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Honeymoon Frustration

luvly73 Posted:

Honeymoon Frustration

Every time I think I know where I want to go I see something that turns me off!!!

I don't know what to do!

First I wanted to do Bora Bora/Moorea but I really don't want to pay that much

So then I moved on to Sandals but it seems like to really feel like you are on a honeymoon there, you need to get one of the top notch rooms that will end up costing betw 8 and 10k!

Then I see the Ladera place and it looks amazing and i figure we could go there and sandals grande, but I'm terrified of bugs so the whole one wall missing thing in there is not going to work!

I just really want it to be a wonderful experience but I don't want to pay an excessive amount just for a brand name or on a place thats not as great as its cracked up to be.

'm also thinking of cruises. I just want to get the best deal for the money you know...So frustrating
little j Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

cruises are a great deal for your $. all the food, hotel and transportation (seeing different ports) is included in the price.

the only thing you need to include is : alcohol, tour excursions, shopping, and gratituity (most ships are about 10pp/per day)
KrisD72310 Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

I hear you. We're going to Sandals and couldn't afford those amazing rooms. I'm still looking forward to it though and got a concierge room for 4300 for 7 days. Not too bad. Plus, I plan to make full use of that concierge service and order whatever I want, whenever I want and I think it'll definitely feel like a honeymoon. As money frozen margeritas as I want? Who can beat that
luvly73 Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration


Posted by KrisD72310

I hear you. We're going to Sandals and couldn't afford those amazing rooms. I'm still looking forward to it though and got a concierge room for 4300 for 7 days. Not too bad. Plus, I plan to make full use of that concierge service and order whatever I want, whenever I want and I think it'll definitely feel like a honeymoon. As money frozen margeritas as I want? Who can beat that



I def want something all inclusive and I know sandals is perfect for that but I want to add some luxury in there too..try to make the most of the experience...but 4300 is def a good price!
MrsSoto Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

my personal take on the wayyy upgraded rooms is that i would rather have more time on a honeymoon then spend the extra dollars on a room and stay less time. that's just me. i personally think its the resort and the destination that make it a great vacation, not the room. maybe you could allways compromise like upgrading by one or two rooms but not all the way. also, at the sandals resorts and luxury all inclusivies, the basic rooms are beautiful (not like a regular holiday inn basic room type of deal).

i think a sandals vacation in a room that had a balcony at least and maybe upgraded by 2 or 3 or 4 from the basic would still be wonderful!

im going to mexico and staying at really luxury resorts where the basic rooms are amazing. also, i priced the upgraded room which would be a room with stairs that lead to your own huge private deck with a jacuzzi pool and it was definately not a lot more compared to other places. it was still coming in under 4500 for 8 nights including flight, all meals, etc. so even 10 nights wouldnt be 10K or not even close to that.

also like you said cruises could be great. hawaii cruises can be expensive with the flights but are still a lot cheaper than going there and staying in hotels, i believe.

little j Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration


Posted by MrsSoto

my personal take on the wayyy upgraded rooms is that i would rather have more time on a honeymoon then spend the extra dollars on a room and stay less time. that's just me. i personally think its the resort and the destination that make it a great vacation, not the room. maybe you could allways compromise like upgrading by one or two rooms but not all the way. also, at the sandals resorts and luxury all inclusivies, the basic rooms are beautiful (not like a regular holiday inn basic room type of deal).

i think a sandals vacation in a room that had a balcony at least and maybe upgraded by 2 or 3 or 4 from the basic would still be wonderful!

im going to mexico and staying at really luxury resorts where the basic rooms are amazing. also, i priced the upgraded room which would be a room with stairs that lead to your own huge private deck with a jacuzzi pool and it was definately not a lot more compared to other places. it was still coming in under 4500 for 8 nights including flight, all meals, etc. so even 10 nights wouldnt be 10K or not even close to that.

also like you said cruises could be great. hawaii cruises can be expensive with the flights but are still a lot cheaper than going there and staying in hotels, i believe.




wow. i definately need a review of that HM when you get back...the deck/jacuzzi thing sounds amaaazzinnng
KrisD72310 Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

Also remember that the rooms on cruise ships are usually very small.

MrsHazel2B Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration


Posted by luvly73


Posted by KrisD72310

I hear you. We're going to Sandals and couldn't afford those amazing rooms. I'm still looking forward to it though and got a concierge room for 4300 for 7 days. Not too bad. Plus, I plan to make full use of that concierge service and order whatever I want, whenever I want and I think it'll definitely feel like a honeymoon. As money frozen margeritas as I want? Who can beat that



I def want something all inclusive and I know sandals is perfect for that but I want to add some luxury in there too..try to make the most of the experience...but 4300 is def a good price!



If you further consider Sandals, like me, think about the resort you're staying at. In St. Lucia, you can resort hop. Stay in 1, play in all 3. Before I knew that, I was looking at the Grande St. Lucia but it was so pricey, I got discouraged. Then I remembered SummerBride10 ( think I spelled it right) and she's staying at the Regency La Toc, which is still beautiful but much less $$$$$. Even their upgraded levels are reasonable. You can still visit the other resorts, just not pay an arm and a leg. So I'm booking there!
ellie424 Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

The one wall missing in St. Lucia wouldn't work for me either. FH and I both hate bugs....I showed him the pic of that hotel once and he said no way!!

We're thinking of going on the Paul Gauguin cruise out of Tahiti. French Polynesia is so expensive..and while the cruise is still a little pricey we will be saving a lot because all food and drinks (including alcohol) are included. It really is a good value.

Here is the link to the website:
Paul Gauguin cruise
luvly73 Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration


Posted by ellie424

The one wall missing in St. Lucia wouldn't work for me either. FH and I both hate bugs....I showed him the pic of that hotel once and he said no way!!

We're thinking of going on the Paul Gauguin cruise out of Tahiti. French Polynesia is so expensive..and while the cruise is still a little pricey we will be saving a lot because all food and drinks (including alcohol) are included. It really is a good value.

Here is the link to the website:
Paul Gauguin cruise



thks. i saw you posted about the cruise before and wanted to look into it.
FutureCap Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

which sandal's locations were you looking into? If you were looking into Antigua, we found a great place for our HM! let me know if you want any info!

luvly73 Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration


Posted by MrsSoto

my personal take on the wayyy upgraded rooms is that i would rather have more time on a honeymoon then spend the extra dollars on a room and stay less time. that's just me. i personally think its the resort and the destination that make it a great vacation, not the room. maybe you could allways compromise like upgrading by one or two rooms but not all the way. also, at the sandals resorts and luxury all inclusivies, the basic rooms are beautiful (not like a regular holiday inn basic room type of deal).

i think a sandals vacation in a room that had a balcony at least and maybe upgraded by 2 or 3 or 4 from the basic would still be wonderful!

im going to mexico and staying at really luxury resorts where the basic rooms are amazing. also, i priced the upgraded room which would be a room with stairs that lead to your own huge private deck with a jacuzzi pool and it was definately not a lot more compared to other places. it was still coming in under 4500 for 8 nights including flight, all meals, etc. so even 10 nights wouldnt be 10K or not even close to that.

also like you said cruises could be great. hawaii cruises can be expensive with the flights but are still a lot cheaper than going there and staying in hotels, i believe.




i've know there are a lot of all inclusives in DR and mexico. i actually just wernt to one in DR and had a blast. I know you can get luxury in these places for way less also, so this is also something to consider.
MrsSoto Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration


Posted by luvly73


Posted by MrsSoto

my personal take on the wayyy upgraded rooms is that i would rather have more time on a honeymoon then spend the extra dollars on a room and stay less time. that's just me. i personally think its the resort and the destination that make it a great vacation, not the room. maybe you could allways compromise like upgrading by one or two rooms but not all the way. also, at the sandals resorts and luxury all inclusivies, the basic rooms are beautiful (not like a regular holiday inn basic room type of deal).

i think a sandals vacation in a room that had a balcony at least and maybe upgraded by 2 or 3 or 4 from the basic would still be wonderful!

im going to mexico and staying at really luxury resorts where the basic rooms are amazing. also, i priced the upgraded room which would be a room with stairs that lead to your own huge private deck with a jacuzzi pool and it was definately not a lot more compared to other places. it was still coming in under 4500 for 8 nights including flight, all meals, etc. so even 10 nights wouldnt be 10K or not even close to that.

also like you said cruises could be great. hawaii cruises can be expensive with the flights but are still a lot cheaper than going there and staying in hotels, i believe.




i've know there are a lot of all inclusives in DR and mexico. i actually just wernt to one in DR and had a blast. I know you can get luxury in these places for way less also, so this is also something to consider.



oh, im already booked to Mexico!
AwaitingAugust Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

We originally wanted a cruise from Hawaii to Tahiti (not round-trip). I think it was a 12 day cruise. With the flight and 2 nights in a overwater-bungalow, it was going to come to $8500 (i believe that price had taxes included, but i'm not 100% sure). Of course, then you have to add alcohol, excursions, and shopping to that so we decided against it.

We're now booked for a hawaii cruise ... 12 days plus hotel rooms for 2 days plus flights came to under $5000 (plus a bit more for alcohol and whatnot)

if you shop around enough, you can get a perfect honeymoon at the perfect price for you good luck!
cateydee Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

its funny cuz we wanted tahiti first and it was too $$. then we wanted to go to greece but decided it might be too 'action packed'. we ended up with sandals in st lucia. we dont have a room on the top floor but we have a butler service. plus we are hoping that they will upgrade our room once we get there. did you try couples swept away in jamaica? we almost booked a room there where you step out onto the beach.

grkbarbie Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

preten ur not on a honeymoon when ur booking.. that aloen will save u thousands.

u cant nitpick, either. even places that have RAVE reviews, there will be something wrong.
latinaj Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration


Posted by AwaitingAugust

We originally wanted a cruise from Hawaii to Tahiti (not round-trip). I think it was a 12 day cruise. With the flight and 2 nights in a overwater-bungalow, it was going to come to $8500 (i believe that price had taxes included, but i'm not 100% sure). Of course, then you have to add alcohol, excursions, and shopping to that so we decided against it.

We're now booked for a hawaii cruise ... 12 days plus hotel rooms for 2 days plus flights came to under $5000 (plus a bit more for alcohol and whatnot)

if you shop around enough, you can get a perfect honeymoon at the perfect price for you good luck!



pretty good deals! are you using a travel agent?
sugarnspice Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

if you do sandals... check it alot... they have these sale where its like 60% off.... you hae to be on top of it because the sales only last a week but they are frequent enough where you should get it before your wedding... juts an FYI

plus look into cruises
Future Mrs P Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration

We went to a sandals 2 summers ago and absolutely loved it!! We didn't have an unreal room, but it was still really nice (they upgraded us when we got there). We loved the fact that everything was included and had the best time ever. We were only in the room to sleep and get ready really. We were out on the beach by like 10 every morning after breakfast and stayed there until like 5. We went back to get ready for dinner at like 7 and then had drinks at the bar until we wanted to go to bed. I am sure we will spend some more time in the room for our honeymoon but we really loved everything else I don't think not having the most amazing room would deter us from going there.
luvly73 Posted:

Re: Honeymoon Frustration


Posted by grkbarbie

preten ur not on a honeymoon when ur booking.. that aloen will save u thousands.

u cant nitpick, either. even places that have RAVE reviews, there will be something wrong.


this is definitely a problem I have. I pay more attention to the negative reviews than the positive

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