LOVE IS WHERE YOU FIND IT: SOME FAVORITE HONEYMOON SPOTS.

Byline: Gary A. Warner Orange County Register

Maybe there's the little restaurant in Los Angeles where you first thought you were in love. Or the beach north of Seattle where you got engaged.

Or maybe there's some fantasy place you've dreamed about since you were a tyke. Many couples have their honeymoons completely planned long before they choose their china patterns.

But if you're still wondering where to go as the new Mr. and Mrs., here are my 10 favorite romantic getaway ideas. You'll find budget gems and big-splurge blowouts. Each comes with a phone number for more information:

1. The Weekender: Santa Barbara. If you have just a few days to celebrate your nuptials, head up Highway 101. Santa Barbara has beaches, mountains, nearby wineries and fine dining. If you can afford the splurge, stay at the San Ysidro Ranch, where John F. and Jackie Kennedy and Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh had their honeymoons (separately, of course). It won't be hard to find your cottage - the hotel wood-burns your name into a sign that hangs outside your door.

For cheaper digs, check with the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau for special deals on the small but quaint motels near the beach. Call the bureau at [phone].

2. The Golden Gater: San Francisco. If you don't have a lot of money and time - or even if you do - San Francisco is among the most romantic cities in the world. Stay at a top-notch bed and breakfast such as the Archbishop's Mansion or a romantic grand hotel such as the Fairmont. In the morning, frolic in the Japanese Gardens in Golden Gate Park. Have a dim sum lunch in Chinatown, a long walk through North Beach's Italian neighborhood, then head for Coit Tower for a beautiful sunset. Dine in 19th-century style at Tadich Grill, followed by a play at the Geary Theater or a music club in the Haight district. Call the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau at [phone] for information.

3. The Great Outdoors: Montana. Ennis, Mont., is a little gem of a Big Sky Country town just north of Yellowstone National Park. You can fish, hunt, hike or just cuddle by a fire. A beautiful high-country valley with the Madison River running through it, the snow-capped mountains in the distance. If you don't like to camp, stay at the El Western Motel in one of the large cabins on the east side of the highway once used by visiting oil barons. It's an easy drive to the beauties of Yellowstone or up to the fun twin ghost towns of Virginia City and Nevada City. Call Travel Montana at [phone] for more information.

4. The City Lovers: New York. You'll find it hard to do everything in a week in Manhattan. Stay at the chic Royalton or, if you're on a budget, the Radisson Empire. Have a romantic dinner at Quatorze Bis, a great French bistro on the Upper East Side, or sup on linguine with calamari alongside the Scorcese-style goodfellas at Vincent's in Little Italy. Go to the top of the Empire State Building at night and look at all the millions of lighted windows of the city. Catch a show at beautiful Radio City Music Hall and slow dance in the art-deco splendor of the Rainbow Room. Call the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau at [phone] for more information.

5. Sun and Fun: Hawaii. The islands are so inexpensive these days you'd be foolish not to consider it for even the most budget-conscious honeymoon. Some charter companies offer a limited number of air-only packages to Oahu for as little as $199 per person, round-trip. Skip Honolulu and head for the North Shore, staying at the small Ke Iki Hale lodges. Get the big ``honeymoon unit'' right on the beach. If you want to try a neighboring island, I'd choose the Polynesian fantasy of Kona Village Resort on the Big Island or the laid-back fun of your own plantation house at Waimea Cottages on Kauai. Call the Hawaii Visitors Bureau at [phone] for more information.

6. A Romantic Classic: Venice. The city of canals is my favorite spot in the world - except in summer, when the crowds and the smells off the canals can be less than charming. If you have the money, stay at the Hotel Cipriani, an oasis of quiet in the clamorous city. If money is an object, I'd choose Hotel Flora, a lovely hotel around a pretty courtyard near the Piazza San Marco, or Hotel American in quieter Dorsoduro. The first night in town, have dinner under the arbor at Locanda Montin, then take a gondola ride that ends with champagne at the posh Harry's Bar. Call the Italian Government Travel Office at [phone].

7. A Capital Idea: London, Paris and Rome. For a week hitting the most romantic capitals of the world, fly into London, stay in a garden-view room at the genteel Draycott Hotel in the chic Chelsea section of town. Have dinner at Rules, the oldest restaurant in Britain. Take in a show in the West End or a rave dance party in Soho. Ride the Eurostar train through the Chunnel to Paris. Stay at L'Hotel, the Left Bank favorite of rock stars and other celebs. Dine in the art-nouveau splendor of Le Petit Zinc. Get a cabin for two on the overnight train to Rome. Stay at Albergo del Sol al Pantheon in the old city, and have dinner at Quinzi & Gabrielli, the city's best seafood restaurant. Call the British Consulate, [phone]; the French tourism office, [phone]; and the Italian tourist office, [phone].

8. Big Splurge Asian Blow-out: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore. Fly Singapore Airlines to Bangkok. Spend a few nights in the Oriental Hotel, the best hotel in the world. Ride the Eastern & Orient Express luxury train down the Malay Peninsula, stopping off at Amanpuri Resort in Phuket and visiting Georgetown on the island of Penang. At the end of the line, a one-day shopping spree in Singapore and a night at the famed Raffles Hotel before flying home. Contact Eastern & Orient at [phone].

9. Cold and Cuddly: Winter wonderlands. If your love blooms in the cold, consider a ski and snuggle getaway to Snow Summit at Big Bear Lake, [phone]. The Stein Erikson Lodge, [phone] in Park City, Utah, is ski-chalet chic at its best. Europe has several beautiful villages full of the white stuff November through March. My favorites are the tiny mountain towns of Wengen and Murren in Switzerland, St. Jodok and Hall-in-Tyrol in Austria, and Suisi in the Italian Alps. All have chalet-style accommodations for less than $150 a night. Call the tourist offices of Switzerland, [phone]; Austria, [phone]; Germany, [phone]; or Italy, [phone].

10. Been There, Done That: Places off the beaten track. How about playing house in a big house with a private pool in tropical Raratonga (Lagoon Lodges, 011-682-22-021; ask for the executive lodge). Or a deluxe tree house on the Big Island (Waipio Tree House, [phone]). One of dozens of underground motel rooms in hyperhot Coober Pedy, Australia (South Australian Tourism Commission, [phone]). Mexico lovers should try the Omni Zaashila Hotel, [phone], in Huatulco, the new beach resort near the Guatemala border in Oaxaca. Or how about a Hindu-style stone cottage in the highlands of Bali (Amandari, [phone]).

On Location The key to a perfect honeymoon is planning, and communication about what you both want to do. Here are a few tips for having a trip to remember:

A honeymoon should be stress-free. Weddings are usually frustrating, nerve-racking and hard work. Honeymoons should be the opposite. Make the honeymoon the antidote - serene and peaceful. This is not the time to do 12 European countries in seven days or take a marathon driving trip to the Grand Canyon. Save that to torment the kids.

Custom-design the trip just for you. Take some time to look at both your interests. You can always compromise. Two couch potatoes shouldn't plan to bike across Switzerland. If one likes water sports and the other shopping, go to St. Maarten or St. Thomas.

Speak up. Both bride and groom should have a say in the trip. If the one who had no input doesn't like it, he or she can and will blame the one who planned it.

Stick to a budget that won't break the bank. You don't want to be worrying about how much you're spending.

Add some adventure to your trip. Research shows that thrills (and fear) heightens romance. This doesn't mean you have to canoe the Amazon or check into the Beirut Hilton. But you can do something out of the ordinary. If you're staying in the Caribbean, take a guided walk in a rain forest. If you're on Cape Cod, rent bikes or mopeds. And there's always Cairo or Casablanca.

Lower your standards. This vacation probably will not be the best trip of your lives. Hopefully, you will have many more journeys, each one more fun than the last. And if this trip is a disaster, it will make great anecdotes at your anniversary parties.

SOURCE: - Cheryl Blackerby

Cox News Service

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Photo: A bride, a groom and some privacy are major requirem ents for a great honeymoon.

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