Honeymoon Help!
Oct 3, 2015, 9:27 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 12
Honeymoon Help!
My fiance and I are getting married in October 2016 and looking to Honeymoon right after. There's so many different options out there, we're not sure where to start with our searches. We want something exotic and romantic (ie. overwater bungalow or private plunge pool, incredible view, option for excursions, etc.) but don't want to pay $1,000/ night (ie. want to take advantage of miles and status). Combined we have ~140k Chase UR and 151K AMEX MR. We're open to opening new credit cards for a specific hotel chain depending on the resort.
Can anyone please help us with suggestions of specific resorts and suite options?
1. We are looking at the Intercontinental Bora Bora but the October 2016 dates aren't listed yet and they have a very limited number of rooms available for points on the overwater bungalows.
2. The Caribbean resorts we've found are more hotel-ish and don't seem to have private pools or areas (and most resorts don't seem available to be purchased via points).
3. We are looking at some options in Thailand as well but we still want clear waters and nice beaches, which seem more limited.
We would appreciate ANY tips, experiences, or suggestions, we want our honeymoon to be special and romantic!
Can anyone please help us with suggestions of specific resorts and suite options?
1. We are looking at the Intercontinental Bora Bora but the October 2016 dates aren't listed yet and they have a very limited number of rooms available for points on the overwater bungalows.
2. The Caribbean resorts we've found are more hotel-ish and don't seem to have private pools or areas (and most resorts don't seem available to be purchased via points).
3. We are looking at some options in Thailand as well but we still want clear waters and nice beaches, which seem more limited.
We would appreciate ANY tips, experiences, or suggestions, we want our honeymoon to be special and romantic!
Oct 3, 2015, 6:06 pm
#2
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 98
If you're trying to stay under $1k/night, then you should definitely focus on Thailand and SE Asia. Amanpuri is a great choice if you like an amazing beach.
I would use miles strictly for air travel - most hotels that allow points will probably not be sufficiently private or romantic for a honeymoon. Thai Airways code shares with ANA and Air Canada, which means you can use AMEX miles even though Thai is Star Alliance (you can also book Singapore Airlines this way, which is handy if you do Bali instead of Thailand).
I would use miles strictly for air travel - most hotels that allow points will probably not be sufficiently private or romantic for a honeymoon. Thai Airways code shares with ANA and Air Canada, which means you can use AMEX miles even though Thai is Star Alliance (you can also book Singapore Airlines this way, which is handy if you do Bali instead of Thailand).
Oct 3, 2015, 9:45 pm
#3
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,856
Given the OP's restrictions, I don't think that the luxury hotel forum is the best location for this thread. I am going to move it to TravelBuzz instead where it should get a wider variety of response.
RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels
RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels
Oct 4, 2015, 1:34 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SEA
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Posts: 918
Honeymoon Help!
Consider Sofitel Bora Bora Private Island, Sofitel Moorea, Hilton Moorea. Overwater bungalows there should not be more than $600-800 and they do provide the ambiance you are looking for. Try to use Amex points on the flights to PPT if that makes financial sense... before converting check with Delta about the price of TN (Air Tahiti Nui) and AF (Air France) redemptions for your dates or on AF website about AF.
Oct 4, 2015, 12:23 pm
#5
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
free nights are one thing, enough for (high level) hotel awards is another
although for hotel awards, 'points & cash' might make it more possible
if open to spending cash for hotel, what kind of general budget range?
although for hotel awards, 'points & cash' might make it more possible
if open to spending cash for hotel, what kind of general budget range?
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Oct 4, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Oct 4, 2015, 3:18 pm
#6
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 109
This is a year away. Gives you plenty of time to play the "get points with credit card signups' game! Maximize that opportunity to get more points. You don't mention what country you are from, and you haven't filled out information on your profile, that helps. So, what country are you originating from? I have been in Thailand for 3 months now, and I love this country. Lots of beautiful beach places here, but October is still rainy season so it can be a little iffy. It is wetter in Phuket right now than in Hua Hin. Last year I lived in Bali for 2 months, and that is another really great place to go. They have a little better weather in October. Personally, I didn't care for Tahiti (bora bora), Belize has some amazing places to go to, as well as Dominican Republic (just go to a resort, that country has some issues, didn't like the cities as well, but Puerto Plata and Punta Cana are incredible) The Caribbean can also be nice, but October is Huricane season. Look at the weather now, that will give you an idea of next year.
Oct 4, 2015, 6:49 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Philadelphia
Programs: BAEC Silver, SPG Gold
Posts: 465
Honeymoon Help!
I helped a friend with her honeymoon and booked them on the Paul Gauguin cruise with pre-cruise in Bora Bora - they got the overwater bungalow and then a luxury cruise with lots of water sports and variety
Oct 5, 2015, 11:40 am
#8
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,947
Part of the problem we ran into is that the smallest, most exclusive, and most private resorts - which is what we wanted for a peaceful, relaxing honeymoon - are unaffiliated with large chains. You really need an economy of scale to make a rewards program work, and the size of most affiliated properties was offputting for us.
We settled on Fiji as our destination. We were able to use points to get there, and then we are paying out of pocket for the resort itself. You can certainly spend $1000 a night if you try, but there are some lovely 4.5* adults only resorts with only minor flaws where you can get a private 50 sq meter beachfront bure for under US$500.
Whatever you do, make sure you choose an adults-only property. Again, many affiliated properties are very kid-friendly as they cater to families of frequent travelers redeeming points; for us, that's not the vibe we wanted for our honeymoon and it was worthwhile to us to pay for additional peace and quiet.
We settled on Fiji as our destination. We were able to use points to get there, and then we are paying out of pocket for the resort itself. You can certainly spend $1000 a night if you try, but there are some lovely 4.5* adults only resorts with only minor flaws where you can get a private 50 sq meter beachfront bure for under US$500.
Whatever you do, make sure you choose an adults-only property. Again, many affiliated properties are very kid-friendly as they cater to families of frequent travelers redeeming points; for us, that's not the vibe we wanted for our honeymoon and it was worthwhile to us to pay for additional peace and quiet.
Oct 5, 2015, 1:10 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 12
Hi all, thanks for the help so far! My fiance and I are from the United States and would most likely fly out of the DC area (Reagan or Dulles). Great points about the adult only resort, we absolutely want that sort of ambiance. It might not work out to pay with points for our accommodations, only flights. We would probably be looking to spend no more than ~500/ night if possible (at least start out with that at our cap to see what we can find!). And we are definitely willing to both play the credit card game, just need to figure out where to play it first.
It sounds like it might be a little too risky in Thailand, but Bali and Fiji sound like terrific options. Has anyone stayed at specific resorts they can recommend? Preference on all inclusive v. non-all inclusive?
It sounds like it might be a little too risky in Thailand, but Bali and Fiji sound like terrific options. Has anyone stayed at specific resorts they can recommend? Preference on all inclusive v. non-all inclusive?
Oct 5, 2015, 8:03 pm
#12
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Posts: 10,820
Congratulations!
Here are some thoughts, in no particular order of importance:
1. If you and your fiance each get a Chase Hyatt cc and do some initial spending on it ($1000 each?), it qualifies each of you to two free nights at any Hyatt. I believe the best Hyatt option for a tropical vacation would be in the Maldives, but unfortunately October is still the rainy season there. Still, you might look into other Hyatts if there are suitable destinations elsewhere, especially since you can convert your Chase UR points into Hyatt points on a 1:1 basis, with the top Hyatts (such as the Maldives) then costing 30,000 points a night for additional nights beyond the four free ones.
2. Wherever you might go, you might find that any hotel points program gets you the most basic rooms rather than the over-the-water bungalow you might be interested in. In that case, look into how much more you'd have to pay in $$ in advance to guarantee an OWB.
3. If you're interested in free flights on a superb airline, Chase UR points, Citi Thank You points, Amex MR points and Starwood points all can be converted to Singapore Airline (KrisFlyer) miles. This in turn can get you great business or first class seats, with the absolute best being the first class suites on its A380s (though these last ones can be difficult to bag as awards for two people). Of course, whether you'd want to or could take Singapore to your destination depends on whether it flies there to begin with.
4. Before fixing too much on a destination, go to a weather/climate site to find out what the weather is likely to be like there in October. As with the Maldives, for instance, you don't want to run too much of a risk of spending your honeymoon in the rain. French Polynesia (including Bora Bora and Moorea) look better for October. We liked the Hiltons on Moorea and Bora Bora, with the former island offering more sights and less expense (though still not at all cheap) and the latter being a bit more exotic. The Intercontinental Thasallaki (????) Bora Bora is also supposed to be nice. I believe that if you accumulate enough American miles via cc initial spending bonuses you can get seats on Air Tahiti Nui to get to Tahiti (which is not worth sticking around for more than a night in transit) and then take a quick ferry to Moorea or hour flight to Bora Bora. You can similarly accumulate Delta Miles to get Air France flights from LA to Tahiti, but Delta can be a pain to deal with and very expensive, miles-wise.
5. We absolutely love Thailand for the culture, food, beaches, relatively inexpensive fine hotels and restaurants, beaches, etc. But I don't think October is good in terms of weather and in any event I don't believe the beaches are the pristine, quiet, isolated kind you'd find in the Maldives or Bora Bora. (There is the very unusual all-villa Conrad Hilton Koh Samui, though, for future reference.)
6. While I love Bali, I would not recommend it as a beach vacation. Very culturally interesting, but the beaches there mostly range from lousy to so-so - at least compared to Thailand and especially the Maldives and French Polynesia.
7. If you can figure out how to get there (the best option probably being on Emirates through Dubai), the Seychelles is one of our favorite vacations ever. Hilton has three hotels there, with our favorite being Labriz, which has Silhouette Island practically to itself. Beautiful, picture postcard beaches and some nice walking and hiking to do. No OWBs, however. There can be a bit of rain all year round in the Seychelles, but except for January it's not bad.
8. Speaking of Hilton, there is a Citi Hilton Mastercard that gets you two free weekend nights after some initial spending plus Gold status (good for free breakfasts). So if you two were to each get a card, you could do Saturday-Sunday-four nights on cash or points-Friday-Saturday at its Seychelles or French Polynesia properties.
9. Before planning too much on a given hotel chain and property, check to see whether it typically has award nights available even many months in advance.
10. I guess for exotic beach destination countries to go to that might have good weather in October and where you might be able to use hotel points, the Seychelles and French Polynesia top my list.
Hope this helps!
Here are some thoughts, in no particular order of importance:
1. If you and your fiance each get a Chase Hyatt cc and do some initial spending on it ($1000 each?), it qualifies each of you to two free nights at any Hyatt. I believe the best Hyatt option for a tropical vacation would be in the Maldives, but unfortunately October is still the rainy season there. Still, you might look into other Hyatts if there are suitable destinations elsewhere, especially since you can convert your Chase UR points into Hyatt points on a 1:1 basis, with the top Hyatts (such as the Maldives) then costing 30,000 points a night for additional nights beyond the four free ones.
2. Wherever you might go, you might find that any hotel points program gets you the most basic rooms rather than the over-the-water bungalow you might be interested in. In that case, look into how much more you'd have to pay in $$ in advance to guarantee an OWB.
3. If you're interested in free flights on a superb airline, Chase UR points, Citi Thank You points, Amex MR points and Starwood points all can be converted to Singapore Airline (KrisFlyer) miles. This in turn can get you great business or first class seats, with the absolute best being the first class suites on its A380s (though these last ones can be difficult to bag as awards for two people). Of course, whether you'd want to or could take Singapore to your destination depends on whether it flies there to begin with.
4. Before fixing too much on a destination, go to a weather/climate site to find out what the weather is likely to be like there in October. As with the Maldives, for instance, you don't want to run too much of a risk of spending your honeymoon in the rain. French Polynesia (including Bora Bora and Moorea) look better for October. We liked the Hiltons on Moorea and Bora Bora, with the former island offering more sights and less expense (though still not at all cheap) and the latter being a bit more exotic. The Intercontinental Thasallaki (????) Bora Bora is also supposed to be nice. I believe that if you accumulate enough American miles via cc initial spending bonuses you can get seats on Air Tahiti Nui to get to Tahiti (which is not worth sticking around for more than a night in transit) and then take a quick ferry to Moorea or hour flight to Bora Bora. You can similarly accumulate Delta Miles to get Air France flights from LA to Tahiti, but Delta can be a pain to deal with and very expensive, miles-wise.
5. We absolutely love Thailand for the culture, food, beaches, relatively inexpensive fine hotels and restaurants, beaches, etc. But I don't think October is good in terms of weather and in any event I don't believe the beaches are the pristine, quiet, isolated kind you'd find in the Maldives or Bora Bora. (There is the very unusual all-villa Conrad Hilton Koh Samui, though, for future reference.)
6. While I love Bali, I would not recommend it as a beach vacation. Very culturally interesting, but the beaches there mostly range from lousy to so-so - at least compared to Thailand and especially the Maldives and French Polynesia.
7. If you can figure out how to get there (the best option probably being on Emirates through Dubai), the Seychelles is one of our favorite vacations ever. Hilton has three hotels there, with our favorite being Labriz, which has Silhouette Island practically to itself. Beautiful, picture postcard beaches and some nice walking and hiking to do. No OWBs, however. There can be a bit of rain all year round in the Seychelles, but except for January it's not bad.
8. Speaking of Hilton, there is a Citi Hilton Mastercard that gets you two free weekend nights after some initial spending plus Gold status (good for free breakfasts). So if you two were to each get a card, you could do Saturday-Sunday-four nights on cash or points-Friday-Saturday at its Seychelles or French Polynesia properties.
9. Before planning too much on a given hotel chain and property, check to see whether it typically has award nights available even many months in advance.
10. I guess for exotic beach destination countries to go to that might have good weather in October and where you might be able to use hotel points, the Seychelles and French Polynesia top my list.
Hope this helps!
Oct 7, 2015, 2:35 pm
#13
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 52
My fiance and I are getting married in October 2016 and looking to Honeymoon right after. There's so many different options out there, we're not sure where to start with our searches. We want something exotic and romantic (ie. overwater bungalow or private plunge pool, incredible view, option for excursions, etc.) but don't want to pay $1,000/ night (ie. want to take advantage of miles and status). Combined we have ~140k Chase UR and 151K AMEX MR. We're open to opening new credit cards for a specific hotel chain depending on the resort.
Can anyone please help us with suggestions of specific resorts and suite options?
1. We are looking at the Intercontinental Bora Bora but the October 2016 dates aren't listed yet and they have a very limited number of rooms available for points on the overwater bungalows.
2. The Caribbean resorts we've found are more hotel-ish and don't seem to have private pools or areas (and most resorts don't seem available to be purchased via points).
3. We are looking at some options in Thailand as well but we still want clear waters and nice beaches, which seem more limited.
We would appreciate ANY tips, experiences, or suggestions, we want our honeymoon to be special and romantic!
Can anyone please help us with suggestions of specific resorts and suite options?
1. We are looking at the Intercontinental Bora Bora but the October 2016 dates aren't listed yet and they have a very limited number of rooms available for points on the overwater bungalows.
2. The Caribbean resorts we've found are more hotel-ish and don't seem to have private pools or areas (and most resorts don't seem available to be purchased via points).
3. We are looking at some options in Thailand as well but we still want clear waters and nice beaches, which seem more limited.
We would appreciate ANY tips, experiences, or suggestions, we want our honeymoon to be special and romantic!
We loved IC Thalasso Bora Bora. It was one of our most memorable trip, so memorable, we are going back in a couple of months to stay at IC Thalasso. Also, I don't think Moorea's room would be more than $500 a night for that time of year. AA points can get you on Air Tahiti Nui for 37,500 one way in economy. Or you can use your chase points and transfer to Korean Air to book Air France. USA-Tahiti by Air France : Economy 60,000/Business 90,000 miles. If you're willing to travel on Saturdays only, you can also transfer your AMEX to Hawaiian and book 27,500 one way from HNL-PPT. Then pay cash for a boat to Moorea.
Maldives is doable. Flights can be affordable if you're flexible with dates and willing to fly economy and do some layovers. Or you can do some CC sign up bonuses for AA points and get to CMB for 110k RT business class and pay cash for RT from CMB-MLE. The Park Hyatt Maldives is 25,000 a night with your Chase points.
There are lots of info out there. Goodluck on your search, and congrats on your upcoming nuptials!
Oct 7, 2015, 8:27 pm
#14
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7. If you can figure out how to get there (the best option probably being on Emirates through Dubai), the Seychelles is one of our favorite vacations ever. Hilton has three hotels there, with our favorite being Labriz, which has Silhouette Island practically to itself. Beautiful, picture postcard beaches and some nice walking and hiking to do. No OWBs, however. There can be a bit of rain all year round in the Seychelles, but except for January it's not bad.
10. I guess for exotic beach destination countries to go to that might have good weather in October and where you might be able to use hotel points, the Seychelles and French Polynesia top my list.
10. I guess for exotic beach destination countries to go to that might have good weather in October and where you might be able to use hotel points, the Seychelles and French Polynesia top my list.
Oct 8, 2015, 10:18 am
#15
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 52
Oh WOW! I am currently planning a trip to Seychelles. Do you mind sharing with me what point currency you used for Etihad? Also, would you mind sharing the resorts you stayed at and on which island, and if you'd recommend them? Thanks!