Destination Help: Costa Rica, other Central America, or Croatia? Apr/May/Jun 2026

Destination Help for Honeymoon: Costa Rica or Central America or Croatia? April/May/June 2026

Hi everyone! My fiancé and I are getting married in April 2026. We’re hoping to plan a 2-ish week honeymoon. We’d love your help with destination ideas and itineraries!

Originally, we wanted to do New Zealand + Australia in October/November 2026. But we'd like to spend 3-4 weeks there, and I'm not sure we'll have accumulated enough PTO. So we are hoping to move it to 2027.

Our main factor is budget. Since we will be saving for NZ/AUS, we'd like a fairly budget-friendly destination. However, we don't want this to limit the experience too much, so we are willing to save more for worthwhile experiences.

Details:

• Travel Dates: April/May/June 2026 → about 2 weeks (flexible)
• Departure Airport: Phoenix (PHX). Happy to reposition.
• Budget: $4,000-6,000 (not including airfare + will spend more if worthwhile).
• Points:
  • ~150k american airlines
  • ~340k chase/UR pts
  • ~30k citi/TYPs
  • ~84k CapitalOne
  • $300 CapitalOne portal credit + $50 chase portal hotel credit + $250 chase "the Edit" discount for 2-night hotel stay.
• Preferences:
  • We'd probably like a couple of days to fully relax and decompress (thinking beachy or all-inclusive resort or just very convenient).
  • After that, we’d like to mix in some light adventure, sightseeing, and cultural exploring (love nature, animals, beautiful views, good food, unique experiences).
• Regions in Mind: Central America or the Caribbean — we've spent most of our time looking at Costa Rica, but now we aren't sure if we need to find a more budget friendly option? I've seen Columbia and Bolivia suggested. Maybe somewhere in Mexico that isn't too crazy touristy? Out of left field – also considering Croatia. It has been on my bucket list.
• Other Notes: We’d like to work with a travel agent, so recommendations are welcome!

What we’re looking for help with:

• Destinations that balance both relaxation and exploration. Includes nature and good food.
• Resort or all-inclusive recs for the downtime portion.
• Ideas for the more adventurous or cultural portion. Bonus for a cute honeymoon-esque/romantic activity.
• Sample itineraries or “best-of-both-worlds” combos.
• Tips for using points, cost savings, and whether a travel agent is the way to go!

We’d love to make this a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime trip — any advice or recs are much appreciated!!