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Hey there!
I think maybe you'd like:
Thailand (just make sure to check what's going on there now politically);
the Phillipines apparently has a growing tourism industry;
Brazil (great culture and beaches, seasons are switched),
Panama,
Belize,
Costa Rica,
Australia :),
India (travel around the country and then go to Goa for its beaches)
I hope that helps!
I haven't visited this area myself, but one of my dream vacations includes a week traveling through the beaches in Malaysia (I think reached by water taxi from Kuala Lumpur). I also love KL and would definitely go back. You could plan a trip to the beaches with a couple days in the city at the end.
BTW, dunno if this link would be helpful:
http://travelblog.viator.com/insiders-guide-to-malaysias-best-beaches/
Oh, and my two cents is that unless you're planning to spend a lot of time travelling, I would not honeymoon in Peru, India, or Chile. Waaaay too much to see (and even from Australia, the distance is long enough that you would really want to visit a lot of the historical/cultural sites). I would much rather relax and spend time with my hubby than have a jam-packed sight-seeing schedule. We went to the Greek islands, and we were really glad we only visited two...and basically made a pact that we would keep sight-seeing to a minimum. There's a *lot* we didn't see, but we plan to make Crete one of our regular anniversary haunts :)
Thanks for the tips, both of you! I will definately check out that site. I think I also might try to get in touch with one of my college classmates from Malasyia. We had a very large Malasyian population at my school, maybe I can get in touch with one of them.
@ fizicsGirl: Kuala Lumpur is definately a locale we are considering. And as far as some of the larger nations (i.e. India), I'm hoping we'd keep it to one location (like only going to Cabo San Lucas as opposed to trying to hit every Mexican beach in two weeks.)
@ msswan: Have you been to the Goa area? Are there any other cities or beach areas in India you would recommend? We're looking for a few specific cities, so we don't end up trying to do everything and getting worn out.
We just took a weeklong trip to Bali, Indonesia in February and it was great! Just enough beachiness to relax but also enough culture to keep us busy. It's a bit expensive to get there but once you get there, everything is so cheap. We were able to hire a personal driver for a nine hours a day for $35/day, which includes parking, gas, lunch, etc. Let me know if you have any further questions about it!
Oooh... I would love to go back to southeast Asia. I spent some time in Thailand but up in the north. There are supposed to be some amazing beaches in the south though. I've heard great things about Bali as well.
I spent an awesome 20 days with a friend of mine in Vietnam in December 2005. One beach I can HIGHLY recommend is Mui Ne. Its like a 4 hour train ride north of Ho Chi Minh City, then we rode on some motorcycles to get to the beach (about 45 more minutes). The sand is awesome, the water was great. There are fun things to do and lots of great places to eat (if you like seafood).
We then went north to HaNoi, another AWESOME place to go. We went on a 3 day cruise around Halong Bay on a junk boat, trolled the markets and street vendors, and just relaxed. Its expensive to get there, but once you're there its SO cheap. We stayed in a beach bungalow for $25 per night. This was at one of the kind of "local" places (we just walked in, didn't make reservations). But one place we hung out at a couple times was very beautiful: Bamboo Village Resort
I definitely recommend Thailand! My FI and I spent about 10 days in Thailand about two years ago and absolutely loved it. The beaches are gorgeous, and there is a lot of cultural stuff to do too -- beautiful temples, museums, etc. We loved going around the islands (especially Koh Phi Phi). We often talk about how we wish that we had "saved" Thailand for our honeymoon!
I think China would be a really nice honeymoon destination, but no tropical beaches. There are nice tours (5 star hotels, great dining, etc.) that include cruises down the Yangtze, and you can also spend some time in Kunming (an area with all the misty mountains coming out of the water). Tons of culture there too.
Like someone else said, Bali would be amazing. Have you considered Sri Lanka? Cambodia (Angkor Wat) would be a really unique honeymoon too!
Thanks ladies! I'll have to check all these out!
@ mskallinin: Did you find that Vietnam was very Western friendly? Did you find that a lot of people spoke English? Or did you have to struggle with language to get by? Last time I was overseas - Italy - I was able to communicate for the most part, but some people didn't speak a lick of English. THAT was interesting.
@ buttons: Do you have any resources about Thailand that you could send my way? Travel websites or a travel company? Definately sounds interesting. And I guess I didn't think about it, but China is pretty far north. Probably has as many beaches as Michigan does, I would think!
I've never been, but I was just drooling over a resort in Thailand. I decided it didn't make sense because my airfare would be as much as my stay but I would look at the Phi Phi Islands. Here's the resort I couldn't get enough of: http://www.ppisland.com/
I second Thailand. I work with a guy who's wife is Thai, and he is trying to get me to honeymoon in Phuket Thailand. I have been researching and listening to his stories and it seems very romantic.
@ Go_Noles: That resort looks gorgeous! How did you find it? And, did you know with conversion rates that 10 days in their nicest room is only like $450 USD? Are you kidding!? Then I looked up flights from Detroit to Krabi, Thailand and it's only a whopping $3K per person to fly there. That doesn't even include the ferry to Phi Phi Island. Holy cow, I need to do A LOT more research.
@ chirico8684: Flights to Phuket, Thailand are a TON cheaper at about $1500/per person. Is it a larger, more populated area? Does your friend have any particular recommendation of things to do? As an aside, there is a ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi Island for about $35.00/personround trip.
Is it bad that I just want to plan it and go now?
@whitesonnet: I didn't notice any undesirable treatment while in Vietnam. Some people were surly but I think that was just their general manner, not because of my face. Most people were friendly and eager to help.
As for the English... no not many people spoke it with any level of competence. But that just made it more fun for us because we had to do gestures and point in maps and books for things. We got around fairly well, there was a little struggle when we first got off the plane, we ended up drawing a picture of a train to make the guy understand we wanted the train station.
The food everywhere was so good and so cheap! The weather was great, but we were there in December which is a good time of year for them. I think they might have a monsoon season but I don't know when that is. I can recommend the Red River Hotel in Hanoi, that was $10/night for a room with two beds and a balcony. Awesome! But you might be looking for something a little more romantic, hehe.
Good luck!
Yeah, I know. Isn't it heartbreaking? Anyhow, I found the resort in last months Martha Stewart Weddings magazine (the one with all of the yellow balloons on the cover). It, BTW, had a fantastic three page article with best honeymoon spots.
I am Malaysian. Soooo... I am a tad partial to our beaches and culture :) And we are suppose to be the friendliest people in the world. If beaches are it then hole yourself up at one of our many islands: Redang, Ketam, Perhentian. But then, there is historic Malacca, shopping mecca KL, food heaven Penang. Sigh.
@ Miss_Yap: Thanks for the tips! Any suggestions on historical or cultural locations that we should see as well?
Whitesonnet - I asked a friend and Goa is the primary beach spot in India. Let us know what you pick!
Check out this site for more info. I think is the perfect blend between beach and cultural entertainment.
Good luck!
whitesonnet, my mother is malaccan and it is one of our oldest (if not the oldest) city (really, a town) in malaysia. Because it has been colonized so many times, there are a lot of interesting culture there and architecture as well. So you have european architecture, a lot of chinese who emigrate there generations ago have formed their own culture there as well. Great place to shop for asian antiques. Jongker Street is filled with little curio shops and the last I have been there, they have closed it off to motorist so one can just meander and pop in and out of shops all day.
http://www.majesticmalacca.com/index.htm
This is a great place to stay at so is the hotel puri.
Pulau Langkawi is also great. Our legendary island that was supposed cursed by an innocent maiden who was executed for her supposed infidelity for 7 generations. The curse is over now (or it should) but you can still visit her grave. Should be worth a stay.
melaka has tons of history if you're looking for culture. there are gorgeous resorts now on langkawi too so you can have the lush private beach resort AND the culture.
the other islands miss yap mentioned are better known for scuba but i'm not sure what they have in terms of culture.
another place which is gorgeous, but of less historical significance, is pangkor laut
How about the Maldives? Or is that too resorty? I know I'd like to go there!
I second Vietnam! Okay, full disclosure, I am Vietnamese, so I'm a little biased. The tourism industry there is really trying to cater to Western travelers, and I think it's one of those places you can go see a lot of culture, beautiful sights, eat great food, and do it for minimal cost (after the plane ticket, as mskalinin said). I can speak the language enough to get by, but I traveled there with a volunteer group, many of whom didn't speak Viet, and they got around just fine. I think a lot of the people you'll encounter will either speak English, especially in Saigon (as the locals still call HCMC) and Hanoi; or they'll be happy to try and help you anyway.
I know I've read on New York Times online that there are awesome beachfront resorts and hotels that are comparatively inexpensive, too. Check out the website; it seems pretty comprehensive: http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/vietnam/ho-chi-minh-city/overview.html
Have you looked at Vanuatu? http://vanuatu.travel/ My cousin & his wife went about 4 years ago (they travelled the South Pacific for a year) and they raved about it, they said it was their favorite place that they visited.
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I've been reading some blogs with Australian brides and Aussie weddings, and I thought maybe some of the Aussie brides (or even the American/European ones) would have some recommendations of areas in Asia or the Pacific for a honeymoon.
FI and I are looking for somewhere that is beachy, but with a bit of culture. Mexico and the Carribean are just too easy for us in North America. I feel like that area is a really common place to go for somewhere inexpensive and quick. Not that I'm looking to spend a million dollars on my honeymoon, FI and I are just looking for something a little different.
We've talked around Peru or Chile, India and China. But I was hoping someone here would have some more specific suggestions for particular cities or countries that would be fairly western friendly and beachy.
Yeah, that's about it. Any ideas?