Start Your Wedded Bliss With The Perfect Trip For All Budgets
By Joe Nasuti
A honeymoon is not only the traditional holiday taken by newlyweds to celebrate their marriage in secluded intimacy as they start their life together, but also should be a welcome relief from all the planning and stress that led up to the wedding day.
However, to make the honeymoon fulfill its promise as that much-needed break for bonding at the beginning of a marriage — and an event to be remembered forever — it also requires some serious planning. Choosing the best possible location depends on couples considering the most important factors: budget, time off and agreement as to where to spend this most enjoyable time. Close-by getaways are available, from affordable to extravagant, to make that easier.
An affordable ($200-$300/night) stay-near-home option is the Hilton Hotel at CityPlace (600 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach). This all-new facility has beautiful rooms, al fresco dining options, a relaxing fire pit cocktail area and plenty of amenities. This 400-room, modern hotel is conveniently located, connected to the convention center and across from CityPlace. Recognized as an AAA four-diamond hotel, it’s also a marvelous place to have your wedding!
If time is your only restriction, however, you might want to consider the honeymoon package, priced at $4,900. Couples at the Hilton West Palm Beach will receive a Kama Sutra book to kick off their honeymoon, a customized picnic basket plus goodies emblazoned with their married name for a day at the beach, a private in-room sommelier class followed by dinner prepared and served by a private chef in the Honeymoon Suite, a couples massage at the Anushka Spa, champagne upon arrival, a poolside cabana for two days, a one-night stay in the Honeymoon Suite and five nights in a guest room.
Another affordable ($149-$479) near-home honeymoon suggestion that smooths over time and budget constraints is a two-day cruise on the Bahamas Paradise cruise line, which sails from the Port of Palm Beach every other day and sails overnight to Freeport in Grand Bahama. If you can afford more time, you can extend your trip by two, four or six days, staying at one of the island’s luxurious hotels and returning to West Palm Beach on the ship. The rooms are nice, the food is very good and the entertainment is highly enjoyable.
Key West is another favorite destination for nearby honeymoons. It is one of the most beautiful five-hour drives you could ever take to this unique and historic location. There are a wide variety of hotels, inns and cottages from which to choose. They include the Casa Marina ($229-$459/night), a Waldorf Astoria resort that offers direct air service from West Palm Beach to a seaplane landing at the property and back. This includes a VIP package with two pairs of Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses. This one-of-a-kind honeymoon to remember, through a VIP summer promotion, starts at only $6,250.
Another suggestion is a seven-day or 14-day cruise through the eastern and western Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale or Miami, and with 50 ships sailing weekly, your options are unlimited. One that’s easy to recommend from experience is Celebrity Silhouette ($646-$2,429), a newer ship that is ultra-modern, with some of the best food, rooms, activities, amenities, entertainment and ports of call throughout the Caribbean and along the Mexican coast. You will love the formal night to show off your spouse and the wonderful professional photography available on board.
If you are looking for a destination, a favorite place on the globe is Venice, Italy, and you can’t go wrong booking your honeymoon at the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice ($245-$469/night). This 379-room, century-old abandoned flour mill has been beautifully restored to become one of Italy’s most luxurious hotels. Located on the Grand Canal, with a panoramic rooftop pool, it offers spectacular views of Venice. With its gondola rides, picturesque lagoon islands, world-famous St. Mark’s Square, Murano glass and Burano lace, there is no place more romantic than Venice for your dream honeymoon.
The perfect add-on is a seven-night Mediterranean cruise leaving from Venice. Try a Costa Cruises Deliziosa ($1,047-$1,797) following your honeymoon, with a $200-$400 on-board cabin credit. You can book an itinerary starting in Venice and traveling to Bari, Italy; Corfu, Santorini; Athens, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and returning to Venice.
Finally, if money is no option, how about an around-the-world, 180-day cruise on the Oceania Insignia? This is a cruise that retails for $194,807 per person available now starting at $39,999 per person, sailing from Miami on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 and returning to Miami on Thursday, July 6, 2017. You will be in the lap of luxury on one of the most prestigious ships available to cruise the seven seas. On this trip, you and your spouse will pass through the Panama Canal and visit Mexico, Hawaii, Bora Bora, Pago Pago, Fiji, Wellington (New Zealand), Sidney, Bali, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, Egypt, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, New York City, Bermuda and Miami. This is truly around the world with more than 100 ports of call, the trip of a lifetime and the most exotic honeymoon conceivable.
Whatever destination you choose for your honeymoon, from the most affordable local escapes to the most exotic adventures, we sincerely wish that you both have the time of your life and a long, healthy, prosperous and loving life together — in other words, an endless honeymoon!
