HONEYMOONS

Your honeymoon could very well set the tone for your marriage.

Not that a great one ensures happily ever after or that one from hell will kill the union, but the honeymoon can do much to solidify your marriage for years to come.

While traditionally the focus of the wedding is the bride, the honeymoon allows the couple to focus on their new life together and make memories. For Dolores Strait with Global Express Travel, focusing on her honeymoon in St. Johns was more important than an expensive wedding. “The idea of spending a lot on one day of fascination wasn’t as important to me as seven days with a new husband and all of the things we could do together,” she says.


What a couple can do together is a key factor in planning a memorable honeymoon. “Don’t listen too much to other people’s advice,” Strait suggests. “Other people may very well have had wonderful honeymoons in different places, but it is important for the couple to go where they want to go and do what they want to do to create their own honeymoon and wonderful memories.”

Tammy Levent, founder and executive director of Elite Travel, agrees. “When you work with a travel agent, make sure you are asking to go to the destination that is right for you. “If you’re not a beach person, don’t book a honeymoon at the beach. Couples need to figure out exactly what they like to do so we can send them to a place that has all those elements. I think that is what is most important in ensuring a perfect honeymoon.

It’s not the budget because we can work with just about any amount of money. It’s finding the right place where two people will find everything they need to make them happy.” Strait lists Hawaii, South Pacific islands such as Fiji and Tahiti and all-inclusive resorts on Caribbean islands, including Jamaica, Antigua and St. Thomas, among the most popular honeymoon destinations. Couples looking for privacy may want to consider the lesser-known islands in the Caribbean, such as St. John. “Three-quarters of the island is a national park, so the beaches aren’t overrun with people,” Strait says.

“If the couple is in their late 30s or older, they may take a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity cruise to the Mediterranean,” Strait says. “They may have already cruised the Caribbean and want a new experience.”