Your honeymoon should be a once-in-a-lifetime romantic celebration – a chance to spend quality time together while being treated to some seriously luxurious accommodations and experiences. But all too often, newlywed couples feel they have to choose between splurging big or settling for something decidedly un-special.
The good news? With some savvy research and a few insider tricks, it’s entirely possible to enjoy an over-the-top luxe honeymoon without demolishing your travel fund before you even depart. Believe it or not, you can score amazingly opulent hotel stays and lavish extras for a fraction of the usual cost. Here’s how to make your honeymoon suite dreams a budget-friendly reality.
Be Flexible on Dates and Locations One of the best ways to score major deals on luxury hotels is to be flexible with your travel dates and destinations. Room rates can fluctuate drastically depending on the season and demand. An oceanview villa in Bali that costs $1,000 per night during peak season may drop to $300 in their off-peak months. Similarly, hotels in more affordable destinations like Mexico, Thailand and parts of the Caribbean tend to be lower priced overall while still delivering an ultra-posh experience.
To get the best deal, use tools like Google Flights to check prices for different dates and locations around when you hope to honeymoon. Rather than limiting yourself to just one dream spot, create a shortlist of 3-4 possibilities you’d be happy with, then compare total package costs, travel time, and amenities to find the most value.
Opt for an Overwater Villa or Suite If your heart is set on a showstopping overwater villa or private plunge pool suite, you’re going to want to look beyond the big-name luxury resort brands that tend to charge a premium for these coveted rooms. Instead, focus your search on newly opened, all-inclusive or boutique properties in regions like the Maldives, Fiji, Thailand or Mexico’s Riviera Maya that are looking to make a splash with deep discounts on their signature accommodations.
A quick search on a luxury travel site like SkyAuction.com can reveal overwater villas in destinations like the Maldives for as little as $300 per night – an absolute steal considering the same villa is easily $1,000 or more at the brand name resorts. The bonus is that these intimately sized hotels typically include all meals, drinks, activities and amenities in a single package rate so you don’t get nickel and dimed at every excursion or restaurant visit.
Consider Alternative Booking Sites/Platforms Speaking of non-traditional booking options, thinking outside the box can score big savings on luxury hotels that might appear wildly out of reach otherwise. A few options to explore:
- Luxury Home Rental Sites: Sites like VRBO.com, AirBnB.com, Hotelslodges.com and others now offer ways to book incredible private villas or large luxury vacation homes at a fraction of the cost of a full-service hotel. Many listings even include add-on services like private chefs, daily housekeeping and airport transfers to recreate that hotel pampering experience. I recently booked a 3-bedroom beachside villa in Jamaica with its own private pool for $500/night total – far less than comparable hotel suite rates.
- Costco Travel: That’s right – the warehouse club has an incredibly robust travel booking engine that specializes in bundled luxury vacation packages at major discounts for its members. The beauty is that Costco is privy to special contracted rates with high-end hotel brands and usually even more value-adds like room upgrades, resort credits or free nights when booking a package. Current packages start at just $2,500 for 5 nights in an overwater bungalow in Tahiti!
- Hotel Tonight: This popular app is more than just a place for last-minute hotel deals. Luxury hotels will often unload unsold rooms 3-7 days prior to arrival at massive discounts on HotelTonight. This allows hotels to recoup at least some revenue on rooms that would have otherwise gone unoccupied. Search under the “Luxe” or “Bonus” categories for rooms that are 50-75% off typical rates at 4/5-star properties.
- HotelsLodges.com: This website is especially designed to compare and give you the best budget and discounts on hotel rooms for people on honeymoon. If you are lucky you may get a hotel suite in any of the top honeymoon destinations with a flat 50% discount in most hotels.
Consider a Splitter-Honeymoon Can’t decide between that dreamy overwater villa in Bali or a plush Las Vegas penthouse suite? Don’t choose – do both! With flights more affordable than ever, many couples are opting for a “splitter-moon” honeymoon by dividing their trip between two distinctly different destinations or vibes.
For instance, you could spend 4 blissed-out beach nights at an all-inclusive in Antigua followed by 3 wild nights living it up in a luxury hotel suite right on the Vegas strip for roughly the same cost or less than a week at a single 5-star Caribbean resort. Travel by heading to the more expensive or farther destination first to allow for cheaper positioning flights on the second leg.
Cash In Points and Get Hooked Up
If you or your new spouse happens to have a large stash of hotel points saved up thanks to corporate travel or brand loyalty, your honeymoon is the perfect excuse to cash them in. Not only can redeeming points wipe out the nightly room rate altogether, but hotel rewards programs are also known for their next-level VIP treatment of point redemption guests.
Having trouble booking a standard award room on your desired dates? Give the hotel a call – loyalty reps often have access to offload otherwise inaccessible rooms and suites to big points ballers. Even better if you or your partner has attained elite status, as this can trigger automatic room upgrades, free amenities and perks like daily breakfast or lounge access that quickly adds up to offset travel expenses. Marriott and Hilton Honors are two programs known for delivering truly plush extras on points stays.
No matter which tactics or booking methods you employ, the secret to an unbelievably luxurious and hopelessly romantic honeymoon experience at a fraction of the cost is to get creative, do your research, and know how to leverage every discount, point and deal available. With a little resourcefulness, your dream suite or overwater villa is closer than you think.
Book hotels for honeymoon at www.hotelslodges.com