A distinguished couple came to plan their son's honeymoon because they were sponsoring it and their son was too busy to get involved. The father said, "I was at my club today, and asked the other men for ideas on the best resorts. They all agreed on one particular Caribbean resort as being the top of its class. What do you think of it?"

I answered, "Sir, it's certainly in the top 20 of all Caribbean resorts, but do you think the atmosphere is right for this young couple?" He said, "I'm sure that if my friends liked it, my son will". I asked, "What about the bride-to-be?" He replied, "We don't know her very well, but I'm sure she will be impressed by this first-class resort. Just book it."

When the documents arrived in our office, I called the father and suggested that the couple come in for the Departure Interview so they could learn about their resort. The father said "No, they're very busy, I'm going to surprise them with this at the wedding reception."

Three weeks later, the day after the couple arrived at their resort, the father called me to state that the couple had called him, upset, and desperately wanted to change hotels because the resort was too quiet and stuffy, full of guests age 50 and over. We changed them at great penalty. The father said to me, "When my next son gets married, he's coming straight to you and I'm never planning another honeymoon!"

A young man called and said, "I'm really in the dog house. It's less than two months until our honeymoon, I haven't planned anything, I'm going on a business trip tomorrow and I want to book it today! I just talked to my best friend, you sent him to this All-inclusive resort in St. Lucia for his honeymoon and they loved it. Book us at the same resort, same category room he had. I like everything he likes, so I'm sure we'll be happy."

I told him, "Sir, that is not the way we operate, we prefer to meet or teleconference with both of you so we can learn about your preferences first", but he was adamant, so we booked it. Documents came in, we offered the man our Departure Appointment. "Beth, I can't do this now. Just mail me the tickets because I'm surprising my fiancée".

The day after they arrived at the resort, he called me, panic stricken. This surprise honeymoon was not working out. His fiancé hated the place because it was too noisy, too crowded, the dining room service was slow because it was packed, their room overlooked the bar with the band playing day and night.

He wanted to get out immediately, even with no refund, because his fiancé had been crying all night. She told him, "For a year, I've been planning our wedding for 450 guests, and all I wanted was a quiet, secluded resort in the Caribbean and this is what you give me!"

I checked every quiet resort on this island and five other nearby islands, and they were completely full. The couple checked out and came home four days early from their honeymoon.

...Do Remember: You're not marrying your best friend's wife!!
Your fiancée's honeymoon desires might be quite different from theirs for this occasion. Your pal and his new wife might have a completely different set of priorities on choosing their honeymoon destination and resort. The best way to plan a perfect honeymoon is for both of you to meet with us so we can plan a trip tailored to your personal tastes.

A couple came in who wanted to discuss the various all-inclusive resorts and their prices in Jamaica. The lady wanted to know about the finer amenities at the higher-priced resorts, and her fiancé just wanted to know what was "the best deal" and the lowest price at any of these resorts. Against our advice, he insisted on booking the cheapest deal at the cheapest resort, and his fiancée was not too happy.

Months later, they arrived in Jamaica at and at 2:00 p.m. were calling me from the hotel frantically. Their room was dirty and small, the resort had a kid-free policy, so there were over 200 of them that week, everywhere. The couple had already been to the restaurant to eat lunch, and lunch was baloney sandwiches and potato chips, and screaming kids. Hardly the fabulous lunch buffet they were looking forward to!

She wanted out of there immediately, whatever the cost. They paid a huge penalty on this special cheap deal all-inclusive to leave, and in addition, had to pay $2,000 more to upgrade to the better all-inclusive 10 miles away that the lady had wanted in the first place. They called me when they got there and said the difference was night and day, and well worth the money.

A couple in my church from a very well-to-do family came in to see me five years ago. Their wedding for 500 people was at one of the area's finest hotels. Everything about this wedding was first class - Stunning designer gown, two orchestras, the finest food and wines at the reception. They booked a fabulous honeymoon to Tahiti in an over-the-water bungalow, and they were so exited.

Then, three months later, her well-meaning uncle calls and offers them his time-share in Clearwater, Florida as his wedding gift to them. Her fiancé said, "I'm going to take your uncle's offer. I'm going to cancel the honeymoon with Beth. With all the money we'll save, we can furnish our new home, and I'll give you Tahiti a few years from now."

She was extremely disappointed. Years later, as I see them, they now have two beautiful children, and that promised trip to Tahiti still has never happened. She tells me she still regrets they did not go where THEY wanted to go when they had the chance!

A couple came in and the man stated, "I don't know why she dragged me here. I've picked the island and hotel I like from pictures on the web. What do we need to see you for?" His fiancée replied, "I saw this woman speak at a Bridal Show, and I wanted to get a second opinion from an expert on where she would advise we should go". I interviewed them, and suggested several island choices, but NOT the one he found on the web.

He asked why I wouldn't recommend his selection. I told him that I had just been to that island one month before and that it had been badly damaged by a storm, a fact that the website pictures did not show. They took my advice and booked another island.

One month before departure, my client called to thank me for advising them not to go to this island, because a coworker who had booked over the Internet had just gotten back from his honeymoon on that island, and was in shock over the poor condition of everything.

A gentleman came into the office on a Saturday, without his fiancée. She told him, "I don't care if their policy is to interview both of us to plan the honeymoon, I'm stressed out from all the wedding arrangements and it's the man's job to plan the honeymoon. Pick something, i'll be happy with whatever you choose."

We spent 90 minutes going over Caribbean islands. I gave him my suggestions and the corresponding brochures, which he was going to take home and show his fiancée. He admitted to being a workaholic who hadn't had a real vacation in 10 years, and picking a destination, much less a resort, was going to be her decision.

Monday he calls and asks for a follow-up appointment, because nothing was clicking for her. We met again. He left with a range of new suggestions. Calls the next Monday. She's still not thrilled with any of these selections. He wants one more appointment, and I said if he has to carry her in, he's bringing her.

They came together, and in less than 45 minutes I had her fabulously excited about two new destinations because I could now interview the fiancee face to face and see her reactions and feelings to the places I was discussing. On Monday he called to book one of these two choices, happy at last that this task was now over, and that she was happy. He said, "Beth, you're right, I should have brought her in the first time for the appointment and spared all of us this unnecessary waste of time." They sent me a picture, saying they thoroughly enjoyed the honeymoon.

Then I asked their fiancées to stand up. None of the women concurred with these choices. They wanted Spain, the Greek Islands, Hawaii, and St. Lucia. I was amazed they had such varying opinions and apparently had not discussed them with each other. So ladies, please, do not tell your fiancé it's his job alone to plan the honeymoon. It will take you either a lot longer to do, or you may end up not booking the best place for the two of you to go. You make the appointment and both of you come in and plan it together.

A man came in by himself and said to me, "If I'm paying for this honeymoon, I'm going to go where I want to go and do what I want to do." His passion was mountain climbing, and since he was a busy young lawyer, he had not had a two-week vacation in his entire career. He wanted to go to Switzerland, drive to a different hotel every day and climb a different peak every day.

When I asked him if his fiancée shared this passion, he said, "Oh, she'd rather go to a Caribbean island, but I'd be too bored, and I'm not going to spend my money on something I have no interest in." I drew up a proposal and faxed it to him.

He was quite happy with the first ten days of the itinerary, but was surprised that the last two nights were for a quaint romantic inn on a lake. I told him that his fiancée deserved a little break at the end for a little relaxation and romance and I wasn't changing a thing. Since his best friend had referred him to me, he took my advice and booked it.

To his credit, he called me when they returned to thank me for saving his honeymoon. By day 4, she was bruised, battered and tired out from all this moving around and mountain climbing. By day 10, they were hardly speaking to one another. Then they got to the romantic inn which she fell in love with, and said "I wish more of our honeymoon had been like this. This is a real honeymoon now". He said, "Beth, I may know the legal profession, but you sure know what women want on a honeymoon!"

...Do Take a Honeymoon that Reflects Your Best Taste
Many couples in this area with a very nice lifestyle wonder why the honeymoon they booked turns out to be disappointing. It's very simple - you're not going with your taste and lifestyle when it comes to pricing the honeymoon. You can't get a BMW for Honda Civic prices. A smart couple will first pick a destination according to their taste, and pay the price that good taste requires.