Posts Tagged ‘honeymoons’

Activities for Your Destination Wedding

Monday, September 7th, 2009

Destination weddings are becoming more and more popular these days. Whereas destination weddings can be a wonderful experience they can present their own challenges, including finding activities and entertainment to keep your guests busy.

Many brides like to have their weddings seaside, so they move the festivities to a beach locale, either on their local coast or somewhere more exotic like Jamaica, Caneel Bay or the Bahamas. In any event, there are several activities that can be planned around this theme. If the wedding is also a weekend event where guests will be around for more than just the wedding, the bride can plan a sailing excursion. Charter a boat for a day and bring your guests out on the water to relax, rejuvenate, and perhaps enjoy a meal. If the wedding is in the Caribbean, like at Cap Juluca, how about a cooking demonstration? The bride and groom can arrange for the wedding guests to enjoy a complimentary cooking demonstration put on by the hotel or a local cook. Since much of the food the guests eat while visiting for the wedding will be different than what they eat at home, they might enjoy learning how to prepare it for home enjoyment.

Say the wedding is in Hawaii, another popular destination wedding location. Here, you can plan several activities around the location. For example, what about a luau? This could even take the place of a more formal or conventional sit-down rehearsal dinner.

In Hawaii, guests will enjoy a hula lesson. Depending on the age of your guests, be sure there is enough time between the wedding and the lesson for the resting of aching bones, in case there are any.

At the wedding itself, there are many ways to incorporate the location into the ceremony itself. At a beachside reception, you can play “pass the shell”, where a large shell is passed around and guests “listen” for some advice from the other world. Once they get a piece of advice (really something they think of themselves) they share it with the bride and groom, either verbally, or it can be written into a book for the couple.

Other pre-wedding activities can include guided tours, shopping excursions and wine tasting activities (if applicable). If you choose to include any of these activities keep in mind that the bride and groom (or their families) are expected to pay for the bulk of them. If you arrange a sailing excursion, for example, you are expected to pick up the tab for the trip. Do not tell people ahead of time that the activity will be x dollars. It’s likely that won’t sit well with them.

Since one of the great benefits of the destination wedding is that only your closest friends and family will likely surround you, you can plan some meaningful activities that you wouldn’t plan if the wedding were a larger event. For example, you might plan a slumber party night with close friends that includes movies, popcorn and drinks in your hotel room, villa or cottage, depending on where the wedding is held.

Remember that if you do have a destination wedding, many of your guests will choose to spend extra time at your wedding location, for an extended vacation. With this in mind you may want to only schedule a few activities and give helpful suggestions for other activities and forms of entertainment as they might want to do things on their own.

Pamela Kazmierczak is an expert in the wedding field. If you enjoyed this article you may also enjoy reading about Caneel Bay Resort and Cap Juluca - two wonderful Caribbean destinations perfect for destination weddings, romantic getaways or your honeymoon.

Tips for Planning Your Honeymoon

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

Planning your honeymoon should be done with caution to ensure the two of you get the honeymoon of your dreams. You can look forward to your honeymoon particularly after the stress of planning your wedding. If you are unsure about what to organize then try to get some advice from any recently wed acquaintances and do some research about what is available. Do not let anyone push her own wants onto you or your fiance’s plans.

The first thing to determine is what is your style? To determine your romantic getaway style you should think about where you want to go, do you want to go to a river, cruise ship, someplace exotic or maybe a few locations? Consider how much money you want to spend on your honeymoon. When would you like to go on your honeymoon, after the reception, several days after the wedding,or at the wedding venue? Think about the duration of your romantic getaway from a couple of nights to a few weeks.

You need to determine the type of hotel you want to stay at. Someplace secluded, close to nightclubs or entertainment, small with a few rooms or a villa, large with a lot of amenities, all-inclusive, soups or adults only, or in the heart of a city. Determine|Work what activities you want to participate in and determine where your meals will be coming from. Will you prepare all of the meals, eat at cheap local restaurants, order in room service or resort food, have an all-inclusive package or do fine dining? Finally chose what activities you want o do at night whether it be live entertainment, bars, clubs, walks in the moonlight, movies or some romantic time.

Will you be dining at gourmet restaurants, have your meals included with the accommodation, order in room service or resort food, go to local inexpensive restaurants, or prepare your own meals? Determine the types of activities you want to participate in whether it be spending quality romantic time, taking long moonlight walks, going to clubs and bars, seeing live entertainment or other activates.

It is possible to find affordable honeymoons if you are willing to travel off-season as these times are always less expensive. You need to let the hotel or cruise now that you are honeymooners as newlyweds tend to get special treatment such as champagne and chocolates, couples massages and flowers. The special attention and extras will make your romantic getaway even more unforgettable.

If you are on a budget you should look into doing some off-season travel as you can find some fantastic deals. Whenever you are booking your honeymoon for yourself you should inform your hotel or cruise about it. This way they may have some specials or extra for you that travel agents know about but you may not.

Most honeymoon s cost around $3500 and last about eight days. This price includes lodging and transportation. Most couples find their perfect hotel from a travel agent or website. Some of the top honeymoon locations are Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and the Mediterranean. More exotic locations are French Polynesia, Fiji Islands and Thailand.

The placement of your room can be very important. Think of how romantic it is to have a room where the doors open up to a white sand beach or have an overlook of a tropical harbor. Keep lots of fresh flowers and bring your own candles and incense to set the mood. You should also determine what amenities you want in your room, a king size bed, whirlpool bath, DVD player, CD player, minibar, air conditioning, bathrobes, or a plunge pool.

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Tips for Planning Your Honeymoon

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

Planning a honeymoon should be done carefully to ensure the two of you have the honeymoon you deserve. You can look forward to your romantic getaway particularly following the fuss of planning a wedding ceremony. If you are uneasy about what to arrange then attempt to get some advice from your recently wedded relatives and colleagues and do some research about what is available. Never let anybody push his ideas onto your plans.

Before any plans are booked you need to figure out your style. What types of places to you want to visit, a cruise, cruise ship, the tropics or maybe a few different places. Think about your budget and stick to it. Also when do you want to go on your romantic getaway? Traditionally honeymoons occur after the wedding but you can go on your honeymoon following the reception, several days after the wedding,or at the wedding venue. Your honeymoon can last for several weeks or only a couple of nights.

Staying at the right hotel is key to having a memorable honeymoon. Do you want a hotel that is in the heart of a city, that accepts couples or adults only, is all-inclusive, is large with a lot of amenities, is small with a few rooms or villa, or is close to nightclubs or entertainment.

Will you be dining at gourmet restaurants, have your meals included with the accommodation, order in room service or resort food, go to local inexpensive restaurants, or prepare your own meals? Determine the types of activities you want to participate in whether it be spending quality romantic time, taking long moonlight walks, going to clubs and bars, seeing live entertainment or other activates.

You can also find some great deals by off-peak travel as well. If you are booking the hotel yourself you should contact the hotel, cruise line or resort and let them know that it is a honeymoon. Otherwise your travel agent should take care of that.

You can find many holiday packages that are designed for honeymooners. The packages focus on romance and will have you staying at the best hotels or resorts. You may also get some extras like candlelit dinners, champagne and chocolate, flowers, and couples massages. A honeymoon package is a great way to ensure that you will have the most romatic of honeymoons.

Honeymoons have an average price of $3500 dollars and tend to be about 8 days long though this varies. Most hotels are found through travel agents and travel websites. Popular honeymoon locations are Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and the Mediterranean. More exotic locations are French Polynesia, Fiji Islands and Thailand.

The placement of your room can be very important. Think of how romantic it is to have a room where the doors open up to a white sand beach or have an overlook of a tropical harbor. Keep lots of fresh flowers and bring your own candles and incense to set the mood. You should also determine what amenities you want in your room, bathrobes, a plunge pool, air conditioning, CD player, minibar, DVD player, king size bed or whirlpool bath.

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Luxury Maldives holidays and honeymoons

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

No matter who you are or what you are looking for holiday wise there is a place you can go that lets you escape and enjoy a time of fun and not to mention tranquility. Maldives are the place to be for the ideal holiday. There are 80 stunning islands that you can explore along with many activities you can take advantage of. This particular tropical escape has many things to offer from the exciting resorts to the beautiful scenery that you can enjoy with your family or partner.

The climate in the Maldives is as beautiful as the scenery. This tropical paradise is located on the equator so the weather is monsoonal; this is the cause for the lush greenery. The temperatures are usually between 70-80 degrees (F) so it is never too cold or too hot. Even on the hottest days the sea breezes flow inland to provide a calm, cool and refreshing comfort. This gorgeous climate makes the Maldives an excellent all year round destination.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Maldives is the marine life. Because these islands are surrounded by some of the warmest and clearest waters in the world, the aquatic environment thrives. While enjoying your Maldives holiday, you can take pleasure in a special recreation by taking a relaxing, yet at the same time, exciting safari cruise. This allows you to take a deeper look into the vibrant and thrilling underwater creatures.

Those looking to seek a little adventure and excitement can be assured that the activities they offer will satisfy! From Swimming, boating, diving, and adventurous boat rides there is something for everyone, no matter what they like to do available! The possibilities of fun and excitement are virtually endless in Maldives. This is definitely the place if you are looking for some tropical fun!

Whatever the reason for visiting the Maldives, you’ll find one delight after another. Spectacular tropical plant life is everywhere on the islands. Gardens abound with beautiful flowers and trees native to this magnificent tropical paradise. The natural panoramas extend spectacular views both on the islands and far out to the blue horizon.

The Bandos Maldives offers wonderful service and great lodgings for those on a budget. The food and suites are of a high standard. Parasailing, skin diving, billiards, water skiing and volleyball are among the activities you can enjoy at the Bandos Maldives. Or you can swim and then relax on the white sands beside a sparkling blue lagoon. All this for only about 800 pounds a week!

For a resort at a somewhat higher price, the One and Only Reethi Rah Resort could be your holiday dream come true. For about 2000 pounds a week you can indulge your every fantasy about how perfect a tropical experience should be. The accommodations are elegant without losing the exotic charm of the Maldives. The food is world famous and provides a wide variety to delight even the most discerning palate. The One and Only Reethi Rah Resort provides the ultimate in both service, privacy and atmosphere without sacrificing any of the exotic natural wonders that surround the visitors.

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