Adventuresome couple game for exotic locale

Three couples, six options: Local travel agents and the Star Tribune travel team offer suggestions to three undecided duos.

February 1, 2008 at 9:04PM
Flora Delaney and Geoff Kleinman. Portrait for travel honeymoon package, 2/3
Flora Delaney and Geoff Kleinman. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The couple: Flora Delaney and Geoff Kleinman of Edina were married Nov. 3. They postponed their honeymoon until after the holidays because Geoff works in retail.

What they want: "Somewhere off the beaten path with plenty of culture and not too Americanized."

Budget: $5,000, plus lots of Northwest Airlines miles.

Agent idea: A seven-day trip through Jordan -- with the benefit of a private car and English-speaking driver/guide -- would bring the couple to dramatic sites, a night under the stars in a desert and a spa on the Red Sea. They would visit the Greco-Roman city of Jerash, the Arab fortress of Mameluke and the "mosaic city" of Madaba, and spend two nights and a full day in Petra. In the Jordan Valley, they'd float in the Dead Sea. The couple would also ride camels into the peaceful Wadi Rum desert, where they would visit a Bedouin camp and venture to a quiet spot to spend the night in a tent. They'd wind up their tour with two nights at a spa on the Red Sea. The cost: slightly more than $5,000; less if frequent flier miles translate into a free airline ticket.

The agent: Daphna Stromberg, co-owner of AER World Tours; 612-377-9767; www.aertours.com.

Our option: To stretch dollars, we looked south to Argentina, where the fading greenback still has some clout; five grand would make for a very posh two-week adventure. It's summer in Buenos Aires, and the tango bars beckon. The couple would start in the 14-million-strong capital city, with visits to tango bars, Eva Peron's grave (where, mysteriously, a red rose appears every day) and an asado or two (barbecued, grass-fed beef being the national dish). The newlyweds would then head north to Argentina's tropical rain forest and Iguazu Falls. (Upon seeing these falls, Eleanor Roosevelt proclaimed "Poor Niagara!") Here they'd stay in an eco-lodge in the Yacutinga Reserve, with boat tours and hikes in the jungle. A Southeast Asia tour, with stops in Thailand and Cambodia, was a close second option; Stromberg mentioned Asia, too.

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