Real Mini-moon: Sedona

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Real Mini-moon post, so I was extra excited when my friends CK and Allison told me that they were going on a mini-moon in Sedona. Read all about their amazing pet-friendly getaway below:

When and where did you mini-moon?

We traveled to Sedona, Arizona for our minimoon October 14-17th [2013]. After getting married in Scottsdale, we wanted to take a little getaway after our wedding since we are not going on our actual honeymoon until middle of November. Sedona is a popular tourist town known for its red rock formations, outdoor activities, and beautiful fall weather.

How long was your trip?

We stayed for three nights. We initially were only going to stay for two, but we are definitely glad we stayed for three. We have both been to Sedona a few times before and have explored most of the things to do there, so this was more of a relaxing trip. For someone’s first time, I would definitely recommend a minimum of three nights, but four to five nights would probably be best.

How did you decide on your mini-moon destination?

Sedona is great because it is only about an hour and a half drive from Phoenix. You also get a welcome change in temperature and we were able to see the start of some fall colors. One or two weeks later would have been perfect to view the fall leaves. We knew that Sedona would be the perfect escape as a nice resort town; it is quiet, has great restaurants, and plenty of hiking opportunities.

We chose to stay at the Amara Resort and Spa. The Amara resort was wonderful. Perfect location, located right off main street/uptown Sedona where all of the shops and restaurants are and is also located right on the beautiful Oak Creek. Another main reason is that it is pet friendly – we couldn’t leave our pet behind knowing we would be going on multiple hikes, she would not be happy with us. It is part of the Kimpton line of hotels which I have learned are all pet friendly. We opened our room to a welcome sign for our dog Molly, a nice dog bed and food/water bowls setup. (They also had champagne and strawberries for us).

We had a courtyard suite, which I definitely recommend. Well worth it for the better view of the courtyard, pool and creek. The salt water pool that has a negative edge overlooking the creek was also a nice place to relax and enjoy the view. Oh, and don’t forget the free wine tasting every evening, that was a plus! Lastly, the famous L’Auberge de Sedona resort is located right next door. This place is amazing, you are able to walk right over, they basically share the same grounds. They have adorable little cottages and an amazing restaurant, queue the next question…

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Real Honeymoon: Kauai

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

After their beautiful wedding in Lake Tahoe, Matt and Amy chose to honeymoon in Kauai where they knew they’d be able to relax and still find tons of fun things to do. They also kept things interesting by staying in hotels in three different parts of the island. Read all about their amazing honeymoon in Kauai, and make sure to check out their great restaurants and activities tips at the end:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to Kauai in Early August [2013].

How long was your trip?

We were there for 10 days.

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

We both wanted a place where we could relax and unwind after the wedding festivities. Somewhere warm, with beaches, and warm water. The place also needed to offer areas to explore and a plethora of outdoor activities. We also wanted it to be a place neither of us had visited before, so it could be a new experience together.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

You mean aside from spending 10 days in paradise with the one you love, relaxing and soaking up the tropical sun? The best part was not having to stick to a schedule. Our days were just about perfect. First, enjoy some morning coffee and breakfast, then embark on activity for some adventure and exercise. Then beach time, then a great dinner.

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

We split our time between the north and south sides of the island. In the North, we stayed in Princeville, which was absolutely gorgeous. The frequent, very quick rain spells kept everything lush and green and also provided some a quick refuge from the hot tropical sun. A five minute drive down the hill and over a one lane bridge took us straight into Hanalei, where we spent fair amount of time. Hanalei Bay and the town of Hanalei proved to be a perfect match for everything we enjoyed. On the south side of the island, we stayed in sunny Poipu. Poipu was dry, had more strip malls and had more of a large resort feel to it. We decided that we really enjoyed Princeville more and would have spent more time there.

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Real Honeymoon: Jamaica

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Karman and Jaime are big fans of the Caribbean, so they decided to honeymoon in Jamaica! Read all about their awesome honeymoon full of beach cocktails, cliff diving, and beautiful sunsets below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

For our honeymoon, we went to Negril, Jamaica [in August, 2013].

How long was your trip?

We were there for 6 nights.

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

We decided on our destination because we have been to the Caribbean a few times and were in love with the water and the laid back island vibe. We had never been to Jamaica, but got a lot of good recommendations, so we decided to give it a try. While our usual vacation style is more adventurous, we decided to take it to the other extreme and stay at an all inclusive resort so we could fully relax after planning and executing our wedding.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

… night snorkeling in the sea, about one mile off the coast of Negril. We could hear a Reggae band playing from the shore, and were able to swim around with spotlights and explore a sunken ship and the diverse fish and animals that “only come out at night…” It was really amazing! We also had a great time just being together, since the weeks leading up to our wedding were pretty crazy!

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

If I knew then what I know now, we would have stayed in Jamaica longer and planned ahead better — we fully embraced our relaxation, but would have loved to explore more of the island itself. We went on a few day trips, went cliff diving and hung out with the locals, but we didn’t have a chance to really get to know Jamaica.

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Real Honeymoon: Kauai & Tahiti

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

What do you do when you want a relaxing honeymoon in Tahiti but your significant other wants an exciting honeymoon in Hawaii? Compromise and do both! Yes, that’s right. Katie and Adam decided to honeymoon in Kauai AND Tahiti. Is that the ultimate multi-moon or what? Read all about this amazing honeymoon and check out their incredible photos below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to Kauai, Moorea, and Bora Bora in July [2013] (immediately after our wedding). There is only one flight a week from Hawaii to Tahiti, so you have to plan around that.

How long was your trip?

2 weeks

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

My husband loves activities! We wanted to do a mix of adventure (Kauai) and relaxation (Tahiti).

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Bora Bora! We literally wanted to move to the island! We stayed at the Four Seasons and took advantage of every second there. Favorite parts: the breakfast buffet, daily happy hour (which you can enjoy while watching the sunset), paddle boarding around the hotel, a 3 hour snorkel tour we did with Christof, and dinner at La Villa Mahana. Pretty much everything!

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

We would skip Moorea and head straight to Bora Bora. Not because we didn’t enjoy it, but because it was a pain traveling there for just one night.

How much planning did you do in advance?

A decent amount for Kauai. My husband bought a book on the island and sought out reccs from friends who had been there. We made restaurant reservations in advance, which was key, since the hotel (and island) were pretty full! For Bora Bora, the one reservation we made far in advance (6+ months out) was dinner at Villa Mahana. (There is only one seating each night, and 8 tables, so this is a must!)

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Real Honeymoon: Malaysia

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Remember when I asked if there was such a thing as taking too many flights on a honeymoon? Well Ben and Yoninah are back from their epic trip, and they will be the first to tell you that all of the flying was well worth it. Read all about their incredible Malaysian honeymoon below (and do not miss their amazing sea turtle video!):

When and where did you honeymoon?

We left for our honeymoon on September 3 [2013] (just over 24 hours after the bride finished her post-wedding afterparty cheesesteak). The honeymoon’s primary destination was Malaysia (both Borneo and peninsular Malaysia), but also included stops in Bangkok and Tokyo.

How long was your trip?

The trip was two weeks long.

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

We always knew that we wanted to go somewhere really far away and exotic and somewhere that we would likely never visit again. We also knew that we wanted part adventure and part relaxation. Our thinking was not much more developed than far away and off the beaten path when Yoninah and I were watching a Discovery Channel special on orangutans. Yoninah said “Let’s go there!” After some Googling we learned that the best place to see orangutans is in Malaysia on the island of Borneo. We also discovered that the requirements of adventure and relaxation could be met in Malaysia.

We then developed our itinerary around other things we definitely wanted included. We both wanted more wildlife, I wanted some form of hiking, and Yoninah wanted relaxation on a beach. The final itinerary included beaching, a climb of Mt. Kinabalu (the highest mountain in Malaysia and depending on who you ask, the highest mountain in SE Asia), a visit to Turtle Island (a sanctuary where we saw a mother turtle lay her eggs and later see hatchlings released), and five days on Langkawi at the Andaman Resort (off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia). Our slow return home also included day-long stops in Bangkok and Tokyo.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Reaching the top of Mt. Kinabalu at sunrise, releasing a baby sea turtle in the ocean, and monkeys – Yoninah loves monkeys. Also a big plus was traveling just about the entire way in business class for about 1/10th of what it would have cost to pay cash for the flights (Thanks, credit card sign up bonuses!).

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Real Honeymoon: Mexico

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

After a gorgeous wedding at Santa Clara University (their alma mater), Hillary and Brent jetted down to Cabo for an extremely relaxing honeymoon. They loved their resort so much that not even a tropical storm dampened their spirits! Spoiler alert: complimentary daily guacamole deliveries to their room were involved — I would have been in heaven, too! Read all about their luxurious Cabo honeymoon below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to Capella Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in August 2013.

Sunset at El Farallon

How long was your trip?

5 nights/6 days.

The main pool at Capella Pedregal

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

Lunch in the pool

With such a long engagement (17 months), we had plenty of time to change our mind time and again about whether to honeymoon, and where. At first we wanted to take a long, exotic trip to Europe or Tahiti. But as the realities of PTO and an over-budget wedding set in, we reconsidered. We discussed postponing our honeymoon altogether, but we longed for a way to spend time unwinding together after the 17 month build-up.We looked at mini-mooning in Southern California, but found the time and expense of that trip comparable to traveling to Cabo, which is where we landed. We searched hotels on tripadvisor.com and chose the #1 rated Capella Pedregal because of its stellar reviews and personal infinity pools in every room.

View from Hillary and Brent’s private pool

The best part about our honeymoon was…

The atmosphere at Capella Pedregal. The resort was made for honeymooners, from the ocean-front infinity pool and swim-up bar, to the world-class spa and restaurants, to the luxurious rooms and overly-accommodating staff who deliver complimentary guacamole and Corona to your room every afternoon.

Back in the main pool

The beach in front of Capella Pedregal

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

Nothing, it was literally the perfect honeymoon, even in spite of the tropical storm that hit one night. I wouldn’t be deterred from visiting Mexico again during hurricane season since it was warm throughout our trip and sunny all but one half day. And we were told that tropical storms in August, although not unheard of, are rare.

Tropical Storm? Who cares?!

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Real Honeymoon: French Polynesia

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

I am a total sucker for all things Tahitian, and Parisa and Andrew’s French Polynesian honeymoon certainly did not disappoint! Like many honeymooners, they split their time between two of the islands to keep things interesting. Check out their gorgeous pictures and read all about their relaxing honeymoon in paradise below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to French Polynesia at the end of July 2013. We stayed on Moorea and Bora Bora.

How long was your trip?

Our trip was ten days and we split our time evenly between Moorea and Bora Bora.

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

We knew we wanted to go to more of an island/tropical destination since most of our prior big trips together were to Europe. Plus, like most honeymooners, we knew we wouldn’t be as up for sight-seeing after all the wedding festivities. We had a hard time committing to a destination for months and really waffled between French Polynesia, Thailand, and Bali. In the end, French Polynesia seemed like the best choice because of the season and because it is just a short eight-hour flight from Los Angeles. Also, all of our friends who had been before would not stop raving about it.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Being in such an overwhelmingly beautiful environment. Both islands were visually stunning, but when we got to Bora Bora, we just felt like we were on another planet. My husband was a little apprehensive about going on a trip where you primarily lay out on a beach all day, but even he had a very hard time tearing himself away when we had to come home.

Also, we were warned ahead of time that we might not find the best food on the islands and that everything would be very overpriced. Generally, this is a pretty accurate statement. But, we were able to find some gems on both islands. On Moorea, we became obsessed with a lunch spot called Snack Mahana–they served some of the best seafood we had on the entire trip. On Bora Bora, we had some great food (and the friendliest, most hilarious server) at Restaurant Fare Manuia.

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

I struggled with finding an answer to this one, so I asked my husband. His response was: “Nothing at all.”

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Real Honeymoon: Brazil

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

I was totally happy to get another Real Honeymoon submission from South America, and the very first honeymoon in Brazil! The post made me even more excited about the possibility of going back to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup 2014. (Shhh… don’t tell my mom quite yet ; ) – I think we’ll find out whether we get tickets at the end of next month or early November.) Anyway, read all about Lacey and Travis’ awesome honeymoon in Rio below:

When and where did you honeymoon? 

We honeymooned in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June of 2013.

How long was your trip?

We stayed 5 nights and 6 days.

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

We wanted to go somewhere with beautiful beaches and interesting culture to explore. Rio de Janeiro was on both of our travel wish lists so it was a perfect place to pick for our honeymoon.

The best part about our honeymoon was… 

Either the day we saw the Christ the Redeemer statue and took the gondolas (yes two) to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain, or the day we spent relaxing at the pool and the beach since we never have time to relax! We also had a great time exploring the over 200 year old Jardim Botanico where we saw wild monkeys.

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

We would probably stay one or two less days in Rio de Janeiro and see another city in Brazil. You can do all of the must see sights in about three days so the remaining time is spent enjoying the beach and nightlife.

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Real Honeymoon: Italy & Greece (Part 2)

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Yesterday’s blog post was the first half of Jenny and Tyler’s amazing honeymoon in Italy and Greece, and when we left off Jenny was talking about three of her favorite parts of the trip. Number three is below:

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#3 Staying at Ikies and watching the sunset

We arrived in Santorini in the late afternoon and took a 20 minute shuttle to our hotel in Oia, which is where the amazing sunset takes place. We thought it would be fun to explore Oia for 3 nights and then head down to Kumari Beach for the remaining 3 nights before flying to Athens. Our hotel, Ikies, is nothing short of spectacular and couldn’t imagine a more breathtaking view and private terrace. This room and view has been our inspiration to get us through work and school!

Another gorgeous Santorini sunset

That Greek breakfast looks delicious!

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

We probably didn’t need to stay as long in Santorini and could have gotten away with either an extra day or two in Rome or Athens. We absolutely loved the week there; however, by the end of the week, we had really seen everything there was to see on the island.

The dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

Tyler posing on the way up to the Acropolis in Athens

How much planning did you do in advance?

We booked all of our flights and hotels prior and had done a decent amount of research on all of the activities there were in each city. We did book the cooking school months before as it’s extremely popular and we wanted to make sure we got a spot.

Beautiful Positano

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Real Honeymoon: Italy & Greece (Part 1)

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Jenny and Tyler’s Mediterranean honeymoon was so great that I didn’t want to confine their stories and photos to one blog post. Read the first part about their honeymoon in Italy and Greece today, and then make sure to check back to the blog tomorrow to read Part 2! Oh, and prepare to drool over their Italian cooking class photos ; )

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to Positano and Rome in Italy, and then Santorini (Oia and Kamari Beach) and Athens in Greece.

How long was your trip?

We opted for an extended honeymoon of 2.5 weeks, which was the perfect amount as we were able to truly unplug, relax, and not feel like we needed to rush around.

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

We didn’t go on our honeymoon until our one year anniversary as my husband started business school at Columbia the week after we got married. We moved to NYC three days after we got married, which was quite the whirlwind. We were initially going to take our honeymoon to Thailand in January during his Christmas break; however, he found out that first year students complete their recruiting during the break :( So, we were back to the drawing board and decided to take two weeks in August just before school started up. We both had wanted to go to Italy and Greece and thought it would be perfect timing, which it was!

The best part about our honeymoon was…

#1 Mamma Agata Cooking School

There was so much anticipation with this day as we had booked this activity in January! We got the recommendation to try this cooking school from my good friend’s older sister who had attended a cooking class with her husband. The reviews on Trip Advisor were nothing short of amazing and we were really excited to go.

Tyler and Jenny with Mamma Agata

Upon arriving, her daughter Chiara greeted us with a huge hug and welcomed us into her family’s home. We took 10 steps down to the terrace and were overwhelmed by the most beautiful views of the Amalfi Coast. We were introduced to the other guests participating in the cooking class and enjoyed a cup of coffee and Mamma Agata’s famous lemon cake. It was the perfect way to kick off a cooking class….by eating!

The infamous lemon cake

Promptly at 11am, we were guided into the kitchen by Chiara where we met Mamma Agata and began the cooking class. We learned so many tips and tricks and got to sample everything! It isn’t your typical hands-on class, but rather is all about understanding the techniques and art of selecting the right food and preparing it perfectly. We cooked until about 1:30pm (and took several wine and food breaks in between) before taking a longer break to explore the family’s garden. The coolest part of the cooking school is that Mamma Agata and her family grow all their own vegetables and raise their own animals on the hillside. The garden was so impressive and really made us want to garden one day! After our break, Chiara, her husband Gennaro, and their son Mario (11 years old and precious), served us the lunch we had cooked: the most amazing Eggplant Parmigiana, Sausage and Red Pepper Pasta, Farmer’s Spaghetti, Lemon Chicken, and Coccolis (fritters). It was seriously the best Italian meal we have ever had!!!!

After a long meal, we ended the day with one last slice of lemon cake, said our goodbyes, and walked down the 1,000 feet (stairs) to Amalfi. We walked around Amalfi for about one hour before taking the ferry (8 Euro per person each way) back to Positano. It was the perfect way to end the most AMAZING day.

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