getting married next october. we are thinking something in the mountain west or pacific northwest regions. we've never been out that way before, but we do enjoy the mountains. i know ski resorts and hiking are obviously big draws for a lotta people out there - but we don't ski and aren't avid hikers (more moderate trails are fine, but that's about it). i like the idea of renting a cabin or house as opposed to staying at a resort.

we really just mostly wanna relax (duh) and enjoy the scenery and drink beer. we would make time for some touristy stuff, but don't wanna get too bogged down in doing so much sight seeing that we don't get much downtime to relax and just chill.

we're definitely not dead set on anything, but that's what we're leaning towards. for those that have been out that way, do you have any suggestions or ideas? or even non-mountain ideas are welcome...we're in in the early stages of planning so we haven't exactly ruled much out yet. but again...the wedding is in mid-october so we do wanna be mindful of weather that time of year.

10/16/2017 12:35:15 PM

what kind of ballpark budget are you talking about?

10/16/2017 12:51:10 PM

we're assuming that between lodging, airfare, food, etc that we're gonna spend $3k+. but people with more travel experience can tell me if that's unreasonable.

10/16/2017 1:14:41 PM

The wife and I went to Vail for our honeymoon. Skiing was the big draw, but there is typically a ton to do in ski towns. Fancy restaraunts, ice skating, snowshoeing, spa treatments, sometimes nightlife, etc. I bet I could occupy myself for a week without skiing (at that point you'll probably be out of things to do).

Timing could be an issue, I've never actually been in one of these towns in October. I imagine if you go in early October the town could be kinda dead, but by late October it could be getting cranked up. Either way prices will be pretty good as it's not peak season.

Personally, I'd check out some of the towns in the front range of CO. Fly into Denver, spend a night or two doing big city stuff, raid the local dispensary, then drive to the mtns and chill out. Other options might be Salt Lake City ->Park City, Reno->Tahoe.

The only problem with the PNW is the weather is getting dreary up there around October. Might not be a big deal, but something to think about.

10/16/2017 6:28:13 PM

I'd recommend Utah. Never been, but I imagine it is more affordable to find a nice cabin around Salt Lake City than to try to stay in some ski-town elsewhere. You might not be avid hikers, but with Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, even Yellowstone close by, you could see some pretty sights. Beer scene is pretty good to boot.

If not Utah, I'd say go to Denver/Boulder. Denver will at least bring more of the city life that Salt Lake City can't provide.

10/16/2017 11:21:24 PM

good suggestions, guys. thanks. do like the idea of colorado or somewhere with a pretty great beer scene. we've done asheville several times (i'm sure an apples to oranges comparison) and that's the kinda trip we really enjoy and wouldn't mind going for something similar-ish.

Quote :

"The only problem with the PNW is the weather is getting dreary up there around October. Might not be a big deal, but something to think about. "

yeah, that was something i was thinking about. don't mind it being cool weather (most of these mountain places will be starting to get cold by then) but would like to avoid shitty weather if possible.

Quote :

"Timing could be an issue, I've never actually been in one of these towns in October. I imagine if you go in early October the town could be kinda dead, but by late October it could be getting cranked up. Either way prices will be pretty good as it's not peak season."

it'll be late october for us.

Quote :

"Personally, I'd check out some of the towns in the front range of CO. Fly into Denver, spend a night or two doing big city stuff, raid the local dispensary, then drive to the mtns and chill out. "

this is appealing to me. get a little bit of a feel for the city before going somewhere to just chill

10/17/2017 6:47:00 AM

I've never been, but perhaps Lake Tahoe would be a destination worth considering.

10/17/2017 11:55:41 AM

You should go somewhere that has lots of places to take pics of. So you can immediately post them to social networks.

10/17/2017 7:18:14 PM

And 6 months later post all the pics again and caption it "take me back"

10/17/2017 9:10:12 PM

Exactly

10/17/2017 9:20:34 PM

I wouldn't recommend Tahoe in late October. It'll be cold and not much will be going on. Skiing doesn't really get going until way later, so I wouldn't bother. The Lake is pretty, but it's honestly kind of depressing to be there in shoulder season.

Denver is just OK as a city, but late October will make the accessing the really nice parts of the Rockies questionable depending on weather. The beer scene in Denver is good, but Portland and Seattle are better and much more interesting cities, imo. The weather there though will likely suck, so unless you don't mind rain and damp, cold weather, I'd skip it.

Palm Springs/Death Valley/Vegas is a good trip for that time of the year weather wise, but it's not quite what you've described. Maybe throw in Zion and Bryce since they aren't that far from Vegas? I would choose Yosemite if I knew the weather would hold since it's the most spectacular of any of them, but you don't want to bother if the Tioga pass and Glacier Point aren't accessible. It's just a tease viewing nothing but the valley floor.

New Mexico is somewhat underrated, and I would recommend Santa Fe/Taos for that time of year over Utah, but it comes down to preference. My favorite parts of Utah have been near Moab, which isn't close to anything, unfortunately.

You could also do Napa/Sonoma and a coastal CA tour since the weather is pretty great along the coast. Great breweries, but if you're not into wine, I'm not sure it's what you're looking for.

10/18/2017 1:50:37 AM

^all very useful info. thanks

10/18/2017 6:42:44 AM

Why not go abroad with that budget?

10/18/2017 1:25:03 PM

^mostly wanna save going abroad for a time when we feel like doing more exploring and sight seeing. i know there's plenty of relaxing places you can go abroad where sight seeing isn't the entire experience, but i feel like if we wanna get the most out of our time abroad we'd do it another time when we can experience more and enjoy some of the touristy attractions. but also neither of us have been outta the country so feel free to convince me i'm wrong.

10/18/2017 1:57:53 PM

I went to Greece for my honeymoon in early October. We did most of the time on Crete and stayed at an adults only resort. Something like that would give you the option to just lay around and drink and enjoy the scenery or take a day or two to go out exploring if you so chose.

10/18/2017 2:15:50 PM

If going international is on the table, there's plenty of places that are a lot closer than Greece that would make for a quicker flight and not have jetlag issues. Not that there's anything wrong with Greece (I'm going next year), but there won't be a lot of direct flights there during Late October from the US, which means at least two days of the trip will be eaten up getting there and adjusting. Europe is wonderful, but it's the type of place that's pretty stimulating and more of adventurous place than it sounds like the OP is looking for. Also, I think if you go to Europe, you need at least a full week to really appreciate it without feeling exhausted and rushed the whole time.

Mexico is a great choice (Tulum and Playa Del Carmen) and there are some high quality all-inclusive there, but do your research since some of the cheaper ones have had problems with tainted alcohol and whatnot. It's definitely NOT mountain west/craft brew tour, but it's very relaxing, the service is great, it's cheap, and if you want, there's tons of cultural stuff to do too.

I'd recommend the Caribbean too since it's very close, but I find some islands to be hit or miss. It also depends on Hurricane season, and sometimes they hit even in late October (though it's rare). Punta Cana is nice for all-inclusives too.

[Edited on October 18, 2017 at 3:34 PM. Reason : .]

10/18/2017 3:32:39 PM

Quote :

" Europe is wonderful, but it's the type of place that's pretty stimulating and more of adventurous place than it sounds like the OP is looking for. Also, I think if you go to Europe, you need at least a full week to really appreciate it without feeling exhausted and rushed the whole time. "

100% our feelings. we do wanna do europe at some point. but not for the honeymoon.

mexico sounds pretty cool. and the mountain west stuff was just one of the first things that came to mind, nothing is really off the table.

10/18/2017 3:47:33 PM

for the napa/sonoma suggestion, keep in mind you are looking at the end of crush so everything will still be crowded and cost more. i'm also not sure i agree that palm springs isn't what you want, palm springs has some lounge around the pool resorts.

if you want to do PNW or somewhere that won't have great weather in October, what about an affordable local-ish honeymoon and then a late honeymoon vacation the following spring/summer?

10/18/2017 5:19:06 PM

not totally out of the question, but it's not our ideal scenario really. and if PNW is something we really wanna do but october isn't a good time, then maybe we can just go in a couple years. and the more i look at it, there's obviously a ton of parks and great stuff up that way. maybe we'd be better served to save that vacation for a time when we're up for more hiking and exploring.

in the eastern us, there's vermont and new hampshire and other places that look quite scenic. that could be an option as well. as yall can tell, we're really not set on anything and are just throwing ideas out there

10/19/2017 6:56:37 AM

Seems like your preferences are for some place cooler since it will be late October and you are talking PNW and NE. I actually didn't mean to go to Europe specifically I meant more just looking for adult only resorts some place where you can just chill and relax. As others have said Caribbean may be good just be aware of hurricane season. Southern islands in the leeward chain generally avoid hurricanes so those might be safe bets.

10/19/2017 9:29:50 AM

yeah it seems like you are set on mountains or hills and woods and cool weather, is that accurate?

are you trying to avoid hotels/resorts?

10/19/2017 10:05:45 AM

Quote :

"for the napa/sonoma suggestion, keep in mind you are looking at the end of crush so everything will still be crowded and cost more. i'm also not sure i agree that palm springs isn't what you want, palm springs has some lounge around the pool resorts. "

early October? absolutely, but by late October/early November it drops off dramatically. I assumed late October meant around Halloween, but maybe he meant around the second week, which could still be pretty busy.

I think Death Valley is one of the most vastly underrated National Parks in the US and Joshua Tree is pretty amazing too- they both have incredible views and are easy scenic drives. I think Palm Springs is more scenic than Vegas and less trashy, but it's pretty small and the craft beer scene isn't anything special. It's also pretty gay-oriented (not a bad thing), but it is what it is. Doing a circuit around all of them would be a cool itinerary imo.

As for New England, Vermont and Mass are great choices, but a totally different vibe/feel than what you'll find out west.

10/19/2017 11:25:02 AM

Quote :

"yeah it seems like you are set on mountains or hills and woods and cool weather, is that accurate? "

would prefer this

Quote :

" are you trying to avoid hotels/resorts?"

not necessarily. initial thought was that a cabin rental would probably be more fun but we're open to resorts or hotels.

10/19/2017 1:42:57 PM

so... what you're looking for is a location somewhere in the US in late October that can either be:

1. Located somewhere with hills/mountains/cool weather, but sunny desert locations could work, along with coastal access, and/or wineries.

2. Access to alcohol (beer)

3. Would prefer a cabin rental, but the opposite would work and open to hotels/results.

10/19/2017 2:41:17 PM

y'all have given good options for things i wasn't considering. but, barring poor weather or poor timing, our ideal would be cabin and mountains. i just didn't wanna shutdown any other possbility.

10/20/2017 6:48:30 AM

Late October is a tricky time of year for weather out West, but just so you know, if you want the foliage bright with color, New England will likely be past peak. One of the most beautiful and underrated parts of CA is the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, which is near Mount Whitney, Death Valley, Mammoth Lakes. Bishop and Lone Pine are my favorite spots. Since all of the snow dumps on the western side, you won't have to deal with super cold temps or rain.

Google: Lone Pine, Bishop, Owens Valley, Mammoth Lakes, and Alabama Hills (my absolute favorite) and see some images of what I'm talking about. The mountains essentially go from around 3500 feet all the way up to 14,000+. It's much better than anything I've seen in Colorado tbh. The other thing is that late October the fall colors are at their peak.

I bet you could find a nice cabin out there for a reasonable price. You could fly into Vegas and drive through Death Valley and then up US 395 for one of the most mind blowing drives in the world. The only problem with Bishop/Lone Pine is that they're pretty small towns, but they've got good restaurants and some interesting bars.

Now that I think of it, it's almost exactly what you're looking for...

10/20/2017 1:07:19 PM

i was going to suggest carmel valley or big sur but your idea matches the mountains better

10/20/2017 1:12:40 PM

Just a suggestion for a place that might slip under some people's radar: For a decent variety, I've always really liked the Rapid City/Black Mountain Hills of Dakota region.

There's some great places to go hiking in the Black Hills (Custer SP) and Badlands NP. There's Wind Cave NP, which is far from the prettiest cave I've been to, but it's one of the longest in the world and has rare boxwork formations. If you're into kitschy tourist traps at all, Wall Drug is an icon. Mt Rushmore is in the area, of course, and Devils Tower WY is a reasonably close roundtrip day's drive away.

Some other nearby places of interest that I have not visited: Jewel Cave NM, Deadwood, Sturgis.

Not sure what the weather is like in October, however.

10/20/2017 3:29:39 PM

Quote :

"Lone Pine, Bishop, Owens Valley, Mammoth Lakes, and Alabama Hills"

Aren't all these like 5+ hours from a major airport?

10/20/2017 4:11:17 PM

Death Valley's entrance is about 90 mins from Vegas. You can do the main sites in the park in a half day if you're hurrying, but I think it warrants a least a full day, if not two (Scotty's Castle is awesome, and the drive up to Dante's View is incredible). Once you drive through the park, you're only about 2 hours from Lone Pine, which is where the Alabama Hills are anyway.

But yeah, the only airport options are Vegas (~4 hours), LAX (5+ hours) or Mammoth (1-2 hours, and flights are expensive and limited)

I will say this though: the drive itself is its own reward. I've done this trip 3-4 times and I'm always left with my jaw on the floor.

10/20/2017 4:48:02 PM

How long are you planning your honeymoon? I'm thinking that $3k isn't going to be enough unless y'all are okay with going cheap, which seems a little counterintuitive on a honeymoon, but to each their own.

10/23/2017 4:26:34 PM

probably a week. and you may be right. especially when i was looking at house/cabin rental prices. we can definitely increase the budget. i just kinda came up with that number very roughly and quickly.

10/24/2017 5:07:24 PM

you can do a pretty good trip for $3k if you don't have to pay for airfare, you should look into reward cards

10/25/2017 9:56:57 AM

Another thought that came up was the Mt Shasta area in Northern CA. It'll be cheap since late October is shoulder season. Great hiking, two National Parks close by (Lassen and Lavabeds National Monument) and it's right by the border with Oregon, so you could still get that PacNW vibe without all the rain. Shasta Brewing company is in Weed and the beer is decent, but there's also Etna, Fall River, Dunsmuir, Lost Coast is in Eureka. Closest airport is Redding, but the drive from Sacramento isn't horrible. If you want coast and to see the tallest trees in the world, Redwood National park isn't a bad drive from the Shasta Area and Humboldt county is pretty awesome too.

10/25/2017 11:50:38 AM

^^yeah we've got a couple everyday rewards cards and recently got the chase sapphire preferred specifically for the honeymoon.

10/26/2017 4:15:36 PM

Quote :

"New Mexico is somewhat underrated, and I would recommend Santa Fe/Taos for that time of year over Utah, but it comes down to preference. My favorite parts of Utah have been near Moab, which isn't close to anything, unfortunately. "

Great advice. We live in Denver and we go to Santa Fe every year now (been twice). It's one of the most under rated cities I've visited in the US. If you like food and art it has some of the most amazing restaurants for the size of the town and it has the third largest art market in the United States and that's by pure gallery volume not per capita. On a gallery crawl night you can walk from gallery to gallery drinking free wine and seeing a bunch of cool western art.

The accommodations are fantastic as well. We've stayed here before: https://www.turquoisebear.com/ and it was fantastic. They had a wine social hour every day at 5pm where you got tipsy before you hit the galleries/restaurants. There's also some great 4-5 star resorts / spas / hot spring type places for how small the area is.

And holy shit this place is good: http://www.sazonsantafe.com/

Lastly there's a ton of hiking, biking, etc to do in the area as well. Late October will be getting cold but there's still some really cool things to do outside in the area.

For the price you're going to get a lot more than trying to honeymoon in a ski town or bigger destination city.

10/28/2017 7:02:32 PM

United is selling seats on an 18-hour flight for $177
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/30/united-is-selling-seats-on-an-18-hour-flight-for-177.html

Quote :

"United Airlines launched its Los Angeles-Singapore nonstop flight this month. The flight is just under 18 hours. Travelers on the low fare may not earn too many miles because United awards miles based on the cost of the ticket. Other airlines are vying for the longest flight in the world."

11/1/2017 12:08:38 PM

That's legit cause flying to Singapore was one of the worst experiences ever and I think took over 24 hours with layovers and whatnot. That would have cut a few hours out of it.

Did RDU--->DFW--->Hong Kong--->Singapore

11/1/2017 8:09:41 PM

What y'all know about Missoula, MT?

11/6/2017 7:42:16 PM

Beautiful

11/6/2017 7:52:49 PM

I thought so too. Seems like a good option for us from my brief research. There's obviously plenty to do in Missoula, but it seems like you can stay very nearby and still get some of that secluded feel. Weather looks better than I would've guessed. October highs in the 50s and lows in the upper 20s with pretty minimal precip. Close proximity to a couple national parks if we decide to take advantage of that. You can fly into Missoula too, so no long drive after a flight is nice - a long drive from major airport is certainly not a deal breaker though.

11/6/2017 9:04:52 PM

i mean i really can't say anything about it as a honeymoon destination, but i visited UM and it's definitely a pretty area. make sure you check what's open in the parks, i'd bet lodging and visitor centers and stuff are closed

11/8/2017 5:12:31 PM

so here's a funny thing. we've pretty much done a 180 on what we're looking for...maybe it's the winter season that's got us feeling more beach-y or maybe just the idea of the ease and convenience of the resort thing is more appealing. but after a lotta research into other places we're pretty set on mexico. pretty much narrowed it down to playa del carmen or puerto vallarta. going october 20-something. looks like weather-wise, pdc is definitely wetter that time of year but predicting the weather for a specific week 9 months away is obviously a crap shoot. if anybody's been to either i'd love to hear some recommendations. ty v much in advance

[Edited on February 15, 2018 at 7:40 AM. Reason : f]

2/15/2018 7:32:49 AM

The Excellence resorts in Mexico are awesome. We have been to both the Riviera Cancun location(a little north of Playa Del Carmen) and the Playa Mujeres location, and couldn't recommend them more.

The rooms, pools, food, service were all top notch.

2/15/2018 10:23:43 AM

thanks!

2/15/2018 5:22:59 PM

Been to secrets silversands Cancun (about an hour north) it was pretty good. Excellence in the Dominican was nicer, so I'd say that's probably true in Cancun. It was fun though. We went in January 2017 and it was about 80 every day, kinda rainy one or two of the 10 days we were there. We did go to Playa del Carmen for the excursion things (snorkeling, riding atvs, cave diving) but nowhere near the beach or anything. So I'm not much help but...

2/15/2018 8:08:46 PM

Quote :

"New Mexico is somewhat underrated, and I would recommend Santa Fe/Taos for that time of year over Utah, but it comes down to preference."

I also live in Denver and would recommend this. Esp. if you enjoy art at all. Santa Fe galleries, Meow Wolf, tons of culture, amazing hot springs.

[Edited on February 16, 2018 at 11:53 AM. Reason : missed the post where you decided on mexico. enjoy!]

2/16/2018 11:50:12 AM

santa fe does look awesome.

2/16/2018 12:02:07 PM

It sounds like a trip down the PCH would fit your bill. Monterey-SLO

SLO has a high concentration of breweries in a small little town and SLO wine country would be a good compromise for people who aren't that big on wine. You can hit the coast and see BIG SUR You also have nice moderate mountain hikes up to 3000 feet with ocean views and cute little towns you could experience in a few hours. Iconic hotels like the madonna inn

http://www.madonnainn.com/
https://www.slocal.com/
https://www.seemonterey.com/regions/big-sur/
https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=breweries&find_loc=San+Luis+Obispo%2C+CA



[Edited on February 16, 2018 at 8:37 PM. Reason : wow]

2/16/2018 8:34:11 PM

PVR vs. Maya Riviera is a tough one, but I could make it easier for you and just say to do Akumal or Tulum and then it's not really a contest.

PDC isn't what it used to be, and it's gotten way more Cancun-like, although it's still nice. I just think the actual town of PVR is more charming and "authentic" than PDC, but the beaches and surrounding area can't really compete with Mayan ruins, cenotes, and swimmable Caribbean beaches. The beaches in PVR are nice to look at, but the water is going to be a lot colder than anything you're probably used to on the east coast. The undertow and waves in the Pacific are pretty strong too, so unless you're a strong swimmer, you might be surprised/disappointed with the beaches near PVR.

In either case, if you're going all-inclusive, the Dreams/Secrets brand is pretty exceptional. The food is great and they have like 5-6 different sit down restaurants, and great bars with top shelf liquor.

2/18/2018 11:55:37 AM