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Ka'ana Boutique Resort in Belize.

The question: My fiancé and I are looking for the ideal honeymoon location. What is the best -- and reasonably priced -- location in the Caribbean or Central America with private villas?

How lovely it is to start your life together so open to so many countries, yet ever mindful of the matrimonial chequebook. Still, choices must be made, so I contacted Susan Breslow Sardone, the honeymoon expert for About.com ( honeymoons.about.com).

She suggests taking a second look at your vision of villas as they tend to attract families looking for space and self-catering kitchens. Do you really want to spend your honeymoon surrounded by wailing children and waiting dishes? (Plenty of time for that later on.)

Breslow Sardone recommends instead finding a suite or casita (a small separate hut) in Central America along the Caribbean. "Eco-conscious destinations like Costa Rica and Belize are hot, prices are lower than on most of the islands and the destinations appeal to couples with a sense of adventure."

Specifically, she suggests Belize's Ka'ana Boutique Resort ( kaanabelize.com), which offers modern luxury casitas built along pathways lined with fruit trees, as well as a Mayan spa, organic garden and access to rain-forest tours. Or check out the Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge ( nicuesalodge.com) in Costa Rica, with its deluxe cabins set in a jungle canopy, tropical-Latino menu and thatch-roof candlelit bar.

At around $430 a night (including meals), both properties are not as cheap as an all-inclusive week in Cuba, but a few clicks in may start you rethinking ways to trim your wedding budget to boost your honeymoon fund.

E-mail your travel questions to concierge@globeandmail.com.

Karan Smith is a former Globe Travel editor. Special to The Globe and Mail

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