Keep an eye out for the lesser known, smaller destinations for your honeymoon.  You just may find the attention to detail and quality of customer service is better than you’ll get from the mega resorts.  We’ve found this to be the case with friend-recommended Inn at Lake Joseph – a little known golden nugget in the Catskill Mountains of New York – where we got engaged and subsequently went back to for our 3 year anniversary.

We were personally greeted by the owners, shown the highlights of the Inn and surrounding area while being escorted to our suite.  The Inn is pet friendly and has a gratis kitchen in the lodge with snacks, desserts, sandwiches, salads and drinks.  The Lodge has a cozy library, with chessboards, a pool table, board games and comfy couches and chairs for reading and lounging.  There is a swimming pool, plenty of boats and other water sports equipment at the Lake, bonfire pits and swings dotted throughout the property for relaxing or reading under a shade tree.  They’ve designed the property with adult “relaxing getaway” in mind – no kids allowed!  It’s a great spot for foodies to take charge of their kitchens for dinners, since the inn is breakfast-only.  You can head to local restaurants if cooking isn’t for you.

So don’t always choose the beaten path – sometimes the road less traveled leads you to a better experience.  We believe that Smart Honeymoon fits this mold, and found Inn at Lake Joseph to do the same.  Pay attention to friend recommendations and use sites like Trip Advisor to help you decide on your own golden nugget.

Traditionally, wedding gifts were household items for the young couple, as they set up a home for the first time. They’d need a blender and flatware, because, up until now, they’ve used Mom’s. But couples are getting married a little older now for a myriad of reasons. They may live on their own already because of school or a career and have some or most of the household items that they need. This is where the honeymoon registry comes in. The honeymoon can often be the couple’s vacation of a lifetime. By having a honeymoon registry, guests can pick up the tab for, perhaps, the couple’s romantic sunset dinner, without actually infringing on their honeymoon privacy. The couple can register for any type of gift, from airline tickets to B&B stays, or even activities during the honeymoon, like scuba lessons or a horseback-riding trip. Perhaps this time, they’ll fly First Class and get the convertible car rental. Their honeymoon memories will last a lifetime. For the guest, there are few gifts so dear.

Happy registering!