Can't decide where to go for honeymoon! Please help! Paris vs. Hawaii

The flights to Hawaii will be way cheaper from California, so you'd have a lot more to spend on hotels and food and whatnot.

I am normally not a beach vacation person, but H and I had a beach honeymoon since he'd never been on a beach vacation. I was so glad we did one instead of a busy one like I initially wanted. We were so tired after the wedding and all the craziness leading up to it, it was really nice to have a week to do nothing and relax.

I've also been to Paris and didn't like it honestly. It was overcrowded, overpriced, and dirty in comparison to other European cities. That said, the language barrier isn't terrible, most everyone speaks English, and exchanging money is very simple, or you can just use your credit card and not have to deal with hard currency.

You'll have a hard time doing Paris on a 5,000 budget. Paris is huge, overpriced, and honestly not that worth it in my opinion. It's a great city, don't get me wrong (FH proposed in Paris), but if you don't know French you'll struggle in Paris. They can be pretty rude to tourists, especially ones that don't speak French. Plus, you'll end up spending most of your budget on the flights there, and just being in Paris is very expensive.

If you're looking to explore a European city, I'd suggest Amsterdam. It's clean, beautiful, and way less crowded. The food is wonderful, and everyone speaks perfect English and is super friendly. We spent 5 days there over the summer and I'd go back in a heartbeat.

But, out of the two, I vote Hawaii. Like you said, there's plenty to do that's not just laying on the beach. Sounds like a way more relaxing honeymoon to me.

You should consider Croatia.

It's a beautiful costal european country that has history and culture. The Kuna is their currency and is currently at 0.17 of our dollar. Their language is Croatian but the majority of locals speak english too. Skip the capital (Zagreb) and head straight to Dubrovnik. A trip to croatia isn't complete without visiting Split and a few islands: Vis and Hvar. Also, be sure to travel to Plitvice Lakes National Park. The park is world-famous for its lakes arranged in cascades. Currently, 16 lakes can be seen from the surface. (PLEET-veet-seh) is how its pronounced. If you do happen to have the time Zadar has a giant solar powered public dance floor! so random but so cool.

The people here are flourishing from travelers like us and are eager to show people around.

Another option would be Belize. Now hear me out for a moment...

I went to Belize 4 years ago with my best friend, Danielle. We stayed on Ambergris Caye for 4 days at a super fancy beach from hotel called The Grand Caribe. It was perfect for couples... def not as much culture on the island as I would have liked. But when we went back to the mainland to finish off our 10 day vacation we headed deep into San Ignacio and it was by far THE MOST incredible experience we've ever had. We stayed at Mystic River Resort. We swore to each other that the moment we find "the one" we are bringing them here. Imagine waking up in paradise. As you enter the resort you're surrounded by the jungle, green everywhere, birds singing. There are private casitas placed strategically around the property to provide privacy. They have private tour guides to take you to see ATM Cave (my fave) where you hike and then SWIM INTO A CAVE, hike some more and you'll see one of the most popular Mayan Burial sites. incredible. There are many archeological sites to visit around these parts.

The best thing about this resort is that they forage for everything, every meal and drink is fresh from the source and the staff waits on you. One night we realized the bar wasn't closing because the bar tender was waiting on the two of us to be finished with his services. It just so happened that we would up here alone for the first two days until more guests arrived.

The resort is right up agains a river, we spent a lot of time down here when we weren't off on an adventure or getting massages to the sound of nature.

The rooms are impeccable. Worth every dime.

I realize I'm rambling. I suggest to everyone I meet who is looking to get some one on one time with their partner to head to see Mrs. Nadej at her resort, Mystic River. She is from New Zealand BTW - zero language barrier!

Congrats!

What about a cruise from Cali or Seattle

I got engaged in Paris in November-- You can do a week for $5k, but it's tough. If you want a relaxing trip, this is not your best option. We spent 8 days, $11k, and we were EXHAUSTED! Def a bucket list trip, but not what I personally would want for a honeymoon.

We priced out Hawaii-- flights would be cheaper for you, than us. It's possibly doable. Maybe only 5 days?

Have you thought about Punta Cana, Dominican Republic? We just booked 8 nights, all inclusive, upgraded suite, round trip flights for $4400. This is UNDER your budget, plus includes all meals/snacks/and alcohol! The resorts offer TONS of things to do, plus beach/pool time. Nightly shows, pool parties, etc.

If you get money at your wedding, take it with you and pay for some of the "tours"! Boat rides, horseback riding on the beach, etc

I would definitely do Hawaii! Paris is probably nice but I don’t speak French at all. I feel weird about visiting a country where I can’t speak their language. I’d Be more inclined to go to a Spanish speaking country since I can at least communicate a little with them. Spain would be nice. I just went to Cozumel it was lovely. I’d also love to go to Costa Rica.