Profile Posted by : haley

Posted on : 9/30/2008 6:14:08 PM

Location : Grand Canyon, United States

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I’ll never forget the overwhelming heat on my face and shoulders, the crunch of red rock beneath my boots, or the burning sensation in my calves. What a relief to hit the trail, what a drastic change from sitting in a cubicle all day! The switchbacks seemed endless, but it seemed that a breeze would spring up at just the right moment to keep us going. I held tightly, unnecessarily tightly, to the heavy chain bolted into the rock along the ridge. It was dizzying to look down the cliff face to the valley below, but the view was too beautiful to ignore. When we finally crested the top of the knife-edge trail, I realized we had made the right decision about how to spend our honeymoon. Angel’s Landing trail at Zion National Park is one of the most difficult and most rewarding hikes I’ve ever experienced, and it was just one of many adventures to come.

After months of deliberation, mind-changing, and scanning discount airline websites for good deals, my fiancé and I finally decided to spend our honeymoon traveling through the national parks and monuments in Southern Utah. Despite having grown up just a few hours north of our destinations, I had never visited the spectacular scenery of the red rock deserts and the canyon country. Though I had always dreamed of an Italian tour, I realized that seeing the sights of Utah with my new husband would be a great chance to balance relaxation with the outdoor activities that we love. After the stresses of the wedding, we could hardly wait for our week and half of adventure, which we scheduled from September 3rd to 11th, 2008.

We planned a multi-sport adventure including hiking, rock climbing, and boating, but we also wanted a touch of luxury and pampering during our trip. For this reason, we chose to stay at the historic lodges in the national parks. This included Zion Lodge, Bryce Canyon Lodge, and the North Rim Lodge at the Grand Canyon. These beautiful old buildings were all designed to blend in with the landscape around them, and they all offer fantastic views unique to each park.

My husband and I have always connected with each other through spending time in the outdoors, and we wanted our honeymoon to walk the line between energetic activities and relaxing moments. We researched and chose items for our registry keeping this in mind, and we were able to invent gifts for every budget and personality. Our more adventurous guests gave us a guided day of rock climbing at Snow Canyon State Park in St. George, a scenic mule ride in the Grand Canyon, and a power boat rental to cruise the sparkling waters of Lake Powell. More traditional guests generously provided a post-hike couples massage at a spa in Zion, handcrafted Navajo pottery from a shop in Moab, and a gourmet picnic dinner and wine to share at Cedar Breaks National Monument. Guests on a budget were able to help out with a campfire dinner and s’mores, a hearty pancake breakfast, and a collection of National Park postcards. Many of our friends and family commented that our trip looked like it would be fantastic, and due to their generosity it will be a lasting, cherished memory.

 Including our airfare (which we did not include in the registry, since our wedding took place in Salt Lake City) the whole trip cost just under $3000. It was an unforgettable opportunity to see some of the most spectacular scenery in the U.S. It was so popular that we received all but three of the items we requested, and we thanked those who contributed with photos of the trip enclosed in thank you cards.

We had a delicious dessert of fudge lava cake at Zion's Red Rock Grille surrounded by the massive red cliffs. We feasted on pork chops and stuffed chicken breast at Bryce Canyon's dining room, followed by a sunset hike overlooking the whimsical hoodoos. We shared a chilled bottle of wine on the porch of the North Rim Lodge, which offers unbeatable views of the monumental Grand Canyon.

Hiking, rock climbing, and boating

I would absolutely recommend our honeymoon trip through Southern Utah and the Grand Canyon to anyone wanting to share a romantic outdoor adventure. We highly suggest Utah as a destination for any athletically-inclined honeymooners, or anyone looking for a romantic way to experience the beauty of the National Parks

Profile Posted by : jennifer

Posted on : 9/30/2008 6:02:52 PM

Location : Arenal Springs, Costa Rica

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We married in October of 2007 and decided that for our honeymoon we wanted to go somewhere that neither one of us had gone before. So we chose Costa Rica!

What a great place to travel. We were there from October 21- 29. Our first day we drove 2 hours from San José to Arenal. What a curvy ride that was! It seems they just build the roads around the mountains. We finally arrived at Arenal Springs Resort where we stayed.

Later on in the week we went on an ATV tour. This was Curtis’ favorite activity and mud was everywhere as we crisscrossed rivers. Even more memorable was the canopy tour - swinging high in the air from tree to tree through the rain forest. We recommend this to everyone that visits Costa Rica. In addition to these fun activities, we had the opportunity to learn about the Costa Rican environment and why it is an important resource for the country and people.

We had so much fun that we started to plan our next trip to Costa Rica before we were back on the plane - perhaps our one year anniversary will bring us back to this fascinating country.

Arenal Springs Resort was a wonderful place to celebrate our marriage and it had great food!

 We went on a combination tour which included the Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, shopping around town, and lunch at a local cafe. From here we explored the volcano and walked along the lava from the 1996 explosion. Dinner was at the Tabacon Hot Springs. It was such an exquisite day!! And such a good price for the tour for so many events.

What a great honeymoon adventure! We recommend this place to anyone!

Profile Posted by : Jodie

Posted on : 8/15/2008 5:53:36 PM

Location : Cancun, Mexico

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My husband and I spent our week long honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico in September at the All-Inclusive Le Blanc Spa Resort. We both gave it 10 out of 10, by far.

Hotel Room- BEAUTIFUL!! Each room has a whirlpool right by the window which overlooks the ocean! (sun rises here over the water) There is a two-person shower that looks so high class. The bed was super comfortable and you could even order (for free) PILLOWS each night, different scents and feelings to them. Just call the butler and request it! Oh, and best part that my husband liked was the flat screen, plasma TV with cable shows ... in English!

Service- A+ No doubt about this. Everyone spoke English (and Spanish too of course) but they were so polite and acommodating, it was unreal. Oh, and did I mention that President George Bush stayed at this resort in early 2006? Yeah, that says a lot. And when you're sitting on the beach, one of the servers comes out and asks if you want food, drinks, towels or even an umbrella dug for you in the sand!! He was really nice!! And very funny too.

There are a few different kinds of restaurants on the resort, where you can order things from seafood to steaks to amazing deserts! Every morning we had the breakfast buffet that was absolutely amazing! I'm the type to try different foods so I was in heaven but my husband is very much a steak and potato type of guy and he even enjoyed the food there. Reservations were required at most restaurants for dinner but it wasn't too busy when we went so it wasn't that bad at all to get in.

Pools- The resort has 3 total pools but we only used one the whole week. It was so relaxing and nice. The swim up bar was awesome and the drinks they serve there are soooooo yummy, we sampled so many throughout the week! The pool is really warm and it over looks the ocean so it's absolutely relaxing, like you wouldn't even believe.

Spa- We stayed for 5 nights and 6 days but the first 2 days of the trip, you can experience parts of the spa downstairs at no extra charge. I did this and itw as nice. You get to sit in the relaxing sauna while getting treated like royalty and listening to such relaxing music too. We didn't pay any extra though for the massages but heard from other people that they were quite expensive but actually worth the money.

Beach- Since the big hurricane that whiped out a lot of Cancun last year, they've brought in new sand for the beaches and it is so nice! When you take the drive from the airport to Le Blanc (about 20 minutes by van) you'll see a lot of worn down buildings and you won't be too impressed. But trust me, once you pull up the equisit driveway to Le Blanc, you're heart will stop.

Nightlife- This resort does have some nightlife but honestly, if you're looking to "party it up" every night of your honeymoon, I wouldn't recommend this place. But my husband and I wanted a nice place where we could sit back and just relax, after all the long months of planning for the wedding. And that's what you get here, not much nighlife, aside from taking romantic walks on the beach after dark. (it's not unsafe at all to do this)

So yeah, that's Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun, Mexico. It's pretty new (over one year old) and it's not that expensive at all. For my husband and I for 5 nights and 6 days, all-inclusive it was about $3,000 (and that included airfare too). It was sooooo worth it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

We are going back as soon as we can save up. And we're telling everyone we know about this place!

Profile Posted by : Lily

Posted on : 8/15/2008 5:26:13 PM

Location : St. Lucia, Saint Lucia

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Breathtaking was our first impression of Sandals St. Lucia! Upon entering the resort you will drive past their beautiful golf course with a terrific view of the ocean. (My husband loved that!)

My advice is to stay in a suite if you can afford it!!! We chose a honeymoon suite and we got the royal treatment. When you book a suite you get the "Suites Concierge" service. The V.I.P. check-in is great. The fully stocked bar in our honeymoon suite was free. Guests in suites get first choice at restaurant reservations.

We stayed in a romantic Honeymoon One bedroom Villa Suite with a personal plunge pool. Our honeymoon suite at Sandals Resort had a large living room, king size four post mahogany bed, his & hers robes, wonderful bath with marble everywhere, and a huge walk in closet.

The food was excellent. There are 6 restaurants and our favorite was the La Toc restaurant with its Gourmet French cuisine. Book this restaurant ASAP! upon arrival because it fills up rapidly since it is considered Sandal's best restaurant. Impressive buffets are offered in The Pavilion with great views.

Our favorite activities were Dolphin & Whale Watching, horseback riding, Volcano Highlight tour, golf and the beach. They also had theme nights, a piano bar, night club, Karaoke and live bands.

Full-service European Spa was wonderful. I highly recommend it. This resort also has the largest pool in St.Lucia but it does get crowded.

We had a great honeymoon and would recommend this resort to anyone.

Profile Posted by : Jenn1

Posted on : 7/29/2008 6:54:44 PM

Location : Istanbul, Turkey

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Royal Olympic Stella Solaris We did a 7 day cruise starting from Athens to Piraeus, Santorini, Rhodes, Istanbul, Kusadassi for our honeymoon.

We purposely chose a boat that wasn't your typical American cruise liner experience. We wanted a small number of passengers and a more intimate, versus mass-produced experience. So let me say right now if you are looking for one of those boats with an 8 floor lobby/atrium, karaoke, food at every hour, and lavish evening productions, this is not the cruise you should choose.

That being said, we got exactly what we wished for. On the first 2 days, we met a group of 3 other couples that we did everything with the remainder of the trip. They were all older than us and from different countries, but they loved to have cocktails, laugh, and talk until the wee hours of the night, which was exactly what we were looking for. We saw a lot of people making friends like this - it is a small enough boat that you see the same people throughout the trip. The rooms were on the small side and the single beds were a surprise to us, but we got over that pretty quickly by putting the beds together. After that we realized we were only in the room to sleep so the size of the room became inconsequential. We had taken the cruise as part of an overall Olympic package, and our tour director Dimitri was a history scholar. He would hold 10AM briefings in the library which we often missed (and got scolded for!). However, we ended up having numerous conversations with him at the bar and he fascinated us with his perspective on history - we got to know him really well and truly enjoyed having someone knowledgeable as our guide for the trip. He actually recommended us to the captain for the captain's table one night which was great. We got really good food and free drinks all night! The crew on the Solaris is wonderful. Because there were 8 of us who always did everything together, they got to recognize and know us. They told us where they always went for nightlife in Istanbul and we went with them and had a blast. At our dinner table, there was a family with 2 kids who got quickly bored, because there aren't many activities geared towards children. If you have kids, I would go on a cruise that has special child and teen programs.

Royal Olympic Stella Solaris We did a 7 day cruise starting from Athens to Piraeus, Santorini, Rhodes, Istanbul, Kusadassi for our honeymoon.

We purposely chose a boat that wasn't your typical American cruise liner experience. We wanted a small number of passengers and a more intimate, versus mass-produced experience. So let me say right now if you are looking for one of those boats with an 8 floor lobby/atrium, karaoke, food at every hour, and lavish evening productions, this is not the cruise you should choose.

That being said, we got exactly what we wished for. On the first 2 days, we met a group of 3 other couples that we did everything with the remainder of the trip. They were all older than us and from different countries, but they loved to have cocktails, laugh, and talk until the wee hours of the night, which was exactly what we were looking for. We saw a lot of people making friends like this - it is a small enough boat that you see the same people throughout the trip. The rooms were on the small side and the single beds were a surprise to us, but we got over that pretty quickly by putting the beds together. After that we realized we were only in the room to sleep so the size of the room became inconsequential. We had taken the cruise as part of an overall Olympic package, and our tour director Dimitri was a history scholar. He would hold 10AM briefings in the library which we often missed (and got scolded for!). However, we ended up having numerous conversations with him at the bar and he fascinated us with his perspective on history - we got to know him really well and truly enjoyed having someone knowledgeable as our guide for the trip. He actually recommended us to the captain for the captain's table one night which was great. We got really good food and free drinks all night! The crew on the Solaris is wonderful. Because there were 8 of us who always did everything together, they got to recognize and know us. They told us where they always went for nightlife in Istanbul and we went with them and had a blast. At our dinner table, there was a family with 2 kids who got quickly bored, because there aren't many activities geared towards children. If you have kids, I would go on a cruise that has special child and teen programs.

The ports of call are amazing. We loved Santorini and Istanbul especially. We only did one ship-sponsored excursion, choosing to do the rest by arranging cabs with our friends which is more cost-effective and flexible.

The excursion we did do and which I'd recommend is Kusadassi. Turkish ruins aren't like American sites where everything is nicely labeled. It helps to have a knowledgeable guide really give you the true history and color to what you are seeing.

To sum it up, we found the Stella Solaris to be an amazing experience. The ship has that stately look that made me feel like I was a heroine from the turn of the century making a long voyage on one of those old Titanic-like vessels. The Greek Islands are breathtaking and so are the ports of call in Turkey. I would wholeheartedly recommend this trip! Recommended: Yes

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