Dinners, snacks by the pool, drinks…you can spend lots of money during your honeymoon without even realizing it. While couples who stay at all-inclusive resorts don’t have to keep track of what they’re spending on daiquiris at the swim-up bar and that enormous breakfast buffet, the average couple does face a mountain of extra expenses during their stay. In fact, the Association of Bridal Consultants recently ran a survey and found that honeymooners spend more money in and around their hotel than at any other spot at their destination. Since this is such an important trip, the survey goes on to say, couples will spend top dollar during their stay. Again, if you’re not on the carte blanche plan where budgeting is a word with no meaning to you, and if you’re not planning to bring a suitcase full of cash with you on your trip, you can easily look for ways to slash your on-site spending without cutting any of the enjoyment from your trip.

This is, after all, the most important vacation of your life. You want to live it up. Now is not the time for cutting corners and living frugally, you might say. And you don’t have to. This section is all about spending your money wisely and finding great values during your trip. You’ll learn to avoid unnecessary expense, and stay in control of your spending money most of the time, so that you can truly splurge on any grand gestures and romantic treats you desire the rest of the time. 
 
Our Tips

•Eat lightly half of the time. Of course, you’ll want to enjoy your destination’s great cuisine, but you don’t have to order appetizers, entrees, and desserts at every meal. Split an appetizer, skip dessert once in a while, and save a fortune while also preventing honeymoon weight gain and lethargy during your trip.

•Find out the price list for alcoholic mixed and frozen drinks. Some of those bright red, icy concoctions can cost you $10 to $15 each, so look at an actual menu for specialty drinks and choose the most affordable tropical beverages.

•See if you can’t tell the difference between top-shelf liquors and house brand. Ordering the second-best rum can save you a few bucks, and you’re unlikely to be able to tell the difference…especially after the first two or three drinks!

•Stay away from tourist trap restaurants, where the prices are high and the food isn’t spectacular. Research ahead of time to find well-rated restaurants near your resort or hotel (check the Web site list in the Resources section to get you started) or ask the concierge for recommendations. Many concierge desks offer their guests a look at a collection of local eateries’ menus for price comparisons and cuisine selection, so take a look at that book and explore your dining options in the area. Locals might also point you toward the great seafood place they always go to, with no threat of inflated prices, long waiting lines and rushed service.

•Stay away from that mini-bar! Snacks and sodas, spring water and mini-bottles of Stoli run a high price in those convenient little refrigerators, so keep your distance. You should also know that the newest models of mini-bars are sensor-activated, so if you remove that Snickers bar from its place for more than ten seconds, the mini-bar itself rings it up as sold. Check your mini-bar for this feature, so that you know not to move items to make room for soda or water bottles and snacks of your own.

•Stop in at a local grocery store, or even at the gift shop downstairs, to buy a few bottles of spring water, sodas, and juice, plus some snacks. These items – as well as bottles of wine bought in the nearby town – are far less expensive, and they can be kept cold in your ice bucket or portable cooler.

•Stop in at a local liquor store or duty free shop to buy wine and liquor to store in your hotel room. Especially on the islands, you might be able to find a very inexpensive source for your cocktails and romantic sunset toasts, and you’ll save a fortune over buying each drink or bottle at the hotel.

•Eat out on your terrace. Even if room service is expensive, you can either bring in some food or call for a delivery to your hotel room. Set up outside on that great terrace you paid to enjoy, and have a private candlelight dinner overlooking the sunset or the ocean. Lunch on the terrace is a great idea as well, with some honeymooners highly recommending freshly baked bread, wonderful cheeses, fruit and wine as an afternoon pick-me-up and a welcome break from peak sun time.

•Order in. Many hotels allow the local pizza or sandwich delivery person to deliver directly to your room, so ask the concierge for the best takeout in town. One honeymoon couple shared the story of how they had the Pizza Hut delivery guy meet them in the lobby, and then they took their steaming, hot pepperoni pie out to poolside for a mouthwatering lunch. Other guests in the hotel were practically drooling, they said, and over the course of the next few days, many families and couples were ordering pizzas to enjoy by the pool. It was the best $20 they spent the entire trip, they said, and it also earned them some new pizza-loving friends among the resort’s other honeymooners.

•Don’t get the breakfast plan if you don’t eat breakfast. Some hotel’s modified American plans include breakfast, pre-charging you $8 to $20 per person within your plan. If you don’t normally eat a big breakfast, or if you doubt you’ll ever wake up before noon during your trip, this is an expense you might be able to skip.

•Dying for a Big Mac? Sometimes, even when we’re supposed to be escaping our daily lives, the mood just strikes for a cheeseburger. Or for a really inexpensive lunch after that $275 dinner the night before. Check out nearby fast food spots, ask the concierge where the nearest Arby’s is, or log on to find the nearest McDonalds in the U.S.: www.vicinity.com/mcdonalds. McDonalds on a honeymoon? Sure, why not? You can’t eat lobster tails, filet mignon, red snapper and caviar every day, right?