ukfb

Similar problem, both of us were well travelled and did not want to sit on a beach for 3 weeks so we decided on Japan and had a great time.

We travelled around the central region by train - you've Tokyo, Nara, the Japanese Alps etc to keep you both busy.

Unless you're fluent in Japanese you might end up having to talk to your other half though as English was not widely (at all?) spoken...

shiva

split it, big city and country/beach both in same country so travel between is easy. the US you can do anytime especially given your ties there

Chances are if you going straight after the wedding a few days doing very little in a nice hotel will be welcome, followed by a few days doing stuff and ending with some chill out time before returning to normal life

Im sticking with bangok and chang mai. hot yes but not too bad, certainly not dubai hot, humid yes but daily rains will break that and monsoon rains are awesome anyway.
oriental bangkok the best hotel service in the world period and it would be impossible to see everything in bangkok in one lifetime

Meow

It wasn't clear that she is also well travelled. I stick with my suggestion of a road trip, across part of the US. There's lots to see if you plan the right area, then vist a couple of other places, ending with a few days relaxing in a boutique hotel somewhere. You could even finish off in Maui. That is regularly voted a top place to stay and is beautiful.

As for parts of the US - New England, pretty, some history and fabulous seafood? Some ideas here too

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...riving-holiday

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestr...an-road-trips/

Englishmum

Hmmmm. You might spend so much time actually travelling if you go by train across Canada and then tour California that you won't actually get time do *do* anything when you get to your destination, you might be spending too much time sitting on planes, trains and in cars... leaving little time to chill out. You will surely need a day or two here and there where nothing is planned and you can just relax and chill out (or chillax as the PM likes to say).

Where are you actually getting married? I assumed it was in the ME but I guess it's more likely to be in the UK then back to the ME after the honeymoon?

PS. If you don't fancy New York again, then perhaps try flying into Boston?

PPS. I'm actually in Switzerland......absolutely gorgeous but bloody expensive!

Meow

Ethos/Tarquin returned to the UK a year or so ago, but he loves us all so much that he can't keep away...

He's invited us all to the wedding.

Ethos83

There are a lot of wonderful things to see in the US.

The "problem" is that I'm half American so it's harder to think outside the box when it comes to domestic tourism. Then there's the passport issue. I'd hate to have to be separated from the wife in the passport queues. Nitpicking perhaps.

Still I like the idea of a Canada/US trip Perhaps start in Boston/New England so I can show her where I went to university and to visit the historic colonial towns and have lobster, and then fly somehow to the Canadian Rockies as I've always wanted to see Banff and stay at that fantastic hotel and do some trekking/riding. Then end up in San Francisco and explore the wine country and have dinner at the French Laundry and/or go down to Monterey/Carmel.

Such a trip wouldn't be bad from the initial/final flights perspective. Thanks for the suggestions people.

BTW Japan also looks intriguing. A bit far from the UK and bit worried about the food, though. I enjoy Japanese but perhaps not 3xdaysx17days.

Ethos83

Getting on two years, madam.

It's pathetic, eh? (trying on my Canadian accent).

Meow

Four words to swing it for New England

Lobster rolls + Clam chowder

Theseus

Road trip!

San francisco take the coast road down to LA - drive on through to Las Vegas, to the Grand Canyon on through Arizona and New mexico through north Texas (show me the way to Amarillo) to Oklahoma go storm chasing buy cheap cigarettes from the Native American reservations, back in to Texas (San Antonio the Alamo, Austin SXSW), Louisiana then up through Mississipee through Jackson (we're goin' t' Jackson Jonny Cash), to Nashville. job done 2 weeks winnebago. woohoo

Englishmum

I love a good wedding (Come to think of it, I lived in New Jersey for 12 years and currently in Switzerland. I've never really seen any weddings on Saturdays at churches like you do in the UK...they must all get married in hotels or something).

shiva

depends on the wife but might be better to go somewhere new and form new joint memories and save your memorial tour for another time.

one other i will add is go somewhere you can go back to with relative ease for anniversaries etc

NorthernLad

Banf Springs for a few nights, onto Chateau Lake Louise then Jasper Park Lodge - highly recommended.

ukfb

The jet lag is a bit of killer on the way out - plenty of different things to eat it's not all raw fish although I'm still not sure of what I ate in some places

You can buy a rail passes out side of Japan which allow for pretty much unlimited travel on the metro and bullet trains.

Accomodation ranges from western style hotels such as the Toyko Park Hyatt where in the bar you can pretend to be Bill Murray, through to Ryokans with tatami mats in Takayama and to love hotels (available for the night or the hour )...

Englishmum

Forgot to say 'Congratulations' on your wedding. My honeymoon also was a surprise - all I knew was that I had to take clothes for a hot climate.

I only found out when we arrived at Heathrow airport - it was very busy and a BA rep came up to my new spouse and asked us if we were on the flight to Barbados. He was a bit annoyed (we must have looked like honeymooners lol) and had to say 'yes' as she directed us to the check-in desk.

After we boarded the flight he then said 'by the way we are having the second week in St. Lucia'.

Last Summer on the 4th of July it was our 25th wedding anniversary. My spouse had flown in from Zurich to join me at our house in New Jersey (I had to spend part of the year in the US as I was about to get US citizenship). He brought me breakfast in bed and an envelope. In it was the itinerary for us to sail to Southampton on the Queen Mary 2 (just 2 days later!) and he'd arranged for us to have a reconfirmation of our wedding vows with the ship's captain.

I hope that your marriage will be as happy as ours has been I think the secret is to have some 'space'. He's just spent the weekend skiing in the Alps on the Swiss/French border with some guys and in a couple of days I'm driving to England for a week or so.

Beaverstate

After driving San Francisco to LA you had better make a hard left or you will end up in San Diego/Tijuana, which may be a more interesting choice than Vegas