Fantasy honeymoon: Planning a warm-weather getaway – Wickedlocal

After all the planning, budgeting and stress of a wedding, the honeymoon is a welcome getaway for the happy couple. For brides and grooms whose wedding is celebrated during the winter months, the honeymoon is often even more appreciated as a vacation away from cold or wet weather.

“Honestly, people who get married in the winter typically want to get out of the cold and snow and get to someplace warm,” said luxury travel consultant Jim Augerinos of Perfect Honeymoons and Holidays Travel. “Places like the Maldives, Seychelles, French Polynesia and Thailand immediately come to mind” as perfect honeymoon destinations.

An avid traveler who’s had a passport in hand since age 3, Augerinos said planning ahead is the most important consideration for a successful honeymoon.

“I can’t stress that enough. Since the recession ended there has been a pent up demand for travel, and people are traveling in droves. So if you don’t book at least six months ahead nowadays, you run the risk of the hotel being booked up or paying higher airfare costs. The airlines cut routes and lowered their capacity during the recession, and they haven’t adjusted them yet to meet the demands of today,” said Augerinos.

On average clients spend between $7,000 and $12,000 for an eight- to 10-day honeymoon, said Augerinos, who works in the Washington, D.C., metro area. That figure fluctuates around the country, he said.

Hawaii or the Caribbean? Greece or Italy? Mexico or Costa Rica? The world’s most romantic destination is wherever the bride and groom happen to be. Augerinos offers the following suggestions:

Overlooked gem

The British Virgin Islands are a sailor’s fantasy, but it’s just as much fun to stay put on one of BVI’s four main islands, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada or Jost Van Dyke, each of which expresses its own character and boasts luxury accommodations; island-hop for the ample beaches, laid-back attitudes and a ready-to-party style. The smaller, outer islands and cays are worth exploring, too. Some are uninhabited; others have just a friendly beach bar and a shipwreck to explore. Activities revolve around the water and beaches with sailing and boating, diving, fishing and watersports, and well as exploring national parks and historic sites.

Foreign country

New Zealand is now a honeymooner haven and jaw-droppingly gorgeous, with stunning scenery from dramatic alpine landscapes to quiet pristine beaches, tranquil lakes and top-notch vineyards. Strangely exotic, New Zealand is also comfortably familiar and lacks the usual travel hassles. ATMs are plentiful, buses and trains run on time, and pickpockets are few. Accommodations range from chic boutique hotels to funky beach cottages and upscale resorts. Seclusion or excitement, relaxation or adventure, New Zealand is a good match for outdoors and nature-loving people, food lovers and wine enthusiasts.

Luxury

If a honeymoon is meant to be a celebration of love in an intimate, secluded and beautiful setting, head to Maldives, a necklace of 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean. Maldives is a tropical paradise with transparent lagoons of warm bright blue water, coral reefs, talcum-powder sand and year-round sunshine. Abundant sea life and visibility of up to 200 feet make ideal conditions for diving and snorkeling. An Islamic republic, Maldives caters to honeymooners who are met at the airport and whisked off to private islands by seaplane or speedboat, where they can enjoy themselves without restrictions that are imposed on the local population.