Category Archives: honeymoon planning

Antigua

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

Antigua- Looking for the perfect beach?  Then I’m sure you can find it on one of Antigua’s 365 white sand beaches.  A beach for every day of the year! This is a water-lovers paradise where you can go kayaking, yachting, swimming with the stingrays, and snorkel the amazing reefs in crystal clear blue waters.  If you are looking for calmer waters, then the west side or Caribbean side is where you want to stay. The ocean side is perfect for the surfers.

With amazing picturesque beach views, Antigua offers breathtaking accommodations. Romance is almost inevitable in this tropical paradise . With romantic backdrops, each resort offers an abundance of amenities.

Jumby Island Resort offers the ultimate in privacy where you will ferry over to their private island.  Bikes are personalized and available to get around on the island. They even have their own small farm with chickens for fresh eggs in the morning.  Can you imagine a place where there’s no need for a key and everyone knows your name? That’s how private it is.

Antigua island

Photo credit: Life Enhancing Travel

If you time your stay right, you can also catch the Hawksbill Sea Turtles hatching.  Their nesting season runs from approximately June through October. In some areas you will notice red street lights along the road by the beach at night.  This is so the bright lights won’t attract the turtles to the road, believing it’s the bright light of the sea.

island of Antigua

Photo Credit: Life Enhancing Travel

One of the resorts that offer an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the sea turtles is Hermitage Bay, a stunning, tropical hideaway.  Imagine your destination wedding with this beautiful intimate setting.

Then, enjoy your honeymoon from one of the 25 intimate cottages nestled into the hillside at Hermitage Bay.

Antigua

Photo Credit: Life Enhancing Travel

If you are looking for a little history you will find Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site here.  It is the only remaining example of a Georgian fort commissioned by the British in 1755. Overlooking the dockyard is Shirley Heights, where you will find the best views and sunsets.  On sunday nights, be prepared to party. There is food and drinks with local entertainers and bands as you watch the beautiful awe-inspiring sunset.

Antigua island

Photo Credit: Life Enhancing Travel

Marriage Requirements

There is no waiting period or residency requirements to get a marriage license.  You can’t get any easier than that!

Climate- Antigua and Barbuda are sunny and warm year round with cool trade winds. The average temperature ranges from the mid-seventies Fahrenheit in the winter to mid-eighties Fahrenheit in the summer.

Language- English

Population- Almost 90,000 residents on Antigua

Entry Requirements- Visitors from the U.S. need a valid passport (valid for six months after travel dates) and a roundtrip or onward ticket. Some non-U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents traveling from the U.S. require a visa, which can be applied for on arrival at the airport.

Currency- The unit of currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD$). The exchange rate is approximately US$1 equals EC$2.70. However, U.S. dollars are widely accepted on the island, as are traveler’s checks and major credit cards. ATMs are available.

Tipping- 10-15 percent depending on the service. Some restaurants and hotels will automatically add a 10 percent gratuity, so be sure to check the bill.

Time- Antigua is on Atlantic Standard Time year-round. During the fall and winter, noon in New York is 1 p.m. on the island. During daylight saving time in the U.S., the hour is the same on the Eastern Seaboard as it is on the island.

Antigua offers incredible views, understated luxury and pampering.  You can’t beat a better place to plan your next romantic vacation and I know you are going to love it!

See you on the next adventure!

-Tammey

 

P.S.  If Antigua looks like your dream destination and you want to make this trip a reality, contact Tammey Perkins, tammey@LifeEnhancingTravel.com , with Life Enhancing Travel

 

P.P.S.  You can follow my journeys on Instagram @enhancingtravel




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual Honeymoon in TravelWeek news!

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

Robin Hawkey, owner of Virtual Honeymoon, was recently interviewed by Travel Week about how she came up with the concept for this VR interactive matching tool, and how its solving problems for hundreds of  Travel specialists in the Romance Travel industry, as well as plans for growth.

 the travel industry largest and most trusted media source in Canada!
See below a copy to article.

Virtual Honeymoon launches sister sites, partners with ExplorVR amid company...

Virtual Honeymoon launches sister sites

Virtual Honeymoon launches sister sites, partners with ExplorVR amid company growth

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Posted by Travelweek Group

TORONTO — Here’s a common scenario: You ask your wedding clients where they would go on their dream honeymoon, and they respond with a bunch of destinations in quick succession. Bali. Italy. Tahiti. The list goes on and on.

But there is a fun and easy way to whittle down the options so that your clients are left with a destination that best suits their needs and preferences. Virtual Honeymoon is an interactive destination matching tool used by agents with indecisive clients. Using intuitive software and an algorithm to search for and match destinations, the tool matches couples with their top two destinations, allowing them to ‘test drive’ these locales and help agents close the sale.

Robin Hawkey

Robin Hawkey- Owner of Virtual Honeymoon

Started and owned by travel industry veteran Robin Hawkey, Virtual Honeymoon kicked off in January 2015 for year-long testing before launching its affiliate program in March 2016. Hawkey says the idea came to her after “years of frustration of working with couples that were all over the map”, which resulted in wasting weeks of valuable time, sometimes only to lose them to the Internet.

“When couples have no idea where to go on their getaway, or say something like ‘We just want to go some place warm and tropical’, that usually leads to seeing every tropical island and comparing them all. We call [these couples] ‘tire-kickers’ or ‘time-wasters’ for using travel agents as a human resource tool,” she tells Travelweek.

How it works is simple: Clients answer a series of fun, interactive questions, the tool then matches them to their top two destinations based on their answers. After clients fill out a contact form, all the questions and answers, including their matches, are emailed directly to the travel agent who will then follow up directly.

The tool costs $24.95/month, or $239.52 per year with a savings of 20%.
You can access the site at virtualhoneymoon.com.

To enhance the experience, Hawkey has added a virtual reality component to the website’s destination pages. She’s teamed up with ExplorVR to allow clients to pre-experience their matched destination. Virtual Honeymoon’s affiliates have already used VR headsets and videos at wedding fairs where clients were able to test-drive their destinations on the spot.

“I think [VR] is so beneficial as most millennials want to be involved in the planning process. VR is the next best thing to being there!” said Hawkey. “I also feel that the agents who don’t get on this VR trend will be left behind – literally!”

Devin Kinasz, President & CEO of ExplorVR, adds: “Virtual Honeymoon is embracing VR technology and partnering with ExplorVR to give their agents access to exciting destination experiences. We are very excited to partner with Virtual Honeymoon because they align with our values of being a forward-thinking company that embraces technology.”

Virtual reality acts as the perfect selling tool in the destination wedding and honeymoon market as it allows clients to “try before they fly”. As Hawkey puts it, all couples want their weddings and honeymoons to go off without a hitch, so the best way to ensure that the destination matches their vision is to virtually travel there ahead of time.

“There is on average over two million weddings per year in the U.S. alone, with couples spending over $72 billion on weddings and $8 billion on honeymoons. The romance niche is such a great niche to get into to build your entire travel business,” said Hawkey. “If an agent does a great job on the wedding or honeymoon, and builds a good relationship with their client, they will do all their travel-related activities such as anniversaries, babymoons, graduations, family trips and more, not to mention the referrals to all their friends getting married. This creates a booming business that will continue to grow and prosper.”

With business booming, Virtual Honeymoon launched its sister site – Virtual Destination Wedding – at the Love Mexico event in Cabo last December. Operating much like Virtual Honeymoon, the new site not only matches clients with their top two destinations but also helps plan the wedding. And like its sister site, it costs $24.95, or $239.52 with a 20% discount.

Looking ahead, Hawkey is preparing to launch the company’s newest addition – Virtual Vacationing – on April 10 at the Travel Agent Forum in Las Vegas. While its main concept is the same as interactive destination matching, she says the new site does not focus on romance as the other two sites.

“We realize that not all getaways are about romance, sometimes it’s about vacation travel with family and friends and they too can be confused about where to go on their getaway,” she adds. “We are so excited to be at the Forum with our VR partner, ExplorVR. They have really helped our vision of bringing virtual travel to life, allowing clients to virtually experience their destination match before booking and, thus, closing sales!”

“Test drive” one of our demo-sites below and find the best match for your business:

Travel agents specializing in Romance Travel

Virtual Destination Wedding

       Destination Wedding Planners

Virtual Vacations

     Travel agents selling Vacations

Virtual Honeymoon in the news!

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

Robin Hawkey, owner of Virtual Honeymoon, was recently interviewed by Travel Weekly’s Senior editor, Jamie Biesiada  about how she came up with the concept for this VR interactive matching tool, and how its solving problems for hundreds of  Travel specialists in the romance travel industry.

 the travel industry most trusted magazine source!  See below a copy and link to the article.

New website helps agents streamline honeymoon planning

By Jamie Biesiada / 

 

Bali- Romantic Travel for Honeymoons and more

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

Bali is known as the Island of the Gods, truly a dream island paradise, with luminous green rice paddies that stretch for miles; monkeys that run amok at ancient temples; live volcanoes that dominate the landscape. Beautiful, untamed surf beaches to a unique blend of modern facilities combined with wonderful rich cultural heritage. Bali is truly ideal tropical destination has beautiful beaches, an exotic interior complete with a live volcano and rice paddies plus extremely friendly people make this an unforgettable place. Perfect for Honeymoons and Destination Weddings!                                   Beautiful BaliRecommended highlights:

  • Bali’s Pura Besakih- A temple that dates back originally to the 10th century and stands high on the volcanic slopes of Gunung Agung. Nowadays, it is a massive complex of more than 30 temples, and the setting for great ceremonial splendor on festival days.
  • Ujong Kulon National Park- Paddle in a dugout canoe through the untouched wilderness, isolated at the extreme south western tip of Java in search of the elusive Java rhino.
  • Sea Temple of Tanah- One of the most breathtaking sights of Bali. Jutting from a rock formation into the sea, legend has it that sea snakes guard the temple from evil intruders and demons.
  • Krakatoa- Take a boat trip to view Krakotoa, located between Java and Sumatra. Dormant volcanoes include Gunung Agung in Bali, Gunung Rinjani on Lombok island and Keli Mutu on Nusa Tenggara Barat, which has lakes with different colored waters.
  • Pasir Timbul– Imagine a beach that only exists for a few hours a day! Technically, these are sand patches that emerge out of the ocean when the tide is low. Different sandbars connect these patches and the result is spectacular. Thankfully, this spot is not on any top 10 beaches of the world lists and was empty when we visited it.
  • Pianemo- The most popular spot in Raja Ampat and is used as a cover image for many travel brochures. The viewpoint, in reality, is much better than the pictures, especially if you visit it when the sky is clear.

Explore more NOW!

Seychelles Romance Travel

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

The Seychelles are located in the Indian Ocean, are thought to have been the original Garden of Eden, the stunning beauty of these islands will leave the most discerning traveler speechless. Visitors to Seychelles will enjoy the relaxing vibe the islands have to offer, the beauty of the silver sand beaches, and the perfection in the lush surroundings. The simplicity of life on these beautiful islands create a genuine feeling of escape. The people are kind and welcoming, proud of the immense beauty of their islands. Seychelles islands aren’t cluttered with roads, it is popular for visitors to get around by means of foot, bike, or boat.

The Seychelles are located in the Indian Ocean, are thought to have been the original Garden of Eden, the stunning beauty of these islands will leave the most discerning traveler speechless.

Top Highlights:

  • Visit the sights and sounds of the center of Victoria.
  • Challenge yourself for an adventurous hike up into the woods of Mahe.
  • Take a scenic boat ride out on the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean.
  • Island hop to Praslin, the second largest of Seychelles, take in the breath-taking scenery and picnic on a remote beach.

There is no bad time to visit the Seychelles. This warm, tropical climate stays beautiful year – round, perfect for travelers all over the world. Popular activities include bird-watching, hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing / windsailing, and surfing. These islands are a tropical paradise. Whether you’re the active type, or the type looking for a little R & R, look no further than the Seychelles. These islands captivate travelers with their spectacular scenery and their ease of a place that has been closely treasured, a perfect honeymoon or destination wedding island!

 

To connect with a Seychelles Romance Destination Specialist, and get your personalized travel album and up to $100 off one of our recommended resorts, please visit us @ www.VirtualHoneymoon.com

Find your top 2 Destinations, try our fun interactive matching tool and virtually experience your top destinations: www.Virtualhoneymoon.com

Maldives Islands

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

The Maldives islands is a tropical wonderland in the exotic Indian Ocean made up of 1,190 coral islands, stretching some 575 miles north to south in the Indian Ocean. Of that number, only 202 are inhabited, and 120 are exclusive island resorts. The atolls are barely higher than sea level, coconut trees, sea cabbage and pandans grow in abundance.
Maldives islands are  the ideal setting for romance, a divers paradise, discover the sunny side of life.
Attracting romance with honeymooners, destination weddings, anniversary trips and more!

Maldives islands

In the Maldives Islands, you can stay on a tiny island that has a soft, sandy beach, a sparkling turquoise lagoon and only a single dwelling. And if you plunge beneath the surface of the lagoon, you’ll find extraordinary underwater scenery with an amazing variety of colorful reef fish.
The Maldives Islands also attracts lovers of the sea for diving, snorkeling and more.
Some of our top recommendation highlights in the Maldives:

  • Addu Atoll– The most southerly of the Maldives island groups, is definitely worth visiting for divers, the coral is the best in the country.
  • Hulhumalé Island– Ferry out to this man-made island and take a look to the future. A utopian town, Hulhumalé is set to become the new hub of the Maldives in decades to come as sea levels rise. At 2m above sea level, it is mountainous by local standards.
  • Island Hop- To a uninhabited island, spend the night by yourselves, its quite the experience to dream a bit.
  • Vilingili Island– Ferry out to the tranquil neighbouring island of Vilingili. Join locals at the beach, watch cricket matches in the park, and picnic under the multitude of gently-waving palm trees.
  • Dive Wreck- An unforgettable underwater experience for divers is the wreck of the merchant ship Maldives Victory, which lies 115 ft below the waves near Hulhule. Sinking in 1981, the ship has become an artificial reef, with coral, sponges and fish all making it their home.

To be matched with your Destination and Romance Specialists, try our fun interactive matching tool: www.Virtualhoneymoon.com

Fiji Islands

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

Fiji Islands -The magical isles with the friendliest people on earth! With over 300 islands, Fiji has it all, from glistening white sand beaches and crystal clear lagoons, warm tropical climate, unique atmosphere and world class diving, epic surfing, untouched rainforests to explore.
With nearly perfect weather averaging between 78-85*degrees, depending on the season, there is a island for everyone’s tastes!

Fji Islands

Matangi Resort Treehouse – photo credit.

Fiji Islands is probably one of our top choices for Romance Travel, whether its just the two of you for your Honeymoon or you want to bring your favorite family and friends for a dream Destination Wedding, Fiji has the perfect choices.
Their accommodations are amazing, from authentic beach or tree bungalows to luxury resorts over the water, their is something for every taste, speaking of taste, most of Fiji’s resorts include your food, unless your on the main island, where their are plenty of authentic restaurants to chose from.

There is so much to do and explore in Fiji, depending on which islands you go to, Fiji is one of those destinations you really must island hop, I always recommend splitting your travel time between atleast 2 islands.
So, with that in mind, below are some of our top recommended highlights:

  • Island hop- This is the best area in the south pacific to experience several islands, with more than 300 to chose from, each with their own beauty and culture.
  • Coral Coast- A breathtaking 50 mile stretch of beautiful beaches and bays along the ocean road between Nadi and Suva.
  • Sigatoka River tour- The longest river on the island of Viti Levu, running from the hills of the Navosa Province right down to the sand dunes in Kulukulu, on the famous Coral Coast. The river provides locals with fresh water mussels (kai), fish, prawns, eels, water for agriculture and for drinking.’This tour is a safari adventure, not to be missed!’
  • Sleeping Giant- Travel through the beautiful Sabeto Valley to the Gardens of the Sleeping Giant, where you will discover the largest orchid collection in Fiji.
  • Kava Ceremony- Visit a village and experience a authentic Kava ceremony with the friendly locals.

 

Find your top 2 Destinations, try our fun interactive matching tool and virtually experience your top destinations: www.Virtualhoneymoon.com

 

 

Anguilla Island – Top honeymoon destination

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

Anguilla Island is one of the smaller Caribbean islands, at just 16 miles long and three miles wide, the most northerly of the British Leeward Islands.

Anguilla island

Home to 33 pristine beaches with more than 12 miles of stunning, powder-white sand. This island paradise retains the laid-back character of a sleepy backwater. Goats still wander the streets and reggae music blares from passing cars.  
On the Island of Anguilla, it lays claim to some of the finest beaches in the region, its a perfect Honeymoon and Destination Wedding spot! Anguilla Island has some of the most luxurious hotels and some amazing areas to explore on this small yet bountiful island paradise, check out some of our top highlights below:

  • Explore white coral beaches- Many of the best, like Rendezvous Bay, Shoal Bay and Road Bay, offer water sports but Crocus Bay and Barnes Bay can’t be beaten for peace, quiet and warm cyan seas.
  • Offshore Islands- Sandy Island and its beach bar is just 15 minutes from Sandy Ground Harbor and Prickly Pear is 25 minutes away. Scilly Cay, another favorite for lunch, sits in the bay just off the fishing village of Island Harbor.
  • The Fountain- explore a huge underground cave with a constant supply of fresh water at Shoal Bay.
  • Snorkeling or Diving- There are numerous sunken ships within its depths, there is much to explore. The best diving areas to travel to are those at Sandy Islands and Prickly Pear Cays.

    *Top recommended beaches we love on Anguilla Island; Rendezvous Bay, Shoal Bay and Road Bay, Crocus Bay and Barnes Bay.

To find out more about this Romantic Caribbean island and connect with a Destination Specialist , go to www.Virtualhoneymoon.com/Anguilla
get your Personalized Travel Album and up to $100 off one of our Recommended Resorts!

Find your top 2 Destinations, try our fun interactive matching tool and virtually experience your top destinations: www.Virtualhoneymoon.com

Bermuda Island

Posted on by Virtual Honeymoon

The island of Bermuda is probably best known for two things: lurid, knee-length shorts and the fabled Bermuda Triangle, a stretch of sea where boats and planes are said to have mysteriously disappeared. However, these lazy stereotypes serve only to distract from what is an exceptionally beautiful destination.

Bermuda Island

Bermuda Island is comprised of around 180 islets, this island looks like your archetypal Caribbean retreat with its fine sandy beaches, colorful coral reefs and swaying palms.

A couple of our top recommend highlights on Bermuda Island:
*Visit Hamilton Harbor, where you can cruise around and see the best views of the pretty pastel-painted capital, stopping at Somerset Bridge, the rural village of Somerset, and the Royal Naval Dockyard, some of the finest sights on the island.

*Visit Fort Scaur- a good place to picnic, swim and enjoy the panoramic view of the picturesque Great Sound. Designed so it couldn’t be sighted from the sea, the 19th-century fort was built by the British in case of an American attack on the dockyard. Find the weather stone – its forecasts are never wrong.

*Fort St Catherine- Built in 1614, the largest and most fascinating of the island’s fortifications. Perched above the beach in the north west of the island, the stone ramparts and interior are both well preserved. Inside there is a museum dedicated to Bermuda’s military history.

Click here to virtually experience Bermuda Island and connect with a Romance Travel Specialist.