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TRAVEL GETAWAYS
Honeymoon Retreats: Wedding Wows
 Cabanas on stilts at 9 Beaches Resort in Bermuda. |
More newlyweds are planning activities designed to add adventure. Among the trends:
Honeymoons $3,700 Average
cost |
» Combining the wedding and honeymoon. Italy, Spain and France have become popular destinations where wedding parties gather for a ceremony, party and mini-vacation before the couple takes off alone to explore the countryside. The trend is branching out to other parts of the globe where the dollar’s value isn’t as deflated as it is against the euro.
» Going green. At 9 Beaches Resort in Bermuda couples can order organic champagne, wedding cake and flowers; marry in a xeriscaped garden surrounded by native vegetation; plant a tree bearing their name; and stay in a cabana on stilts. The resort uses solar powered-lighting, captured rainwater and battery-operated transportation.
 MSC Cruises offers shipboard tours. |
» Aiming for adventure. At the Plantation Golf Resort & Spa in Crystal River, couples can swim with manatees. At Discovery Cove in Orlando — a sister park to SeaWorld — they can mingle with dolphins. Couples can say their vows underwater at a scuba site in Pensacola, over the skies of Kissimmee in a hot-air balloon, on a go-cart track at Fun Spot Action Park in Orlando, or on the bow of a ship on Biscayne Bay in Miami. Other options: Visiting a dude ranch, whitewater rafting, skiing or mountain-climbing.
» Opting for luxury. The travelers’ trend toward luxury is especially popular among newlyweds, who are upgrading their resorts and requesting extras like butler service. For megaopulent honeymooners, Fort Lauderdale-based MSC Cruises offers a shipboard tour of Northern Europe. In Miami Beach, the South Beach Mediterranean Mansion, built in 1931 by the architect of the famed Versace mansion, is available for $2,500 a night.
 South Beach Mediterranean Mansion for $2,500 a night. |
» Destination bachelor/bachelorette parties. Instead of the hitting the local bars, groups are taking off for places like the Bahamas for one last guys- or girls-only trip before the wedding.
 Links to all of the wedding/honeymoon options mentioned above.
For more articles this month with extra links, go to the Links page. |
