Honeymoon planning

Photo credit: Swetha Naveen

So you are planning for a HONEYMOON, welcome this blog post and I am sure by the end of your reading you will get some ideas to plan a memorable HONEYMOON. I know planning a HONEYMOON is very tricky and needs lot of planning and consumes lot of time. That to if you are stressed out in planning wedding arrangements, planning a HONEYMOON will be another herculean task, but there is no go you have to plan it right else your HONEYMOON might go bad. There are two ways of planning a HONEYMOON.

• Look for a reputed travel company and buy a well suitable HONEYMOON package.
• Plan it for yourself from start to end.

In this blog I will be talking about the second option for HONEYMOON planning. We will also see what are the pro’s and con’s about each options. Information is provided from my own experience from my HONEYMOON in April-May 2012. Every couple dreams about having a memorable & Romantic HONEYMOON, it’s once in a life time experience for every couple. Here are few of the things that you need to do for perfect HONEYMOON.

Discuss and plan as a couple: This is the first and most important aspect of HONEYMOON planning, Involve your spouse while planning. Get to know what are their preferences are and what do they like. Do not allow your parents or relatives plan your HONEYMOON (even though they are sponsoring). Ideas will differ depending upon life style, so things they plan may not be of your taste. Get to know what your women/man wants on a HONEYMOON.

Decide your budget: Without a proper budgeting you cannot have any idea of the duration of your HONEYMOON, place and activities.
Decide on a location:  Check the weather and select the location. If its summer selecting a hot and humid place is disastrous, select a place where it will be cool and comfortable to stay. Do a research about the location which you are visiting by browsing the net. Book your travel in advance: Booking your air ticket or train ticket well in advance saves you lot of money. It also helps in planning next place to visit.
Book Hotel rooms in advance: Browse and book Hotel rooms well in advance at least for the first few days after arrival, This is very important as you cannot go in search of Hotels on the spot. Browse the net see reviews of the hotels and book which is suitable for you. Also note booking cheap hotel by seeing the pictures is a gamble you might end up booking a lousy hotel. Couples prefer a quiet and uncrowded hotel location to unwind at the end of the day. Most of the hotels in HONEYMOON destinations have rooms designed for HONEYMOON couples, so check out any HONEYMOON packages with the hotel manager. Select a hotel which has nature surrounding it and do not select which has a boring and noisy neighborhood.

Travel light: Do not pack extra cloths and unnecessary things, if you are travelling by domestic air they will have minimum permissible weight and if you exceed you will be charged extra. You can always reuse your cloths after a laundry rather than paying extra for the airliner.

Food and Beverages: Most of the well known hotels will have restaurants, Get to know there local delicacies and special menu for the day. Check for a romantic candle light dinner option which helps in making your HONEYMOON memorable event.

Local sightseeing: Hire a private taxi or a tourism run sightseeing bus to explore the tourist places around. Spend some quality time with your life partner outside in nature rather than spending all inside 4 walls of the hotel room.
Some of the top HONEYMOON destinations in India are.

1. Kerala: It’s also called Gods own country, famous for nature, Kerala backwater.
2. Ooty: Most popular hill station in south India, and famous for its tea plantations.
3. Kodaikanal:  Again a hill station and a good place to escape from summer heat.
4. Goa: If you are looking for spending time with your loved one near the sea beach and soak up in the sun then Goa is the destination.  Indulge in some fine wine drinking and for foodies it’s a heaven. 
5. Simla, Mussoorie, Kullu & Manali: These are the most famous destinations in Himachal Pradesh. If you are looking to spend time close to nature these are the place to be. There are lots of nearby places to visit.
6. Darjeeling: Also called as queen of hills is well known for its natural beauty and tea plantations. 
7. Kashmir: Heaven on earth. It’s serene and a perfect place for a couple to spend time and get to know about each other. There are many sightseeing places to see.

Below find a brief out line of a Honeymoon planning.

Day and event

Day 01: Bangalore – FAGU Board Bangalore- Delhi morning flight alight in New Delhi, Get on to HTDC Volvo & travel to Shimla & Shimla to FAGU. On arrival check in Hotel. Evening roam around Mall road in Shimla. Dinner & Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 02: Shimla Full Day Local Sight covering Chail, Kufri and back to  Fagu. Dinner & Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 03 : Spend time at FAGU

Day 04: Shimla – Kullu - Manali (280 kms/9 hrs) After breakfast, drive to Manali via Kullu. On arrival transfer to Hotel. Dinner & Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 05: Manali sightseeing After breakfast, excursion trip to visit Nehrukund, Marhi, Rohtang Pass by local jeep ( own cost). Come back in evening to hotel for dinner & overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 06: Manali sightseeing After breakfast, visit local sightseeing i.e. Hadimba Temple, Vashisht Bath, Jagat Sukh etc. Dinner & Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 07: Manali – Kasol                                                 Reach Kasol vally and via Bunthar. If you do not get direct bus to Kasol from Manali you will get connecting bus in bunthar.

Day 08: Kasol - Manikaran: Laze around Kasol and visit to Manikaran hot water spring and Guradwar & come back to Kasol.

Day 09: Kasol - Kullu: Check out from Kasol and get back to Kullu for a overnight bus journey to Delhi

Day 10: Delhi-  Bangalore: Reach Delhi early morning & catch a flight and reach bangalore to home.