TOP 6 OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH DESTINATIONS for Destination Weddings or Honeymoons for 2020

Everyone wants their wedding to be special, and there are a lot of ways to accomplish that. For some couples who want a destination wedding or honeymoon, adding that little something extra could come by choosing a unique location. In this article, we’ll tell you about our favorite “off-the-beaten-path” destinations for weddings and honeymoons for 2020.

St. Vincent and The Grenadines

Even if you’re familiar with the world of destination weddings, you may never have heard of St. Vincent and The Grenadines. Not only does this collection of islands in Caribbean have beautiful, white sandy beaches, it also has lush gardens, swaying coconut trees, breathtaking mountains, and vibrant flora.

Bequia Beach Hotel Luxury Resort & Spa. Credit: Instagram @bequiabeachhotel

The island is home to many private beaches of white, gold, and even black sand. You can also find a number of small luxury resorts, including Bequia Beach Hotel Luxury Resort & Spa, which is located on a private island. A stay at Bequia includes a ferry ride, making it the perfect location for a romantic honeymoon retreat. Recently, Air Canada has started offering direct flights to St. Vincent and The Grenadines from Toronto.  

Huatulco

Huatulco is the perfect destination if you’re looking for a more authentic Mexican experience than you could get at popular tourist spots like Cancun. Huatulco is home to many sleepy towns and villages that you and your spouse can explore together. This collection of nine bays is also a great spot for nature lovers. Together, the area forms Bays National Park, a protected reserve where you can kayak, fish, and discover beautiful reefs.

Dreams Huatulco Resort and Spa. Credit: AMResorts

You have many resorts to choose from in Huatulco, including Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa, Barcelo Huatulco, Las Brisas Huatulco, Camino Real Zaashila Huatulco, Park Royale Huatulco Beach Resort, and the adults-only Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa.

Cartagena

Cartagena, Colombia has a bit of everything you could possibly want in a romantic travel destination. The historic squares, architecture, and cobblestone alleys of the Old Town show off its European influence while still maintaining an authentic Colombian flair. Combine these aspects with the gorgeous climate of the Caribbean and this spot is just waiting for you to fall even more in love—with it and with each other.

Cartagena, Colombia. Credit: TICartagena

For easy planning, you can book a flight on Air Canada with Romantic Planet Vacations and stay at the Hotel Dann Cartagena or the Hilton Cartagena Hotel & Resort. The Hotel Dann offers beautiful sea views and quick access to the beach and Historic Center of the city. With more of a luxury resort feel, surrounded as it is by the Caribbean Sea, the Hilton Cartagena offers access to secluded beaches.

Iceland

Iceland might not have the sandy beaches you’d expect of a destination wedding, but the country has so much to offer nonetheless. Trade in your bathing suit for a pair of hiking boots and explore the rocky terrain, lava fields, waterfalls, and geysers. Or, if you really want to go for a swim, visit the picture-perfect Blue Lagoon.

Iceland. Credit: Blue Lagoon

There are a number of guided tours you can book that will take you from the capital and across the country, visiting natural landmarks and attractions across the way. If you travel at the right time, you can even take in the Northern Lights! With Air Canada, you can get a flight directly from Toronto to Reykjavik. Ask Romantic Planet Vacations for more details. 

Costa Rica

Whether you’re looking for lush tropical rainforests, beachfront relaxation, or a luxury resort experience, Costa Rica has something for every couple. You could wake up every day staring into the ocean or surrounded by green leaves and trees. Costa Rica also offers fun activities like zip lining, whitewater rafting, and hot springs. It’s the perfect combination of romance and adventure.

Secrets Papagay. Credit: Secrets Resorts

Our team of experts at Romantic Planet Vacations were lucky enough to spend quality time in Costa Rica in June 2019. Some of our favourite properties include the family-friendly Margarittaville Resort, with its relaxed atmosphere, beachfront location, and affordability, as well as Planet Hollywood, which had great food and entertainment. If you want an adults-only experience for your romantic destination wedding or honeymoon, we recommend the expansive Secrets Papagay retreat or the private Azura Beach Resort.

Europe River Cruise

If you and your spouse want to travel the world but want your family there with you on your special day, then a boutique Europe River Cruise might be the perfect choice. These all-inclusive family cruises include special events and excursions designed for you and your guests. This would certainly be a unique experience for everyone involved as you travel along some of the most famous rivers in Europe.

Uniworld U River Cruise. Credit: Instagram @u_rivercruises

For the ceremony itself, you can either choose to say “I do” right onboard the ship, or choose a port of call that suits you and your fiancé best. This is the perfect option for anyone who really wants their wedding to leave an impression!

If you want to learn more about unique and exotic locations for your 2020 destination wedding or honeymoon, then contact Romantic Planet Vacations at 1-866-247-8123 or travel@romanticplanet.ca today!

*Romantic Planet Vacations is a value partner with Air Canada Vacations because they offer 63 city connectors, have 39 years experience, and have won top airline award in North America for last 3 years. They have 50 aircrafts (rouge), 100+ routes, 750 resorts, 40 sunny destinations, 63 new resorts, and 100+ cruises to offer. Air Canada Vacations also spotlight products and have exclusive bonuses. At Romantic Planet Vacations, we can book and hold 30 seats for 90 days with only a wedding couple deposit.

Travel Headlines News

AMResorts welcomed the 447-suite Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rico on Monday in the country's Guanacaste region. The all-inclusive property sits 90 minutes from the airport in Liberia and close to two major national parks. It offers eight restaurants, five bars, several pools, kids and teen clubs, and other guest services.

AMResorts also opened the 35-suite Zoetry Villa Rolandi Isla Mujeres Cancun this past weekend. The former Villa Rolandi property offers a Thalasso spa with a natural saltwater pool, a private marina, and other features.

The famed 44-suite Malliouhana luxury resort in Anguilla is now open again, after being closed for three years for a complete overhaul. It's now an Auberge Resorts property. (In other news, the island's Cap Juluca resort re-opened last weekend for the winter season after repairing slight damage from a recent tropical storm, and the resort says there was no erosion on the nearby beach.)

The airport in Punta Cana (D.R.) opened Terminal B (its second terminal) this past weekend. The new facility features 50 check-in counters, a food court, a Champagne bar, a designated smoking area, and other services.

The owners of the 98-room Capella Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, took over the property Monday, expelling the Capella Hotel Group managers on site. The property has been closed to fix damage from Hurricane Odile in mid-September. It's been renamed the Resort at Pedregal, but Capella Hotel Group plans to mount a legal fight to regain control of the hotel.

Princess Cruises christened the 3,560-passenger ship "Regal Princess" in a ceremony that featured the six original cast members of the TV show "Love Boat" as the vessel's godparents and a record-breaking 51 Champagne bottles being smashed against its hull for good luck (50 bottles for the line's 50th anniversary, plus one more for the future).

Carnival Corp. says it will introduce a new long-range broadband wireless Internet network on all of the ships across its nine brands that's 10 times faster than the current system. The rollout should be done by the end of 2016.

The Linq Hotel & Casino opened last week in Las Vegas. Formerly the Quad Resort & Casino, the property underwent a complete overhaul to appeal to "the under 40 crowd."

Signature Vacations reintroduced its Los Cabos packages from nine Canadian gateways, as more hotels there have reopened and repaired recent hurricane damage.

For more information, please contact your honeymoon and destination wedding specialists at www.romanticplanet.ca 

The Pros and Cons of a No-kid Destination Wedding

As with any parent, we should know that you cannot stand in between them and their children, unless you want a raging mamma-bear attack you. So why do brides try?

As destination wedding specialists, Romantic Planet Vacations gets approached by about five to ten destination weddings brides and grooms a year who want to put the ban on having kids attend their destination weddings, which means, if you want to bring your kids, you're simply not invited.

There is certainly an appeal of having your destination wedding at a luxurious adult-only 5-star resort on the tropical beaches of paradise, minus the screams and cries of little minions running around. These resort properties, such as El Dorado Resorts, Secrets Resorts, Excellence Resorts, Couples Resorts and Sandals Resorts cater to such a market. The restaurants have mature and gourmet menus and no high-chairs, the pools are peaceful and calm with no prospects of unexpected pool splashes in your margarita, and the beaches are relaxing and clean from the clutter of little beach toys. The rooms are romantic, emphasizing king-sized beds, open shower plans, and unobstructed view balconies. There are no kids clubs and no kids pools. Everything is for the enjoyment of adults....only. 

But what do you do if you have one wedding guest who has a child and must bring them? Do you change your destination wedding plans just for that one person or surely the resort will make an exception so to get your big destination wedding group business. Or will they?

There was a situation recently that the bride and groom were getting married a second time around. It was going to be a small wedding and they preferred to get married at a Sandals adult-only resort in St. Lucia. In this particular case, the bride had a 17 year old daughter and the rest of the ten passengers were adults. The team at Romantic Planet Vacations contacted the General Manager at the Sandals property, the sales rep for Sandals, their boss and their boss's boss, and all said there was NO exception on their adult-only rule. The group ended up having to book at a 4 star family-friendly resort in St. Lucia instead and although the wedding was incredible, the bride returned feeling a little unfulfilled. And this is the case with most, if not all, adult-only resorts. If they make one exception, they have to make more and then they will lose the whole concept of the adult-only theme in the first place, so in most cases, they do not, even if it means turning away a whole wedding group. 

What about the option of having those guests with kids stay off-property at another resort? In this case, the adults can come to your resort for the wedding itself, at approximately US$100 per person day-pass rate, but the children must stay away. Knowing today's moms, they don't like the idea of leaving their children alone, even at a supervised kids club, let alone in a foreign country at a foreign resort while their celebrating elsewhere. In most cases, it just doesn't happen. 

However, when you work with a destination wedding travel specialist like Romantic Planet Vacations, they take great pride in being able to utilize their expertise, knowledge, training and experience from over the last nine years of serving destination weddings, to find the right solution to meet your needs and that of your wedding guests. 

Take the case of Natasha and Will, married in Jamaica in February 2013. The bride had been dreaming of an adult-only resort for their destination wedding years before even getting engaged. Under all circumstances, it absolutely had to be a luxury adult only resort for their destination wedding. It was their first and only wedding so it was going to be done right. All plans were in place, engagement ring on the finger, and all guests onboard and excited. Then, her only brother had a child. Although thrilled to have a brand new nephew, she was in turmoil on what to do with her wedding plans as her brother's presence was a must. As a solution, Romantic Planet Vacations found the perfect resort to cater to their needs. The Iberostar Rosehall complex, near Montego Bay, consists of a 5-star adult-only section (The Grand), a 4.5

star family friendly section (The Suites) and a 4 star budget-conscious family-friendly section (The Beach). Although the family-friendly section guests could not enter the adult-only section, the guests from the adult-only section could visit the family-friendly sections, and hence, could also enjoy their vacation with her brother, wife and new nephew. Natasha's brother and wife got to attend the wedding in the adult-only section with the day-pass, while leaving their infant with the resort's babysitter for a couple of hours. The resort even provided them a beeper for that peace of mind and they were literally a 5 minute walk from their child. The bride got her wish of the dream wedding and stay at an adult-only property. Her brother attended the wedding. They visited with their family and friends throughout the resort complex and had a great time. Tragedy was averted.

But what if you want zero, none, zilch, no kids, at all, anywhere near your wedding or resort? What if you want adult fun with your friends and family without having them run off to spend time with their kids? You can certainly find a diplomatic way of advising "adults only" on your wedding invitation, but know that you do risk that these parent-guests will not attend at all. Without getting upset that they can't go, the best advice is to just walk around the bear and her cubs, to avoid an all-out fight. Let the parent-guests know that you do love their cute little cubs but this is your dream from when you were a child and emphasize that you understand fully if they can't make it. 

If you do have parent-guests that are able to make the trip as they have awesome babysitter grandparents at home, but they can't attend for the whole week, there is certainly the option to travel for a shorter duration. Your travel destination wedding specialists can find the airline and package that will cater to this need. At least in this case, they get a break too.

If you need a solution for the best resort to cater to your destination wedding needs, with or without kids, please feel free to contact Romantic Planet Vacations, specialists in destination weddings since 2004. They can be contacted at inquiries@romanticplanet.ca or www.romanticplanet.ca. They offer destination wedding packages to worldwide locales but cater to the all-inclusive places of Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Bahamas, Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Sunwing Releases New and Exciting Flights from Western Canada

UPDATED! New Routes from Western Canada for Winter 2014/15

We have Grand Bahamas, Punta Cana and Liberia, Costa Rica added! 

For next year's winter season 2014/2015, Sunwing/Signature Vacations has just announced some exciting flight additions to it's family of chartered flights from Western Canada.

Punta Cana will now be offered from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. With the Dominican Republic being a top destination for honeymooners and wedding groups, these new flights are a warm welcome to the industry. All flights depart and return on Mondays, which is perfect for those wedding guests from across Western Canada who want to travel on the same day. These flights start December 22nd, 2014 and end April 6th, 2015.

In Punta Cana there is an abundance of unique product, anchored by the Royalton Punta Cana and Memories Splash, both resorts getting great reviews and feedback, not to mention the Riu properties (including Adults Only) and the very popular Hard Rock Punta Cana Resort.

If you are looking for something more unique for your romantic getaway, we are totally excited to announce that Grand Bahamas Island will now be offered from Calgary starting Saturday November 15th, 2014! Here, the best resort options would be the Grand Lucaya Resort, which is a 4.5 star property offering EP and all-inclusive options. The discounted group rate for the inaugural flight including roundtrip airfare, transfers and 7-nights all-inclusive accommodations is $1748 + $230 tax per person! However, the Memories Grand Bahamas Beach and Casino Resort, also rated 4.5 star, is packaged at a stellar packaged group rate of only $1458 + $230 tax per person! These rates include a Fuel Promotion of $160 discount per person, that is offered by Sunwing/Signature Vacations but expires on April 8th, 2014. 

Grand Lucayan Resort, Grand Bahamas

For those traveling from Edmonton, you will be delighted to hear that you now have the option to travel to Costa Rica! These flights will operate on Sundays and our top favorites here are the RIU Guanacaste Resort and the new RIU Palace Costa Rica Resort. Both are located side by side on the most beautiful stretch of sandy beach. For those who want the newest flight and newest resort possible, why not consider the brand new 5-star Dreams Las Mareas Resort, the newest addition to the Dreams Resorts chain and coming to Costa Rica on November 1st, 2014!

The added value to these Sunwing flights are a welcome glass of free champagne for everyone on-board with a hot meal, leather seating, in-flight first run movies, and complimentary bride/groom upgrade to Elite Plus and access to the Plaza Premium Lounge when 10 passengers are traveling together to name a few.

For more information and to obtain a quote for your honeymoon, destination wedding or romantic getaway, please contact Romantic Planet Vacations at 1-866-247-8123 or inquiries@romanticplanet.ca

WestJet Airline choose Costa Rica as its first Central American destination Westjet opened its first route to Central America with a connecting flight in Toronto to Liberia, Guanacaste. WestJet is a low-cost airline offering scheduled services to 81 destinations in North America and the Caribbean and its fleet consists of 99 Boeing 737 aircraft. The airline will fly twice a week (Monday and Saturday) with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with capacity of 166 passengers. This flight will provide the country with 34,528 seats available per year to travel from/to Canada, which is the second largest tourist market to Costa Rica after the United States.

PANAMA TRAVEL DEALS!!!! We welcome the new hotels as The Hotel Riu Panama Plaza, Hotel Hilton Double Tree, hotel Finisterre Suites & SPA Panama, in Panama City and in Boquete, the new hotel Ladera. Bocas Del Toro 4 days - 3 nights from $398 includes: local transfers, 3 nights of lodging + hotel taxes, domestic flights, breakfasts, information kit. This is a great extension from Panama City!! Prices valid until Sep 15, 2010. Panama-Azuero Adventure 9 Days/8 Nights includes: City Tour, Rainforest tour and visit to the Rainforest Discovery Center, flight to Pedasi in Azuero Peninsula, overnight at Casa de Campo Pedasi, visit to Iguana Island wildlife refugee, Cultural tour of Azuero, beach days in Playa venao, horse back riding tours and more. Two Countries, One adventure 14 Days / 13 Nights Costa Rica & Panama In Panama: a visit to the Embera Community in Chagres National Park; El Valle, a picturesque mountain town, and the San Blas Islands. Then in Costa Rica you will visit Monteverde's cloud forest and the Arenal Volcano. This tour offers the best of two countries at a very affordable price. Contact www.romanticplanet.ca for more details!

BACK FROM COSTA RICA

I have just returned from an excellent trip to Costa Rica! This is a most ideal destination for those seeking a little adventure, getting close to nature, and for those couples looking for a romantic getaway.

I traveled South from San Jose to the town of Quepos and the Manual Antonio National Park. A hike through the park (on your own is fine or you can hire a tour guide equipped with a telescope at the entrance of the park for around US$40 per person) awards you breathtaking views of the rainforest and a chance to dip in a waterfall pool, and many visits to secluded beaches. However, we saw more animals like sloths, monkeys, raccoons, crabs and bats at the gorgeous Hotel Parador located near the park.

Heading North from there we visited the Monteverde Cloud Forest and did an exciting zip-line trip with a thrilling Tarzan Swing as a finale at the El Establo Hotel, still owned by the same family of the original Quakers that pioneered the area in the 50s. For twenty bucks, a night walk introduces you to all of the creepy-crawlies of the dark. Onward we drove around the very scenic Arenal Lake to the beautiful area of the Arenal Volcano, which is one of the top ten most active volcanoes in the world. It's definitely a sight to see this massive triangular icon that towers over the town of La Fortuna and all surrounding areas for miles and miles. Watching the volcano gives you the similar trance-like feeling that you get when watching a fish-tank or fire in a fireplace. It's bellowing smoke rises from it's peak and forms pillows of clouds by day and the bright red lava flow lights up a glow periodically by night (the best view by night is from the restaurant at Linda Vista Hotel or by the bridge - the locals will know). A hike in the National Park is a must as you get to walk on past lava flows and lava rocks from eruptions as early as 1992 and if you stand quietly, you can actually hear the present lava flow crackle as new earth is formed and of the crashing of rocks tumbling down the volcano's steep slopes.

My favorite resort in the Arenal area is the brand new 'The Springs'. It's a little off of the main road but worth the journey as it affords it's visitors with great warmth and hospitality, all modern amenities of a luxury property, amazing views of the volcano from all bars, restaurants and rooms, and the best natural thermal springs in the entire area. It's most ideal for honeymoons as there are things to do like darts, pool-tables, ping-pong, dipping in their many romantic thermal pools, socializing with other couples and/or staff or just cuddling and watching the volcano from the many balconies and viewpoints of the resort.

If you prefer to stay up front and close to the volcano however, this can be had by staying at the quiet and relaxing Arenal Kioro Hotel where the volcano view from your bed is through a window that stretches two stories high from floor to ceiling and the only thing that separates you from the old lava is a farmers field.

Onward to the North and it's extensive coves and bays of beaches, we arrived at the brand new RIU Guanacaste, an all-inclusive resort located in a remote area of Playa Ocotal. It's your typical all-inclusive property with it's droves of tourists getting rowdy at the pool-bar and over-eating at the restaurants. It was a completely different feel than the other Costa Rica we had just experienced. Even though this palatial resort was located on the best beach I saw in Costa Rica and had an amazing swimming pool and clean rooms, I would still highly encourage any visitor to this magnificent country to get out of their enclosure of the resort for at least a day. Renting a car is very fun, easy and safe. Try 'comida typica' which is the local main dish of rice, beans, and choice of meat at any roadside restaurant. It's a fun way to mix with the friendly locals and try out their real cuisine.

The last night was spent at the very expansive luxury all-inclusive Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort. This property is set on over 2,600 acres with a breathtaking golf course. It's highlights to me were the endless list of complimentary activities including a canopy tour, sushi-making, green-fees and more. The beach was smaller that the RIU and the sand was much more coarse so is not really the most ideal setting for a beach wedding but any other acre is yours for the choosing. There are also the Barcelo Langosta Beach, Occidental Papagayo, Hilton, and Allegro Papagayo all-inclusive resorts that have their varying rates and highlights to offer any honeymooners or wedding groups alike.

Flying within Costa Rica is extremely cheap and easy and can be done online at Nature Air or Sansa. Just remember that they have a very limited weight restriction so you need either to be prepared to spend about US$25 for up to 30 more pounds if available, or limit your luggage size and weight. The service and planes are almost as informal as it's runways and airports but it's truly a convenient way to get around the country quickly and safely.

Over-all, I would chalk down my experience in Costa Rica as one of the best countries to ever visit for it's diversity of flora and fauna, forests and animals, it's commitment to preserving nature and the environment, it's friendly and down-to-earth people greeting you with, "Pura Vida!" every where you go, and it's vast landscapes of lush greenery and expansive activities to see and experience.

Please contact us today if you're interested in obtaining a customized itinerary created just for you or any all-inclusive chartered packages. We truly look forward to putting our knowledge and experience to work for you!

Pura Vida!

Laurie Keith
Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist
Romantic Planet Vacations
www.romanticplanet.ca
laurie@romanticplanet.ca