Author Topic: Caribbean honeymoon in January on a mustachian budget?  (Read 2910 times)

PeachFuzzInVA

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Caribbean honeymoon in January on a mustachian budget?
« on: September 25, 2014, 07:22:43 PM »
Any tips/advice for keeping the cost down? Our plan so far has been to wait until the groupon deals for that time frame come out to book it on the cheap, but if anyone has better tips I'm all ears.

MountainBeard

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Re: Caribbean honeymoon in January on a mustachian budget?
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2014, 09:11:56 PM »
I like the All Inclusive resorts.  It's a bit more upfront, but I tend to relax a bit more when I can eat wherever I want and constantly have a boat drink in my hand.  I've only done this once, for our babymoon, and used Apple Vacations - I felt like we got a good price.

If you buy airfare separately, you might still have time to find a credit card with a sign up deal.  Last year I got an AA card with 100k bonus miles, which could cover all the airfare.

Once your down there most of the resorts have a number of things to do, but depending on where in the Caribbean you head, there's can be lots of great activities in town that are inexpensive if you do them outside the tour companies.  I really like Mexico, and from the Riviera Maya there's lots of day trips to see the Mayan ruins and hike.  Makes for a fun day getting to wake up and do something cultural, followed by the beach and more boat drinks!


davisgang90

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Re: Caribbean honeymoon in January on a mustachian budget?
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2014, 03:33:30 AM »
I'll second the all-inclusive, that way you know what it will cost (mostly) upfront.

Groupon may or may not be a good deal.  These days many properties have low price guarantees making the search sites and groupon less relevant (except for good ideas).

chasesfish

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Re: Caribbean honeymoon in January on a mustachian budget?
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2014, 04:17:49 AM »
Are you looking for a resort experience, or are you a frugal traveler and wiling to try something different?

Resort Experience - Mexico is by far the cheapest.

If you want to see the real Caribbean, then rent an apartment or guest house for a week.  Go to VRBO, then pick a place that isn't too expensive but safe enough for you to get around on your own.  A quick search and I've turned up 1br guest houses in St John's and the British Virgin Islands for around $1000/wk.  You're going in the high season too.   Here's an example, not too shabby:

http://www.vrbo.com/85791

dude

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Re: Caribbean honeymoon in January on a mustachian budget?
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2014, 06:35:27 AM »
I never do all-inclusive. No thanks.  I don't want warmed-over, Americanized food when I'm in a foreign place, and boozing it up to try and get my money's worth isn't my idea of a good time.  DW and I travel to Cozumel, Mexico 1-2x/year, from Boston, generally for @$750-$800 pp (r/t airfare + hotel).  There are cheaper options.  Great, local food is cheap and plentiful.  It helps to rent a car or scooter (we rent a car for @$210 for the week).

Problem with travelling to the Caribbean in January is it's high season.  Go in early December, or after mid-April, and it's a lot cheaper and far less crowded.