The honeymoon industry wants you to think the only romantic places are the Maldives, Bora Bora, or Santorini in July. Each of those starts at $10k. That’s a down payment on a house.
Here are the places where I’d actually want to honeymoon if I had it to do over. All come in under $5,000 for ten days, including flights from the US.
1. Bali, but Sidemen instead of Seminyak
Skip Seminyak (it’s Miami with rice paddies). Skip Ubud (it’s a yoga theme park now). Drive ninety minutes east to Sidemen Valley. Rice terraces, no traffic, $200/night gets you a private pool villa with a view of Mount Agung.
Cost for ten days: $2,800 including flights. Cooking class, two massages, a sunrise hike up the volcano, and not a single influencer in sight.
2. The Greek mainland, not the islands
Santorini in July is the most miserable place I’ve ever stood in a line. The mainland is empty, cheaper, and has actual history. Stay in Nafplio – the old Venetian capital, six hours from Athens by car. Then move to a coastal town in the Mani Peninsula.
Cost: $3,200 for ten days. You’ll see one cruise ship the whole trip.
3. Portugal, the Comporta side
Everyone goes to Lisbon. Drive an hour south to Comporta. Rice fields meet the Atlantic, the beach is empty, the food is shockingly good.
Cost: $3,000. You’ll sound smart talking about Comporta because most Americans haven’t heard of it yet. Wait three years, that’ll change.
4. Sri Lanka
Hire a driver for the whole trip ($35/day). Start in the hill country tea estates, end on the south coast. Train ride from Kandy to Ella is the most beautiful three hours of train you’ll ever take.
Cost: $2,400 including the flights from the US. Sri Lanka is undervalued. Go before that changes.
5. Oaxaca, Mexico
This is not a beach honeymoon. It’s a food + culture honeymoon. Stay at Casa Oaxaca downtown ($180/night) or rent a place in San Felipe del Agua and hire a cooking instructor.
Day trip to Hierve el Agua. Watch the sunset over the mountains. Eat tlayudas at midnight. Cost: $2,600.
6. Northern Vietnam
Halong Bay is overrated. Bai Tu Long Bay (next door) is empty and gorgeous. Sleeping on a private junk boat for two nights, then Ninh Binh for the karst landscape on land, then Hanoi for the food. Ten days, $2,100 all in.
7. The Italian Lake District (off-season)
Lake Como is a circus in July. In September it’s quiet, the food’s better, hotels are 40% cheaper, and the colors are starting to turn. Stay in Bellagio.
Cost: $4,200. Yes, that’s at the top of our budget. It’s still half what people spend for one week in Tuscany.
What every cheap honeymoon needs
- One genuine splurge night – a real hotel, a real dinner, a memory
- One full day with no plans – you’ll thank yourself
- One activity together that’s new for both of you
- Phones off for at least one whole day
The destination matters less than the partner. We pretend otherwise because the wedding industry has a vested interest. But you can have the perfect honeymoon in a $90/night guesthouse if you’re with the right person.