Our Next Big Trip Will Be… Morocco!

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Hope you all had a great weekend! We spent ours binge-watching Orphan Black* and booking our next big trip to MOROCCO!

As I mentioned in a post a few months ago, Morocco has been on my wanderlust list for awhile. Aaron and I haven’t been anywhere in Africa yet, we love warm weather destinations, the food is supposed to be fantastic, and CAMELS! Okay fine, camels don’t dictate where we decide to go on vacation, but Aaron hasn’t ridden one yet and I think it’s pretty important that he does so soon.

All we’ve booked so far is our flights into and out of Marrakesh, but I can’t wait to start researching where to go and what to do. I’m hoping to spend several days exploring the city, a few nights by the sea in Essaouira, and some sort of desert excursion. Other than that, we’re totally open to suggestions!

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Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

If you’re reading a blog about honeymoons, chances are pretty high that you’re of the age of attending many bachelor/bachelorette parties a year. Bach parties have somehow evolved from one big night out on the town to full-blown long-weekend vacations, and they can be a whole lot of fun so long as everyone in the group acts appropriately. Just coming back from a really great bachelorette party in Austin myself, I thought it would be fitting to write a blog post about the Do’s and Don’ts of bach parties.

Bachelorettes Gone Wild! Just kidding – these are pics of my dearest friends, and they are all very classy ladies.

– If you RSVP yes to a bach party, DO show up. The person planning the shindig will calculate costs based on the overall number of people attending, and when someone bails at the last minute it makes everything a lot more expensive for all of the other guests.

– If you see a bach party out and about, DON’T yell at them: “Don’t do it! Marriage is the worst!” It’s not funny or cute, and the joke gets old fast.

– Before you attend a bach party, DO expect to spend more money than you think you will. Last minute expenses (i.e. other guests bailing after they RSVP yes) are absolutely bound to happen, so it’s a good idea to set expectations accordingly in advance. If you’re worried about the high cost of a bach party, let the organizer know ahead of time, or it’s really okay to just sit it out. The bride/groom should not hold it against you for not being able to attend a wedding-related event for financial reasons. (If they do, then you probably don’t want to go to their bach party in the first place.)

– DON’T be the sourpuss who’s too cool for the rest of the party. If the whole group is wearing bright pink sunglasses, suck it up, smile, and wear bright pink sunglasses. You’ll forget how ridiculous you look in no time.

– DO ask the party organizer what you can bring or do to help. Planning a bach party can be overwhelming, and extra help is usually very much appreciated.

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Two Year Wedding Anniversary

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Oh hey, it’s me. Sorry about not writing for awhile, but job stuff, hockey play-offs, and my foster dog have kept me pretty busy throughout these past few weeks. Since wedding season 2014 has officially begun, I’m definitely hoping to blog more frequently again, and what better reason is there to start it off than my own second wedding anniversary?

May 5, 2012 at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA

Yes, it’s true, Aaron and I have been married for two whole years, and I must say that it has been pretty excellent. I think back to our Cinco de Mayo wedding and relaxing honeymoon in Bali and Vietnam all the time, wanting to relive all of the fun memories.

People (mostly my family’s friends) still ask me all the time, “So, how does it feel to be married?” Aaron and I lived together before our wedding and we’ve been in the same apartment, at the same jobs, and with the same dog for about four years now, so my first reaction used to be that everything is pretty much the same, married or not. However, there are three big things that I’ve noticed over the past two years of marriage:

1) If you ever go anywhere without your spouse, the first question that people will ask you is where your spouse is. You’re never allowed to go anywhere alone without some sort of explanation!

2) If you go to a social event and decide not to drink, people will notice. I haven’t been a big drinker for several years now, so good friends of mine don’t jump to “omg-she-must-be-pregnant!” conclusion whenever I order a water, but people who don’t know me as well definitely do. For example, at a gala last winter I hadn’t even had time to grab a drink before one of my parents’ friends told me, “Turn to the side. Okay good, you’re not pregnant yet.” Yeah. That happened. I’ve learned my lesson to grab a drink as soon as possible, even if I don’t intend to drink it. Pretty lame, right? Continue reading →

Real Destination Wedding + Mini-Moon: Philippines

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

I know I always say something about how I’m excited to share a particular blog post, but this one really is extra awesome because it’s a real destination wedding and mini-moon in the Philippines! My husband and I are hoping to recreate a similar itinerary there this winter, so I’m grateful that Monique and Josiah have shared so many helpful insights (and beautiful photos) below. Enjoy!

When and where was your destination wedding?

Our wedding was on February 1st at the Shangri-La Resort and Spa in Boracay, Philippines.

How did you decide on doing a destination wedding?

Josiah and I had originally thrown around the idea of a destination wedding, since we have lived abroad a few times and travel so often, but decided against it since we knew so many of our friends and family would not be able to join us. However, after a year and a half of searching all over the bay area and not really finding anything that we fell in love with (that we could also afford), we revisited the idea of a destination wedding.

This time the Philippines and the Shangri La came up and we both knew immediately this was right! We had spent New Years there three years ago and Josiah’s dad’s family lives in Manila, so it felt special and we really wanted to share this place with our friends and family.

It’s hard to believe that this perfect shot isn’t a stock photo!

The best part about our destination wedding was…

Having a full week with the people we love most on a beautiful island! We were able to plan lots of events and really sit back and watch all of our friends and family talk, laugh, explore, and enjoy every moment together. I had no idea how incredibly special it would be to see our worlds come together and get people away to a place that had a lot of meaning for us.

What was the hardest part about planning a destination wedding?

I think had it been anywhere else [aside from the Shangri La on Boracay] it would have been more challenging. We had the most amazing planner who was on top of everything. I emailed her almost daily with questions and ideas, and she responded right away and was just as excited as I was. I have a high attention to detail, so I will admit I can be a bit much for some, but we were extremely fortunate!

In general the people in the Philippines were so incredibly accommodating and wonderful that it made for an easy and stress free process. Of course not being able to see things in person makes it tougher, but fortunately we had been once before. I think the time difference, currency conversions, and lack of some internet sites or functionality made it a bit more challenging, but nothing we couldn’t work with.

What are your tips for other couples who are considering planning a destination wedding?

I think its important to pick somewhere that is meaningful. This can be because the couple has traveled there before, they have family from there, or have dreamed about going together. It makes it that much more special to share it with friends and family. I would also get as much information up front [from the venues] to ensure you know about what is included, what isn’t, different ways/traditions of having a wedding there etc. I think this is also a great way to find out if the person you will be working with is responsive and helpful before you book anything. I can’t imagine planning a wedding from across the world without someone really great on the other end.

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Real Honeymoon: Singapore & Thailand

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

We haven’t had a new Real Honeymoon post on the blog in a few weeks, so I was thrilled when my friend Kathleen agreed to write a post about her recent honeymoon in Asia where she and her husband Jon decided to split their time between the cities and beaches. Sounds like the perfect balance to me! Read all about their amazing honeymoon in Singapore and Thailand below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to 2 countries [in February 2014] – Singapore and Thailand. While in Thailand we hopped around from city to city. We went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, and Phuket.

How long was your trip?

We were gone for 2.5 weeks – disregarding the 24 hours it took to get to and from. I wish we could have stayed longer…but you can’t avoid real life forever!

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

My husband and I had actually both been to this part of the world previously, so it was actually a little bit of a tough decision. Why re-do Asia when we could see something we’ve both never seen before? I lived in Singapore when I was younger, and while there we had traveled to Phuket for a family vacation – pre-tsunami. Jon did Asia about 4 years ago for school. He went to Vietnam, Cambodia, and spent about a day in Bangkok.

Asia has a special place in my heart, as corny as it may be, so I had been dying to go back. I’ve always knew that once I got married, I would want my husband to see Singapore someday. Jon also really enjoyed Asia and felt like he missed out on Thailand during his trip – half of his friends did Thailand and half did Vietnam when they had gone for school. I had only ever seen Phuket, so seeing the rest of Thailand sounded great to me. So that was that! We both loved the idea of seeing different cities in Thailand and while in Asia we were able to squeeze in a quick trip to Singapore. We’ll save the rest of the world for later!

The best part about our honeymoon was…

I have a really hard time answering this question. Everything was really unique in it’s own way! Singapore was awesome for me – very nostalgic. Bangkok is so insane in an interesting way. Chiang Mai was more rural, a little more cultural and we got to pet tigers. And as for the beaches, you really can’t go wrong there!

But, if I have to answer, I would say 3 things: 1. I really loved Krabi. We didn’t really know what to expect from it. We chose it after debating which beaches to hit for weeks. We finally chose it somewhat randomly because we knew the rock formations would be very picturesque. Just seemed beautiful. Our hotel was awesome there – it was only accessible by boat because it was set in a nook surrounded by massive rocks/mountains. The beaches were beautiful, the resort was amazing, and we were able to get to the small town of Ao Nang every night via boats to walk around and eat. So we there was a mix of beach and Thai culture.

2. We took a cooking class in Chiang Mai that we LOVED! Siam Rice Cooking School – do it!

3. Being away for 2.5 weeks was so great. When we finally started the beach portion of our trip, we both looked at each other and were like “Wow…we still have 7 nights!” Best feeling ever.

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

There are definitely a few things I’d do differently, not that our trip was anything short of amazing!

1. I would have stayed one more day in Singapore – we did that so quickly and it felt like we tried to shove things in and we had just gotten to Asia. It was a lot. I could have probably planned that one out a little better.

2. I would have also added a day or 2 to Chiang Mai. I would have loved to do an elephant camp and taken a day trip up to Chiang Rai which is right by the Burma border.

3. We planned a few guided tours a long the way – they were OK. We would have probably been better off doing it on our own. Our tour guides also spoke really poor English so it was very difficult to understand them. However, we might have just chosen poorly. I’ve heard others say they loved their tours. Recommendations are definitely the way to go. Why we didn’t listen to others – I still don’t actually know…

4. I don’t know when we’ll go back to Asia, it’s soooo far away! But…there is still so much I want to see there. Sometimes I wonder if we should have just taken a whole month off. I would still love to see Angkor Wat and Vietnam. Who knows though – maybe we’ll make it back one day!

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How Long Can You Delay a Honeymoon?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

I had brunch over the weekend with three friends: one who honeymooned in Tahiti a few days after her wedding, one who honeymooned in Costa Rica a year after her wedding, and one who got married in Ireland last summer but hasn’t gone on a “real honeymoon” yet. That last friend, however, is planning a two week trip to New Zealand in October. Even though the trip is a year and a half after her (destination) wedding, is it okay to still consider it a “honeymoon”? How long can you delay a honeymoon before it just turns into a regular vacation?

The consensus around the table was that you can go on a honeymoon whenever you want – there’s no expiration date. It’s very common for couples to delay their honeymoons a bit after their weddings, whether it’s to save money, visit their dream destination during a more preferable season, or just because they have scheduling conflicts. Couples should do whatever works best for them, without feeling like their honeymoon needs to be rushed.

However, if you do decide to postpone your honeymoon, it’s important to realize that other people may treat it differently. As I wrote in one of my very first blog posts about when to go on a honeymoon, you should be forewarned that coworkers and employers may be less than enthusiastic about you taking an extended vacation if it’s not shortly after your wedding (especially if you already took a lot of time off for that). Friends and family probably won’t be as “Oh-My-Gosh-So-Excited-For-You!” either if your wedding seems like a distant memory. So as long as that’s cool with you (as it should be – it’s YOUR honeymoon after all), then plan your honeymoon whenever you feel like it.

That being said, you cannot plan multiple honeymoons (sorry, Alice). An extended multi-moon is acceptable (and totally awesome), but if you tell your friends/family/coworkers that you’re going on a second or third honeymoon, expect lots of eye rolls in return. At that point, please just call it a vacation.

As for my friends who are planning to go to New Zealand in October, I think that they should totally still consider that trip their honeymoon, and I honestly can’t wait to hear all about it. And, of course, they’ve already promised to write an awesome blog post when they get back.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2014

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

The Cliffs of Moher, June 2013

Even though I’m not even the slightest bit Irish, I’ve always been a fan of St. Patrick’s Day. The holiday makes me think of my two trips to Ireland (see my latest Ireland travel tips here), waiting in line for The Brown Jug in Ann Arbor at 7 am, the electric green river in Chicago, and a ridiculously fun bar crawl in The Rocks with my Sydney housemates during my semester abroad.

Admittedly my more recent St. Patrick’s Days have been far less exciting, but the holiday still just makes me happy. (And the 30 Rock St. Patrick’s Day episode makes me pretty happy, too.)

I hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day full of Guinness, corned beef, and (at least the soundtrack of) The Boondock Saints on repeat. Be safe, don’t be obnoxious, and have fun!

How Long Should a Honeymoon Be?

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Alright, you’ve finally figured out where to go and you’re ready to book your honeymoon. But now the question is how long your honeymoon should actually be. The answer is different for every couple, and it totally depends on a multitude of factors:

Your budget
How long it takes you to get to your destination(s)
How much time you can take off from your jobs
How much you like being away from home

That being said, the average honeymoon length of the Real Honeymooners who’ve contributed to this blog is around 13 days. Some of the shortest honeymoons (excluding mini-moons) were 6 days, and the longest ones were an impressive 21 days. My own honeymoon was 16 days: 8 in Bali, and 8 in Vietnam.

Private beach on Hon Tam, Vietnam (from our own honeymoon)

If you’re having a hard time deciding how much time to spend on your honeymoon, it’s time for you and your significant other to think about the following questions:

Do you envision your honeymoon to be a major (financial) blowout? If you’ve always wanted your honeymoon to be the most extravagant trip of your life, you may need to keep it on the shorter side in order to, you know, stay financially solvent.
How much is there to do at your dream honeymoon destination? If you’ve always wanted to honeymoon for 2+ weeks, but you want to honeymoon in, let’s say, the Maldives, you* may get a bit restless after a week or so. (*Exclusions apply to self-proclaimed beach bums such as yours truly.) Continue reading →

If You’re Eating in San Francisco…

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Inspired by SF style and beauty blogger Gal Meets Glam‘s recent post, I decided to come up with my own list of favorite places to eat and drink in the City by the Bay!

I’ve lived in San Francisco for nearly 8 years now (3 in Cow Hollow, and 4 1/2 in the Castro), and I’ve had my fair share of incredible meals all over town. While you can certainly go to many restaurants where a great meal will cost at least $50 a person, one of the best things about SF is that some of the most wonderful meals in the city can be had for less than $10.

Not a bad looking city, eh?

So if your travels bring you to San Francisco, below is the list of my favorite places to check out. Bon appétit!

Cafés/Breakfast/Coffee:

Philz Coffee – my go-to iced coffee.
Town’s End
Tartine Bakery & Cafe
Blue Bottle Coffee
Foreign Cinema – 3 words: homemade pop tarts.
Craftsman and Wolves – mmm… the rebel within!

Lunch:

Swan Oyster Depot – an absolute must for seafood-lovers.
Ike’s Place
 Slanted Door (+ Out the Door ) – I’m completely obsessed with their spring rolls and peanut sauce.
Marina Submarine
Yank Sing – the most wonderful Shanghai dumplings in SF.
Red’s Java House – best place for burgers and chili fries before SF Giants games!
Twitter – yes, as in Twitter’s headquarters. Don’t miss a chance to have a meal there if you know an employee.

Burritos: (because, yes, SF burritos deserve their very own category)

El Farolito
Papalote
Gordo Taqueria
Taqueria Cancun
Espiga De Oro

Dinner:

State Bird Provisions – hands down, my absolute favorite restaurant in San Francisco.
Stones Throw – my new favorite burger in SF.
Hillstone
L’Ardoise – the best date night restaurant.
Shanghai Dumpling King – soooo many dumplings, soooo little $.
 Spruce
nopa
Zazie

Drinks:

Blackbird
Trick Dog – really amazing cocktails.
Hi Tops – gay sports bar with awesome music and totally amazing food (brunch + dinner).
Southern Pacific Brewing Company
Locanda – delicious cocktails (good Italian food, too).
Toronado

Wanderlusting: The 10 Countries I Most Want to Visit in the Near Future

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Peonies to Palm Trees

My last blog post about travel envy was kind of a bummer, so I decided that I needed to write something a bit more positive before the week was over. Instead of dwelling on the fact that I’m not going to Istanbul with Aaron, I started thinking about the 10 countries I’d most want to visit. My only criteria for the list was that 1) I had to include countries that I’ve never been to before, and 2) they had to be places I’d want to visit in the near future (i.e. in the next 10 years or so – not when I’m much older and less adventurous/active), which was pretty easy because I haven’t been everywhere… yet.

Below is the list that I came up with, with the countries listed in alphabetical order:

Cambodia

Up until very recently, Cambodia was totally at the top of my must-see list. Throughout our honeymoon in Bali & Vietnam, we met several other couples who just raved about the food, beaches, friendliness, and cheapness of Cambodia, not to mention the complete awe of experiencing Angkor Wat. However, another travel blogger that I highly admire recently wrote about why she thinks that Cambodia has recently changed, and not for the better. Kate really knows her stuff, so I believe her when she says that she didn’t love her latest experience there. I’m hoping though that things will turn back around for Cambodia, so I can get enthusiastic again about visiting it.

Cambodia – thanks for the pics, Alice!

Chile

Aaron and I had so much fun backpacking around South America in 2009, but we felt a bit amiss that we didn’t make it to Chile. Ideally, our trip there will include experiencing cosmopolitan Santiago, snowboarding in Portillo, surfing in Pichilemu, and a few days exploring Easter Island.

Ecuador

Aside from wanting to see the Galapagos Islands, I’d never thought too much about visiting Ecuador; that is until my friend Jen came back from a trip there last year and had the best time ever. She promised that she’d one day write a blog post about her trip (right, Jen?), so I’ll leave it to her to tell you why she fell in love with the country.

Ecuador – thanks for the pics, Jen!

Iceland

The Blue Lagoon, live music, Northern Lights, Einstock beer – what’s not to like? If there were direct flights from Reykjavík to Dublin, we would have combined Iceland with our Ireland trip last summer.

Mauritius

My family friend visited Mauritius during her Semester at Sea, and as soon as I saw the photos of the perfect turquoise water and bleached white sand, I knew that I’d have to go there some day. It was definitely in the running as one of our own honeymoon destinations, but we’d like to combine it with a few weeks in South Africa as well, and we didn’t think we’d be able to do all of that right after the wedding. I guess it will just have to be the destination for a special anniversary trip, right?

Mauritius – thanks for the pics, Hana!

Morocco

As soon as I can find the time to spend a week in Marrakech, I’m going to make it happen. My friend Daniel was lucky enough to spend this past NYE at this insanely beautiful estate, and said that he just thought the whole area was really beautiful and interesting. Also, my mom and sisters got to ride camels near Tangier a few years ago which looked really fun.

Morocco – thanks for the pics, Rachel and Nicole!

Burma/Myanmar

One of my friends from college has lived in a handful of foreign countries since grad school, and although she’s currently living in Kabul, she is supposed to head back to Yangon soon. Only recently a tourist destination, she says that traveling around Burma is like going back in time. Aaron and I want to see what that’s like before everything becomes too modernized.

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