HONEYMOONS IN BELIZE
- Guide to New England for Visitors, Kim Knox Beckius:
"We honeymooned at Victoria House, Ambergris Caye, Belize."
Guide to Adventure Travel, Carla Land:
"Believe it or not, my husband took me to a small island (Caye Caulker) off the coast of Belize the first night - where we experienced a tropical storm (that he didn't warn me was
coming, though he knew it well). After repairing a boat motor, which broke
in the storm offshore, we headed back to the mainland and rode (by local
school bus) across Belize to the Guatemala border, cross-country to the
Peten rainforest where we pitched a tent at the base of a Mayan pyramid.
The first night it rained so hard that we nearly washed away. From there, we hiked deeper into the rainforest to a nearby ruin site for a night under the canopy. After experiencing the call of howler monkeys at night and a run-in with a young jaquar, we were ready for the next big adventure. We were scheduled to raft down the Usumacinta back to Mexico, but flooding on the river changed our plans at the last minute....Incidentally, I would do it again in a heartbeat!."
HONEYMOONS IN THE CARIBBEAN
- Guide to Bed and Breakfasts, Elizabeth Arneson:
"Erik and I honeymooned at Pavilions and Pools in St. Thomas, USVI.
Guide to Student Travel, Kathleen Crislip:
"Ed and I honeymooned at Fernandez Bay Village on remote Cat
Island in the Bahamas. 18 years ago, it was a very low key place - from the
website, it looks like it has expanded
dramatically and Cat Island has been "discovered". The resort is on the site
of native owner Tony Armbrister's great-grandfather's old plantation, which
he started in the early 1800's. When we were there, there were just a few
two story stone houses, built by Tony, and a honor system bar on the beach -
thatched roofed bar and stools; just no bartender. That was fun.
Although our little house had island touches like an outdoor stone shower draped with ferns and flowering trees which we shared with the geckos, it wasn't rustic by any means - kitchen, etc. (they had a tiny grocery store on site; although meals were served, we could stock our kitchen with a few necessities like exotic fruit and cold beer) - but there were and still are no phones, no tv - just the beach and crystal clear water (Tony did have a short wave radio). No car rentals - when we wanted to explore the primitive island, we used bicycles. We kept extending our stay until we noticed the traveler's checks were running out after three weeks (laughing).
There was only one other family lodged there during our stay, but passing boats would moor in the bay at night and impromptu candle-lit get-togethers were usually the order of the evening. It was a fantastic, relaxing and romantic honeymoon getaway."
Guide to Budget Travel, Mark Kahler:
"Cindy and I went on a NCL cruise to Cancun/Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and the
Bahamas. I had been on a cruise a few years earlier, and I wanted a window
seat for meals. The cruise line had assigned us to an interior table with
other newlyweds, but in my 'wisdom' we switched. We wound up with a
daughter, mother, and grandmother who complained about everything each and
every minute of every meal. You would think they'd be thrilled to enjoy a
nice trip across three generations, but nothing met their expectations. We
actually ate a few meals at the poolside grill just to avoid their
negativity.
"I remember bargaining in Mexico for an onyx chess set. I got the price down to a very low level, but then opted out because I didn't think I really needed the chess set. When I got home and saw how much the local stores wanted for an inferior product, I wished I had made the purchase.
"I'm very much an independent traveler, but the cruise option is very good for honeymoons. Most of the details are worked out for you, allowing you to relax and enjoy the moments. There are some very nice cruise deals these days, too."
HONEYMOON IN SOUTH AMERICA
- Guide to Air Travel, Arlene Fleming:
"Husband and I had a really relaxed wedding in the vineyard of a winery in the Niagara region, and so since we were getting married in a honeymoon capital, we stayed a few nights and then headed to Colombia (Cartagena, Bogota, Popayan and some very small, beautiful villages) and then traveled through Peru (too many places to list!).
At the tail end of our month+ away I contracted amoebic dysentery, but stubborn me we still did the Inca trail ...at least that's what I remember through the cold sweats and wooziness (amongst other symptoms!)...yep the sickness part of the vow came in handy early on...."
