I’m excited that today we have Peonies to Palm Trees‘ first ever real MINI-moon blog post!  More on mini-moons in general later on, but check out Jennie and Chris’ quick trip to Wine Country below.  And then next Monday, make sure to come back and read all about their longer European honeymoon, too.

When and where did you honeymoon?

Napa in June 2011. We stayed at the Napa Valley Lodge in Yountville, which I would highly recommend.

How long was your trip?

3 days.

How did you decide on your honeymoon destination(s)?

We wanted to go somewhere close to our wedding location (Santa Cruz) since we only had a few days available for our mini-moon. And we love wine and good food, so Yountville was the perfect place to go to enjoy both.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Staying in a hotel that was walking distance from so many fabulous restaurants. It meant we got to go on some nice walks, we didn’t have to drive to all our meals, and we didn’t have to spend lots of money on cabs.

If I knew then what I know now, I’d change…

I’d eat a little less of each course at French Laundry so I didn’t get too full by the time the meat courses arrived. They give you a ton of food, so unless you have a huge appetite, I’d suggest eating a portion of every serving and taking the rest to go so you can enjoy all of it without feeling too full.

How much planning did you do in advance?

We planned pretty much everything in advance – dinner reservations, wine tasting and car, and massages. It was a pretty short trip, so we wanted to make sure we were able to pack in the fun.

What was your biggest honeymoon splurge?

French Laundry! It was not cheap but definitely an incredible experience.