Real Honeymoon: Aruba… oh wait, just kidding – Hawaii!

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

A few weeks back I received an email from Sarah (a friend of a friend) that said, “My actual honeymoon isn’t that original… but the story on how we ended up there is.” First of all, I honestly love hearing about all types of honeymoons: budget-conscious to wildly extravagant, close-to-home to far-far-away. But secondly, I was intrigued. I don’t want to give too much away in the introduction, so read all about Sarah and Patrick’s honeymoon switcheroo below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

Big Island, Hawaii, September 2007

How long was your trip?

One week.

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

I had always dreamed of going somewhere in the Caribbean – I’d been to Hawaii a few times already, so was looking to get to the “other” tropical getaway. My now-husband, Patrick, was in charge of all the planning and had a great surprise trip to Aruba all picked out. He had chosen Aruba because it was the “least hurricane prone” of the Caribbean islands – and we were heading out in hurricane season. Playing it safe. The day before our wedding, news broke of a potential hurricane headed towards Aruba. We were honestly so pre-occupied with wedding plans that we brushed it off. I distinctly remember during the father-daughter dance at my reception, my dad “breaking the news” that the hurricane had actually hit Aruba. Uh oh. We were scheduled to fly out that next afternoon!

We spent the morning after our wedding on the phone with the airline and hotel. The hotel said, “The hurricane has passed,there is no problem to come.” Luckily I had the good sense to ask how the conditions were post-hurricane. “Well, the beach and the pools are closed for about a week, but other than that all is fine.” Ha! Not my idea of tropical. We quickly re-booked a last-minute trip to Hawaii and left the next morning for the Big Island.

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Finally getting a chance to breathe (and sleep!) after non-stop weddingness. Hawaii is perfect for re-charging and lazing around. Oh, and seeing my husband experiencing Hawaii for the first time! We fell in love in the mountains, so I had no idea what a little fish I had married! He was in heaven.

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

Avoid the Caribbean during hurricane season! Also, we didn’t rent a car when we first arrived, but quickly realized we would want one. Oh, and book a manta-ray snorkel. Still bummed we missed that one.

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Just Not Feeling It This Week

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Ever since I started this honeymoon blog last September, I’ve consistently published at least two blog posts every week: one real honeymoon post and then whatever else I felt like writing about. Some friends have asked how I find the time to do it, but I always say that it’s easy because it’s a lot of fun for me. But as much as I love honeymoons and writing about travel in general, I must admit that I’m just not feeling it this week.

After hearing about the horrible explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line a few days ago, I’ve been in a bit of a funk. Even though I’m not a marathon runner myself (5Ks are just fine for me, thank you), my husband runs about two full marathons and a couple of halves a year, and I always look forward to cheering him on.* Despite having seen him, my uncle, one of my sisters, and many of my friends run plenty of marathons over the years, I still get emotional every time I watch them and the other runners achieve such an awe-inspiring accomplishment. Who am I kidding? I get emotional just thinking about marathons. I love watching the people who run in creative costumes (and still make it look so easy), the kids who cheer like crazy when they spot their parents, and the amazing guides who lead the even more amazing blind marathoners throughout the entire race (and the countless hours of training as well). At one race I even saw a runner stop just yards before the finish line, get down on one knee, and propose to his girlfriend who was completely taken by surprise.** Even as a spectator, I’m so grateful for all of the wonderful memories that marathons have given me.

All marathons are impressive, but the Boston Marathon is an exceptional race. As if being able to run 26.2 miles isn’t impressive enough, the Boston Marathon runners have all qualified by either running incredibly fast times during previous races or by running on behalf of some sort of charity. The route itself is no piece of cake either (they don’t call one portion of it “Heartbreak Hill” for nothing). It’s an honor to even be allowed to participate in the Boston Marathon. Everyone there on Monday, runners and spectators alike, had so much to be proud of, which makes this attack even more unbearable for me to even think about.

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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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Quick Tip #9: Learn to Drive a Stick Shift

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Since wedding planning is totally easy and stress-free, you probably have tons of spare time to pick up some new hobbies and learn some new skills, right? If you’re looking for something to do, I highly recommend learning how to drive a stick shift, especially if you plan on renting a car in a foreign country during your honeymoon.

Why is it so important to learn to drive a stick shift? Because renting an automatic transmission car in a foreign country is waaay more expensive than renting a manual transmission car.

How much more expensive? Well, my husband and I need to rent a car in Ireland this summer, so I’ve been looking at a couple different websites, and the average economy-sized automatic transmission car is more than two times more expensive than the same size car with a manual transmission!

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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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Flying First Class: Is it Worth the Splurge?

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

When my friends Tommy and Seema got back from their honeymoon last year, one of the first things they said to us was, “You guys have got to start flying first class!” This was not just because my friends and I are all über-snobs, but mostly because my husband is 6 foot 6, and flying in coach can be physically painful for him. So legroom aside, is it worth it to fly first class?

Tommy and Seema en route to Seoul. Look at that legroom! Consulting sure pays off.

If you’re rolling in cash, then YES! But for the rest of us, the answer (not surprisingly) depends. When making the decision for yourself, here are a few things to consider:

1) How long are your flights? The longer the flight, the more you’re going to get out of your first class experience. I once flew first class from St. Louis to Atlanta due to a glitch with the airline’s registration system, and it was a joke – I’m so glad I didn’t have to pay for that upgrade!

2) Are you flying internationally? Domestic airlines in the U.S. are not as well-known for having incredible first class service.

3) Are you taking a red-eye? If so, you might sleep through all the fancy first class experience, but on the other hand, you may actually be able to sleep comfortably! On an airplane! Imagine that.

4) How long is your honeymoon? If your honeymoon is on the shorter side, you may want to spend extra money on your flights so you don’t waste any time feeling jet-lagged.

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Real Honeymoon: Argentina

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

This week is the first South American Real Honeymoon on Peonies to Palm Trees, and I’m so excited to share Ashley and Jason’s awesome trip to Argentina! I’d definitely recommend Argentina to anyone who likes cosmopolitan cities, good wine, and red meat. Don’t get me wrong, vegetarians will also have a great time in Argentina, but steak lovers will be in heaven. Enjoy!

When and where did you honeymoon?

Jason and I left for our honeymoon in Argentina a few days after our wedding in June 2012. While in Argentina we traveled to Buenos Aires, Salta, and Mendoza.

How long was your trip?

Our honeymoon was two weeks! I always recommend getting off as much time as possible—it seems like one of the few times where work will give you a lot of time off!**

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

In some ways, the decision to go to Argentina was made for us. We had never traveled to the southern hemisphere, so we searched where we could go on miles in the southern hemisphere—Argentina was the best option! While it felt like a random choice at the time, Argentina clicked with us! We fell in love with the country.

The best part of our honeymoon was….

If I had to pick just one, the best part of our honeymoon was visiting Mendoza, the Argentinian wine country. The wineries were all so beautiful and the wine was so different than what you find in Napa/Sonoma. One day we took an amazing horseback ride with “Finca Las Lechuzas” to various wineries—it was magical!

There were so many other amazing parts too! In Salta we drove north to Purmamarca to see the “Hill of Seven Colors” and salt flats—they were stunning!

In Buenos Aires, per the suggestion of a local, we took the “Hop On, Hop Off” bus. It turned out to be a fantastic way to see the entire city!

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

Two things! First, we were shocked at how expensive it was to fly between cities in Argentina. It’s a huge country so if you don’t have a lot of time, flying is generally the best option. Along the trip we heard of new overnight buses with full reclining seats—I may have checked those out in hindsight. Second, in Buenos Aires we rented a Jetsetter apartment. While very cute, we missed having suggestions of what to do in the city that a concierge or other guests can provide.

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Ahem, Ahem: Travel Announcement!

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

Remember how I said our next big trip was going to be Ireland? Well, June just seemed too far away and the Emerald Isle isn’t tropical enough, so we just booked an additional trip to PANAMA in May! I think it’s necessary for me to do some firsthand research for the honeymoon blog, don’t you?

Bocas Del Toro via Erik Cleves Kristensen

We’re going to fly into Panama City, and then spend four nights in gorgeous Bocas del Toro. Needless to say, I can’t wait. Hopefully my tan lasts until our trip to Ireland in June : )

So how did we decide on Panama? My husband and I first identified our biggest travel priorities. Mine: beachesbeachesbeaches. His: the intangible “cool factor.” What makes the “cool factor” cut? He didn’t want to go to a generic all-inclusive resort, and I think he just ixnayed all of Mexico on principle (even though he’s only been to Tijuana). Fine. But one day we’re going to go somewhere awesome in Mexico and he’s going to realize how much he’s been missing out!

Alright, back to how we chose Panama. Since we can’t take too much time off of work, we didn’t want to travel TOO far from California, so that cut out Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. We also didn’t want to go overboard with expenses since we have a European trip coming up, so that excluded Hawaii (since we’d also need to get a rental car there). And that left us with Central America. I’d only been to Costa Rica before, so we had lots of other countries to choose from and we narrowed our choices down to three: Belize, Nicaragua, and Panama.

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Real Mini-moon: Carmel

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

I’m excited to share the second mini-moon on Peonies to Palm Trees! And this one is extra special because it features my best friend Alice and her husband Jason. Since their super fun Carmel wedding was the weekend before Thanksgiving, they didn’t want to go on a long honeymoon right away, and why rush to leave such a nice resort anyway? Check out their relaxing mini-moon below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We’re doing a delayed honeymoon about a year after our wedding, but decided to do our mini-moon right at Carmel Valley Ranch**, where we got married [in November 2012].

Carmel Valley Ranch

How long was your trip?

Including the wedding weekend festivities, we were at CVR for a total of 6 days.

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

We decided that we didn’t want to go back to reality right after our wedding, and since we just wanted to relax and drink lots of wine, we decided staying put at CVR would be the best bet since it included a spa, pool, hot tub (!), vino, and access to great restaurants in Carmel.

Just chilling in the infinity hot tub

The best part about our honeymoon was…

Relaxing poolside all day! The weather was pretty rainy on our actual wedding day, but it was beautiful after, so we were able to take advantage of the entire CVR area and just lounge all day. And hanging all day with Roxy the bulldog.

Hanging out with Roxy, the CVR mascot

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

I would have made earlier reservations to check out the bee-keeping area of CVR, sounds like so much fun!

How much planning did you do in advance?

Minimal for the mini-moon. Jason made reservations at some awesome restaurants (absolutely loved Casanova) but otherwise we did some good lounging.

Out on the town for a nice dinner

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Should Your Bring Your Wedding Rings On Your Honeymoon?

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Peonies to Palm Trees

After receiving a new piece of jewelry, most women can’t wait to show it off. The same is especially true when it comes to engagement rings and wedding bands. So if your honeymoon begins shortly after your wedding, you may be extra tempted to bring the new jewelry along… but is that the smartest idea?

There’s no absolute right or wrong answer here, and I think it mostly depends on the type of honeymoon you’re going on and what your rings are like, but here are the things I’d consider before making your decision:

1) Are your rings insured? If not, leave them at home. I repeat, leave them at home. Get those bad boys insured A.S.A.P.

2) How flashy are your rings? If you have an enormous diamond, you’ve probably noticed how much attention it gets, but is that the sort of attention you’ll want while traveling?

3) What are you planning on doing during your honeymoon? If your itinerary is something along the lines of “swim, surf, massage, and repeat,” you’ll need to take your rings off a lot anyway, so why risk bringing them in the first place? I personally know at least two guys who lost their brand new wedding bands during their honeymoons, and I can’t shake the memory of a guy frantically swimming around in the ocean looking for his wedding ring during my trip to Hawaii last year. Let’s just say he did not look happy. Large bodies of water + expensive jewelry = usually not a great outcome.

4) Where are you honeymooning? If you’re going somewhere that has a reputation for street crime* (e.g. Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Rome), you may want to be extra mindful about what jewelry you choose to wear. And if you’re going to a more religious or conservative destination, some tourists feel that they are treated differently when locals perceive that they are an unmarried couple.** In that case, you may want to wear rings, but that doesn’t mean you have to bring the real deal. Lots of people wear fake wedding bands while traveling and leave the expensive stuff at home.

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