Honeymoon Destination Recommendations for… Wine Lovers

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

It’s been quite awhile since I wrote my last Where To Go? post, so in honor of my good friend Stephanie who’s visiting San Francisco this week and in the midst of planning her own wedding, I thought it would be quite appropriate to cover a topic that’s dear to her heart: wine.

The following is a list of honeymoon destination recommendations for wine-loving couples created by myself, someone who knows little to nothing about wine.* Since I am faaaar from being a wine expert, let’s just say that everywhere on the list is known for great wine, and hopefully my non-wine related comments will help you decide whether a particular location suits your particular honeymoon interests. Pour yourself a glass, and let’s begin!

1) South Africa

The Cape Winelands, South Africa

I’m starting off the list with the place that I want to visit the most. South Africa really has it all: beautiful beaches, incredible wild life and safari opportunities, and the infamous wine regions of Constantia, Stellenbosch and Paarl. It’s not a budget-friendly destination (especially if you want to go on safari as well), but if you’re going to go big on your honeymoon, I think South Africa would be absolutely fantastic.

2) Argentina

I guess that’s what Malbec looks like?

On the other end of the budget spectrum, Argentina’s Mendoza region is another perfect honeymoon destination, especially if you love steak and a good Malbec. While Argentina may not be as cheap as it used to be, it should still be significantly less expensive than a honeymoon in either South Africa or Europe. Keep in mind though that Argentina is a huge country, so if you want to check out Buenos Aires as well as Mendoza, you’ll need to book some additional flights.

3) Australia

The beautiful Hunter Valley

If you’re going down under for your honeymoon, you’re in for a treat because Australian wine is delicious, and you don’t have to travel far from Sydney if you want to experience the wineries first-hand. You can easily take a day trip to the Hunter Valley region in New South Wales, and then sleep off your hangover on Bondi Beach the next day.

4) France

A winery in Bordeaux

There are three things that the French sure know how to do properly: food, wine, and romance. What else do you need during your honeymoon? The correct answer (at least for me): Beaches. Fortunately, the French Riviera is just a short flight or train ride from Paris so you can have the best of both worlds, as well as Champagne, Burgundy, Loire Valley, and Bordeaux in between. Stay tuned for an amazing Real France Honeymoon post coming up in a few weeks from a very food and wine-savvy couple.

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Real Honeymoon: Italy

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

That’s right – it’s back-to-back Italian Honeymoon weeks! This week’s Real Honeymoon comes from Erin, who has an awesome blog of her own called Imperfect Polish that you should check out. Erin didn’t skimp on the details of her trip, so make sure to check out all of her great tips for honeymooning in Italy below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

My husband and I took off the day after our wedding September 13, 2008 for Italy [Rome, Positano, and Capri].

In front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome

How long was your trip?

We were gone for two weeks and enjoyed every second of it.

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

We were engaged for over a year and had a large wedding, which was so much fun, but we were ready to escape everything and explore Italy. When we were planning our honeymoon, we knew we wanted to go somewhere new, somewhere with a direct flight, and a place we could relax. We are both very interested and enjoy (too much) food and wine, so Italy was the perfect choice.

We knew that staying in one city would get boring for us since we are not huge on tourist attractions, so we chose Rome (5 days), the postcard city of Positano on the Amalfi Coast (4 days), and the island of Capri (5 days). Being by the ocean was a huge part of why we chose the second two cities, since we love a great view and boating.

This was the view from their hotel room in Positano. Not too shabby, huh?

The best part about our honeymoon was…

It is hard to put my finger on the best part of our honeymoon, as every day was incredible, even if we hardly left the balcony of our suite. Funny enough, Matt and I always look back fondly on the afternoon we got to Positano and the rain. It rained our entire wedding day, so it was only fitting we saw a bit of it on our trip. We checked into our cliffside hotel and went out on the balcony to soak in the ridiculous view of a city we had only seen in photographs. It started to rain and we laid down on the lounge chairs outside and fell asleep to the gentle rain that began to fall. When we woke up, we walked down during the sunset to The Brasserie at Hotel Covo dei Saraceni for the best pizza we had on our entire trip (we sampled it everywhere, seriously). It was the the perfect (unplanned) day, which we enjoyed many of instead of being too touristy.

Delicious pizza in Positano

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

If I could change one thing it would have been to do more research on restaurants. We relied heavily on the concierge of each hotel and it would have been more fun to go to places recommended by friends or travel writers I love. Luckily, we did not have a bad meal anywhere. How could you in Italy?

How much planning did you do in advance?

Once we picked the destination, Matt took the reigns and booked everything. It was such a fun surprise seeing what he chose when we arrived in each city. It also let me focus on the wedding and look forward to a wonderful getaway.

Outside of Antica Pesa in Rome

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Real Honeymoon: Italy

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

This week we have yet another incredible Italian honeymoon to share! Read all about Emily and Cullen’s romantic trip below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

May 2006, Italy (Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, & Rome)

How long was your trip?

2 weeks.

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

My sister had gone there for her honeymoon and it looked awesome, I’d never been out of the country and my husband had only been to Mexico so it was exciting to go and explore part of Europe together. Plus I am Italian, so always had an urge to go and explore the Italian culture.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

We woke up at 4am the morning after our wedding to catch our honeymoon flight to Italy, which was really exciting. Despite being tired, we were so excited, we had just gotten married and now were off on an exciting vacation together to a place we’ve never been. So I loved just going right away. Besides that I would have to say exploring the food.

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

Well I know a lot more about food now then I did then, so I would probably have eaten slightly different despite the fact that I loved a lot of what we had. I could have done more research about the best places to go or what foods to eat. But we were young and new to traveling, I’m much better now.

Also, I packed way too many clothes which made train travel slightly more difficult, so if you’re going to be traveling around, pack smart, multi-use clothing items.**

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Real Honeymoon: Italy

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

When I started this blog last year, I knew that Italy was a great honeymoon destination, but I didn’t realize how popular it was! This is now the fourth Real Honeymoon: Italy post on the blog, and I have two more great ones lined up to be published in the upcoming weeks. Each honeymoon is slightly different, but they are all equally fantastic. Check out Cyndi and Ben’s amazing Italian honeymoon below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to Italy in September 2012. We went to Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Positano, and Capri.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome

How long was your trip?

2 weeks.

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

Neither of us had been to Europe, and I have always wanted to go to Italy, especially Rome and Cinque Terre.

Hiking Cinque Terre

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Our favorite place was Capri. Our friends got us an evening of wine tasting in Rome which was awesome. Another highlight was the cooking class we took in Florence.

Private boat trip in Capri

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

While we loved Cinque Terre, and the hike was beautiful, in hindsight I would probably have saved it for a different trip, and spent more time in the other places. Cinque Terre was pretty far out of the way – the day we went from Cinque Terre to Positano, we traveled from 9am to 9pm.**

Sunbathing in Positano

How much planning did you do in advance?

Everything I could possibly plan in advance, I did. In fact, my husband thought I was crazy because around March of last year I asked him if I should start making restaurant reservations. I booked our airfare and hotels in January. I booked our cooking class and boat tour in Capri probably around March. I made museum reservations for Rome and Florence in August. I had looked up the train schedules in advance but didn’t reserve anything – my husband insisted on a little flexibility!

Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence

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Real Honeymoon: Iceland

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

When most people think of the ideal honeymoon location, they think of somewhere warm and tropical… and probably not a country whose name starts with the word “ice.” However, Iceland is becoming a very popular tourist destination. For one thing, it’s a lot closer to the U.S. than most people realize (only 5 hours from the East Coast), and the other-worldly scenery is just breathtaking. My husband and I would love to go there someday, so when my best friend put me in touch with Carrie, I couldn’t wait to read all about their amazing Icelandic honeymoon.

When and where did you honeymoon?

My husband and I roadtripped around the Ring Road in Iceland for our honeymoon from May 23 – June 3, 2011.

How long was your trip?

We were in Iceland for 11 days.

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

Neither my husband nor I are huge beach people, so we didn’t want the typical Hawaii-Fiji-Mexico honeymoon. And having been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit previously, we wanted to try something new and different. We’d heard great things about Iceland, and it seemed like a perfect size for us to be able to cover the major and many minor sights for the time that we had. Finally, the economy in Iceland hadn’t fully recovered, so we were able to take advantage of slightly lower prices, in an otherwise very expensive country!

Icelandic horses at Eld Hestar

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Well, the best part was that we were able to get there! The Grímsvötn volcano erupted on my wedding day, May 21st, so we weren’t sure if our flights would be cancelled. Fortunately, our last leg was only 6 hours delayed, and we made it into Reykjavík safe and sound.

In Iceland, my favorite part was the Southern coast of Iceland. It was absolutely gorgeous, particularly the areas between Höfn, Vík and Hella-Hvolsvöllur. I followed the first half of this Frommer’s itinerary for that portion of the Ring Road, and it was incredibly romantic.

Skógafoss

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

I don’t think I would change a single thing–except maybe to stay for a couple more days!

Jökulsárlón

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Real Honeymoon: Italy

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Have I not yet mentioned that people love honeymooning in Italy? Allie and Jeff also chose Italy for their honeymoon because of it’s rich culture and incredible food. Read all about their wonderful Italian honeymoon below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We traveled to Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence, Lucca, Cinque Terre, and Milan) in May, 2012.

How long was your trip?

May 6 – May 22, 2012

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

My (now) husband and I love food and really enjoy different food experiences. To me Italy was the place to go to see not only 3000 year old ruins on every corner, but to explore a delicious food culture.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Going to this amazing small, family run winery. We were in Lucca and asked our concierge to recommend a winery we could go to for the day. She told us about a big winery that was very commercial and another small one that didn’t take visitors very often. When she called and told the gentlemen that we were on our honeymoon and wanted to come, he told her that we should be there at noon.

We drove through some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen and got to experience the Montichiari Winery. This man was the 3rd generation in his family to own and operate the winery. He and his wife were the most warm, inviting, friendly people I have ever met. He spoke English, Italian, and French, his wife spoke only French and Italian with a little English mixed in. I barely speak French and my husband understands a little Italian…but we made it work. We were taken around the vineyards and olive trees, shown all the best views of the property, and then sat down for one of the top meals I have ever eaten. He and his wife not only opened and shared with us 4 bottles of wine, but also opened a few bottles from their private cellar because they were just so happy to have us there.

And the food…oh man, the food she cooked was out of this world. All food was from their land or things traded with their neighbors. In total we spent 5 hours there touring the property, enjoying the beautiful view, and the hospitality of these lovely people.

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

Falling asleep a few hours after we got to Rome on the first day of the trip. It threw me for a loop and I didn’t feel right the first 2 days in Rome, so it felt like a waste.

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Real Honeymoon: Germany, Croatia & Hungary

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

One of the best parts about starting this blog is hearing about my friends’ friends’ honeymoons. Although I haven’t met Jamie before, I’m so glad she shared the details of her amazing European honeymoon with one of our mutual friends. Thanks for contributing, Jamie!

When and where did you honeymoon?

Sept 2011 – Oct 2011 (3 weeks)

– Munich, Germany (Oktoberfest) 3 nights

– Croatia 12 nights total:

Dubrovnik 4 nights
Hvar 4 nights + Plitvice Lakes/National Park (Day Trip)
Rovinj 4 nights

– Budapest, Hungary 3 nights

How long was your trip?

3 weeks

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

We knew we wanted to go to Europe for our honeymoon. We quickly discovered that our honeymoon would fall during Oktoberfest. We decided to take a direct flight to Munich from SF International airport and start our honeymoon with a party.

Next we decided to travel to Croatia for a little R&R. We stayed in three different cities and rented a car between cities to get from one place to the next.

Finally we decided to end in Budapest; we had heard great things about the city. It ended up being one of our favorite cities on the trip.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Experiencing so many new things with my new husband as both he and I had never been to those locations before. We have some great pictures of the two of us in our Oktoberfest costumes, that was pretty unforgettable. Other great memories: Buza 1 and 2 in Dubrovnik, Plivice Lakes/National Park, beach of Hvar, Truffle hunting in Rovinj, Beef Goulash in Budapest, European history of Budapest.

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

Spending one or two less days in Dubrovnik, the city was amazing, but the people were not that warm and the food was our least favorite out of all our destinations. Make sure you get to Rovinj before the tourist day ferry to Venice stops (we missed it by one day). Go wine tasting just outside Budapest, we ran out of time for that trip.

How much planning did you do in advance?

We had our flights and our hotels booked before we left. We studied our Lonely Planet guides on our way to the next destination. We rented cars with the help of our hotels once we arrived. It was difficult to plan a wedding and really plan a honeymoon.

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Real Honeymoon: Greece & Turkey

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Last week I published Jennie and Chris’ Napa mini-moon post, and this week we have all of the details on their longer European honeymoon in Greece and Turkey!

When and where did you honeymoon?

Greece and Turkey in May/June 2012. We went to Athens, Santorini, Ephesus, and Istanbul.

How long was your trip?

2 weeks.

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

We’d heard great things about Greece and Turkey, and we wanted to take advantage of living a bit closer to Europe (we were living in DC at the time but live in California now).

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Spending a lot of time reading and laying in the sun in Santorini. We stayed at a great little hotel overlooking the caldera, and it had nice beach chairs right outside our room, on a balcony with a gorgeous view.

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

I’d spend maybe one less day in Istanbul. It is a really cool city, but six days was one day too many. We just got tired of sightseeing and walking around a city.

How much planning did you do in advance?

We booked hotels, flights, and ferries in advance. We also booked a nice dinner in Istanbul for our first wedding anniversary. Otherwise, we planned everything else once we arrived.

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Honeymoon Destination Recommendations For… Party Animals!

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Not everyone has the same thoughts in mind when they think about a “perfect honeymoon.” For some couples, the ideal honeymoon means relaxing on a beach with cocktails in hand. Other couples prefer to go somewhere with plenty of sightseeing options. And some couples, you’ll know who you are, just want to party their pants off. In this installment of my “Where To Go” series of posts, I’ll share my top 3 honeymoon destinations for party animals.

1) Ibiza, Spain

Ibiza, Spain

Ibiza may be naturally gorgeous, but I think the Spanish island is most famous for its unparalleled club scene. I haven’t been there myself, but friends of mine who have gone there recently raved about the fresh seafood, indulgent spas, and breathtaking hotels on the island. But of course, the real draw is the nightlife. Ibiza Spotlight has a great informational page for Ibiza Virgins that is helpful for navigating the club scene and buying advance tickets.

Ibiza is just a 50 minute flight from Barcelona, and I definitely recommend spending a few days there either on your way to or from the island. Barcelona also has a surprisingly good man-made beach that was created for the 1992 Olympics, so you can split your days between sightseeing and sunbathing.

2) Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

Full Moon Party drink buckets via A.Haldun ONUK

You’ve probably heard about Full Moon Parties before, but did you know that they originated on the small island of Koh Pha Ngan in Thailand? There are plenty of imitation parties now throughout Southeast Asia (and “Half Moon Parties” too), but nothing compares to the original.

These parties occur once a month (duh), so either make hotel reservations in advance or plan on arriving to the island a few days before the party in order to arrange your lodging. Some people even take the ferry over from one of the neighboring islands like Koh Samui or Koh Tao just for the night of the party, but believe me, you won’t feel like getting on a ferry too soon afterward.

Full Moon Party dos and don’ts:

Do: use common sense, buy yourself a drink bucket or two, and check out the ladyboys. (Yes, those hot Thai ladies are probably not women after all.)

Don’t: accept food or drinks from strangers, bring too much cash or any valuables with you, or wear nice clothing. Someone is bound to spill drinks or rub body paint on you at some point during the night.

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Honeymoon Destination Recommendations For… Adrenaline Junkies!

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Peonies to Palm Trees

It’s pretty obvious that just because a honeymoon destination is really popular, it doesn’t mean that it’s right for everyone. One of the reasons why I started this blog in the first place is because the internet is full of websites that can tell you where to stay and what to do once you choose your honeymoon destination, but there aren’t enough sites that will help you decide where to go based on your personalities, time allowance, and budget.

Hopefully this ongoing “Where To Go?” series of blog posts will help you and your fiancé make your own destination decision with plenty of confidence and excitement. So without further ado, where do I suggest that adrenaline junkies go on their honeymoons? See my top 3 recommendations (on 3 different continents) below for extremely extreme couples:

1) Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown is the city to visit if you like all things extreme. Not only is the city itself absolutely beautiful, full of good restaurants, nice hotels, and some of the friendliest people in the world, the adrenaline-pumping activities that the city has to offer are endless. You can spend your days skydiving, bungy jumping (do the Nevis – it’s the highest in NZ!), mountain biking, white water rafting, and parasailing, or you can take it easy with scenic hikes, cruising on Lake Wakatipu, and wine tasting. During the winter, you can also ski and snowboard on the Remarkables mountain range.

I also highly recommend going on a Shotover Jet boat ride and then getting some cocktails at the Minus 5° Icebar. Is the icebar overpriced and crowded? Sure is. Do you get to wear borrowed jackets and gloves? Yep. Do the photos make it all worth it? Absolutely.

Other fun things to consider doing are the street luge course and the ledge swing, but just a heads up about that ledge swing harness: it hurrrrts.

2) Interlaken, Switzerland

Hey Derek!

If Queenstown is the #1 adventure destination in the world, then I’d say that Interlaken comes in a close second. Just replace the Remarkables with the Swiss Alps, and Lake Wakatipu with Lakes Brienzsee and Thun, and you’ll find that the two cities are very similar.

Again, the backdrop of the city alone would be enough to make Interlaken a popular tourist destination. However, it also offers world-class skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and tons of fun summer activities like skydiving, hang gliding, bungy jumping, white water rafting, and rock climbing.

Since I had already done most of those extreme activities in Queenstown before I visited Interlaken, I decided I should do something a bit more unique when I was in Switzerland. I chose to go canyoning.

So, what is canyoning anyway? Well, first you start out wearing a sweet wetsuit, jacket, lifevest, and helmet. Then you basically just end up following your guide down a series of waterfalls with a combination of hiking, jumping, swimming, and rappelling skills. It’s all a bit blurry to me now, but I remember that everyone had a great time.

Although I was just a backpacker when I visited Interlaken, my husband was lucky enough that his firm flew him out there a few years ago for a weekend hike. Yes, we live in San Francisco, and his law firm flew everyone out to Switzerland to go for a weekend hike. I was just a little jealous, to say the least. Anyway, they stayed at a very beautiful hotel called The Victoria-Jungfrau, and it sounds like it would be perfect for honeymooners. He said that the cleaning staff were like ninjas because he’d leave the room for a few minutes, and by the time he came back it would be spotless.

One drawback to both of our Switzerland experiences, neither my husband nor I remember anything remarkably positive about the food. However, he did mention that there was a Hooters next to his hotel. Just where you always imagined eating during your honeymoon, right? The legend told is that the people who purchased the land adjacent to the hotel wanted to build a gift shop, but the hotel shut them down because there was already a shop in the resort. To get their revenge, the neighbors built the most spiteful (yet profitable) thing they could think of… a Hooters restaurant.

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