1300 799 712
GIFT REGISTRY
Honeymoon Havens offers a gift registry.
Click here
to read about this great feature.
|
Use your American Express Membership Rewards points to pay for your honeymoon!
(contact us for more details)
|
|
|
Honeymooners' Review
The Honeymoon period is over but the memories remain
Honeymoon couples share their tips so you can further benefit when planning your honeymoon.
| Honeymooners: |
Melanie & Matthew Landrigan |
| When: |
September 2007 |
| Where: |
The Chedi, Phuket Thailand
|
|
|
The Chedi Resort
Dear Sally & the Honeymoon Havens Team,
We have just returned from our honeymoon and wanted to thank you for arranging the most amazing honeymoon for us.
We stayed at The Chedi Phuket which was absolutely incredible and we will be recommending it to everyone.
The resort was gorgeous, right on the beach and we were lucky enough to get upgraded from a hillside villa to a beachside villa.
The staff and the service was unbelievable; nothing was too much trouble and the Chef even offered to cook us ‘whatever we wanted'
Haven Value
Small details like fresh flowers on our pillows and in our bathroom, unlimited complimentary bottled drinking water and the turn down service really added to make our honeymoon extra special.
The best part of the location of The Chedi is that it is out of Patong so we didn't get hassled every time we left our room to go to the beach.
The beach is exclusive to The Chedi guests and there are locals who offer very cheap massages on the beach and any snacks and alcohol you want without the expensive price tag and without constantly hassling you.
Continental breakfast was included in our stay and was fantastic. The chef would could our eggs whatever way we wanted them and the range of the food was everything from fresh fruit, cereal, bacon and eggs, donuts and pastries to traditional Thai food, like rice and chicken.
The lunch and dinner menus were slightly expensive but it was a 5 star hotel and it definitely was 5 star food and service.
Patong Beach is only 15 minute taxi or tuk-tuk ride away and great for bargains but very busy and after a couple of trips we were glad to retreat to our beautiful villa at The Chedi.
Tips for honeymooners
- Patong Beach
- Phi Phi Island
- Elephant trekking
- White Water Rafting
- Phuket Zoo
- Sabai sabai!
- Coyote Mexican restaurant in Patong – we went there 3 times!
The food is amazing and the prices are very good
The shopping in Patong is fantastic and you can get great bargains by bartering.
Definitely negotiate the price of your cab/tut tut ride before you get in!
Haven Highlights
Our beautiful beachfront cottage
The Chedi location, staff & service
Fantastic shopping & our favourite Mexican restaurant
We can't thank Sally and the team at Honeymoon Havens enough for their friendly service.
Even when we had to change our plans 6 weeks before we were suppose to leave nothing was too hard and everything worked out perfectly.
We will definitely be recommending Honeymoon Havens to our engaged friends.
We can't wait to plan our next holiday with Sally and want to go back to The Chedi!!
Kind regards,
Matthew & Melanie Landrigan
|
| Honeymooners: |
Abbie & Chris O'Neill |
| When: |
August 2007 |
| Where: |
Twin Palms, Phuket Thailand
|
|
|
Twin Palms, Surin Beach
The resort was beautiful and a great place to come back to relax each day - Perfectly suited to honeymooners as the rooms were open plan with a huge bed and also a bath. There are screened balconies/court yards of each room which were a perfect place to sit on the lounges and have a drink of an afternoon. You could pull the screens closed and create a private setting where you could see out but others could not see in. The rooms were very modern, particularly the power/lighting which was all controlled off a board on the bedside table. Also little perks like when you opened the cupboard door the light above it automatically came on. There was also a safe which was we found very handy.
The staff were really friendly and always happy to talk to you. They were very excited that Chris wanted to learn some Thai and made sure to teach him a new word or phrase each time we passed through the lobby.
Thank god for ducted air conditioning, which we kept going practically 24/7. We would have sweltered without it.
The pool was beautiful and open 24 hours so the late night dips were a lovely way to cool down.
I'd suggest that you venture out to eat as the restaurant prices were three times higher than restaurants only a 10 minute walk away. This was similar to the drinks so I would suggest you purchase drinks elsewhere and keep them in the bar fridge. The buffet breakfast was fantastic though with a huge variety and open to 11am so most days you could forgo lunch and wait to eat again until dinner. The dining area was beautifully furnished with an indoor/outdoor feel… as was the entire resort.
There is an in-house spa, retail shop and gym. Also free in-house movies and underground car parking if you decide to hire a vehicle. The taxi rank is directly across the road.
Twin Palms is in a great location, only a 5 minute walk to the beach where the resort also has another bar/restaurant and their own beach lounges for guests.
Haven Value
Twin Palms was good value for money, particularly if you want to treat yourself. If you were not worried about receiving 5 star services though, you could probably find accommodation that is even better value in a more private residence. For our first trip overseas it was definitely better to have piece of mind that we would be looked after and I could not begin to compare the costs if we had stayed somewhere of a similar standard in a more western area.
Tips for honeymooners
- It is a good idea to have all your transfers booked before you leave with the travel agent as it can be a hassle otherwise.
- I would definitely recommend visiting Phi Phi Island. It is absolutely beautiful and the snorkelling is amazing.
- If you are booking tours once you arrive in Phuket, go to an agent in Phuket town as it will be cheaper.
- Take cash with you and have it exchanged once in Thailand as you will get a better exchange rate. Also shop around for the best rate. Withdrawing from ATMs will incur a charge and often the ATMs are all in Thai.
- Take advantage of the Tuk Tuks. They will take you sightseeing and shopping for a very reasonable price. Though make sure you tell them if you do not want to go somewhere or if you do not want to spend too much as sometimes they will take you to restaurants etc that are very expensive.
- Bring insect repellent and sunscreen.
- Don't get caught by shop owners/restaurants/massage parlours trying to sell you things. Just say “No thank you” and keep walking.
- Learn to barter, particularly in Patong. Just keep saying “too dear” until they let you walk away, then you know that that's how low they will go. If you name a price that's what you pay, so work out how much you would be willing to pay beforehand.
- Make sure you visit Patong of a night! It's a whole other world!
- Only drink bottled water.
- Remember that the pharmacies sell most items including penicillin and tablets to settle your stomach if the food is not agreeing with you.
- Be careful of what you eat from road side stalls. Sometimes the food is left sitting out for some time and doesn't smell too good.
- If you are brave enough, hire a scooter (make sure you get a helmet each). They're a very easy and cheap way to get around – about $10 to $12 dollars a day and you can get to places the Tuk Tuks and taxis won't take you. There are some beautiful, private beaches not far out of the tourist areas.
- Learn a little Thai – The Thai people seem to really appreciate it and it can come in handy as there are still many people who do not speak any English.
- Carry toilet paper with you… That's right. They don't use it!
Haven Highlights
Mmmm… I'd have to say Phi Phi Island. Oh, and the Siam Elephant Safari. Riding elephant back was amazing!
Honeymoon Havens were exceptional with helping us with our honeymoon and first trip overseas!!! Sally and Melissa were lovely and organised the entire holiday for us based on our budget, giving us heaps of options and making sure we received all of the little extras. They then set up a gift registry so that our wedding guests could contribute to the cost of our honeymoon as a wedding present. It was perfect and we will never forget our trip to Phuket, Thailand.
|
| Honeymooners: |
Katie & Brendan Charters |
| When: |
March 2007 |
| Where: |
Fiji Islands
Lomani & Matamanoa Private Islands
|
|
|
Lomani Island Resort
Excellent! The staff were very friendly and the resort had a very relaxed and romantic atmosphere. The pool was amazing and so was the food.
We recommend that you get the meal package, it is good value for money as it includes 3 course meal at dinner (even the lobster). Also, the cost of food on the islands is fairly expensive. You can use your meal vouchers at the restaurants at Plantation island Resort as well.
The activities were good, and there is a golf course nearby. The surfing is also good and only 20 minutes away by boat.
Lomani has only 12 bungalows, so it feels like you have the whole resort to yourself!! It was great that no kids were allowed as well. There is a free laundry service which is also great. There is no TV, but they provide free DVD rentals. The beach bungalows were beautiful!!
Matamanoa Island Resort
The islands in this area are beautiful and the coral in this area is excellent and you can snorkel straight off the island. The best snorkelling we have ever done!! The beach bungalows are very nice, they have native art drawn on the ceilings. They have sunrise and sunset bungalows. The sunset ones are amazing with a glass of wine in the afternoon.
Matamanoa is perfect for shorter stays rather than a week. There is only 1 restaurant and bar on this island so a little limited, however the dinner menu is different every night. The pool looks great in the picture, but it's fairly small. There is also great diving off this island. There is no TV in the room and only the hotel rooms are air conditioned - it can get very hot at night.
Matamanoa provides more free activities than Lomani. Matamanoa also provides guest entertainment with evening cultural shows each night, e.g. choir, dancing and singing, Kava ceremonies.
Haven Value
Lomani is definitely good value for money. Both resorts provide a fruit platter and champagne on arrival for honeymooners. Matamanoa provides a wooden Plaque with your Christian names engraved.
Tips for honeymooners
- It is a good idea to have all your transfers booked before you leave with the travel agent as it can be a hassle otherwise.
- I would definitely recommend helicopter transfers if heading to Matamanoa, as South Sea Cruises are not always on time and you can spend half a day getting to the island. The ferry to Lomani is good and only takes around 25 minutes to get there from Denaru.
- Definitely book meal plans.
- We recommend doing the diving as well.
- Bring insect repellent (Although Lomani provides this for free).
- Also, make sure you take cash with you before you leave the mainland. There are generally no EFTPOS machines or ATMs. If it is available, they usually charge 10% of what you withdrawal.
- Also, it's a good idea to stock up on duty free and take it on the islands with you, as the drinks a fairly expensive.
Haven
The helicopter transfer to Lomani was fabulous!! It only took 15 minutes to get to the resort from the airport. Great views as well!!
Honeymoon Havens were exceptional with helping us with our honeymoon!!! Very helpful and friendly staff.
|
|
|
