AFFORDABLE BEACH HONEYMOONS!!!Built along a spectacular stretch of white sand beach and framed by tropical palm trees, this hotel boasts 400 elegant junior suites with hydro-massage bathtubs and all the distinctive Riu amenities such as minibar and liquor dispenser. Enjoy the selection of a-la-carte restaurants and bars, along with continental breakfast, room service, 24 hour All Inclusive (snacks and beverages), and the impressive exchange privileges program with all sister properties within the Riu Resort complex.
The brand new Riu Palace Riviera Maya, creating long lasting memories of Mexican paradise.
Honeymoon registries are a newish take on the old bridal registry formula. Instead of registering for table place-settings and stainless steel pots that friends and family will buy as your wedding present, you register for honeymoon goodies—one or more nights in a hotel room, room upgrades, a couples massage, an all-day jeep safari or kayak tour, a champagne breakfast delivered to your room, all or a portion of your air flight, or whatever else you might ask for.
Establishing your registry is easily done online. You'll end up with your own Web page which friends and family can visit. They'll see your wish list (with prices of each item), choose their gift, and pay by credit card. The registry informs you each time you receive a gift, keeps track online of what’s been purchased for everyone to see, and sends you a check before the wedding for the account balance.
How can registries afford to do this? They charge a fee (see individual registries below).
Some hotel/resort chains, airlines, and tourism destinations offer something similar to the registries described above. Be forewarned, however, that they typically allow you to select only items and activities falling under their umbrella. Rather than send a check or other form of straightforward monetary payment---which allows you to spend the money as you like---they send a gift card or a company credit to be applied against your bill. Often they charge the top rate for everything purchased through their registry—rather than the bargain rates you might get were you to book ordinarily.
A completely different take is the wedding/honeymoon registry offered by adventure tour company Mountain Travel Sobek. Friends and family can contribute money toward the kind of adventure honeymoon you’ll never forget—crusing the Galapagos, or climbing Kilimanjaro, or any of the other adventures they undertake in 65 countries around the world. Best thing: MTS charges no fee for their registry service.
And for couples who already have everything they need, consider this idea: register with Britain's Carbon Footprint, where friends/family can buy one or more trees in your name to be planted in Kenya's Great Rift Valley. The service is free; gift-givers pay no fees aside from the modest per-tree cost of around $13.
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The following companies have reliable reputations in the traditional honeymoon registry business. Each has a unique fee structure, and extra charges may apply for some services, so read the fine print carefully (which you should always do anyway). Keep in mind that most of these services charge a credit card transaction fee, which, when combined with the typical 7% service charge per transaction, amounts to a 10% fee.
HoneyLuna charges a 7% service fee that can either be added to or deducted from the cost of the gift. If credit cards are used to fund the purchase, an additional 3% credit card fee is imposed.
Honeymoon Wishes lets you choose whether you want the 7% fee added to or deducted from the gift amounts. An additional 3% credit card transaction fee applies.
Suzie's articles have appeared in many national magazines and newspapers, including Bride's, Gourmet, Woman's World, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Tribune.
A member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA) and Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW), Suzie lives and works in Sonoma, California.
Out of desire and necessity, many people are choosing close to home vacations and close to home honeymoons. I am fortunate enough to live in Santa Cruz -- and I have realized what an amazing and romantic place Santa Cruz and the Central Coast could be for a honeymoon. Better still, there are an abundance of fun and wonderful activities that could be included on a honeymoon registry....
Many people (although not me!) can and do get in the Pacific here for water sports without wetsuits. I can do it -- but find that the 30 seconds I can tolerate the water is not enough time for boogie boarding and surfing. However, with a wetsuit, I can boogie board for hours. There are an abundance of surf shops that rent wetsuits (and boogie boards too) for just $10 day.
1 to Pescadero (Famous Clam Chowder at Duarte's Tavern (I'm a vegetarian so I've never had it, but friends insists it's the best!), Pigeon Point Lighthouse and a glass of wine at the Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay
Top 10 Reasons to Register your Honeymoon with HoneyLuna
10 You don’t need another salad spinner or a toaster (Receive the gift of travel, romance and adventure rather than house wares!)
9 Your insurance doesn’t cover Waterford crystal if you break it
8 You and your fiancée cannot agree on a china pattern
7 With the extra help you receive from your honeymoon registry, you may be able to upgrade your hotel accommodations from a parking lot to ocean view!
6 You’ll love the ease of “one stop shopping” for both your honeymoon travel and gift registry.
5 Your friends and family will love your honeymoon registry – they won’t even have to leave home to buy your gift! A quote from Nicole Bauer, HoneyLuna client: “Everyone thought our honeymoon registry was a great idea. And they enjoyed reading our itinerary and purchasing pieces of our honeymoon.”
4 You won’t have to return any unwanted gifts to the department store
3 You’ll love all the gifts you receive from your honeymoon registry (who wouldn’t love a sunset dinner cruise? A massage? A gondola ride in Venice?)
2 You’ll get to take your dream honeymoon you never thought was possible
And the number one reason to register with HoneyLuna….
1 HoneyLuna is the best honeymoon registry service around (since 1995!)
Visit our website at: www.honeyluna.com
