I love summer. Even in Arkansas when it is 96 degrees for three weeks in a row. Therefore, I wanted to go somewhere hot and near a beach for my honeymoon. I love the mountains, Europe and exotic jungles, but give me a beach with a cold drink in hand, and I’m in heaven.
We started researching our honeymoon pretty early in our engagement and quickly narrowed it down to Mexico or the Caribbean. Both were warm, close to the States, and had wonderful choices of resorts. However, Fraz and I knew we wanted a nice, all-inclusive resort, and to be honest, Mexico won out due to its affordability. Of course, my mother was panicked over drug lords and violence, but we ended up choosing Excellence Resort Playa Mujeres near Cancun.
Here are the words of wisdom I have for booking your honeymoon:
- Decide when is a good time to book based on the season you are going. We went in April so we booked in the winter time before fuel went up and ended up saving around $100 on our flight. Our resort also had a huge discount if you booked several months out. We didn’t use a travel agent since both of us were familiar with traveling outside of the country so we definitely saved in that area.
- All-inclusive resorts are WORTH considering. Since ours was an all-inclusive resort, the food, drinks, and taxes were already paid so it was one less thing to worry about.
- However, all-inclusive resorts limit your choices in where you can go on your honeymoon. For example, you won’t find any in Hawaii, and they’re only at a handful of islands in the Caribbean that have all-inclusive resorts. Mexico and Central America are your best bets for all-inclusive luxury within a reasonably-priced-plane-ticket distance.
- I would recommend planning some excursions on the trip. We went to the Chitzen Itza Ruins and snorkeling, and I would say that the extra money was worth the fun. It was also nice that we didn’t plan ahead for these trips; we booked them once we arrived at our resort.
- Make sure you call your bank to let them know you are going out of the country. Frazier and I did remember to do this. HOWEVER, our friendly bank representatives did not bother to tell us that we had a $500 daily limit on our cards “for extra precaution.” When we arrived at our resort, we had to pay the remaining balance for our stay, and after many phone calls back to the states, we finally figured out the issue and got the limit removed.
- One last thing, do the research on the area you’re going to visit. For example, I’ve heard of people saying they would love to go to Greece in the next few months for a trip, but they knew nothing of the riots and financial crisis occurring that country. Our visit to Cancun was perfectly safe, but I know other parts in Mexico are not. I was well prepared knowing the violence in the area and what we should do if a crisis might have occurred.
Hope everyone is enjoying the heat, and let Arkansas Bride know if you have any other tips or lessons learned about traveling and honeymoons!
