Honeymoon hideaways

Black Enterprise, April, 1992 by Ann Brown, Marjorie Whigham-Desir

Off for a romantic interlude--a honeymoon, an anniversary celebration or a getaway for just the two of you? Planning ahead can mean money saved, better accommodations and stress-free, memorable trip.

Perhaps the most difficult decision is selecting a destination. According to a 1990 readers' survey by Bride's magazine, the honeymoon hot spots are: the Caribbean, 30%--with the U.S.V.I. and Jamaica as the two favorite island destinations; Florida, 28.1%, Hawaii, 21.3%, Mexico, 14%; California, 10.8%, Bahamas, 9.3%; Europe, 8.7%; Canada, 7.8%; Pennsylvania (the Poconos), 6.1%; and Bermuda, 5.4%.

After deciding on a location that suits both of you, choose a date and set a budget. Travel agents estimate that a couple spends an average of $3,200 on a honeymoon within the continental United States and nearly $3,800 on a trip outside (including Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

Next, decide whether to arrange the trip yourself or leave the details to a travel agent. Do you want to stay in a full-service resort or a small, private cottage or villa? Would you prefer an all-inclusive package, or would you rather design the elements of your honeymoon yourself?

Hotel packages generally include room costs, some meals and a few on-site activities, but does not include air fare. Most hotels have special packages and extras for honeymooners and couples, such as free champagne, limousine service and flowers. Keep in mind, however, that most hotels have a mixture of guests, not only couples.

Hawaiian Paradise Options

Considered one of Hawaii's finest and most exclusive hotels, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (800-882-6060) on the "big island" offers a six-day, five-night basic honeymoon package for $1,990 per couple that includes a room with an ocean view, limousine service to and from the airport, chilled champagne upon arrival, a fruit basket, breakfast each day, one-day use of a video camera and two complimentary Japanese summer robes. Situated on a hillside overlooking a white sand beach, an 18-hole golf course and romantic walkways, all rooms have a view of the Kohala coastline or its mountains. Mauna Kea Beach also attracts celebrities.

Embassy Suites on Kaanapali Beach (800-GO-2-MAUI), a beachfront resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui, has a five-day, four-night package that includes a two-room suite (bedroom and parlor) with an ocean view, lei greetings and chilled champagne upon arrival, a daily cooked-to-order breakfast in the hotel dining area, cocktails every afternoon and a special dinner for two. You also get a convertible car or Jeep with unlimited mileage for the length for your stay if over four nights.

Resort And Casino Destinations

These large venues cater to their guests fully--you never have to leave the property. Resort hotels usually have their own beaches, several restaurants, shops and sports/fitness facilities.

Most packages at these places include accommodations, two to three meals, cocktails, sightseeing and for honeymooners, champagne and special souvenirs. This is an option if you don't mind a bustling atmosphere and the mixture of guests, from couples to families on vacation, though a few are more intimate.

Located atop the highest hill on Bermuda, the Southampton Princess Hotel (800-223-1818) is a plush, sprawling 600-room resort complex complete with beach club, two floors of shopping, a Las Vegas-style showroom, full-scale health club, numerous restaurants, 11 tennis courts and an 18-hole golf course. Depending upon the type of room and the time of year you will be traveling, a five-day, four-night honeymoon package ranges from $1,520 to $2,162 per couple. The package includes accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, a bottle of champagne upon your arrival, a fruit basket, a special occasion cake, a photo album and a souvenir photo, a watercolor print by a local artist, a tote bag and a guidebook to Bermuda.

Carnival's Crystal Palace in Nassau, the Bahamas (800-222-7466) has a four-day, three-night package ranging from $829 per couple (April 26-Dec. 19) for a standard room in the Riviera Tower (the older hotel wing with larger, more conservative rooms) to $895 per couple for a standard room in one of the four newer and more modernly decorated Palace Towers. A large hotel, the Crystal Palace has 1,550 rooms, 14 restaurants, six club lounges, a private beach, pools and sports/fitness facilities.

The honeymoon or couples package includes a room with an ocean view and balcony, fresh flowers, a bottle of champagne with caviar, airport limousine service, breakfast in bed, a reception for honeymoon couples, "Just Married" T-shirts, casino chips, a honeymoon photo sent to your hometown paper, cooking lessons, a gourmet dinner, a private rum punch tour of the island, and use of a video recorder for the one day.

Drive through the gates and into the private, lush tropical paradise of the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort and Casino (800-233-1234) in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Located on the north shore of the island, 22 miles west of San Juan, the 300-room hotel with oceanfront "casitas" (small cottages) sits on a two-mile stretch of white, crescent-shaped beach. Although set off in a quiet and intimate setting, the Dorado features two Robert Trent Jones 18-hole championship golf courses, seven all-weather tennis courts and a gaming casino, along with bicycle and jogging paths. It also shares additional facilities with its adjacent sister resort, the Hyatt Regency Cerromar Beach Resort and Casino and its famous 1,776 foot-long River Pool water slide.