I am starting to think about a honeymoon. It will still be a year out. It will have to beach a nice beach destination. I am thinking that this will go from march 15 to mar 30. So I think we have anough time to travel far. Also I plan on using miles, so I am not that concerned about airfare.
I think that Hawaii and Caribbean are pretty expensive. i am sure Europe will be expensive and probably too cold. I have heard Fiji and tahiti are very expensive.
I am looking for places where i can get steals on good hotels and eat nice meals for cheap. I am thinking that Asia is my best bet. I was thinking perhaps Phuket or Bali. It seems that I can get five star hotels on priceline for about 60 a night. I think food is also cheap there.
My sister in law really liked guam. Anything good in south or central america. Right now i think 9 nights in Phuket with stopovers at Bangkok and Hong Kong sounds cool.
ex0dus
May 7, 07, 1:17 pm
here's a few that come to mind for me... all amazing places (i've been), plus cheap and hardly and american in sight :)
Stay at the Drake. Walk to Oak Street Beach. Shop on the Mag Mile. Eat at NOMI. No rental car needed.
Rampo
May 8, 07, 9:52 am
Phuket can be a bit more expensive (food, accomodations) than other destinations within Thailand, but in comparison to most resort areas outside of Thailand, it is fairly inexpensive. Still, it sounds like you've found a pretty good deal in terms of accomodations. And there is plenty to do day and night, especially if you are near Patong Beach.
seanthepilot
May 8, 07, 10:15 am
Take a look at the Bali Packages too. Nusa Dua much better choice for a honeymoon.
In Phuket, you can enjoy yourself too, but it's gotten pretty 'cheezy' over the last few years. ALOT more bang for your buck, great food, lots of outings/scuba/day trips/jet ski rentals, you name it... all at far below Hawaii/Carribean prices. So, lots of upside despite it's weak points.
hindukid
May 8, 07, 12:21 pm
Stay at the Drake. Walk to Oak Street Beach. Shop on the Mag Mile. Eat at NOMI. No rental car needed.
Ah, but i am pretty sure ten days at the drake, eating and shopping on michigan ave will cost more than 10 days in asia even if I am saving the air and car rental. Plus the lake is quite cold in march.
Tempus
May 10, 07, 11:06 pm
I think this also depends on what you want to do at the beach. Get a tan? Or are you looking for aquatic activites? Hawaii can be expensive, but there are easy ways around that. The first being - get out of the city. Thailand is supposed to be amazing! Friends are heading there in December, and I'm jealous. Fiji is great for diving, but can be a litte expensive. Booking a package will help. Book your beach based on what you want to do.
gary_nj
May 14, 07, 8:52 pm
Thailand is not as inexpensive for Americans as it was a year or so ago, thanks for the strong appreciation of the baht vs the dollar. However, Phuket is still a good value destination for what you get, compared to places like Hawaii. You might consider if you want a real "5 star" hotel on Phuket, which could very well be a self-contained resort that would cater to you for the duration - as an alternative, some place near Patong Beach would give you a chance to wander along the street and see a bit more of the "honky tonk" side of Thailand. One thing about Thailand is that you need to be a bit wary of the rainy season, but late March should be fine... just keep that in mind if you change the dates.
Guam never did much for me... others may disagree, but in my mind, it is in a whole different ballpark from a place like Phuket.
For a first time in Thailand, a trip to Phuket with stops in BKK and HKG sounds like a nice idea to me. Nine nights in Phuket sounds like a bit more than I would want to do, but I'll leave that to your judgment. After you've visited once or twice, you will be wanting to explore some of the other, less-visited islands in the Kingdom.
emailkid
May 14, 07, 9:40 pm
there's always Galveston ;)
We even have an international airport, GLS. Granted no scheduled sevice :(
According to USA Weekend magazine May 1999 edition it was voted "Best Novelty Beach." And it certainly isn't expensive ^
Oh, there is the tenth busiest Cruise Terminal in the world.
EmailKid
bhd87
May 28, 07, 9:52 pm
I'd say Phuket or other beach area in Thailand. Maybe Krabi?
Dovster
May 29, 07, 2:21 am
Try the Red Sea -- but from an Egyptian resort, not an Israeli one. The prices are rock bottom.
Sholey
May 29, 07, 2:38 am
Have fun and congrats :cool:
cj001f
May 29, 07, 2:39 am
I just got back to Bali, was on Koh Tao in February. Both are nice beachs - Thai culture for some reason seemed more welcoming and accepting to me.
seoulmanjr
May 29, 07, 6:38 am
Do you have any hotel points? HHonors/SPG?
peace,
~Ben~
UncleDude
May 29, 07, 6:45 am
I am starting to think about a honeymoon. It will still be a year out. It will have to beach a nice beach destination. I am thinking that this will go from march 15 to mar 30. So I think we have anough time to travel far. Also I plan on using miles, so I am not that concerned about airfare.
I think that Hawaii and Caribbean are pretty expensive. i am sure Europe will be expensive and probably too cold. I have heard Fiji and tahiti are very expensive.
I am looking for places where i can get steals on good hotels and eat nice meals for cheap. I am thinking that Asia is my best bet. I was thinking perhaps Phuket or Bali. It seems that I can get five star hotels on priceline for about 60 a night. I think food is also cheap there.
My sister in law really liked guam. Anything good in south or central america. Right now i think 9 nights in Phuket with stopovers at Bangkok and Hong Kong sounds cool.
If going the Priceline Route and traveling in March..Bali will be the better Destination, its relatively low Season for Australian Traffic and Tail-end for European Traffic. Priceline will have Excellent Deals for 4 and 5 Star Hotels. Eating of course is still a Bargain there. Bali also just seems more Oriental and Exotic than Phuket in March when there are still Thousands of Europeans around because their low cost charters continue to operate until Easter.
Bali would also be easier to DEAL.. a Room Upgrade from Priceline Prices at the Front Desk.
andrzej
May 29, 07, 6:53 am
Florida's Gulf Coast.
Siesta Key.....;)
(just make your reses now as March tends to be busy)
Cheap air fares from Chicago.
Beautiful and very warm water beaches, great nightlife and fun/nice restaurants on/off the island, culture, art, etc.....
No major hotels but many beachfront condos to choose from.
dvs7310
May 30, 07, 10:53 pm
Asia and the Middle East are expensive to get to, especially places like Bali... there are rarely cheap tickets to get there. Why not Central America? Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama are all cheap and stay quite warm on the coast all year. Air can be had for 1/2 or less of the price you'll normally spend to get to Asia.
I think the cheapest beach resort I have ever been to was Sanya at the southern tip of Hainan Island (China). It isn't a cheap place to get to plus you have the expense of the Chinese visa, but I was in China anyway so it made a really cheap beach side trip. You won't see a lot of "round eyes" there, like some of the other places mentioned but in China that is a drawback becuase of the lack of English speakers in many places.
seoulmanjr
May 31, 07, 7:22 am
Asia and the Middle East are expensive to get to, especially places like Bali... there are rarely cheap tickets to get there. Why not Central America? Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama are all cheap and stay quite warm on the coast all year. Air can be had for 1/2 or less of the price you'll normally spend to get to Asia.
I think the cheapest beach resort I have ever been to was Sanya at the southern tip of Hainan Island (China). It isn't a cheap place to get to plus you have the expense of the Chinese visa, but I was in China anyway so it made a really cheap beach side trip. You won't see a lot of "round eyes" there, like some of the other places mentioned but in China that is a drawback becuase of the lack of English speakers in many places.
But the OP is going to use miles, so the airfare is immaterial. The concern is a awesome, but cheap place on the ground. In which case, I think Bali is certainly in that category -- you can get a nice, romantic, beachfront bungalow in a well kept establishment in Candi Dasa, Amed, or up north near Lovina for cheap (under $50) and everything else on the island including hiring a car and driver, food, entertainment, etc is dirt cheap. Just avoid Denpasar and Kuta. Ubud is nice, but very touristed, so the prices are a bit higher.
I don't think the Middle East is comparable in terms of the overall experience or prices on the ground and it starts getting hot in late March as well. Airfare aside, I'd agree with you there.
peace,
~Ben~
happytravelling
May 31, 07, 10:06 am
The previous time I stay in Thailand, I stayed near the beach (not on the beach in Pattaya) for about $10 a day (it was near a friend). Eat local food and it's about $10, including a few drinks. Had air con, good selection of movies on cable, and a fridge. This last trip I splurged for about $40 a night, closer to the actual beach and had a swimming pool. If I can find the links for two authentic wonderful Thai resorts that I have stayed at about $70 a night, suitable for couples, I'll post them.
Don't just think about cost: recent link: Bill Gates came to Thailand (Phuket) and said that "it was one of the best holidays he'd had" and that he would like to return every year if he could. He wants a place to park his 54 foot yacht...
The Philippines has Thailand beat shoulders down in value for dollar and the beaches here are more beautiful and aren't nearly as crowded. Yahoo Travel just rated Boracay beach as the 7th best beach in the world!
I love Thailand, but don't like what they've done with thier beach areas. Yes, I spend a fair bit of time there, but I know there's so much more out there.
Yahoo Travel just rated Boracay beach as the 7th best beach in the world!
http://travel.yahoo.com/beaches
What a Crock!
I looked at that list and almost choked. 7 of the 10 best beaches in the world are in the USA. I think..... Not! lol
I mean there's alot of beach in this world. Yahoo, you can do better than that. :D
seoulmanjr
Jun 12, 07, 8:26 am
What a Crock!
I looked at that list and almost choked. 7 of the 10 best beaches in the world are in the USA. I think..... Not! lol
I mean there's alot of beach in this world. Yahoo, you can do better than that. :D
From Yahoo!
"Best Beaches:
1. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
2. Miami, Florida
3. Cancun, Mexico
..."
My sister in law really liked guam. Anything good in south or central america. Right now i think 9 nights in Phuket with stopovers at Bangkok and Hong Kong sounds cool.
The main tourist area in Guam is pretty expensive because the main tourists are Japanese. Prices are reasonable compared to Tokyo prices, but high compared to US prices.
The cheapest I have found in the Caribbean is the Dominican Republic. There are some great beaches and resorts to be found.
I think given everything I would probably do one of the Asian stops because it is more "exotic" and incredible deals.
lots@LHR
Jun 12, 07, 10:39 am
Perhentian islands, Malaysia.
Loved them so much as a gapper, am going back on Thursday!
Not as cheap as Nha Trang or Mui Ne can be in Vietnam, or as ugly as Sihanoukville in Cambodia, or as ghastly as Thailand (sorry don't like it, just don't: Samui, Tao, Pha Ngan, Phi Phi, Phuket are all something of the past - and not honneymoon material - not when compared to the Perhentians).
In Malaysia there's also Langkawi and Tioman and Redang. They all have airports on them and are therefore busy. Go for a beach walk on the Perhentians and you can have some to yourself. True cheap 'paradise'.