Bride to Be Victoria is back to talk about that thing every couple looks forward to – The Honeymoon!
‘Honeymoon.’ The dictionary definition of this noun (and I opted for the Oxfordversion rather than the one given in the urban dictionary in light of the fact my mum will be reading this……!) is three fold-
1. Avacationortriptakenbyanewlymarriedcouple.
2. Themonthorsofollowingamarriage.
3. Anyperiodofblissfulharmony (which I massively like the sound of!)
So the time came for Dan and I to make a decision about where we wanted to take a trip to as an aforementioned newly married couple to bask in our post French getaway ‘blissful harmony’. Bask is contextually appropriate too given that after a two year engagement involving an inordinate amount of emails, lists, DIY projects and event coordinating, this is the extent of what I want to be doing for the main of our getaway- preferably in the sort of sunshine that we are only lucky enough to get about 4 days of the year in lovely Wales!
Obviously there’s not just me to consider here- whilst I would be happy laying on a sunbed, affording myself the luxury of actually having time to read a book, Dan isn’t one for sitting or lying still. Our previous summer holidays have left me pondering whether he is in fact the only adult ever to be accused of having ‘ants in his pants’?! For a start he doesn’t read books(this is the man who wrote a book review on the children’s novel ‘Pongwiffy’ for his GCSE English assignment!) and his attention span is so short that remaining horizontal and listening to a couple of songs soon bores him (we couldn’t be more different!). He wants to be snorkelling, diving, swimming, kayaking, jet-skiing, water-skiing- you name it, he wants to be involved– and for me to be too! I am a self-confessed sun worshipper. I love the sun, love feeling carefree and knowing that the biggest decision that I will need to make that day is “ooh do I wear the navy bikini or the floral one?” and adore the feeling of being ‘off timetable/schedule’- literally. That said we both love exploring new places and experiencing the culture of a destination, hence why we often go on city breaks (in Belgium’s case it’s essentially all about the beer and waffles though!).
Roped into kayaking…..this is me joining in!
So firstly we put together a list of ‘musts’- specifications if you like. What did we want out of our honeymoon….? This is something to be really certain of as a couple- I mean if you don’t establish your criteria then the travel agent has an impossible task ahead of them- as well as potentially becoming a mediator as you two bicker about budgets, not wanting a long flight to avoid those constricting stockings and whether it’s absolutelynecessary to havea rose petal filled bath. We didn’t have any heated debates over it. I have always wanted to go to Asia- India, Nepal, Cambodia-they fascinate me. August is not a good time for this part of the world in relation to weather (year 8 Geography, courtesy of Mr Ash, thank you!) – and so Dan threw the idea of a ‘mini moon’ into the pot to get us started – e.g. we go away for a few days following the wedding but have our longer trip to somewhere in Asia next Easter.
After pondering it for all of two minutes I said “No” as I am anticipating that our (fingers crossed) amazing wedding weekend would have been so busy with all of our fab guests that having the opportunity to simply just ‘be’ with my husband (eeek!) for a couple of weeks afterwards (especially as we would have been living apart for most of the year!) seems just as important to me as the wedding itself. Case closed- we moved on. Though in retrospect I think I may have inadvertently done myself out of an additional trip away?! Damn it!
So we were getting somewhere– we wanted a two week trip, somewhere we hadn’t been, preferably long haul and exotic yet with things to see/do as well as it having sun, lavish food, cocktails and activities to keep Dan occupied. Too much to ask?Nope….especially if you go to Kuoni . This is a company that I have never had anything to do with. My friend, Laura booked her honeymoon to Mauritius with them two years ago and raved about their service (or was it the glasses of champagne they got when booking in store?!) as well as the quality of their resorts. They are specialists in luxurious accommodation and premium offers for honeymooners (and Destination Bride Jemma works for them!). The friendly advisor went through some options with us.
Some places were ruled out as I had been lucky enough to visit them already. Others (Peru) because neither of us fancied sweating it up hiking along the Inca trail, camping and enduring each other’s’ constant whiff of b.o. (we definitely wouldn’t be doing a lot of the urban dictionary’s definition of a honeymoon !)
Hiking along the Inca Trail… just isn’t for us
I felt quite bad actually just making split decisions about countries/destinations as she listed some more options….. Hong Kong, California, Santorini, Sardinia….all were declined. To me this isn’t any ordinary summer holiday. We would be ‘honeymooners’ not just ‘holiday makers’. I guess I just had a picture in my mind- you hear the word ‘honeymoon’ and visualise crisp, clear waters and idyllic scenes of waiters bringing you pina coladas in coconuts as you hold hands with your partner. Romance romance romance. Or maybe that’s just me?! Paradise.
The ‘paradise’ vision
A bit like the bounty advert from the 90’s which I remember like it was yesterday rather than (gulp!) 20 years ago! It turns out Dan had been harbouring the same sort of visualisation in his mind. He even went as far to say “I’d like to stay in one of those little huts, you know like ones out on the ocean, something like you’d get in the Maldives.” Bingo. And there began our more specific search.
The Maldives it was. I didn’t need my arm twisting…….water villa, Indian Ocean, peace and quiet….why would I?! Oh and yes…….we were able to find a resort within our budget (decided upon before going to Kuoni) which seems to have every water sport under the sun included (that’s Dan happy), as well as a free laundry service (therefore I may have a small chance of being able to stick within baggage allowance for once- for all those that know me, this is an ongoing problem of mine!). It seemed to tick all the boxes. Well, apart from the ‘lots of things to see and do if we want’ part.
This is the sort of activity I am happy to get off the sunbed for! Bring on the Maldives!
Don’t get me wrong-the Maldives is a once in a lifetime experience, a real kick back, watching sunsets while embracing and getting a couples massage on the stunning white beach kind of break- but- we love meandering about, finding our way around cities, going to bars, dancing, haggling and visiting landmarks too. Our travel advisor suggested we twin our Maldives honeymoon with a short break in Dubai before coming home. Perfect!
Glitzy Dubai- it’s like the Emerald City and will be the complete antithesis of our kicked back Maldivian break!
With this playground of old and new sights, shops and sizzling sunshine (not sure how poor Dan will fair in these sorts of temperatures!) what’s not to love? So after some research into various hotels (aka scrupulously trawling through trip advisor!) our honeymoon was booked! Allparts of our specifications seemed to be catered for!
Dubai- not everyone drives around in a porsche. We are looking forward to going on a few day trips.
I know that my predisposition to write lists in order to establish focus is met with eye rolling and giggles from family and friends but honestly, in this case, fellow cwtchers, it’s a must. Sitting down and having a chat about how you picture that special time- be it leopard spotting on a safari, huffing and puffing your way up Mount Fuji, or twirling around the strip in Vegas highly intoxicated, it’s paramount to get your couple criteria together so that a travel advisor can do their best for you. A honeymoon or mini-moon, whatever sort of moon you’re looking to have, it’s special and so you need to make sure it’s perfect for the both of you. After all- you only get one!
I may even go on the jetskis again…..if he lets me drive of course!
