A week of palm trees and sand for $2000 - can it be done?

[nicole]

For financial reasons and lack of vacation time, my hubby and I can't take a honeymoon this year. We want to try next year around the time of our first anniversary or maybe a little later. We know we want to go somewhere with palm trees and sandy beaches and we want to stay for around a week. We would prefer somewhere outside the US. Is this possible? Any stories to share?

[KrissyCat7]

Definetely. We went to Jamaica for about $1300 two years ago. We stayed for 6 nights at the Starfish Trelawny resort. Are you looking to do all inclusive? Mexico has some really great deals. If you go during the off season you will get better rates as well.

[lonestardawn]

I went to an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic last spring. They have some of the most beautiful beaches and sand! It was very affordable about $900 for 5 days so I think it would definitely be in your budget. I wrote at review and posted some pictures here if you want to check it out:

http://travelsense.igougo.com/planning/journal.asp?JournalID=55484

[nicole]

Thank you for the input! An all-inclusive does appeal to me because then I know exactly what I'm spending. Thanks and keep the ideas coming!

[Peppy]

You could try Aruba in the off-season. It is outside of the hurricane belt and the climate is temperate, so even in the summer (which is their off-season) the weather and beaches are great.

If you decide on Aruba, I would recommend going to a website like http://www.aruba-bb.com/ People rent out their timeshares on that site (and other sites like it--there are quite a few for Aruba). When I went this summer I saw quite a few timeshares renting for between $500 and $1000 for the week.

If you are going for a week and want to rent a timeshare, it is best to arrive and leave on either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Most timeshares run for the entire week, and depending on the resort, the turnover dates will be one of those three. Good luck.

[wendalah]

With some careful planning, you could do Hawaii for about $2k. I know it's still technicall the USA--but it's hard to beat for a great beachy atmosphere. There are lots of hotel/condo choices on the major islands, in all price ranges. You can try sites like pleasantholidays.com or travel-hawaii.com, or search around yourself on the hotel chain sites and airline sites.

[wander_woman]

Costa Rica is possible in your budget but I think CR is more worth it for adventure activities than for sitting on the beach. Mexico is definitely doable for much less than your budget and it's a good beachy destination.

[Kristy]

We went to Mexico for a week for around $1500, maybe a bit more or less. We went to the Moon Palace in Cancun, and it was all-inclusive. Best decision we ever made.

We booked through one of the discount sites, Hotwire or Orbitz or one of those. Check those websites frequently, or sign up for their email alerts. We saved a good amount booking our airfare and shuttle through them as well.

[Sashi]

I second the Riveria Maya in Mexico. We stayed at an all-inclusive 'no kids allowed' resort called Aventura Spa Palace. Palace Resorts (www.palaceresorts.com).

I wouldn't necessarily suggest it because you can't swim in the ocean (too rough) but there are day trips to a sister resort near by you can take that you can swim in the ocean. With the huge amount of pools we were fine, I don't prefer the ocean anyway.

[Katyanne]

I third Moon palace resorts!!!! It was awesome, we went for our honeymoon almost 3 years ago and we still talk about that vacation with longing.

Katie