Honeymoon in December 2025 – Belize? Panama? Mexico?

TL;DR: Honeymoon suggestions for 8-9 days in mid-December somewhere south of the US please! Considering AI. Would like variety of scenery and activities 🙂

My fiance and I are planning a honeymoon after our wedding on December 13, 2025. We want to leave the Monday after (12/15/25) and ideally be back in time for Christmas with our family in upstate NY. We are avoiding anywhere cold or so far away that travel to and from would significantly cut into our trip time. This leaves us with Central/South America and the Caribbean. We would like to avoid a cruise for this trip (unless we found something amazing like the Galapagos). Budget is flexible but I can't imaging spending more than 10k (would love to keep it far under that if it's at all possible to get everything we want for cheaper).

Our perfect trip would be a mix of relaxation/romance/luxury and adventure/culture/nature. Diverse landscapes and variety of activities would be awesome. We are open to all-inclusive for all or part of the trip (neither of us has done AI before, but it seems like it could take some stress out of logistics for a honeymoon).

I was loving the idea of Belize: first half at a nice AI on the water with snorkeling and beach, then second half in an eco-lodge/jungle treehouse with wildlife, cave tubing, Mayan ruins, etc. However, I feel like I have been reading a lot of things about the beaches being covered in seaweed and sand fleas, not clean white sands, bleached coral, etc. I was looking for similar vibes in Panama but found that it would involve a lot of domestic flights to get from beach to jungle to volcanoes, etc. I tried using ChatGPT but then would search the places it suggested and read a ton of mixed reviews. Mexico seems like it could fit the bill, but there are so many options in the Yucatan/Tulum/Cozumel region that I got overwhelmed.

Does anyone have any suggestions/advice/share my confusion? Really appreciate any and all help!! TIA