Alan and Denise Herencia

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Alan and Denise Herencia

Alan, 27, is a project manager for Anthony & Sylvan Pools. Denise, 25, is a student at George Mason University. They married Aug. 27 in Falls Church and live in Burke Centre.

WHERE THEY WENT: To the all-inclusive Couples Negril in Jamaica, where they spent a week. They knew they wanted to go somewhere in the Bahamas or the Caribbean and relied on the advice of friends in making their final decision.

BUDGET: $3,100

THE GOOD NEWS: Denise's parents paid for it.

THE BAD NEWS: It was the week Hurricane Katrina hit.

THEN AGAIN . . . they didn't know it, having avoided the media for seven days. On the van back to the airport, they listened to other passengers talking about a hurricane. "We'd had a day of rain, and we realized then it was the day Katrina blew through," Alan said.

BEST MOMENT: They took the resort's "booze cruise" to a spot where passengers could swim and cliff jump. "I really like boats and going out on the water," Alan said, "and this gave us a good taste of what the ocean is like there."

LESSON LEARNED (SORT OF): Don't eat so much. "The food was so ridiculously good and there was so much of it, I ate more than I should have," Alan said, adding, "If I were to go again, I'd probably do the same thing."

OKAY, THE REAL LESSON LEARNED: Go the all-inclusive route. Everything, including food, drinks, watersports, etc., was included. As a result, they spent very little extra money. "Our bags got misplaced when we arrived, so we ate a meal at the airport," Alan said. "That's about the most we spent."

ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10: "It was the best week I've ever had in my life," Alan said. "No complaints."

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