To Have and to Hold

There is always a lot to be said regarding a honeymoon. I have received advice ranging all over the board on where to go, when to go, why to go, etc. In fact, the one thing my mother told S when he asked if he could marry me was that we needed to take the time to go on a honeymoon. She told him that if you think you can just do it later, you won't. This tidbit is convenient when S starts dragging his feet about going! I kindly remind him that it was my mother's one request. Besides, I think he's just huffing for my benefit! :)

I have spent many hours researching various locations from Europe to Tahiti. It is important to note both the high and low seasons of a particular location. These seasons are mostly structured around weather, so finding great deals in Tahiti during the monsoons may not actually be worth the savings! It is also important to remember that the "deal" rates that you see listed on certain resorts are probably posted for the off-season. Be sure to look into the exact dates the deal is good for, don't just assume that will be the price you will pay all year round! Another thing to avoid (unless you want to be there) are the large holidays in certain countries. For example, you may want to avoid going to Hong Kong during the Chinese new year!

Based on high/ low seasons, S and I chose to go to either Greece or Fiji (very different, I know). May is a relatively easy time to go just about anywhere as it is usually categorized in the "middle season." Typically, prices are still low, but rising sharply depending on your destination. In Greece, May is arguably one of the best times to go. The rainy season is well out of the way and all of the spring flowers and color starts to arrive. It is still a month or so off from the high tourist season, so there is just a slow trickle of people into the country. May in Fiji is, again, a "middle" or "shoulder" season. It comes between the end of the wet, typhoon-ridden October to April, but before the hot, dry June to August. Fiji, however, has a very short, almost non-existent "low season" as it is a desirable place to go year-round.

One piece of information that came up quite often when looking at honeymoon tips was the benefit of knowing someone whose "been there, done that." This seemed reasonable to me; of course it would be easier to know what to expect and where to go if someone had already been there. Then, someone else could make mistakes for you to learn from, not do! They would also be able to let you know where the best bang for your buck will come from. Knowing that having a friend "in the know" would be helpful, S and I chose Fiji as our destination. S has a close friend who was raised there, and lived there for many years in his adult life before moving to Washington state. We called him and asked for suggestions for resorts and he listed a few of his top picks.