Real Honeymoon: Tahiti

To me, Tahiti is one of the quintessential honeymoon destinations.  Absolutely gorgeous scenery, impressive resorts, divine French cuisine, and plenty of daytime activities to choose from if you need a break from the beach.  In fact, when I was faced with the decision to study Spanish or French back in 7th grade, I boldly told my parents, “I’m going to learn French so I can go to Tahiti one day.”  Since we lived in California and 95% of my classmates were choosing the more “useful” language of Spanish, my parents just rolled their eyes at me.  Seven years of French classes later, I finally got to go to Tahiti with my best friend and her family, and I was not disappointed.  And through that best friend, I met Marissa and Pat, whose great honeymoon photos are below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

September 2011 in Tahiti (Moorea and Bora Bora)

Champagne in Tahiti

How long was your trip?

8 days

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

While we debated the benefits of more of an “adventure” vacation, we speculated (correctly) that by the time the wedding was done, we’d want a honeymoon that allowed us to relax and unwind. We liked the fact that there were still plenty of options to be active (hiking, all types of water sports, etc.), but we would also have the ability to do nothing on a beach.

Hiking in Moorea

The best part about our honeymoon was…

There were so many it’s hard to pick! I loved our “shark and ray snorkel safari” – we saw incredible coral reefs, fed rays and swam with sharks! I also loved how somehow being on our honeymoon turned my husband into the uber tourist. Normally I’m the one clamoring to take a million pictures, but this time he was just as into recording every moment.

Snorkeling in Tahiti

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

I would have stayed longer, and might have gone to a third island.

If you plan to visit both Moorea and Bora Bora, I’d say it isn’t necessary to stay in the over-water huts in Moorea (if you’re looking to save a little money). We spent much of our time on this island exploring and being on the beach, very little in our room.

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Real Honeymoon: Fiji

Two of my friends from law school got married in Sonoma over the summer and decided to go to Fiji for their honeymoon.  Not too shabby, eh?  Take a peek at the photos from their beautiful trip below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

Fiji (Tokiriki, Denarau, Natadola Bay)

How long was your trip?

10 days

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

Warm beach weather, but not too hot to be active, beautiful beaches, relaxing, different culture

The best part about our honeymoon was… 

Relaxing on beautiful beaches, snorkeling, kayaking and golf

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

Avoid the big island and explore more small islands

How much planning did you do in advance?  

Just the logistical stuff (flights, hotels, transport to/from)

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Real Honeymoon: Italy

First-timers to Europe, Albert and Kristen made the popular (and great) choice of spending their honeymoon touring around Italy.  Read all about their trip and check out their gorgeous photos below:

When and where did you honeymoon? 

Italy – Venice, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento [from the] end of September to early October 2011.

How long was your trip?

2 weeks.

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

It was somewhere neither of us had ever been, and had both always wanted to go. Plus we love to eat and drink wine, so duh. :)

The best part about our honeymoon was…

The food and wine! but really we saw some amazing history too.

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

I might say that we would have spent a day less in Venice and a day more in Rome.  Albert would say less time in Florence, [but] I’d disagree on that.

How much planning did you do in advance?

Minimal to moderate-we used a travel agent to book flights and hotels.  We booked trains from city to city and a Vatican tour before.  Everything else was chosen the day we saw it.  Good ole’ Frommers Guide, we’d just wake up and say, “what do we want to see today?”

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Real Honeymoon: African Safari

Due to scheduling issues with grad school and both of their start-up companies, my friends Amy and Dave decided to go on their honeymoon before their wedding.  Read all about their incredibly adventurous African honeymoon below.

When and where did you honeymoon?

June/July 2009, East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania/Zanzibar), Rwanda, South Africa.

How long was your trip?

3 weeks.

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

I’d always wanted to go on safari in Africa.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

So many… but most incredible experience was hiking into the jungle in Rwanda to see mountain gorillas interacting in their natural setting.

Other great experiences: the huge expansive sky and landscape in the Masai Mara and seeing so many different animals, driving down into the Ngorongoro Crater and seeing our one and only rhino, learning about the fascinating mixing of people and culture in Zanzibar and tasting spices on a spice tour, the views from the top of Table Mountain in South Africa, touring Robben Island and learning about the apartheid history/Mandela.

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

If I could’ve planned the timing around the annual Great Migration, that would’ve been amazing to see.

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Real Honeymoon: Portugal

My friends Shannon and Eric recently went on an incredible honeymoon in Portugal.  I’ve been hounding Shannon for details for weeks because I’m hoping to go to Portugal myself next summer.  Read her responses to my questions below, and if you want to see more, check out this blog post, too.

When and where did you honeymoon?

We traveled throughout Portugal in the month of August.

How long was your trip?

16 days.

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

We wanted to go somewhere (1) where we both had never been, (2) with good weather at the time of our travels, and (3) that could provide us with both adventure and relaxation.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

being together and not at work! And the food!

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

We traveled through Portugal by car which worked out well, but was slightly stressful because in the event of an emergency we did not have a phone.  We were surprised to learn that our smartphones would not work in Portugal.  Rather than chance it, I would have picked up a phone at the airport for peace of mind.

Also, our itinerary was fly into Lisbon (3 nights), drive to Porto (2 night), drive to Douro Valley (2 nights), drive to Montemor-o-Novo/Evora (2 nights), drive to Algarve/Portimao (4 nights), drive to Sintra/Cascais (1 night), fly out of Lisbon.  If we could do it all over again I would have stayed less nights in the Algarve since at this time of the year the beaches are crowded and accommodations are overpriced.  Or in the alternative, I would have stayed in a less high traffic town and spent the extra money on a boat trip or other daytime adventure as opposed to overpriced accommodations. We also learned the hard way that there is only one non-stop flight to Portugal from LAX a day so book your tickets early to avoid our mistake of multiple layovers.

How much planning did you do in advance?

We had help from a travel agent for booking our accommodations and some restaurant reservations which took away some of the stress of planning a trip, but when it comes to traveling I like to be in control so we definitely spent many hours pouring over our travel books.  We started making reservations around 2-3 months before, and spent some time as the trip got closer figuring out which towns to stop at along our drives, and what specific things we wanted to be sure not to miss.

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Real Honeymoon: St. Lucia & Anguilla

Just like planning a trip to the Greek Islands, it’s sometimes difficult to decide which islands to visit in the Caribbean since they are all so different.  While some islands are full of things to do and see, some islands are just better suited for luxurious relaxation.  Ali and Sean chose to split their honeymoon between active St. Lucia and super-chill Anguilla.  Check out their comments and gorgeous photos below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

May 11-15, 2011: Anse Chastanet Resort, St. Lucia; May 15-20, 2011: The Viceroy, Anguilla

How long was your trip?

9 nights

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

I wanted luxury, relaxation, and somewhere exotic without too much travel.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

The hotel rooms (hehehehehe). We stayed in the most beautiful hotels in really cool suites.  We definitely splurged on the hotels.  I also loved the beaches.  I am a big reader and Sean is not, so I got him books on tape to listen to on his iPod while we laid out on the beach.

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

It ended up being too much travel to get there and between the islands.  I would pay the extra money to fly direct.  On our way there, our second of three flights was delayed so we missed our connection to St. Lucia. We ended up having to spend the first night of our honeymoon in a crappy hotel room in Antigua close to the airport so that we could catch a 4 am flight to St. Lucia.  Also, we flew into the wrong airport in St. Lucia (on the other side of the island) so we had to take a 1.5 hour cab to our hotel.  That being said, the first night of our honeymoon was very memorable.  We were just so happy to be married and together that it ended up not mattering.

How much planning did you do in advance?

Since I planned the wedding, Sean was responsible for the honeymoon.  He definitely started planning at least 6 months in advance.  We wanted to use miles/hotel points, so it took some extra planning to make that work.

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Real Honeymoon: The Greek Islands

The Greek Islands are one of my favorite places in the world. One of the best things about them is that there’s so much variety. Whether you’re looking to hike, learn about the history, or just lay out on the beaches, you can find the perfect island(s).  Read all about Mia and Evan’s awesome honeymoon below:

When and where did you honeymoon? 

Greek Islands (Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes) [September, 2011]

How long was your trip?

12 days

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

We were looking for something easy, where we wouldn’t be overwhelmed by activities and choices and “overdo it” like we ALWAYS do.  This option seemed obvious since the islands have great weather in September, they are small with not a ton of stuff to do (but just enough to not get bored), and we could travel to two or three of them without having to worry about flights and pre-planning.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

A day on a catameran in Santorini.  Our friends got us as a wedding gift an excursion on a catameran including lunch, bottomless booze and multiple stops around the island to jump in the water, see the hot springs, and “snorkel” (in quotes because of lack of living things to see in the Mediterranean).  We booked through Spiridakos and don’t regret a second of it.

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Real Honeymoon: South Africa & Mauritius

Some honeymooners really live by the motto, “Go big or go home,” and Barbara and Jeff truly went all out for their African honeymoon.  Read all about it and check out their incredible photos below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

South Africa and Mauritius, Sept 2009

How long was your trip?

2 weeks (wish it were 3)

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

We wanted to go somewhere far away, somewhere where we would not normally go on a regular vacation. We also wanted to go somewhere neither of us had ever been before. These two destinations were great because a portion of our time was spent being active while the other was spent relaxing. We got to experience a major city, vineyard, safari, and beach all in one trip.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Going on a luxury, yet authentic Safari.

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

How long we stayed in Mauritius. Would have done 1 less day there and 1 more day in S.Africa and seen the falls.

How much planning did you do in advance?

Probably 6 months of thinking about it, but actually planning it was a lot easier than I expected.

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Real Honeymoon: Kauai

West Coasters are so lucky that Hawaii is only a five and a half hour plane ride away. Read all about Sam and Amy’s fun honeymoon on Kauai below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to Kauai (stayed on the South Shore in Poipu) and left the day after our wedding (my birthday) on May 20, 2012.

How long was your trip?

11 days

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

We didn’t want to have to deal with passports and/or visas or foreign languages – which can be kind of limiting! We just wanted good weather and beaches. My brother in law went to Kauai for his honeymoon as did some close friends of ours and we heard there was plenty to do.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Eating whatever I wanted to because I didn’t have a dress to fit into. No, seriously, my favorite part was driving around the island listening to one of three radio stations (all reggae) after spending the day on the beach. Also, coming from living in the fog of San Francisco, it was amazing not wearing a sweater for 11 days.


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

I’d absolutely, never go on the 17 1/2 mile Napali coast kayaking trip. I’d also wear more sunscreen and spend more time on the North Coast.

How much planning did you do in advance?

We booked our flights and booked our accommodations. That was it!

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Real Honeymoon: Italy

A lot of people would agree that Italy is one of the most romantic countries out there, so it’s no surprise that it’s popular with honeymooners. Read all about Alex and Nick’s fun Italian honeymoon below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

September 11 – September 24 / Italy: Rome, Santa Margherita Ligure/Cinque Terre, Florence

How long was your trip?

13 days

The Coliseum – Rome, Italy

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

Given my and my husband’s love of food and wine, Italy became a clear front runner from even before we were engaged! So when we got engaged and started talking about our honeymoon more seriously, we really didn’t even consider other locations – Italy was it.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

The food/wine/coffee! I mean – seeing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum, the Forum, the Vatican, the David – I mean it was all amazing, but the food, wine, gelato and coffee in Italy was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Suffice it to say, we ate/drank our way through Italy.  And it wasn’t just the food itself – it was the whole dining culture: once the restaurant fills its tables – it’s full for the night.  They don’t turn tables, they don’t rush your meal, and you usually have to hunt the waiter down just to order or get your check.  Dinner is the evening’s activity and it was so much fun!

Caffe Greco – Rome, Italy

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