Beach and All-Inclusive Resort Honeymoons Are In, Destination Weddings Are Out

In a recent survey, more than 500 TripAdvisor users weighed-in on what makes for an ideal honeymoon. More than 68 percent of respondents said a beach destination is the perfect honeymoon retreat, while country/mountain destinations were a distant second, with a mere 11 percent.

All-inclusive adults-only resorts were the hands-down favorite for dream honeymoon accommodations, with support of nearly half of those surveyed. The next most popular honeymoon accommodations were city hotels and cruises, but both appealed to less than 10 percent. Destination weddings, where the invited guests travel with the wedding party, did not appeal to survey respondents, with 67 percent saying they would not consider a destination wedding/honeymoon.

"Aside from picking a gown, honeymoon planning might be the most nerve- wracking part of planning a wedding," said Michele Perry, TripAdvisor spokesperson. "It's the one trip that is guaranteed to create lifetime memories and you want to be sure they are happy. Our best advice is to listen to fellow travelers and get their secrets to picking the right destination, finding the perfect hotel and taking all the stress out of the honeymoon, making it a blissful escape from the frenzy of the wedding day."

In other findings from the TripAdvisor survey, respondents said that one to two weeks, tops, is long enough for a honeymoon. Rest and relaxation, luxurious accommodations, great food and beautiful sunsets were rated highly, while hot tubs and champagne have lost their luster on the "honeymoon essentials" list.

TripAdvisor offers travelers an honest guide to honeymoon success with an insider's look at what's hot and what's not, based on the opinions of real travelers.

TOP DESTINATIONS -- TripAdvisor's 10 most romantic destinations, according to TripAdvisor editors based on user interest

1. Paris
2. Bora Bora
3. Venice
4. Maui
5. Buenos Aires
6. Vienna
7. Santorini
8. Napa Valley
9. Anguilla
10. Las Vegas

TOP HOTELS -- TripAdvisor's best bets for romantic honeymoon accommodations in the Caribbean, Europe and the South Pacific

CARIBBEAN
The Caves, Negril, Jamaica
22 Reviews, most recent posted May 9, 2005
Average price, U.S. $551

"The resort itself is like nothing I had ever seen and the pictures on the website simply do not do it justice. I kept telling my husband that I can't believe a place like this exists and that we were actually staying here!!!" -- TripAdvisor User, posted May 9, 2005

EUROPE
San Clemente Palace, Venice, Italy
72 Reviews, most recent posted May 27, 2005
Average price U.S. $502

"Wow, this hotel is simply amazing. It really is a 'Palace'. This is one of the only hotels that we have stayed in that has actually superseded our expectations. On arrival, they congratulated us and greeted us [by name], they then upgraded us into a suite on arrival with a bottle of champagne in our room. This absolutely made our honeymoon!" -- TripAdvisor User, posted May 27, 2005

SOUTH PACIFIC
Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
18 Reviews, most recent posted May 27, 2005
Average price U.S. $692

"My husband and I just got back from seven wonderful days at BBPBR. I wish I could hop on a plane and go back. Our room was an over-water premium bungalow and it was gorgeous. Room #15 it was truly a postcard view. The room was wonderful and the view just took our breath away. The resort is great the staff was very helpful and kind." -- TripAdvisor User, posted May 27, 2005

Note: TripAdvisor calculates an average price for each hotel, which is based on the rates of available rooms obtained from booking partners and other independent sources of pricing information. In addition, average hotel prices are updated nightly based on prevailing conversion rates. These are only estimates and not guarantees. Rates are subject to seasonal fluctuations.