Honeymoon Ideas

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aliciaf
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Honeymoon Ideas

Post by aliciaf »

So my fiance (jmc5040) and I are trying to plan where we want to go for our honeymoon (late June-early July 2013). We are only able to take a week-long honeymoon, but we want to go somewhere where we can be active and adventurous. Something fun and out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, I'm finding that when you type "adventurous honeymoons" into Google, it doesn't come back with quite what we're looking for.

Some very rough ideas we found include:
Costa Rica (Arenal Volcano area)
Peru (Machu Picchu?)
Iceland
Switzerland

Does anyone have any ideas or input for us? We would like to get some hiking in (doesn't necessarily have to be a summit hike, although it would be nice - but rather a hike with great views). I'm not opposed to roughing it, but I'd like to be able to stay in a hotel and have some nice accomodations at least some of the time. If someone even has a suggestion for a fairly moderate summit hike we'd be up for hearing it - our experience is limited to CO 14ers with very little snow travel (hopefully that will change after this winter/spring).

Thanks!
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BenfromtheEast
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by BenfromtheEast »

I haven't been there yet, but this came to mind:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81_Pa ... State_Park
Mind if I tag along? 8)
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SeracZack
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by SeracZack »

Since Costa Rica as already on your list, I will give my input there. My wife and I went there last year and we absolutely loved it there. We stayed in La Fortuna by the Arenal Volcano and that was the area where we had the most fun. Zip lining in the jungle, rappelling down waterfalls, amazing food, the list goes on. There were some good hotels to stay in and lots of things to do. We stayed there for 3 days and then drove to Playa Hermosa to stay at the beach for a few days. Much more resort feeling area, but still fun.

If I were to go back, I would spend more time in La Fortuna and the surrounding area.

One thought: I got a rental car and drove. Some people called me absolutely crazy for doing that, but I didn't have any problems. I heard stories of people that got pulled over by the police and were forced to bribe the police to get let off to just crazy drivers and bad roads. I had no run ins with the police (just drive the speed limit) but the roads are bad, and you will get passed by just about every local, and the roads are not well marked at all.

Have fun where ever you decide to go!
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awake
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by awake »

We went to Costa Rica on our honeymoon and spent a few days at Arenal just outside of La Fortuna.

Costa Rica is a great place, and we really enjoyed Arenal, but I don't know if it would be the best place if you're aiming for an "Adventure Honeymoon". For instance, they don't allow anybody to climb the volcano, and the national park closes at 4:00pm every day. It's not like US National Parks that are open 24/7 and I don't think they would let people camp or backpack.

But don't get me wrong... Costa Rica is definitely a place worth looking into. We found it a good compromise in that it has nice romantic resorts, but has great outdoor activities and a beautiful landscape. Some parts of the country I felt were too touristy, but other places we went to really seemed like we were out in the country.

Plus, a week in another country (and driving the Costa Rican roads) was an adventure in of itself. :-D

There lots more I can say, so feel free to PM me if there's any more information or advice I can give you.
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awake
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by awake »

SeracZack wrote: One thought: I got a rental car and drove. Some people called me absolutely crazy for doing that, but I didn't have any problems. I heard stories of people that got pulled over by the police and were forced to bribe the police to get let off to just crazy drivers and bad roads. I had no run ins with the police (just drive the speed limit) but the roads are bad, and you will get passed by just about every local, and the roads are not well marked at all.
The cost of renting a GPS was worth every penny.
Last edited by awake on Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
RichB478
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by RichB478 »

All the ideas would be good, and I might add Patagonia to your list - although that would be tough in a week. But I think Switzerland would be a great option with its combination of outdoor activity and civilized relaxation. Go to the Bernese Alps and stay in someplace like Murren, accessible only by cable car. Hiking is moderate by CO standards but the views are out of this world. On days you don't hike you can try paragliding! If Murren is too quiet, spend a couple nights in Grindelwald but I wouldn't stay there the whole time. It may be getting crowded by July; we went a little earlier. Good luck.
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by ColoradoMac »

Not exactly in the same vein of your preliminary ideas, but my wife and I did a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. It certainly was adventurous - awesome rafting, amazing scenery, lots of very cool side hikes, beautiful sleeping under the stars. Our outfitter was Western River Expeditions, and we were very happy with them - great food, terrific guides. Obviously a domestic trip instead of international, but a nice fit for the one week timeframe. I was worried going in that I'd get bored (6 days of red rock and rafting), but no worries there. Every day was different, and it felt like a journey to the center of the earth.

The only downside was not a tremendous amount of privacy - not ideal for a honeymoon, but you've got the rest of your lives together for that sort of thing. :)

PM me if you'd like more details, but best of luck in whatever you decide.
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B[3]
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by B[3] »

We went to the Adirondacks in upstate New York for our honeymoon (alternating between camping and staying in a bed and breakfast). Gothic had eluded us on previous winter attempts, so we summitted it on the first day of our honeymoon (it was fun to tell the other people on the summit that we had just gotten married). It was a beautiful hike. There are plenty of other fun peaks in the Adirondacks as well as rock climbing and canoeing. If you're interested in canoeing, I'd suggest Lake George--the islands are a fantastic place to camp and watch the sunrise and sunset.
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aliciaf
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by aliciaf »

B[3] wrote:We went to the Adirondacks in upstate New York for our honeymoon (alternating between camping and staying in a bed and breakfast). Gothic had eluded us on previous winter attempts, so we summitted it on the first day of our honeymoon (it was fun to tell the other people on the summit that we had just gotten married). It was a beautiful hike. There are plenty of other fun peaks in the Adirondacks as well as rock climbing and canoeing. If you're interested in canoeing, I'd suggest Lake George--the islands are a fantastic place to camp and watch the sunrise and sunset.
We actually moved here last summer from Albany, NY (45 minutes south of Lake George) so we've spent tons of time up that way, haha. It is a really nice area with lots to do and tons of hikes. How ironic that you suggested that :-D

And thanks for all of your suggestions, guys! We were originally planning on Costa Rica but we are leaning heavily towards Switzerland now. I just came across a description for climbing Monch near Grindewald. It sounds like it's easy to do it in a day, with some fun scrambling. Anyone climb this?
Last edited by aliciaf on Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by Scott P »

Costa Rica (Arenal Volcano area)
Nice area. You will be right in the middle of the wet season though. Fine if you just want to do "other stuff", but not ideal for hiking.
Peru (Machu Picchu?)
Excellent choice. You will be there right during prime season as well. Beautiful scenery, low cost (once outside the tourist traps), cultural experience, and good weather.
Iceland
I've always wanted to go there, but haven't yet since it's astronomically expensive. If you can afford it, have fun, but it has the reputation of being the most expensive country in the world. Camping saves money, but it's always cold and windy there, so it might not be what you are looking for in a honeymoon.
Switzerland
Same as Iceland. Beautiful, but expensive, but perhaps not quite as much.
It sounds like it's easy to do it in a day, some fun scrambling, but not technical.
Actually, it is more than a scramble and requires both mountaineering skills and rope work for a safe climb.
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aliciaf
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by aliciaf »

Thanks Scott for the input. We're still looking into pricing on everything.

As for Monch, I didn't mean the whole climb was a scramble. I am aware it's more than that. We are planning on getting some winter climbs in this year and would probably do Monch with a guide as well.

Lots of research to do!! :-k
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SharonH
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Re: Honeymoon Ideas

Post by SharonH »

We spent quite a bit of time in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland when we lived in Germany. The Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch are beautiful mountains; my favorites outside of Colorado. While not necessarily "adventurous," there are trains,funiculars and lift chairs throughout the area, and we would often ride up and hike down.

Several of our favorite hikes in the area include the Eiger Nordwand (North Face) trail which starts from Kleine Scheidegg; you hike beneath the North Face down to Grindelwald. It is quintessential Switzerland with the obligatory cows with their huge cowbells. You can also take a train up to the Jungfrau Joch and walk around on the glacier. The train actually goes through a tunnel in the Eiger with a stop at the climber's window.

Other great hikes in the area are the Schynige Platte and the area above Murren. Above Grindelwald is the Murmeltier Tal (marmot valley) with the biggest marmots we have ever seen.

My favorite place to stay is the Berner Oberland hotel in Lauterbrunnen, a small village below Murren. We always drove our car down from Germany so I am not sure what the closest international airport would be. However, once you get to the area, you would not need a car at all. A 5 day pass gets you on all the trains and lifts. Go to http://www.jungfrau.ch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for more information.

Another favorite area in Switzerland is Zermatt. You can hire a guide and climb the Matterhorn!
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