TravelDoorsOut

Hey all!

I turned to FT very often for advice but this is the big one folks! I am planning my honeymoon (only thing i get to plan for this weeding) and I am at a loss of places to go. There are many places we are interested in traveling too but need advice. We will be traveling end of July for 2 weeks. I think the ultimate goal is to spend a week on a beach or a water hut, doing nothing and another week to sightsee, be more active, and enjoy a new country. Perhaps we can do both with one long flight.

1- New Zealand and Bora Bora (ORD-AUK-BOB-ORD): this has been a dream of mine for a long time, however I feel like two weeks would be a LONG time to do nothing in Bora Bora and I would go crazy. We were thinking about going to New Zealand for a week and Bora Bora for a week.

2- Seychelles (ORD-Cassablanca-Sey-ORD): Everywhere I look online says Seychelles is a must see. We would also probably be bored there for over a week of laying on a beech and snorkeling so we were thinking going somewhere for a week before. Maybe Morocco?

3- Maldives: Same as with Seychelles, looks beautiful and a must-see. Would like to go somewhere before.

4- Fiji or Tonga: This was recommendation from a friend. He said he loved both of these places but spent 2 weeks in each. Do you guys think its possible to do both? Which ones do you recommend?

5- Australia: Luxury resorts plus normal big city life.

Lastly, if there are any other destinations you would recommend or combo of 2 destinations 1 week each please feel free to share. Thank you so much for all your guys help!

Gardyloo

First, congratulations!

I would probably skip the Maldives given the security/political situation there.

While July is winter in NZ/Australia, I'd look at combining a week in Fiji with a week in Australia, maybe somewhere around the Great Barrier Reef (Cairns/Port Douglas in Queensland.) The weather will be warm but not hot/buggy, there won't be jellyfish in the water requiring special suits (deadly buggers) and the beaches are beautiful.

Depending on budget and tolerance for long flights, you could do something like Seychelles + a safari in southern or eastern Africa. There are flights to/from SEZ from Nairobi and Joburg, and July is an ideal time for safari as it's the dry season and cooler than the southern summer.

Thunderroad

Congratulations!

I guess an initial consideration to flag is what you mean by two weeks: 14 days from start to finish, or 14 days actually at the places you're going to visit? That is, if you take travel time to the far-flung destinations that dominate your list into account, you're looking at being on the ground for perhaps 11 out of 14 days. And that doesn't even take two or three days of jetlag into account.

Another consideration is cost, in terms of getting there and the prices of things once there. The Maldives, for instance, is generally very expensive, in terms of the cost of resort rooms and the fact that you must pay the very high hotel prices for food once at your resort. Intra-country air or boat travel from the capital Male to the islands can easily run from $500 to $1,000 per head.

A third consideration is weather. This would be a biggie for me. July is winter (and short days) in Australia and New Zealand and the rainy season in the Maldives. It would be nice in Seychelles and French Polynesia (which Bora Bora is part of). I don't know offhand about Morocco, Fiji or Tonga. I'd strongly suggest googling the monthly climate data for any place you'd consider going. Here's one of many sites that provides such info:

https://weatherspark.com/

Also, are you going this July or planning for July of 2017?

Whatever you do, I'd strongly advise against splitting your trip between two destinations that are far from each other, as you're contemplating doing for Morocco and the Seychelles. Way too much travel time and hassles involved.

Taking all of the above into account, a couple of suggestions:

1. The Seychelles, which has some truly beautiful beaches and an interesting culture. You could split your time there between the main island, where you could explore a little bit while still staying at a nice beach, and a more secluded island where you'd be more beach-bound. Plus you could pass through South Africa or Dubai for a few days going to and from, for a change of pace.
2. Paris couples with some more rural or small city settings in Europe. Paris because it's the most romantic place my wife and I have ever been, simply for strolling around, taking in the beauty of the city, hanging out at cafes with a coffee or glass of wine, the great food and simply enjoying each other's company. Southern France might be great or a nice combination with Paris, or if you want to explore a bit more then Portugal is reasonably priced, has some good food and nice beaches.

For more specific advice, you might want to add some info in your next post about what you mean by 14 days, what your budget would be, whether you're going this year or next year, whether you're looking to simply spend $$ or also use airline miles and hotel points, etc.

Regardless, hope it all comes together great!

obscure2k

Have you considered consulting a well-regarded travel agent? I think you would be well advised to do so. There are some fine travel agents who post on the FT Luxury Hotels Forum. Take a look. In the long run, you will save time and get good expert advice.
Just my 2 cents.

TravelDoorsOut

leaving Sunday, coming back Sunday, so yes, 14 days total. As far as budget, not sure yet, we would like to stay under 10k. Hopefully 5-6 range.

Thunderroad

Well, if going to Asia or the Indian Ocean destinations, you're roughly talking about 11 days in-country.

One other option to consider is Thailand. July should not yet be the rainy season in some parts of the country (you'd want to check the aforementioned monthly climate sites for that). And it has: a fascinating culture, good infrastructure for getting around, friendly people, nice beaches, great and cheap food, far less expensive than some other destinations, and really great value in terms of the hotels, particularly during an off season like July. That is, a hotel that might cost you $500/night in Europe or the US might be $200/night in Thailand.

You could combine a few nights in Bangkok with the rest at a nice beach. And even at the beach, you could tour around the surrounding area in various ways.

Sant

If the Maldives may not be safe, what about Mauritius?

rankourabu

There is nothing wrong with the Maldives. 99% of tourists just go off to a resort and never interact with local people. Incredibly boring, but hey, you can name drop Maldives later.

I would go with your NZ+Fiji/Tonga plan.
That way you won't be bored on a beach for 2 weeks.
And it won't break the budget.
However, I would skip NZ in July.

CanuckFlyHigh

5-6K total budget? Bora Bora and Maldives likely not possible.

TravelDoorsOut

I looked at seems like a flight anywhere I'm interested is 1500-2000, so max lets say 4k. That leaves us with 4-5K left on lodging.

TravelDoorsOut

What would be an alternative to NZ?

rankourabu

Maybe North/West Australia?
Also, check out New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

Gardyloo

Queensland, like I mentioned above.

Beach, Palm Cove (next to Cairns) in August...

84fiero

Actually in Queensland around the GBR, the Daintree and such, there will be about 10 hours of daylight in July. It's a great time to visit as mentioned above.

I'd avoid the Maldives any time of year, but they seem incredibly boring to me.

Thunderroad

Ah, thanks for this correction. I'd foolishly forgotten how big Australia is!