Help me plan my honeymoon

[Davetronz]

Well, at least the travel portion of it...

My fiance and I are getting married on Sept 12, 2009. The week after the wedding (Sept 13-Sept 20) we've booked off from work for a honeymoon.

Here's the kicker... Neither of us are comfortable flying... There's a huge wrench in the plans eh?

So within driving distance, and keeping in mind that I don't want to spend the entire week in the car driving, where should we go, stay and see? Let's not worry about budget, list the awesome places to stay and see in driving distance.

We're pretty easy going people but both of us would rather stay in a 5-star rather than a 2-star or tent.

Help!

[joyridder]

What is your budget? If you don't mind the drive, why not head to Victoria? Stay in the Empress, enjoy the downtown life! Great restaurants, great tours (sea & local & up island). There is tons to do in this area, and quite romantic! I always thought that traveling by train was a cool idea, you get to see just how beautiful BC is, remote areas, interesting towns along the way. September here is great weather wise, can be very warm! What sort of "honeymoon" do you want to have, adventurous? relaxing? Sightseeing?

[Pacman]

How about driving to Vancouver and then take the ferry to Vancouver Island? It's nice there, and you can make the drive in a day if you leave early. Once on the island, you can stay in all sorts of nice towns right on the ocean.

At least both of you are not comfortable flying and not just one of you. I'm a very nervous flyer and avoid it as much as possible, unfortunately, my wife loves travel so I'm on a plane more often than I like.

[Davetronz]

Budget isn't really a consideration right now, sure it's a factor, I don't want to break the bank, but you only have a honeymoon once!

I think we'd rather do a relaxing/sightseeing type honeymoon. We'd also like to take our beagle with us if at all possible (but I have no hesitations sending her to the breeder/farm for a week).

I've never been to Victoria, I'll check out the Empress!

Vancouver Island sounds good too. We have friends in Pt Alberni and Jenn loves it there, I've personally never been. Any specific places on the island you can recommend?

[Pacman]

I've never been, buy my parents (who live in Victoria) say Tofino is a fantastic little place up the island.

Originally posted by Davetronz
Budget isn't really a consideration right now, sure it's a factor, I don't want to break the bank, but you only have a honeymoon once!

I think we'd rather do a relaxing/sightseeing type honeymoon. We'd also like to take our beagle with us if at all possible (but I have no hesitations sending her to the breeder/farm for a week).

I've never been to Victoria, I'll check out the Empress!

Vancouver Island sounds good too. We have friends in Pt Alberni and Jenn loves it there, I've personally never been. Any specific places on the island you can recommend?

[quazimoto]

Chateau lake louise is close by and rather beautiful and more inexpensive at this time of the year. There is plenty of different things to go see and do out there.

[Davetronz]

http://www.longbeachlodgeresort.com/
This place in Tofino looks pretty amazing and has some discounted rates during the time we'd be there. I can also bring my shit weasel beagle...

Do you guys think that going through a travel agent would get us some better deals on any of this? I'm a travel novice so I have no idea.

[joyridder]

Originally posted by Davetronz
Budget isn't really a consideration right now, sure it's a factor, I don't want to break the bank, but you only have a honeymoon once!

I think we'd rather do a relaxing/sightseeing type honeymoon. We'd also like to take our beagle with us if at all possible (but I have no hesitations sending her to the breeder/farm for a week).

I've never been to Victoria, I'll check out the Empress!

Vancouver Island sounds good too. We have friends in Pt Alberni and Jenn loves it there, I've personally never been. Any specific places on the island you can recommend?

Honestly you both would love it here, Port Alberni for instance is only a couple hours drive up island from Vic. We live in Cowichan Bay (40min from downtown Vic), even this seaside town is unique, we have I think 5 different wineries around us. That is the great thing about the island. You can pretty much go anywhere and NOT be disappointed. Tofino is a must (on the way to Port Alberni)....Qualicum Beach, Parksville area is great, Got to go to Butchart Gardens, take a whale watching tour, horse carriage ride in downtown vic (1.5 blocks from the empress). You can spend an entire day just walking around downtown Victoria, museums, James Bay, Oak Bay, Sidney is great too. Even Salt Spring Island is great too, short ferry from Swartz Bay.
Damn I wish I was going on this honeymoon! haha Your getting me more excited about living here, and being able to appreciate all it has to offer!!

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by Davetronz
Vancouver Island sounds good too. We have friends in Pt Alberni and Jenn loves it there, I've personally never been. Any specific places on the island you can recommend?

I have very fond childhood memories of vancouver island and surrounding area, as joyridder says every little town is unique in its own way, really interesting stopping in every one, my family used to go every year for 10 years in a row, if you're down for catching your own meals kinda thing (and eat seafood of course), pretty much the whole coast has an area for it, i can remember waiting for the tide to go out and with my little brother, we dug for clams, set small crab/shrimp pots in lagoons, gathered oysters and mussels and of course did lots of fishing, bring it back to the motel kitchenette for dinner and eat restaurant style seafood for basically the price of a saltwater fishing license. EDIT - all this was very entertaining for us born and raised city kids, i then decided i could survive on clams, crabs and fish if i really had to lol

Just last year i decided to go back to the sunshine coast for the first time in 11 years with my gf, as a kid my family used to goto Powell river alot, my mom and aunt went to powell river the year before, decided to go on the island and ended up at Cortes Island, in the middle of the strait of georgia.

She came back with stories of a freshwater lake in the middle of the island with white sand beach and trout jumping nonstop, all the shellfish you can eat and some of the most amazing views/sunsets she's ever seen here. The population is just under 1000 iirc and its just a totally different life there.

Of course i went and without question it was exactly that and even more, had so much fun there i'm going back at the end of the month for a longer stay, this time hopefully i'll come back with better pictures now that i finally learnt how to use my 40D lol. also better equipped with a dingy to wade through the lagoon to drop a crab pot or 2.

Also near port Alberni, i remember going to Pacific Rim national park, like something out of postcard or BBC planet earth episode, just google it and look at the pictures Victoria has some of the best restaurants too, i swear that place is overrun with amazing eateries. I also always enjoy the whole ferry thing, idk why lol

fk, i want to move to Vancouver one day..

[sk8r3124]

What happened to the Vegas plan Dave?

And if you are driving somewhere, it gives the opportunity for your Usher's to come crash the party. haha

[Davetronz]

Originally posted by sk8r3124
What happened to the Vegas plan Dave?

And if you are driving somewhere, it gives the opportunity for your Usher's to come crash the party. haha

I knew quite a while ago that I wouldn't be able to fly. Jenn was just planning on sedating me and putting me on a plane to Vegas anyways. She just got back from a business trip to Washington DC and got really sick on the plane both ways and didn't do too well. We figured that it's just not worth it to stress, worry, get sick etc over a plane ride for our honeymoon. AFAIK the bridal party (and ushers) will still be able to tag along on this trip, although you'll probably want to drive your own car unless you want to sit next to Casey for 10+ hours...


I'm really stoked for the seafood on the west coast. There are so many things that I'd love to try "fresh" or fresher than we get them here.
The wineries and photography are also of interest to us both.

Has anyone done an Alaskan cruise that has departed from anywhere in BC? Opinions, thoughts, words of wisdom?

[dannie]

I did an alaskan cruise a number of years ago. It was interesting, but cold. We went the end of June, so it should have been fairly decent weather, but it really wasnt. If you really like the cold, I would say go ahead and do the Alaskan Cruise.

I would have to second the other suggestions and tell you to head out to Tofino. ai was only there for a little bit, but adored it. One of my staff goes out there at least once a year and always has fantastic things to say about it.

[sk8r3124]

Originally posted by Davetronz

I knew quite a while ago that I wouldn't be able to fly. Jenn was just planning on sedating me and putting me on a plane to Vegas anyways. She just got back from a business trip to Washington DC and got really sick on the plane both ways and didn't do too well. We figured that it's just not worth it to stress, worry, get sick etc over a plane ride for our honeymoon. AFAIK the bridal party (and ushers) will still be able to tag along on this trip, although you'll probably want to drive your own car unless you want to sit next to Casey for 10+ hours...


I'm really stoked for the seafood on the west coast. There are so many things that I'd love to try "fresh" or fresher than we get them here.
The wineries and photography are also of interest to us both.

Has anyone done an Alaskan cruise that has departed from anywhere in BC? Opinions, thoughts, words of wisdom?

lol, I will let you guys have your honeymoon to yourselves. hahaha A week long vacation with me and we may no longer be friends. Just look what happened between Andrea and I when we went to Vegas. I would honestly look into an Alaskan cruise. Its definitely something different.

[Davetronz]

Originally posted by sk8r3124


lol, I will let you guys have your honeymoon to yourselves. hahaha A week long vacation with me and we may no longer be friends. Just look what happened between Andrea and I when we went to Vegas. I would honestly look into an Alaskan cruise. Its definitely something different.

I'm pretty sure that wouldn't happen to us... After all, you probably wouldn't be trying to have sex with me... LOL

[Davetronz]

Originally posted by dannie
I did an alaskan cruise a number of years ago. It was interesting, but cold. We went the end of June, so it should have been fairly decent weather, but it really wasnt. If you really like the cold, I would say go ahead and do the Alaskan Cruise.

I would have to second the other suggestions and tell you to head out to Tofino. ai was only there for a little bit, but adored it. One of my staff goes out there at least once a year and always has fantastic things to say about it.

Hmmm, I'm not a big fan of the cold... Especially with 7 months of it coming up shortly after September.
The other option is taking a cruise down the west coast to San Fran/LA. There doesn't appear to be any return type cruises so we'd have to catch one down there and then catch another back up.

[sk8r3124]

Originally posted by Davetronz

I'm pretty sure that wouldn't happen to us... After all, you probably wouldn't be trying to have sex with me... LOL

Actually, I put minimal effort in. I thought about it, and the ends didn't justify the means. lol

[dino_martini]

If your heading to Vancouver Island, you have to go to Tofino/Long Beach. Awesome place. If your sticking more towards Victoria (Southern side of Van Island) I would say you should stay at Whiffin Spit Lodge - http://www.whiffinspitlodge.com/

Its a Bed and Breakfast. Great place, run by a really really nice couple. French Beach, China Beach, are two places to check out if you head down the southern side of Vancouver Island towards Port Renfrew.

I have to warn you that Port Alberni is kind of...well a dive. It doesn't really have much. As my father put it "Port Alberni is essentially a rest stop for everybody heading to Tofino".

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Davetronz
http://www.longbeachlodgeresort.com/
This place in Tofino looks pretty amazing and has some discounted rates during the time we'd be there. I can also bring my shit weasel beagle...

MEHHHHHHH on that place.

4+ Years ago it was AWESOME, I suggested it to everyone I knew, we got married there (5 years ago next week), right on the beach, and honeymooned there as well. Great hotel, nice beach, surrounded by forest, awesome service. I would have given it 11 stars out of 10. It was upscale, but not pretentious.

The beach was quite quiet as well. There are no "private beaches" there, but there was only a couple of public entrance to Cox Bay, and they weren't very well known. Most tourists had no idea about it unless they stayed at LBL.

However...

About 3 years ago some a&^holes built another "resort" right next door to it. Completely destroying the solitude like ambiance of the place. They used to call the cottages "Forest Cottages", they can't do that anymore because as you can see in this pic, there's no more forest behind them. Just a barestring of trees.


I'm sure it's still a fine place to go, but it will never be the same to my wife and I, as it was so much better 4-6 years ago. Really sad to us. We used to go every year and stay there. We haven't been back since that other place opened up.

[JWL]

If price isn't an issue and you want your dog to tag along, I would recommend: http://www.wickinn.com/ in Tofino.

[quazimoto]

Just curious what the issue with plains is? You do know that gravol works wonders for flights.