Sloppy joes are kinda like chili in that they seem to taste even better the next day.
My lunch today included a leftover sloppy joe sandwich along with slice cucumber, grape tomatoes and kidney beans.
Tuesday's Lunch
Crisp 'n' Crunchy
Beans, Beans, They're Good For Your Heart
Confession: As I packed this lunch this morning, I easily ate a serving or two of cold sloppy joe meat. It’s so darn good!
Honeymoon Selection
Our wedding is less than two and a half months away and I can really feel the momentum picking up!
Ryan and I have been pretty laid back about the whole wedding planning process. We selected our venue, photographer and florist first, waited a while, and then selected our officiate and DJ… and now, 2.5 months out, all of the “little” projects are demanding our attention.
One not-so-little project that we really need to figure out is our honeymoon!
We Want the Beach!
For some reason neither of us are too into planning our honeymoon. I think it’s because there are so many options that meet our criteria:
- Caribbean location
- Beautiful beach
- Activities available (namely scuba diving)
- Clean, romantic hotel
- Hotel located near a town for exploring
Yep, that’s pretty much it! This pretty much describes more than half of the hotels in the Caribbean!
We’re slowly narrowing down our choices and are leaning toward some resorts in the Dominican Republic. We love the all-inclusive options, as they seem like a great way to indulge but also save some money.
Our goal is to get this trip booked within the week!
Question of the Afternoon
For Married Molly:
- Where did you do on your honeymoon? Would you still choose to go there if you could do it all over again?
For Single Sally:
- Where would you want to go on your honeymoon?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Caribbean, cucumber, Dominican Republic, honeymoon, lunch, sloppy joes |
Peanut Butter Fingers 
After the recent bachelorette, I want to go wherever they were ( Fiji? Bora Bora?). It was so beautiful!
no kidding! too bad they’re so expensive! 😦
Well, I would consider myself a single sally, and I would love to do a trip to Italy & Greece. Those are my dream destinations!
I used to want to go to Hawaii, but now after watching the latest season of the bachelorette I’m obsessed with Tahiti haha. I’ll probably end up somewhere slightly less expensive like an island in the Caribbean though.
My best friend just got married in July and she and the hubby went to one of those all inclusive resorts in St. Lucia. They had a blast and their photos are absolutely beautiful! Just a thought?
We went to Puerto Vallarta and LOVED it. We stayed at the Dreams all-inclusive resort, which included really really good food, rock-climbing, kayaking, and more!
How fun to decide where to go for yours 🙂
Went to the beach that is an hour away from us. If I could do it again, I would have really saved up the money to get to GO somewhere that we don’t go multiple times every summer! I also would have double and triple checked to see if the hotel we stayed at had room service. It was the only thing I wanted on my honeymoon, and the hotel’s website said they had it. Got there, guess what? Nope!
But for our 5-year anniversary next year we are saving now to go somewhere super fun!
Tahiti!!
Can Roberto be there too please?
hahaha amen, sista!
First off, it was so nice meeting you on Saturday at the Tastemakers Event. Now, onto the honeymoon question. My husband and I wanted similar things that you guys want for your honeymoon. We were all over the place from Southern Italy, Tahiti, Phuket (Thailand), and the Caribbean. We were trying to stay away from the Caribbean since we cruise often. Ultimately, we choose the caribbean because we couldn’t imagine ourselves on an 8+ hour flight to where ever our destination was. We ended up going with St. Lucia. It had many of the same features that both Phuket, Southern Italy, and Tahiti had… mountainous area’s with great views and amazing beaches. We decided to not go the all inclusive route since we wanted to really immerse ourselves in the culture/ island. Doing it this way we spent a little more than intended too, but we had a blast… dined at beautiful locations to mom and pop local restaurants… we wold spend a day out and about doing adventurous stuff and then the following day would be laying around the beach. We also are scuba divers and dove almost every day we were in St. Lucia. We stayed at a little place called Ti Kaye. If we could do it all over again we would still pick St. Lucia but we would have stayed only a few days at Ti Kaye and then travelled an hour north for a few days and then an hour south of Ti Kaye for a few days. We plan to go back one of these years for our anniversary! Whatever you choose I’m sure you’ll have a blast!
that sounds wonderful! i loved meeting you, too, katie! 🙂
Aruba is a great destination and the Hyatt Regency is the perfect hotel.
It’s a little pricey, but absolutely worth it. (I went with friends, but would love to go back with my boyfriend. It was extremely romantic).
It’s kinda early for me to decide about my honeymoon,but dreaming never hurt anyone!So I think I’d choose something between Maroco,India or even USA would be perfect for me:))
Would it be easy for you to go back to the previous post and answer my question?I posted it before I realised there was a new post at the blog!
Take care:-*
St. Lucia!!!
We stayed at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian and loved EVERYTHING about it. We’d go back in a heartbeat!!!
My husband and I went to St. Lucia at a Sandals resort. It was absolutely wonderful from the food to the accommodations. I would definitely go again and highly recommend it!
I love kidney beans…this may sounds SO odd but I through them into my oatmeal and cut up a veggie burger…sometimes I toss in some nutritional yeast! it holds me over for hours. I guess you could call them savory oats 🙂
I went to Anguilla and it was AMAZING. We stayed at the Carimar and it was affordable and beautiful. Right on the beach. Meals in Anguilla are pricey but the food is unbelievable. We didn’t want all inclusive because the food is always sub-par and we didn’t care about free drinks. Check it out on Trip Advisor if you are interested. I posted a review there with pictures along with lots of other people.
Here is my review but there are others:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147239-d148197-r34859631-Carimar_Beach_Club-The_Valley_Anguilla.html
awesome! thanks for the link!
You’re welcome, glad to help! Let me know if you have questions about anything Anguilla related.
Ohhh, the caribean would be so much fun!! But where ever you go, you will have fun because you and Ryan will be together.
My brother got married last November in Jamaica and it was so beautiful! They stayed an extra week for their honeymoon afterwards (all inclusive). I agree with your honeymoon criteria! 🙂
The honeymoon was actually one of the first things we planned! We went to Aruba and stayed at the Marriott on Palm Beach. It was all-inclusive; however, I think they stopped offering all-inclusive. It was amazing and we are definitely going back 🙂 We had some of the best food on our honeymoon – Aruba has some AMAZING restaurants!
The Dominican would be really cool! I would also want to go to the Bahamas or maybe Jamaica. Somewhere with a lot of culture would be fun!!
We went to Del Mar, California (we needed a lower budget option). And it was amazing! We could be as active or lazy as we wanted and we definitely chose lazy, ate amazing food, stayed in a wonderfully homey condo and had a blast! We laid on the beach a lot but really just got to relax after all the hustle and bustle of the wedding planning. I absolutely would do it all over again!
we went to disneyworld which was perfect for us b/c we are not the type of people who can lay on a beach and read for a week, way too active for that! disneyw as great b/c we stayed at the grand floridian, which is breath taking, went to parks when we felt like it, relaxed at the pool some, shopped, etc. we got several times a year now!
We went to Vegas… freaking loved it.
I just got back from my honeymoon four days ago. It was wonderful. We just went to the beach closest to us (which is 8 hours away). We had a blast. We looked into doing a big trip but decided that would be something we would want to save up for and do on an anniversary! Hope y’all have fun!!! I think honeymoons should always be great no matter where you end up going- you just got married! What could be better?!?!
Single Sally. woot woot! I would LOVE to go to Bora Bora but I would hate the 24hr flight it takes to get there. I might consider Hawaii because that’s where my parents went but they recently went to St. Lucia for their 25th wedding anniversary (Sandals resort) and loved it too!!
Good luck!!
I want to go to Europe (Italy, Ireland, Greece) or Australia for my honeymoon. I’ve done a lot of single beach travel, so I want to branch out for that trip.
I would love to go to Hawaii or maybe one of the Sandals resorts in Jamaica or St. Lucia. St. Lucia looks beautiful! I would be happy just as long as I’m somewhere tropical and romantic! 🙂
We went to Punta Cana (DR) and stayed in an all-inclusive resor called Bavaro Princess. It was beautiful and the service was outstanding. There are many activities and things to do. The food was out of this world, too!! 🙂 The fitness center makes u want to work out. Its that nice. There are two pools, 6 restaurants, and a mini zoo. The prices were great.
My hubby and I got married in December before Christmas and decided to stay close to home to save cash- we did a week at Disney which was perfect at the time(we both LOVE Disney) and it was a fun vacation. However for our 6 month anniversary we went to Turks and Caicos. I highly recommend it. It’s beautiful and the water is amazing.
That sounds really awesome! I’m sure the DR is beautiful!
We went to Iceland for our honeymoon and it was awesome. Something a little different! (pictures: http://kelocity.com/tag/iceland/)
But the beach and swimming sounds so romantic and amazing.
We are going to Belize for our honeymoon at the end of September. We’re staying at a resort on Amergris Caye. We wanted to go somewhere we could get some serious R&R but also access fun activities and be able to explore. We’re staying at a small resort and opted not to go the all inclusive route because we didn’t want to be tied down to the same restaurant every day. Plus, our room has a fridge and kitchenette, so we’ll prob do breakfasts on our own. We considered delaying our honeymoon but I’m so glad we decided against that. I cannot wait!
We stayed at the IBEROSTAR resort in Playa del Carmen. The resort was beautiful and super romantic. They had 5 restaurants on site so we never had to leave the resort. They also had excursions you could go on. We have talked about going back so many times…it was perfect!!
They have other IBEROSTAR resorts around the world…check them out!!
We went to St. Kitt’s…which is beautiful. It is extremely small island and we stayed at pretty much the only resort there. The Marriott, which was gorgeous. Now mind you, we went there because we won that trip, so it was free. If I could have it my way, we would have gone all inclusive, but I can’t complain since we only had to pay for food and drink. lol. It is beautiful and is sister island to Nevis, which we too a catamaran over too for a tropical lunch one day.
My husband and I went to the Dreams resort in the Dominican Republic and it was INCREDIBLE!!! It was all inclusive and the most relaxing 8 days I’ve ever had!! Everything was amazing-food, staff, resort, excursions, etc.
From Engaged Ellie:
We are planning on going to Hawaii. Matt has been to every other state (yes including Alaska). Plus we want to go to a beach! No official plans yet though.
I guess I’m a single sally even though I’m engaged and getting married in October like you! We are taking a honeymoon next year because my fiancee doesn’t have enough vacation days at his new job yet, but we are looking at the Sandals and Breezes resorts since they are all-inclusive. CheapCarribean.com also has some good deals!
We went to Excellence Resort in Playa Mujeres Mexico. We booked on Expedia (i’m pretty sure – some travel site) and got a great deal! It’s all inclusive and the food was amazing!!! You can also take a ferry across to a little Island, Isla Mujeres, to explore if you can tear yourself away from the resort. We would go back in a second! It was the perfect honeymoon!
I would do a 2 week cruise through the
Mediterranean!!! Youd get to see sooo many cool places… and its super hot in the summer, and your in the Mediterranean Sea!
We unfortunately didn’t get around to a honeymoon till year 10! We had vacations but no honeymoon (we were always travelling because of someone/something). On our 10th year we went to London on Christmas and up to Edinburgh for Hogmanay (NYE). It was awesome, but cold (and beachless). My vote for our next vacation is Greece and Turkey!
Hey! So my name is Molly but Im not married 😉 BUT I have the perfect destination for you Grand Cayman! Its so picturesque and wonderful.
My family has owned a house there since I was 16, and I have been going there since I was 10. Everything about it is romantic and magical.
xo-Molly
http://www.givinganythingbutup.wordpress.com
Hubs and I went to Hershey Park, PA. Yeah, probably not on everyone’s list of #1 honeymoon spots but it was perfect. We live in the DC area and got married in Vermont in March (think kinda cold), so we already had a semi destination wedding. We wanted something simple that wouldn’t require a ton of traveling or money – so Hershey was on the way home.
If I were to do it again, I’d still pick there because although it wasn’t the luxury resort people dream of, we had such a great time – there were tons of activities to keep us busy from mini golf to the pool to the chocolate museum. However, in the future I’d LOVE to go to Puerto Rico – it would be the best of both worlds: beaches to relax, mountains to hike, delicious foods, and lots of great towns to explore.
Cabo San Lucas for our honeymoon and would do it again in a heart beat . . . in fact we did, for our one year anniversary.
Honeymoon was spent in a NOT all inclusive place. The second time we went we did all-inclusive.
Although “cheaper” price wise, all-inclusives can be very unclean, overly populated with families and not the greatest when it comes to service. Hopefully that’s just this side of the country and the east-coast all-inclusives are better. 🙂
We went to Sandals Grande St. Lucian for our honeymoon and really enjoyed it. It’s all inclusive, super romantic, and you can eat at all 3 sandals resorts on the island. St. Lucia is gorgeous, you really can’t go wrong there. I wrote a huge blog post about our honeymoon that you can read here: http://healthyhappyplace.blogspot.com/2010/05/over-moon-with-my-honey.html
We honeymooned in Vegas. Another friend was getting married there so it was an easy choice. Sadly my hubby was out of work then so we did everything pretty cheaply. I’d love a great splurge vacation!
I actually want to go somewhere secluded in the mountains. I could totally picture myself in a tent somewhere snuggled up with my imaginary husband. 🙂
I certainly loved the Paradisus in Punta Cana where we went. Gorgeous, reasonable, good food, and included one activity a day of your choosing.
My fiance and I are getting married next May. We have already booked our honeymoon at a Sandals Resort in Jamaica. It’s all inclusive and I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about it. I would definitely look into that. Hope that helps!
One of my boyfriend’s best friends got married in 2008 and they honeymooned in the Dominican Republic. I am trying to remember the name of the resort, but they absoluately RAVED about it. It was in in Punta Cana and it was all inclusive.
I’m totally down for the beach scene 🙂 or somewhere in Europe!!
Married Molly here — we went to Curacao for our honeymoon this spring. We stayed at the Lodge Kura Hulanda, and it was low-key and amazing (we are not really party animals). Although we didn’t partake, the diving there is apparently some of the best diving in the Caribbean. Since y’all are into diving, you should definitely check it out!
you must be getting so excited! i am coming up on my one year anniversary in September so I distinctly recall the pre-wedding excitement 🙂
my hubby and i went to Paris & Greece (Mykonos & Santorini) on our honeymoon however if you’re looking for an all-inclusive Caribbean option I highly recommend the Excellence line of all-inclusives. We got engaged at the Excellence Riviera Cancun (in Riviera Maya, Mexico) and it was absolutely fabulous. It was chock full of honeymooners and there is a ton to do (or not do). Super romantic, amazing food and beautiful weather. Hope this helps.
Enjoy this time – it goes so fast!! 🙂
I’ve always dreamed of doing a bit of an adventure honeymoon, My ideal would be going to Australia (pricey, I know. But a girl can dream right?) Spend some time scuba-diving the great barrier reef, and then go explore the outback for a few days.
On a more practical note I have some friends who went on their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic and absolutely LOVED it.
I just got married this June and my husband and I went to the Dominican for our honeymoon. We had a similar criteria to yours, but I also had good food as a must on mine (I was thinking Italian beaches, but with the wedding planning our funds were a tad tight)… so we ended up at the The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real in
Punta Cana. The cost for food, drinks, activities, etc was $120 per person/day… so $240 a day for the two of you. We definitely liked not having to pay for anything while we were there- except we did splurge for a mini spa treatment!
I must say, the place was beautiful and pretty clean- that was a big criteria for me! There were all kinds of fun cabanas and plenty of pools. All of the activities were free (on-site), including scuba- but they did have options for other excursions off-site. As much as we love exploring, we were told countless times not to venture off the resort, so we ended up just staying there. That did get a tad boring in the evenings, as you had to have a reservation for dinner everynight and sometimes you could only get a 6 p.m. time, so if you’re done with dinner around 7:30 p.m., there isn’t alot of entertainment or anything left to do- the pools close, beach close, etc… so going back to the room at 8 ish soundsssss romantic, but we were kind of hoping for some more entertainment, etc before heading in for the night.
The only big downside for me was the food. This was the first time I did an all inclusive and didn’t realize that the food would be so sub-par. Everyone we talked to there who had done alot of all-inclusives said that’s just how it is! Being somewhat of a health freak myself, that was a little hard for me, but I figured out how to manage by the end of the week. One other bonus was free room service 24/7! I had an egg-white omelet with veggies every morning!
I could go on and on- but there are obviously pros and cons with any decision. If cost is a big issue and you can let the food factor go, it could be the right choice for you guys- it was beautiful and the service was great too. There were ALOT of honeymooners though, so not a whole lot of extra special treatment- ha!
We were married in Vegas and stayed for three more days. It was five days total and we were so stressed we were usually asleep by 10pm.
If I had to do over I would love to go to Hawaii.
We’re having a “weddingmoon” in Jamaica this coming april. But if the $ was there, we’d totally be going to Rome for an actual honeymoon as well. 😉
I went to Tahiti and Moorea and it was just wonderful! Moorea is the lesser-known island next door to Tahiti, but is what you picture in your mind when you think of Tahiti. Tahiti isn’t nearly as nice, surprisingly, but it certainly wasn’t too shabby!
We took a seven day cruise around the western caribbean. It was the perfect solution for us… no stress of traveling, figuring out where to eat, or remembering to bring the right money with us. The best part was that we could play everything by ear… relaxing, excursions, whatever 🙂
We stayed at the Ladera resort on St. Lucia for our honeymoon. I know I bombarded you w/ tweets about the Excellence resort yesterday, but I just wanted to add – when we were at the Excellence in Punta Cana this past April with 2 other couples, we had a great time during the day, but the mosquitoes were SO BAD at night. It was hard to stay outside in the evenings because of it, and some of the restaurants are open-air, which makes eating difficult. The other thing is that the Excellence is on the opposite side of the island from the airport, so it’s about an hour if you go by shuttle, and you’re the first picked up and the last dropped off. Also, it’s very windy on that side of the island, so we could hardly ever get in the ocean because the current was almost always too strong.
We had a great time in the DR, and did an excursion to another area of the island where we were able to enjoy the calmer ocean. So the DR is a great place to go, but I would probably recommend staying at one of the other all-inclusive places, but take bug spray w/ you regardless! 🙂
We went to San Diego for a few days and onto Maui…it was the best money we every spent. We didn’t want an all inclusive and also wanted to go somewhere where we could drive on our own around the whole island. Aslo…fast forward five years later and I have a 2 year old and one on the way….I realize it will be a long time before we have a vacation like that again and I’m so glad we splurged when we did!
Your criteria was everything that I wanted in a honeymoon! I wanted warm sun/sand, beautiful water and tropical beverages!
However, my hubby had other plans! We did a whirlwind tour of London, Paris and Brussels! It was absolutely amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but when we got back home, I needed a vacation from my vacation! We got married, moved across the country two days later and then left on our honeymoon two days after that. I could have really used some beach time to recuperate!
I’ve heard amazing things about the DR – I think you’ll probably find something you absolutely love!
As for me, I’m finally getting some beach time in September when the hubby and I head to Puerto Rico to celebrate our five year anniversary! Woo hoo for sun, sand and pina coladas!
My husband and I ended up having about a 2 week honeymoon. We lived in the panhandle of Florida before we were married and his new job brought us to live near Gainesville, fl. So when we got married we spent the first 2 nights on the beach because we didn’t want to travel far. Then we headed to our new home and spent 1 night there, then went to Orlando and stayed 2 nights there and then we boarded a cruise ship in Cape Canaveral to go on a 7 day cruise to the eastern Caribbean. It definitely was awesome and I would most definitely do it again! Ya know, I think I live not too far from you, we should have a bloggers meet up sometime! 🙂
All inclusive is the ONLY way to go. My hubby and I did a Sandals resort on St. Lucia. It was awesome. We would definitely do it again….and not just because I ordered cheesecake for breakfast. 🙂
My husband and I did DR at an all inclusive (Iberostar) and it was very relaxing, but DR is not a place you can explore on your own and while the food was good, I feel like all inclusives and cruises focus on quantity instead of quality, or maybe that’s just my “vacation eating habits” coming out! We are taking our honeymoon trip 1 year late, but going to Costa Rica. We have talked to a few people that have gone and they have done nothing but rave about it. Supposedly it’s the less touristy and much less expensive version of Hawaii, and tons of stuff to do, both with tours and without tours. Whatever you do, have fun and plan time to relax because you’ll need it after all the wedding festivities!
Oh, and we also have done a cruise in Western Caribbean. Wasn’t a huge fan of cruising, again the focus seemed to be on food and you have very limited time to explore your destinations. But our favorite island was Jamaica by far. You can’t (or shouldn’t) venture out on your own there either, and in Caribbean you have to be aware of when you are staying in a cruise port location because you may be sharing your tours with hundreds of cruise ship passengers. Friends stayed at Sandals on the south part of Jamaica and said it was much less crowded but a little more removed from stuff, but they loved it.
My husband and I just got married this past June and went to Bermuda for our honeymoon. It was beautiful, clean and safe which is just what we were looking for. Bermuda is REALLY low-key so it’s perfect for a honeymoon. The only thing is, it’s pretty expensive. Almost everything is imported (except onions!) so everything is about twice as much as in the states. Neither of us drink (alcohol) so we stayed within our budget easily but I imagine if you plan on having a glass of wine with dinner, it can add up.
Anyway, I booked our hotel on skyauction.com. It worked out great and was super cheap. I’m just mentioning this because there are about a million all-inclusives on there all the time so it might be worth checking out for you guys.
Hope that helps a little!
we went to the OC in california! it was sweet! i absolutely loved it, because we had warm weather (we were there the last week of may 2009) but it wasn’t burning hot so we could spend a lot of time outside without sweating (not so attractive…haha). we didn’t do all inclusive, but my parents gave us a week of their timeshare with Marriott vacation club so we didn’t have to pay for lodging… so all inclusive would have been more expensive. i also like to cook on vacation, so i like having a kitchen and not having to go out every meal. it was the best!!
I’ve heard great things about the Dominican Republic. We went to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun. We had a good time but wouldn’t go back. It was a little too “party” for our tastes, i.e. snorkeling turned into chest-baring booze cruise.
We went to Riviera Maya and stayed at El Dorado. It is an all inclusive resort and Ben and I immediately decided that we would save up so that in 5 years we could go back. It was absolutely amazing!!!
i would LOVE to go to Greece 🙂
I am actually leaving on Sunday to go to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for vacation and to celebrate my 1 year wedding anniversary. We are staying at the all-inclusive Majestic Elegance Resort. My husband and I had decided on this destination after speaking to many people about great Caribbean destinations. Everyone we have spoken to raves about DR. They have so many all-inclusive resorts to choose from, so make sure you take the time to look through them all. They all offer pretty much the same stuff, with some little differences. Good luck on your hunt. This is one of the best parts of wedding planning, and of course it is much needed after your wedding day!
Other great destinations are Aruba (honeymoon), Costa Rica, and Antigua. All are reasonably priced, many all-inclusive resorts to choose from.
I love all-inclusives! We went to the Aventura Spa Palace in the Riviera Maya. Fun, fun!
single sally here!
i go back and forth between wanting a really relax-by-the-beach/pool type honeymoon…like borabora! or a sight see, tour the place action packed vacation like asia or europe!
Ireland
I went to the Dominican Republic last year on vacation and fell in looove with it. I stayed at an Iberostar and was so happy with it. If you are looking for entertainment, there are nightly shows and also a “disco” (nightclub) which was very fun to go to if you are looking to dance and watch people dance! haha. Also, it is very romantic and you wouldn’t have to do the “party” things if you didn’t want to. You can’t beat the price, too! Good luck choosing- with so many options it is overwhelming, but whatever you choose will be amazing.
Hi! I went to the Dominican a couple years ago for spring break and stayed at one of the Riu hotels (I want to say the Riu Palace Punta Cana… but I’m not 100%) – anyway, the hotel was all inclusive, we were able to eat at different restaurants, and had access to the other Riu hotels that were nearby (walking distance on the beach). It was so beautiful there – clear water, bright blue skies – and everyone was really friendly. It was pretty inexpensive too! I would definitely keep that a consideration for your honey moon. But, any place you decide will be great! You guys are so cute 🙂 Best wishes!
Turks and Caicos was absolutely beautiful!! WE stayed at the Regent Palms…. very nice and I believe they have all inclusive options! 🙂
I always dreamed of going over-seas, but I also think that would be a bit more stressful of an option. Sounds like you guys have the things you want well sorted through. I think the real point of a honeymoon is to spend time together, so the destination isn’t the most important part. (:
My husband and I went to the Dominican in June and stayed at the “palace resort” (which has been merged with the Hard Rock Hotel). It’s a pretty new resort that is on the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen. “Palace” is a chain of all-inclusive resorts in Mexico (this is their 1st one in the DR) so u should check the mexican locations out too. My husband and I went to the Adventura Spa palace near Playa del Carmen and had the best time. All the liquor is top shelf and the food is out of this world and all included!! My sister-in-law has also stayed at their cancun locations and neither of us had ever had one bad thing to say about any of our stays there. There’s plenty to do on and off the resorts, you almost need two weeks just to take it all in.
Either way my #1 suggestion would be to search trip advisor for reviews on any place you are looking at. That’s how I found our honeymoon spot- it ranked as the top 3 places to stay at and had a zillion great reviews.
My dream honeymoon would be to go to Europe, making stops in both Italy and France!
I just got married in June and my husband and I went to Turks and Caicos. We stayed at the Ocean Club. It was beautiful and a great hotel, but I wouldn’t recommend it simply because it was at the end of the strip and sort of away from everything else. There were so many other beautiful hotels that we saw during out stay though.
Since you are divers, I HIGHLY recommend Turks and Caicos. It is a top diving destination with crystal clear waters. Even by the end of our trip, I couldn’t get over how clear and blue the water was. We are not divers, but we REALLY enjoyed snorkeling! There are tons of other water sports to enjoy. We also felt very safe and were never afraid to walk around the island on our own.
Good luck and enjoy wherever you choose. I’m sure you will love wherever you go!
We did a 2 week Mediterranean cruise and absolutely LOVED it. Believe it or not, the cruise is extremely reasonable (in price) & if you can find cheap flights, you’re golden! All meals are included on the ship… It was an amazing way to see 10ish sights in Europe. Go to sleep on a luxurious cruise ship every night, wake up in a new & interesting port each morning.
We just got back from our honeymoon on the 9th. We spent 7 days at The Excellence in Riviera Maya Mexico. At first I didn’t think Mexico sounded great but that’s what he wanted. I loved it, we are already planning on going back at Christmas for our 6 month anniversary. It is all inclusive with great food, drinks, pools, and ocean view. We got the honeymoon package with a 6 course dinner on the beach, a bubble bath jacuzzi, and a couples massage at their spa. It was amazing. There are also a few towns close to get shop and sight see. It’s a great place! I can’t wait to go back:-)
I stayed at an all inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic called Iberostar. It was a fantastic place but unfortunately Dominican is not really a place that you go explore the city. You will most likely eat all of your meals in, go to the bar in the resort etc. If you want more of a city to explore I would look into option in the Grand Cayman Islands. Tons of awesome restaurants, fabulous beaches, nightlife, shopping, etc.
We went to Riviera Maya, Mexico…on the Yucatan Peninsula, about an hour & a half south of Cancun. It was an all inclusive, adults only resort called Adventura Spa Palace. We LOVED it!! The accomodations were great, food was great, & best of all, it was very reasonably priced. We went on a few day adventures outside the resort that were awesome. They have all kinds of stuff to choose from. I highly recommend it!
We went to Cancun for our honeymoon. It was great and free so you can not really complain when it is paid for. I would not go back though.
My husband and I didn’t have a very big budget for our honeymoon, so we went to the North Shore in our home state (Minnesota). We stayed in a cabin-like lodge right on the shore of Lake Superior. It was awesome. 🙂
I’ve got a ways to go until I get married, but I would totally honeymoon somewhere in latin america, like costa rica (SO BEAUTIFUL), croatia (random, but heard it’s lovely), or australia? Or somewhere in the Caribbeans!
We went to the Turks and Caicos, and it was awesome!
We went to Costa Rica…. It was AMAZING!!!
We did a cruise for our honeymoon but I actually don’t recommend it. Our cruise was suppose to go to all wonderful, tropical places, but we went during peak hurricane season and never got off the ship. THe worst part was that we were not able to get any of our money back. Oh well, it was still fun but kind of a shame that we didn’t get to go what we had paid for.
Cut picture. Croatia is the Hawaii of Europe and fairly cheap.
So exciting!! While I totally get the awesomeness of the Caribbean, I actually would be more inclined towards a European honeymoon, myself. Having spent a lot of family time there it’s closer to my heart 🙂
Wish I had some great ideas to share with you but sadly I’ve never been to the Caribbean! I’ve heard RAVE reviews about the DR from friends, though. Especially those all-inclusive packages. Sounds like a winner to me! Good luck with the decision making!
Disney World! Disney World! and Disney World! we have a Disney problem. I’ve been 15 times, we’re going again in November.
I’d love to go to the Inn at Warner Hall in Virginia. Built in the 1600’s and gorgeous rooms and location. It’s a B&B.
Hey Julie,
Matt and I had the same problem with our honeymoon! We kind of decided to have a year of “little honeymoons” that way we wouldn’t have to worry if we missed out on something special. It’s also nice to have something to look forward to and celebrate being married for a whole year 🙂
what a cute idea!
We actually got married in the winter and went to Whistler (where the Olympics were just held) and we had a wonderful time…wouldn’t have changed it for the world. However, if I were to pick a beach location…I would say Hawaii or St. Johns (two places I would love to go!.) But the ultimate honeymoon for me…would be to take 2-4 weeks and go see Italy, Greece, Paris, etc….I mean I gotta dream big!!
i LOVE whistler!!!
Somewhere beachy! Hawaii, the Bahamas – maybe Greece or Capri??
went to an all-inclusive resort in the dominican republic (majestic colonial – http://www.majestic-resorts.com/en/index.aspx) and had the Colonial Jr Suite Ocean Front room – awesome room RIGHT on the beach with an indoor jacuzzi and outdoor hot tub on the huge roof top deck that overlooked the ocean. HUGE pool, great drinks. Food was decent but expected for an all-inclusive resort. the hotel was fantastic and the service was amazing. just be careful with going to the dominican republic because im not sure how much was damaged by last years earthquake that hit haiti?
i went to st. lucia for my honeymoon and i dont think anyone has ever had a better vacation or honeymoon! we stayed at the ladera resort (www.ladera.com) and i don’t think i’ll ever stay at a better hotel in my entire lifetime. the most AMAZING VIEW just from laying in the bed – the pictures on the website do not even do it justice! only 26 private rooms, no kids allowed, isolated (perfect for honeymoon!), AMAZING food, perfect service, AMAZING VIEW, and truly a unique and one of a kind experience. i could type forever about just how perfect the resort is but i won’t fill up your wall! if you have any questions about ladera, please feel free to email me!
whereever you decide to go, you’ll be on your honeymoon so it will be perfect! good luck!
oh my gosh!!! the ladera is gorgeous. i think i just spent 30 min. looking all over their website.
We went to DisneyWorld for our first mini honeymoon and then the following year we did a 2nd honeymoon on a week long Caribbean Cruise
My husband and i went to Italy for our honeymoon- Rome, Milan, and Venice. Loved it. I hear Costa Rica is beautiful and so is Puerto Rico, but I haven’t been to Costa Rica and haven’t spent much time in Puerto Rico so I can’t vouch for either. Hawaii is also a lovely vacation destination, but from Orlando it will take like 12 hours to get there including layovers.
My husband and I went to Negril, Jamaica. The resort we stayed at was called Couples Negril. It is an all inclusive resort that has everything you could ask for, even scuba. Of course, we want to go back there and we are doing that in about 5 weeks to celebrate our anniversary! We are looking forward to our vacation and are thrilled to get out of town!
My husband and I got married June 2009 and for our honeymoon we went to the Dominican Republic. And Loved It! We stayed at an all inclusive called the Majestic Colonial Punta Cana. Check it out- its wonderful! Happy Planning.
My fiance and I are also currently looking into different honeymoon options…like you and Ryan, we want somewhere that has a little town we can explore, maybe some nightlife options, etc. (and not too terribly expensive). We’re actually highly considering going to Aruba – there is a Westin hotel (which are always nice) that has gotten great reviews online and has an all-inclusive option: http://www.westinaruba.com/allinclusive?EM=IDP_OVER_OFFER_AI_1960_WI_SEC
It seems like everything is walking distance, including other restaurants, shopping, etc. and flights to Aruba are very decently priced compared to some of the smaller islands in the Caribbean. I can’t wait to see what you all decide – I might steal an idea or two 🙂
What is you budget for honeymoon? You don’t want to skimp on your honeymoon.. you only go on it ONCE!!
Also..I just thought of this…do you or Ryan or either of your immediate families have any hotel points racked up? Such as Starwood, etc.? Or any rewards programs? We’re actually getting married at a Westin, thus accumulating a TON of Starwood preferred guest points, so we’re going to redeem them to pay for a big chunk of our honeymoon stay and that’s how we found the Westin in Aruba.
Check out mypoints.com and consider signing up (for free) – I think if you book through travelocity.com through mypoints.com you can get a bunch of points and earn free gift cards for shopping/restaurants! (also great if you like to online-shop like me…most major-brand stores participate with mypoints)
My input would be Roatan, Honduras. It’s a little island off the coast of Honduras. The waters are crystal clear and the beaches are white and beautiful. I went with my boyfriend a few years ago and we rented a small house right on the beach. There’s plenty to do too! We did deep sea fishing, zip line tours, went through the little zoo like place and got to play with monkeys, swam with dolphins and really enjoyed walking around the “downtown” area and exploring the shops and interacting with the locals.
We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon back in 2004. We spent a week in Maui and then another week in Kauai. It was pretty laid back but exactly what we wanted. He traveled eight months for work the year before, which was the hardest thing we’ve had to go through together, so our main thing was just being together. We both had always wanted to go to Hawaii so it was perfect. His traveling/air miles also allowed us to pay for all airfare so that was pretty cool. Wherever you choose, though, it will be the best time of your life just because it’s YOUR honeymoon and you just got married. 🙂 Good luck in finding something that you both love! 😉
My husband and I got married 3 years ago and our honeymoon was in Aruba. LOVED IT! We stayed at the Occidental Grand and we went snorkeling and did a jeep tour of the island to see the other beaches. There was scuba diving to but we didn’t get a chance to do that. Our resort was all inclusive, but extra for all the activities … we had an awesome time!
We went to a Sandals in St. Lucia. The resort was awesome, I would always reccomend an all inclusive, it is so great not to have to worry about paying for anything while you’re there. We wouldn’t do St. Lucia again though. The beach was way to rough so you couldn’t swim or even lay out at it and the locals said it’s like that year round. That basically meant we took a 5+ hour plane flight to hang out at that pool. The pool did have a swim up bar though! 🙂
I wanted to go on a cruise but the hubs wanted to go to DisneyWorld. My family has slowly turned him into a Disney fan and although many were skeptical about how Disney would fare as a honeymoon destination. We got a button when we checked it that said “Just Married” and had the BEST time! Everyone, cast members and visitors, congratulated us and made us feel really special. We didn’t feel pressured to spend all our times in the park because we’ve both been several times and therefore had a good time just being together and eating some amazing meals. It was a really laid back honeymoon. I’d do it all over again! (probably why we’ve spent the past 2 anniversaries there as well)
My fiancé an I are getting married October 9th and are going to the Secrets Maroma Beach Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We did MUCH research on all inclusive Sandals resorts in St. Lucia and then our travel agent suggested the Secrets Maroma Beach resort. It got excellent reviews on tripadvisor.com, it’s adults only, has 8 restaurants and the food gets fantastic reviews. This resort received much better reviews than the Sandals Resorts in St. Lucia. Another big selling point for us was that the flights to Mexico are MUCH cheaper and MUCH shorter. There is supposed to be great snorkling/scuba diving off the coast of Cozumel and there are excursion trips to see the ruins too. Here is the link to the resort. Happy searching!!
http://www.secretsresorts.com/maroma/index.asp