When people submit their honeymoons to the blog, I almost exclusively hear things from the brides’ perspective.  So when Steph asked her husband Matthew to chime in on the honeymoon advice as well, I was pretty excited.  (Don’t be shy, guys!  You can send me your honeymoons, too!)  It sounded like Matthew did a lot of the planning for their hawaiian honeymoon, so I’m really glad that he was able to share his enthusiasm about their trip as well.  Read all about their honeymoon on the big island of Hawaii below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

Steph: The Big Island in Hawaii.

Matthew: Hawaii:  The “Big Island” [May/June 2012]

How long was your trip?

10 days.

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

S: We knew we wanted something tropical, and we really wrestled with how far away we wanted to travel.  We definitely wanted to relax, experience something new, and really treat ourselves, but we knew that the amount of time we could take off would be limited.  Knowing that we were taking time off before the wedding, we settled on traveling to somewhere closer to California but still exotic.  We threw around Mexico, but I (Stephanie) has a bad history of food poisoning and the like when traveling there, so we ruled it out.  Growing up in North Carolina, Matthew had never been to Hawaii because of the distance, and I (Stephanie) had only ever been to Maui, so we landed on the islands.  Matthew really spearheaded and executed all the planning, the accommodations, the research — you name it, Matthew was on top of it!

The best part about our honeymoon was…

S: sitting down to a late dinner at Hualalai, enjoying incredible food and wine but most of all recounting all our favorite parts from the wedding weekend and all our future plans ahead.

M: Going on dates with the love of my life for 9 straight nights :)

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

S: how long we were there!  I could have done at least 2 more days.

M:  Completely agree with Steph!  When your co-workers have their heads down on their own projects, especially during the summer, what’s one week versus two?  (Or three?).  You only get one honeymoon, so fight for your time off!  People understand.  As long as it’s within your budget, take advantage of this once in a lifetime trip and take a few more days off :)

How much planning did you do in advance?

M:  I did a fair amount of planning a couple day trips here and there.  More importantly though, I spent a lot of time making sure our accommodations were nice beforehand.  My personal advice for a great honeymoon is to pick a beautiful and fun destination and then just let things happen as you’re there. This strategy works especially well when you’re on “island time.”

What was your biggest honeymoon splurge?

S: Staying at the Four Seasons in Hualalai* — it was pricey but worth every penny.

M:  The Four Seasons at Hualalai, on the Big Island, was an absolutely fantastic resort.  It was pricey but I don’t regret it for a second and we can’t wait to go back!

Where do you want to go on your next big trip?

S: Europe!  We’ve both been there on our own, but never together.  I can’t wait to hit the museums and restaurants and soak up the culture with him!

M:  I agree with Steph.  Europe is our next big trip and I cant wait to show Steph Switzerland, where I studied abroad.  Our “Bucket List” also includes Argentina, Chile, and maybe a couple South American countries… neither of us have been down there!

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* Some friends of mine got married at The Four Seasons in Hualalai in December 2012.  I unfortunately couldn’t make it to the wedding, but the photos look gorgeous!