Torn between honeymoon destinations…

What fun choices! I can only speak to Dublin/Galway, but they are both beautiful and amazing!!! Not a typical honeymoon choice, but Ireland could be SO romantic with all the amazing greenery (seriously it’s shades of green I’ve never seen before), exploring ancient castles, and some of the kindest people in the world! With that being said, I would say it’s more of a sightseeing destination, so it’s great if that’s the vibe you’re looking for. Otherwise if you just want to relax on the beach with just an excursion or two here or there, then I would go with one of the beach places.

I haven't been to Ireland, Mexico, or Jamaica, but my husband and I went to Hawaii for part of our honeymoon, so I can provide some info on that location! I had put a post up a while back about our experiences in the Hawaii portion of our trip, and it describes where we went, what activities we did, and what we liked/disliked in Hawaii. If you're interested in looking into Hawaii as a honeymoon destination more, here is the link to my post: https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/honeymoon-photos-part-1-hawaii/70d466935e369221.html


All four locations sound like fun and beautiful options for a honeymoon! No matter where you choose, I'm sure it'll turn out amazing.

Those are four great choices!

We are getting married in October as well and have been planning honeymoon big time. We think we have moved from our original choice of Italy to Ireland. So I love that idea so much. We have been researching the heck out of itineraries!

Of all your options, I think Ireland and Hawaii will be the most interesting with options of sightseeing and traveling the island(s). Totally different vibes and temperatures, though!

Cozumel and Jamaica will be great for relaxing and chilling on the beach/pool.

I'd start with your budget and flights first. We searched all destination ideas and checked flights for costs, times and if they were direct since those were key items for us.

Let us know what you decide since I'd love to share ideas if you do Ireland!

We did an all-inclusive in Jamaica! It was such a great trip, and I'd do it all over again if we could! One of my friends actually had a great point about vacation activities: they can pretty much be boiled down into active activities (like sightseeing, hiking, walking tours, etc.) and relaxing activities (laying out on the beach, spa treatments, etc.). After we got married, we DEFINITELY needed a few days of relaxing to recover from all the emotions, stress, dancing the night away at our reception, etc. The first full day of our honeymoon we got couples' massages and we spent almost the entire second day on the beach just lounging around. After a few laid back days we were up for more adventures, but we definitely needed to just chill until we got to that point.

All of your choices sound awesome, but I'd plan for at least a few low-key days at the beginning of the trip wherever you decide on. If you guys are more into active activities, I'd plan them after you've had time to relax, adjust to any time/ weather differences, etc.

We just took our honeymoon after it was delayed due to COVID. We spent 20 days touring England, Scotland, and Ireland. I’d definitely recommend Ireland over Mexico or Hawaii. Tons of things to do and see across the country. If you’re looking for a quieter/romantic place to stay, about 30 minutes outside of Dublin is a spa hotel called The Cliff at Lyons. We stayed in a Lily Pond room and had the loveliest two nights. We then traveled to Cong to stay 3 nights at Ashford Castle. Took a day trip to Inishmore, off Galway’s coast which was amazing. We loved our week in Ireland and are planning on returning to see more in the near future. Highly, highly recommend.


Looking at our stay at Cliff at LyonsView from our room at Ashford

InishmoreTemple Bar, Dublin

View Quoted Comment This looks incredible!!!

View Quoted Comment It was an exceptional trip.

View Quoted Comment

What all-inclusive did you do in Jamaica? That is where we are looking!

View Quoted Comment

We went to Ocho Rios! It was so pretty, the weather was great, there were tons of options for food and things to do. I'd say the downsides would be that you have to take an hour and a half shuttle from the airport to the resort, the rooms are a bit dated (they weren't the ones that open directly into the ocean or a pool like I saw in pictures of other resorts), and there's not really a lot of space to walk on the beach (if that's your thing). We overheard someone say that the Sandals South Coast was a little newer, but I'm not sure what the airport/ experience is like there to vouch for it one way or another.

We're getting married on October 24th and just booked our honeymoon. Weather-wise, you'd be best doing something in the Caribbean like Jamaica. We were originally going to do that but realized all-inclusives in Mexico and flights to/from there were less expensive. If you do end up picking Jamaica, I highly recommend looking at the Excellence Oyster Bay all-inclusive. You can use the promo code below for a sweet, sweet discount. Just be aware travel in Jamaica is INSANELY EXPENSIVE so tours you take get pricey fast. Here's a small list of tours we were looking at doing if we did Jamaica: Black River & YS Falls day trip, Chukka Best of the West (horseback riding/jungle river tubing/zipline), Martha Brae river tour, Luminous Lagoon (swim in glowing waters at night), Rick's Cafe & Sunset Cruise.

We're spending 6 nights at Excellence Riviera Cancun in a swim-up suite for $2250. The pool is right behind our room along with a private sun bed, a tub on the balcony and a big whirlpool tub in the middle of the room. There's a promo code NEWESCAPE2023 to use on any Excellence resort stay from I think August to beginning of December (the off season). We also got a free honeymoon package added (special romantic dinner, sparkling wine upon arrival, champagne breakfast in bed, etc.), all you have to do is tell them it's your honeymoon and bring proof that you got married within the last 3 months. Details are on their website.

It's about an hour from Tulum, where there's Mayan ruins to explore, cenotes to swim in (freshwater caves), crystal blue water for snorkeling, and a few other similar tours that have ziplining, ATVs, etc.. Chichen Itza is around 3 hours away if you wanted to do a full day trip there.

We did a ton of research; Excellence Playa Mujeres is a little more expensive and farther from Tulum but it's also one of the best rated all-inclusives in Mexico. Pretty much all Excellence properties are some of the best you can stay at without breaking the bank; $375 a night including taxes, fees, and airport pick up/drop off is hard to beat! Especially in a gorgeous suite with free honeymoon upgrades. They also offer free cancellation with no fees if you cancel up to 24 hours before check-in just in case something happens.