15

I took Patty, my love, to Nunavut to see my family and share in our nuptial bliss; however, my testies decided not to appear because it was -50. It was then that I thought about jejenes and thought them not to be as bad as I remembered.

Beach love I will have to say Brazil or Thailand, FL doesn't do it for me.

16

Fortunately, my honeymoon was not ruined -- as the Inuit twin brothers in the igloo next door didn't suffer from the same problem as Q.

17

My blood does not flow well at -50 degrees.....I needed to eat more whale blubber.

18

Not to stray from the highjack, but... the op was asking about options for a honeymoon. I think Cuba can be very romantic, for the right couple. If they are adventurous; want an experience beyond the ordinary; are interested in world affairs; and perhaps want to spend their money in a place where people can really use it; Cuba is one place you can have all that. The country is so beautiful- the land, the people, the historic nature of its architecture. There are beautiful beaches. We took a brief respite from trekking and casa particulares (many of which are very beautiful and charming) and stayed for several days on Cayo Levisa. The small all-inclusive there was more than adequate- very nice modern bungalows, right on a beautiful stretch of white sand beach; good reef diving with very decent equipment and knowledgeable dive masters; very good food; not crowded, as it is the sole hotel there- about 40 other visitors, all European and S. American; very quiet and relaxing. Now I have very little experience with AI type accommodations, but for me it was very nice and quite romantic. And it's convenient, lying between Pinar del Rio and Havana. The countryside of Pinar reminds me very much of Kauai, and I think Havana can be very romantic, as is Trinidad.
I personally would skip supporting a captured dolphin experience- they are cruel.
But Cuba can be a very romantic experience with the right person. It's not necessarily always going to be the luxurious time you would expect paying big bucks in a 5 star in Maui or Cancun, but those would get very boring very quickly for me.
So it depends on who the travelers are and what feeds them.
Good luck. I hope you have an exceptional honeymoon wherever you decide to go. I'll be curious what you decide.

19

One way to set up your trip, depending on where you fly in: you could spend a couple nights in Havana, seeing sights and soaking up some nightlife; then bus to Trinidad, where you can see some more sights, in the historic colonial town and around the countryside, and spend a day or two on the small but decent beach at Ancon- not a great beach, but very nice white sand and adequate facilities there- very good diving with Leonid, the dive master there. I would stay in a casa in Trinidad, though, or the hotel on the hill if you want more privacy for your honeymoon.
You could bus back to Havana, and then head to Pinar for some more adventure; there's a couple hotels, and many comfortable casas. (I don't know exactly what you're looking for in accommodations, but I would strongly recommend the casa particulars' experience for at least some of your stay there to ensure you meet Cubans more intimately.) Transportation between Havana and Vinales is easy via Viazul. For getting to Cayo Levisa, there's a bus you can take from Vinales to Palma Rubio, where you catch the late afternoon ferry. (Btw, at Cayo Levisa, don't expect a wild nightlife- there's only the small outdoor bar there at the resort, where there's some live music, or salsa dancing with an instructor- but it's perfect for a quiet romantic honeymoon getaway where you really mainly want to be with your beloved. Nice quiet beach with lots of solitude.)
When leaving Cayo back to Havana we had to take a taxi; not too expensive ($50CUC ?) through beautiful, lush countryside.
Muy romantico.

20

Much agree #20, Cuba can be quite romantic and adventuresome for the right people at the right time. For a regular vacation I would wholeheartedly agree. Even an anniversary would be great, but in my opinion a honeymoon is to spoil yourselves and make it memorable not having to rough it (in comparison) seeking transportation and surviving on rudimentary infrastructure. Again, just my opinion. The OP could very well be fine with cold showers, no electricity, unreliable transportation and other well known Cuba quirks, but perhaps not, so now they know and can make up their own mind.

21

re: #22
If a couple is leery of the Cuban "quirks," but still want a honeymoon that can also be adventureous, they can surely avoid them by splurging a little beyond what a "normal" traveler might spend in Cuba, and still spend much less than they might in Maui or Bali, etc.; i.e., they could book 4- or 5-star hotels or resorts, where you are unlikely to have cold showers; avoid iffy transportation by using official state-run taxis or tour guides (which I found very professional: Nelson Pineda, 5 279-2473 with agenciataxi). Sure, stay at casa particulars and you MIGHT experience SOME of the inconveniences you describe. They are possible, OP, but don't be overly concerned that you will certainly encounter all these if you go; you might, but in my limited experience of lodging in Cuba (30 nights total), they are by no means everyday occurrences for every visitor.

22

For the price you would have to pay for ***** accommodations in Cuba, which by the way translate to about *** anywhere else, you could have a grand honeymoon elsewhere. Cuba is not cheap if you want it to be convenient. Trust me, I have roughed it a couple of trips and it was not fun, so I rent my Audi, stay at the better places and I would still not recommend it for a honeymoon. I have done better while traveling for work than any Cuban honeymoon could bring for me.....again, for me......simply my opinion.

23

Having very limited experience with 5-star rated hotels in Cuba (zero experience, in fact), I will defer to those who have, Quilo.
However, I stand by my opinion that a small, quiet, relaxing, beautiful beach resort like Cayo Levisa would be a wonderful honeymoon locale. That's the only one I have personal experience with- I expect there are others as well.

I've stayed in one or two 5-star hotels on Kauai and Maui, and they're more luxurious for sure, but Cayo Levisa was better, in my book. Call me simple. If you, OP, is one who values extreme luxury in your lodging, then Cuba might not be for you.
(But, I'm not familiar with the Varadero all-inclusives- maybe those might be your cup of tea.)
good luck

24

Ryannm, I completely agree with you that Cuba is a great honeymoon place for the adventurously inclined, and also that Cayo Levisa would be my idea of a place to spend a honeymoon (except for the food, and who wants to eat at a time like that.)

25

I have stayed in the best places in Varadero and they are equal to a Holiday Inn express in Virginia beach.....just marginally OK.....and Varadero is the top rung in Cuba for overall infrastructure.

Yes, if the OP wants to shower every couple of days with hot water and sweat a bit when the electricity goes out and its 100 degrees then of course Cuba is a super place for a honeymoon. Again, just NOT my cup of team despite the fact I have been to Cuba about 90 times in the past 15 years. So what I am saying is that I love Cuba and it was for a long time my favorite place to vacation, but for a honeymoon......naaaw. I actually took a female there twice and both times were less than honeymoon style vacations by a long shot, Now if Rosa and I ever get married then of course Cuba it would be a great honeymoon option....I would follow her lead and the patchouli scent.

26

Again, I have to respectfully inform the OP that they will not always encounter water or electricity outages, possibly not at all. I have encountered no-shower only one time for only a couple of hours, not at all my last trip at the beginning of this month; and had electricity out for a couple of hours in Giron this last trip that inconvenienced me very little. My stay at Levisa was very honeymoon-like, idyllic. The food was alright, nothing to complain about, and the chef was sweetly accommodating of my vegetarian-ness.