get.

The trade off between flights and accommodation costs will vary depending on where you go, e.g. flights to the US are relatively cheap but the accommodation is more expensive, whereas flights to Asia may be more expensive but the accommodation is far cheaper. So just start pricing up different itineraries to various destinations and you should get a good idea of the required budget you'd be looking at.

kkcatlou

We visited Rio last year as part of our 2 week holiday in Brazil and would highly recommend it. We were there in November, and it rained for 5 days out of our two weeks, so not sure what the weather is like in September.

We loved Rio and ended up spending 5 days there at the start and 2 days at the end. We didn't do any internal flights as Brazil is just so big, it would have taken the relaxation out of it.

We spent 3 days in the rain in Paraty and 4 days in Ilha Grande - both are 3-4 hours from Rio, so doable on a bus, but neither would be typical honeymoon destination. Ilha Grande is possibly one of the most beautiful places on earth though, and the fact that it has no resorts or cars just adds to it's charm!

For Rio, definitely go Ipanema over Copacabana if you want beach. We spent 5 nights there and loved it. Then spent our last 2 nights in a really fab boutique hotel overlooking the bay in Santa Teresa. Santa Teresa wouldn't be for everyone (it's the boho alternative side of the city) but we absolutely loved it there!

As I said, we weren't there on honeymoon, so I would imagine you would want to upgrade from what we did for that, but I would say we spent around €3-4k in total on the two weeks. Accommodation in Rio is dearer than at home, but once you're outside Rio it's fine. Food is similar in Rio, but much cheaper outside. Drink is cheaper everywhere....caiprinhas start at €2!!

Are you looking to book independently or through a travel agent? Brazil in general is really accessible, so you should be able to do it yourself.

If you were looking to do a multi trip holiday, it would be great to take in Iguasu falls, or the rainforest near Manaus or Buenos Aires as well!