6 Weddings and a Honeymoon (HELP!)
In the course of the next 6 months, I’ve been invited to 6 weddings. Unfortunately, one of the realities of living in France is that I can’t go to them all, so instead I have to find creative ways to be there in spirit (ie. I watched my friend Liz’s wedding on Halloween via webcam and took screenshots of my friends taking communion). Anyway, my friends Sarah and Bruce are the next to tie the knot in less than a month. They’re both wonderfully creative and fun people, and today we’re calling on you all for help to help them decide where to go on their honeymoon. Sarah has provided a little more background below in what they’re looking for out of a honeymoon, but they’re open to any and all suggestions and ideas. I’ll be posting a couple of my ideas tomorrow, but we’d love to hear from you! Where should Sarah and Bruce go on their honeymoon?
From Sarah:
Its really not that simple to summarize the ideal honeymoon, is it? Plus there are *endless* options. I suppose that’s why I need help from PAV readers. We certainly like a a good deal of “new & exciting-ness” on our trips, which is why I’ve mostly been daydreaming about foreign countries in regards to a honeymoon. But just a dash of relaxing, lazing about needs to be thrown in there, too. Neither one of us are very good at laying on the beach all day- we get too antsy- but a few hours of it for a couple days in great if its balanced out with time spent romping around town. We like to explore by walking, which means that cities are a good option, but so are rural places that offer beautiful hikes. Don’t mistake our aversion to too much relaxing as a vote for adventure travel though- speaking for myself anyway, I am in no way into hang gliding, bungee jumping and the like. We are both vegetarian, so we tend to stay away from places like Brazil that are heavy on the meat. And HELL YEAH I want to go some place romantic! Pretty, pretty, pretty is what I want. No trip to Dubai, please. And, although the wedding is creeping up, we’ll probably go on the honeymoon next spring or summer once the dust from the wedding and the new home renovation settles, which is another element that ought to be taken into account.
Gabby / Gypsy*Diaries
June 16, 2010 at 7:25 am //
It sounds like a Roman vacation to me….. they can take the train and visit Florence and Provence too and maybe even take a boat to Sardinia to relax for a few days on the beautiful beaches!!!
xxx
http://gypsy-diaries.blogspot.com/
http://gypsy-photography.blogspot.com/
A Girl in Asia
June 16, 2010 at 7:39 am //
What about Sri Lanka? It’s ‘new and exciting’ (if they haven’t been already), has beaches for short lazing around mini breaks, mixed with interesting towns like Galle and Kandy which are great for walking around and exploring, and there are areas you can hike too with spectacular scenery (try the small town Ella) or historic ruins (like the rock fortress at Sigiriya). And Sri Lanka’s great for vegetarians – lots of delicious, fragrant vege curries and snacks! Will be interested to see where they end up going!
A Girl in Asia
June 16, 2010 at 7:40 am //
What about Sri Lanka? It’s ‘new and exciting’ (if they haven’t been already), has beaches for short lazing around mini breaks, mixed with interesting towns like Galle and Kandy which are great for walking around and exploring, and there are areas you can hike too with spectacular scenery (try the small town Ella) or historic ruins (like the rock fortress at Sigiriya). And Sri Lanka’s great for vegetarians – lots of delicious, fragrant vege curries and snacks! Will be interested to see where they end up going!
scott
June 16, 2010 at 10:01 am //
I have a couple going on their Honeymoon to Costa Rica in a few weeks. They will fly to San Jose, rent a 4×4 w/ GPS & drive 3-4 hours to area around Arenal Volcano for 4 nights of hiking and playing in that area (4 Star hotel- very nice)- then drive x-country to Manuel Antonio area for another 4 nights of All-inclusive at beach- some Wahoo fishing, zip-line (not nearly as scary as bungee). Plenty of time to relax and get together on their first trip as married couple- yet lots of beautiful eco-tourism as well.
BTW- I specialize in Honeymoon, so hit me up….would love to help!
MGVest
June 16, 2010 at 12:19 pm //
I say Mediterranean island/coast… be it Sicily or Crete or Cinque Terre… lots of little towns to explore and gorgeous waterfront to enjoy… plus the food there can very easily be vegetarian AND what is more romantic than a sunset over the sea?
Croatia would be AMAZING… though a bit harder to get to… the little island of Hvar actually seems like a combination of all the other surrounding cultures… Venetian architecture, Provencal agriculture…
Hannah
June 16, 2010 at 1:03 pm //
Istanbul! We went on our honeymoon and it was very romantic. Plenty of options to eat vegetarian. It’s just a hop to the beautiful coast if two days of beach-going are in order. There’s lots to do and see. I highly recommend!
Tracy and Mark
June 16, 2010 at 2:12 pm //
my vote is for the island of capri. stay in anacapri – very charming. lots of walking, amazing food, beautiful scenery, plus you can wonder around the two towns on the island.
twilight at morningside
June 16, 2010 at 2:30 pm //
I vote for Luang Prabang, with arrival via slow boat on the Mekong River. We started in Chiang Rai. This former capital of Laos sits on the banks on the Nam Kham and the Mekong and is such a gem. Once you get there it’s pretty affordable which is a bonus after the realities of wedding and home renovation. We stopped there on our honeymoon and my only word for it is: magical!
Sarah Templin
June 16, 2010 at 6:22 pm //
Oh, how will we ever choose! These are all such great suggestions that bring an irrepressible smile to my face. Ahh, daydreaming of travel! *Almost* as fun as the actual trip.
I actually haven’t been to ANY of these places (although Bruce has done more Italian traveling that I have) and would be perfectly happy with any of them. Thanks everyone!
LindseyBee
June 16, 2010 at 7:09 pm //
I vote Barcelona. It’s somewhat reasonably priced, right on the beach, & tons of culture to take in. There’s lots of good food, lots of sites to see, relaxing/fun/romantic! Las Ramblas is an awesome shopping street with fresh markets..seems like a perfect honeymoon spot to me! Definitely meant to be a spring/summer spot, though. Plus, it’s Samantha Brown’s (Travel Channel) favorite city!
Good luck!
Angela
June 17, 2010 at 2:14 am //
What about one of Thailand’s islands? I stayed on Kho Thao (sp?) and it was 6 days of heaven! I stayed in a simple one-room bungalow on the beach with a hammock on the porch. There was a restaurant/bar that set up tables and pillows on the beach in the evenings for dinner at sunset. The scenery is astounding! Scuba diving is the big draw, and if you’re not already certified they have relatively cheap courses. Some of the guest houses offered yoga. Plenty of places offer Thai massage. There are plenty of other activities on the island to explore as well. The food is scrumptious with lots of veggie options. What more could you ask for?? And if you have lots of time I would also recommend a jaunt up north to Pai in the mountains.
Prêt à Voyager
June 17, 2010 at 9:18 am //
fun ideas everyone :)
here are a few more tips i picked up from readers on twitter and facebook:
@ shortsweetblog: I went to Bali and LOVED it! Perfect place for rest and relaxation!
lindsey: maldives
sara: we had such an amazing time in santorini and crete! really, best trip i’ve yet taken. i can give you more details (where we stayed, how long in each place, etc.) if you want. let me know.
bisous!
anne
maggie
June 18, 2010 at 7:10 am //
hi anne. great pix of sarah and bruce! didn’t know you were in paris. guess that’s why i didn’t see any pix of you on the KSR pages.
i am in surabaya indonesia for the summer and i would NOT recommend it for a honeymoon…bali, maybe. anyway, putting the word out to you and your readers if anyone knows of OUTSIDER ART places in indonesia. can’t find any links in a google/bing search.
best to you in your travels, maggie
Prêt à Voyager
June 20, 2010 at 10:23 pm //
maggie- funny you should say that, because i actually flew back and surprised everyone for KSR. maybe you didn’t recognize me in the blue wig!
the top pic is from when sarah & bruce were in india. bottom is on a rollercoaster the day they decided to get married :)
stay cool!
A
Kate
July 14, 2010 at 6:08 am //
I have just got back from a beautiful holiday in Fiji, loads of great walking, swimming, and of course eating, couldnt recommend it enough as a fantastic place to go to see and explore and to have perfect lazy days. The sea is like swimming through a tropical fish aquarium.
To go completely different to Fiji, how about Corsica? One of my favourite places in the world, its a bit of a magical mountain island.
Whatever you chose to do (Pick mine! pick mine!) I hope you both have a fantastic wedding and a long and very happy life together.
KB