Our Next Big Trip: Brazil 2014?

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

In 2009, it was backpacking around South America for 2 1/2 months.

In 2011, it was visiting my sisters in Denmark and Spain.

In 2012, it was our honeymoon in Asia.

In 2013, it was our friends’ wedding in Ireland.

But as of right now, it’s the first time in awhile* that Aaron and I haven’t planned our “next big trip,” and it’s starting to freak me us out!

One of the ideas that we’ve been kicking around (yes, pun intended) is going back to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Aaron and I spent a little over a month in Brazil in 2009 and covered nearly everywhere that we had wanted to go: Manaus in the Amazon, the hammock boat trip to Belém, Jericoacoara, Natal, Maceió, Salvador, Rio, Búzios, and finally Foz do Iguaçu.

Brazil 2009

However, we didn’t have the greatest weather while we were in Rio, so we knew that we’d have to go back some day. And really, what better time is there to visit Brazil, the country that absolutely worships soccer, than while it hosts the World Cup?

Okay, okay, yes, there are plenty of better times to visit Brazil, we know. We are aware that the price of everything there will surge. We know that the host cities are going to be extremely crowded. We’ve read about (and experienced**) street crime and other potential dangers. The first round of matches will take place in June, when it will be winter down in the Southern Hemisphere.

But despite all of the negatives, we still can’t help but be intrigued! I used to play soccer growing up and was lucky enough to go to a World Cup game in 1994 at nearby Stanford, but Aaron has turned into quite the soccer fan himself recently and I think that he’s even more enthusiastic about the possibility of going to a World Cup match in Brazil than I am!

So by no means are we going to go through with this idea for sure, but I did just want to mention that starting today you can register online to apply for tickets. And if you want more information about the ticketing process, check out this page.

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Real Honeymoon: Hawaii

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

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 :)

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Quick Tip #11: Consider Booking Honeymoon Airfare Through Orbitz

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

I almost always check the costs of the same flights over and over before purchasing them. I’ve actually been doing that a lot lately because I have a bunch of small trips coming up this Fall. (Side note: since when are flights from SF to Phoenix over $300??? I remember those flights being around $200, tops, just a few years ago!)

Although prices may fluctuate a bit over time (and even throughout the week), I try not to worry about it too much when I book my flights through Orbitz because of their “Price Assurance” program. If someone else buys the same exact flights as I do for a cheaper fare, Orbitz will automatically issue me credits for 110% of the difference. (They used to just send you a check for the difference, but now you just get credit towards future Orbitz purchases. Still not too shabby.)

So if you’re on the fence about whether to book your honeymoon flights, and you’re taking a pretty popular route*, book confidently with Orbitz knowing that if someone else books the same itinerary through Orbitz as well but for a cheaper price, you’ll still get something out of it.

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* This “Price Assurance” deal has a higher probability of actually benefiting you if you’re booking a popular route (e.g. SFO to HNL) rather than a random multi-destination itinerary because there’s a greater chance that other people are also searching for the same flights.

Peonies to Palm Trees is now on Twitter!

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Everyone is talking about how Prince recently joined Twitter, but did you guys notice that your favorite honeymoon blog just created a Twitter account as well?

Definitely not the Twitter logo… Ha.

That’s right, you can now follow me at @PTPT_honeymoons or by clicking the Twitter link in the sidebar of the blog.

Happy tweeting!

Oh, and you can follow Prince at @3rdeyegirl — my husband already is.

Real Honeymoon: France & Monaco

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Valley Girl Jesse Draper and her husband Brian recently jetted off to Europe for a fabulous honeymoon in southern France and Monaco. Read all about their luxurious trip and check out their cute photos below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We honeymooned in June in the South of France. We actually started in Monaco and made our way through Provence and ended up in Nice. More specifically, we rented a car at the airport, went to Monte Carlo, Monaco, then to Aix-en-Provence, followed by Arles from where we did a day trip to Avignon and Les Beaux and we ended in Nice with a day trip in Cannes.

How long was your trip?

A luxurious two whole weeks!

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

I speak French and he had never been to France. He actually chose the destination. Since I was planning most of the wedding, his job was to plan the honeymoon, so I actually didn’t know much other than where we were headed when we took off to Europe which was very relaxing for me, everything was a bit of a surprise.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

I would have to say the luxury of time. It isn’t often you get time alone, in a foreign country nonetheless, to spend with your significant other (without technology or social interruptions). Typically when I have the opportunity to travel internationally I am trying to fit in as much as possible in a little amount of time. For example, I have 10 monuments marked in my travel book that I need to see in one day so I am running around. We spent quite a few days in each city, so we were really able to take everything in with a more natural feel. We wandered around the streets of Aix-en-Provence aimlessly and drove around the countryside looking for wineries, not sure where we were going to end up. It was so much fun! It was the perfect balance of relaxation and exploration. So the best part was the free time we had to spend together, that, and the chocolate, cheese, and wine that we consumed along the way, of course.

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

I really had such a great time, there’s not much to change. We decided we could do without Arles, the hotel options aren’t great there and it’s more of a historical town that you could hit on a day trip. Also, I wouldn’t change this because I had a lot of fun, he may say differently, but we went on a hike in Arles and got lost in the middle of the forest by this Van Gogh bridge and probably walked 5 more miles than we planned, so that might have been nice to know ahead of time, but had we known, then it wouldn’t have been such a fun adventure!

How much planning did you do in advance?

He did a lot of research and had general ideas of where we were headed, but all he booked in advance were the hotels and flights. We had a few days in each city which was plenty of time to relax and get to know the places easily and TripAdvisor is a lifesaver and we really based most of our meals off of what was recommended on their app.

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Have Your Honeymoon Featured on Peonies to Palm Trees!

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Have you, or someone you know, gone on an awesome honeymoon recently? Has it been a lifelong dream of yours to be featured on a honeymoon blog?

It has?! Well, today is your lucky day. Follow this link to get published on Peonies to Palm Trees: Submit Your Real Honeymoon

Why share your honeymoon online?

1) The blog post will provide you with a URL that you can easily share with your friends and family.

2) The Real Honeymoon posts on this blog are incredibly helpful to other couples deciding where to go on their own honeymoons.

3) It’s fun to reminisce : )

A huuuge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the blog already! You guys rock!

Honeymoon Planning Checklist: When To Do What

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

This week’s real honeymooners planned most of their trip just two weeks before they flew to Italy. That’s right. Two weeks before they flew to Italy. If planning a honeymoon at the last minute makes you feel like you’re about to have a panic attack, you’re certainly not alone. While I don’t like to think of myself as an obsessive-compulsive planner, I do like to make the most out of my trips, and I certainly wanted to make sure that a trip as important as my honeymoon was well thought out.

Every honeymoon requires different types and amounts of planning, but Real Simple published a generic Honeymoon Planning Checklist that’s a good place to start. Check out that link for their full details, but below is an annotated version of their tips with my (hopefully ~~brilliant~~ insightful) commentary in blue:

Eight Months to One Year Before:

~~Make~~ [Think about] your budget.
~~Decide~~ [Consider] whether to use a travel agent.
~~Decide~~ [Brainstorm options] for where to go.
[If you already know where you want to go…] Buy plane tickets & book hotel. The sooner you can book, the better.

Six Months Before:

Do any of the above if you haven’t already [but don’t freak out if you still haven’t made any major decisions! Six months is still a lot of time to plan a honeymoon, I promise.]
Schedule transportation (e.g. purchase any necessary train or ferry tickets, reserve a rental car, arrange for a driver to take you between airports and hotels, etc.) [If you go through a travel agent, ask him/her to make these arrangements for you. If you decide to book them yourself though, making these plans six months before your honeymoon might be a bit too OCD, but whatever.]
Make important dinner reservations. [I do agree with this suggestion. If your whole Parisian honeymoon must revolve around meals at Joël Robuchon or Le Jules Verne, so be it! Book your tables ASAP.]
Get or renew your passport. [YESSSSSSSS]
Apply for visas or any other necessary travel documentation. [YESSSSSSSS]
Get travel insurance. [I haven’t written on this topic yet, but yes, you should get travel insurance.]
Get any necessary vaccinations.

Three Months Before:

Okay, now’s the time for you to really make sure you have made decisions on the destination(s), booked your airfare and hotels, and made sure that your passport is up to date.
Plan your activities. [Planning activities three months in advance sounds WAY too excessive to me. Most of the real honeymooners on this blog preferred to relax and play things by ear throughout their trips, so don’t sweat if you don’t have activities planned before you go, let alone three months in advance.]
Make basic packing lists and figure out what major items (like luggage) you still need to buy. [You can add these items to your gift registries, too, in the hopes that they will be purchased for you before the honeymoon.]

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Real Honeymoon: Southern Italy

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

While Italy has been the most popular honeymoon destination on this blog so far, Alex and Brandy’s trip is unique because they planned most of it only two weeks before they went! And from what Brandy sent me, it sounds like they did a more than excellent job with the last minute arrangements. Read all about their gorgeous Southern Italy honeymoon below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We spent our honeymoon in beautiful Italy, spending time in Rome, Positano (on the Amalfi Coast), and Sicily. Our wedding was on April 27th, 2013- and we left for our “luna di miele” (as the Italians call it) about 2 weeks after the big day.

How long was your trip?

We spent 10 days in Italy, though we should’ve spent much longer!

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

We narrowed it down the same way we usually narrow down all of our travels: food and drink. It had to be a place where our stomach would be happy, and then from there, we wanted to find a place that could offer both an urban landscape and some beautiful beaches. Southern Italy seemed to be the best bet on all accounts!

The best part about our honeymoon was…

It’s so hard to choose! The drive along the Amalfi Coast and our views from our hotel in Positano were amazing. Though at the time, Alex definitely wouldn’t have agreed that the Amalfi Coast drive was fun (we rented a car and he was the appointed driver). Afterwards, he did admit it was exhilarating. The views were spectacular! Same goes for our views in Positano – the bluest waters and gorgeous cliffs, plus lemons as big as your head! Sicily was also amazing, with wonderful seafood and cannolis, plus amazing white-sand beaches. Hello heaven!

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

We’d have spent more time in Sicily. There were so many towns to see, and we really didn’t get to explore Palermo as much as we wanted to. There’s such a vibrant energy to the region.

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Honeymoon Reading Recommendations: Part II

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

It’s been nearly six months since my last post about books to read on your honeymoon (and it is one of the most popular posts to date!), so I thought it was about time to write a follow-up.

Remember, you’ll generally want to stay away from the dark and heavy stuff when it comes to reading material during your honeymoon so you don’t bum yourself out in paradise. Below are some books I’ve enjoyed recently that are honeymoon-approved:

– Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple (don’t let the silly cover art fool you, this book is great. I couldn’t put it down during my Panama trip. See below.)

Cold drink + great book = yes, please

– Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (especially good for those of you planning honeymoons in Italy!)

– This Is Where I Leave You: A Novel by Jonathan Tropper (although seemingly not the best subjects for a honeymoon – the main character’s marriage just fell apart and his father passed away – it’s a really funny book about a dysfunctional family.)

– How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (when gay men like Dan Savage recommend a feminist memoir, you know it’s going to be good.)

– The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories by Simon Rich (also recommended by Dan Savage, this is an absolutely hilarious collection of short stories about relationships. I can’t wait to re-read it.)

And if you’re looking for something to “put you in the mood,” here are some other books that a good friend of mine and “self-proclaimed trashy romance connoisseur” recommends*:

– On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
– Easy by Tammara Webber
– The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
– Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker
– Beauty from Pain by Georgia Cates

What books would you recommend for honeymoon reading? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you’ve enjoyed recently.

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* I can’t vouch for any of those books. (Seriously.)

How Reliable is TripAdvisor for Honeymoon Planning?

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Any savvy person knows that travel websites based mostly on user-generated content need to be taken with a grain… okay, maybe a huge pile of salt. With these types of websites, anyone can pretty much post anything, good or bad, online for the rest of the world to read. This means that competitors can unabashedly badmouth each other’s businesses, and friends of business owners can post unsubstantiated raving reviews. In short, it’s no secret that these websites can be unreliable.

That being said, there’s a lot of potential value to websites such as TripAdvisor, assuming that there are also plenty of honest people out there who are willing to publish their unbiased opinions about hotels, restaurants, and things to do. But weeding out the legitimate reviews from the phony ones can sometimes be hard to do, so it the unreliability even worth it?

In my own experience with TripAdvisor, here are a couple of rules I’ve established for myself over the years:

You need to actually read the reviews, don’t just rely on the number of stars/dots/mustaches*/whatever.
Don’t trust the reviews with awful grammatical or spelling errors.
If a review seems too good to be true, it probably is.
If a review is uncharacteristically angry, the reviewer is probably crazy.
If the reviews for a particular hotel/restaurant/thing to do are all over the place, it’s probably best to skip it.
The smaller the city or town, the more accurate the reviews will be.

Let me use San Francisco as an example of a big city with less-than-accurate reviews. Below are two screenshots from my phone of the nine highest ranked restaurants in town as of 9:26 AM this morning:

My circle of friends and I go out to eat a lot, and many of us have been living in SF for nearly a decade, and no one I’ve asked has ever even heard of half of this list. I’m certainly not saying that since none of us have heard of these places they cannot be great restaurants, but I am saying is that the list is not an accurate depiction of what many San Franciscans would name as the best restaurants in town (especially for tourists).**

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