Choosing the setting for your honeymoon is a dreamy affair. If you want to go overseas, make sure you have your passport and bank account ready. Spend time early fantasizing about it, then pinpoint the elements that are most important to you. Here are some ideas to get you started.
• Bora Bora, French Polynesia, might be the most popular destination for newlyweds right now if you examine cable TV and glossy magazines. The Travel Channel, The Knot.com, and Travel and Leisure all agree that Bora Bora is one of the top honeymoon choice. Clear water and tropical beaches provide the backdrop for memory making and letting go of worries back home.
• Some folks want a change of scenery to physically acknowledge the separation from the daily grind of everyday chores. Going to the mountains or to the beach are two examples. Having an adventure that involves desert rock climbing or Mayan pyramid climbing are two more.
• U.S. News suggests Florence, Italy, as a possible trip. The Uffizi Gallery and the Boboli Gardens are just some of the charms this Renaissance city offers. Tuscany is full of orange clay roofs that lend a glow to the region and give Florence its distinct skyline of welcoming history.
• Looking for over-the-top opulence? Book a room at the Royal Suite at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, France. With views of Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower, the luxurious room has antique furniture and elegant bathrooms. It only costs $26,000 a night.
• If you don't want to spend a year's salary on one week of your life, you might look into all-inclusive options. Whether you want to take a cruise or travel to a Sandals resort, you can pay one price and not worry about buying meals or finding your own entertainment. The deals don't include airfare to the destination, but these all-inclusive vacations can save you money if you want something simple and pre-planned. Also, many travel agents and online providers offer registries that allow couples to ask for a honeymoon as a collective gift from loved ones.
• Mississippi resorts are not a bad option. Who says you have to go to a foreign hotel to enjoy your honeymoon? Let's be blunt: If you and your partner are taking time away from the routine to be close and intimate, you don't have to leave the country. Behind a closed door, a suite at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi is just as luxurious as any room in Cancun. Or maybe a cozy bed-and-breakfast in Natchez is more of what you two need. Maybe it's a camping trip or a canoe ride down the Pascagoula River.
Save all that airfare and spend that money on the best food and music you can find. Splurge on room service. Besides getting a bucket full of ice, you really don't need to step one foot outside the room. And, if your priorities are straight, you shouldn't want to.
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