Best Honeymoon Compromise Destinations

Sounds like a resort by the beach would be perfect! Hawaii? Florida? California?

Maybe myrtle beach???

There are plenty of beach destinations that have things to do in the US too. For instance, San Diego has some nice beaches. When we went, we also went to the zoo and explored the city. We were only there for a few days before driving up farther north, but I remember there being a lot of stuff that we didn't get a chance to do.

San Diego and Santa Barbara are two gorgeous So Cal beach cities with PLENTY to do -- San Diego especially, as it's so much bigger than SB. There are beautiful resorts in both cities on the water (they almost always also have pools, if you're not a fan of ocean swimming) and there are tons of sightseeing/experiences to keep you from getting bored.

Thanks for the great ideas so far!

If you guys are ok swimming in colder water, highly recommend like Tahoe. Go in July or August though because that’s when the water is the warmest, close to 70 degrees.
There are a lot of beautiful beaches and the water is super clear, but there is also so much to do. You have casinos in South Lake Tahoe and Reno, there are a multitude of breweries you can drive too, a lot of hiking, biking trails, and a lot of lakes all around the area plus if you guys like driving you can drive to San Francisco for a few days (about 4 hour drive) and get to visit the city.
Otherwise I also just recommend other places people have mentioned: San Diego is wonderful, you can do the beach and then visit the city. You could also do a CA road trip (depending how long you want to stay) and hit the major cities like San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Cruz and also do some National Parks like Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Sequoia etc. Florida is also really great like people have said, driving down the Keys and staying in Key West is wonderful for both the beach and for visiting a super cute town.

San Diego is barely an hour from where we live so we're down there frequently. Daughter and SIL stayed at the Paradise Point Resort on Mission Bay for their mini-moon after the wedding. They had a bungalow right on the water with their own little beachfront. The resort has pools and you can do things like jetski on the Bay, etc. They did a hot air balloon trip. There is SO much to choose from in San Diego, you'd be able to keep as busy as you want to be!

Anyone know the best time to travel to California? I am from Ohio so I don't know a lot about the West Coast in general.

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It's pretty much always awesome here! LOL! Obviously, this year is weird because of the pandemic, but the weather is usually pretty great. It will likely be hot in August/September, but especially close to the coast it's almost always nice. It's not clear yet what's going to happen with schools this fall, but generally So Cal schools start back in late August/Early September, so tourist crowds die down after that. For San Diego, depending on your interests there are many options. Sea World is right on Mission Bay. The San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park (about 45 min inland) are world class. The Zoo is located in Balboa Park along with tons of museums. If you are into military history at all, the USS Midway is definitely worth seeing. Inland there are tons of wineries. SIL's bachelor party included a Brewery Tour Trolley and they had a blast. There are lots of small beach towns all along the coast in San Diego County. If you're members of AAA, stop in and ask for a So Cal Tour Guide, or just start Googling! Happy planning!

PS -- the major airport in SD is Lindbergh Field. Depending on flight availability and cost, you could also fly into John Wayne (Orange County, 60-90 min to SD) or LAX (depending on traffic, maybe 2 hrs?). You will definitely need to rent a car, so you could potentially choose any airport.

Mountains? im originally from blue ridge and still find myself taking random visits up there when able. mountains are quiet and peaceful, which is much more my speed as opposed to the beach. i know a few people who visited colorado recently and fell in love. try to search it on google as they have tons of lists of the best honeymoon spots in the US. good luck

I agree with San Diego! There’s really no bad time to go to Southern California haha the weather is generally pretty fabulous... I would avoid January and early February because that’s the more rainy time in my experience (though still it rarely rains...) And maybe avoid the summer months because it is hot (unless you don’t mind the heat lol)

Does anyone know anything about Carmel-by-the-sea? It keeps popping up and it looks like fun, but you just never know unless you know the area.

Not sure when your honeymoon is, but Hawaii is a no-go until at least July 31 right now. Our honeymoon is supposed to be there at the end of August and we are watching it very closely. All people coming into the state have to quarantine for 14 days and most of the tourist hotels and places are closed.

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It's beautiful -- a very upscale resort town. It's fairly small, so if you want to do different activities you'll need to drive. It's also expensive, even in a state where pretty much everything is expensive. It's in the area of the 17-mile drive, Big Sur, and the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course. It's very much a romantic honeymoon destination, but not as active as some of the other areas posters have suggested. It's also much cooler on the Northern CA coast than in So Cal. We've been there in August and worn sweatshirts and jeans. If you're going to do a driving trip, you could start in San Francisco, then head south to Carmel, and then potentially further south to Hearst Castle in San Simeon and the wine country around Paso Robles. You could turn around there and head east, then north to San Francisco. Or, you could continue south through San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and then fly home from LA. We've done that driving trip (SF-LA) in a week, but it will be a very busy week!