ALLL About Our Honeymoon!

After one of the most magical days of our lives, we embarked on a dreamy 10-day honeymoon to Greece and Turkey, and honestly, it was everything we could have hoped for. There's something so special about diving straight into that post-wedding bliss, and we're so glad we didn't wait to take the trip. We spent our days fully in our love bubble, just soaking up every moment together.

 

 

We were actually sick for most of the honeymoon, so our days weren't filled with a million activities. But honestly? That made it perfect. We didn't have to worry about a packed itinerary; we just allowed ourselves to be—to rest, to enjoy, and to flow together. It was the exact energy we needed, and it taught us that the honeymoon isn't about doing things—it's about being in love.

 

 

We'd already done a little pre-wedding honeymoon the week before to really sink into all the love and excitement that was about to unfold. So, this 10-day escape was the perfect continuation of that magic.

 

 

OUR ITINERARY:

September 2-5th

Our time in Lake Como was nothing short of luxurious, especially with a stay at the iconic Villa d'Este. With its rich history dating back to the 16th century, this stunning estate has been transformed into one of the world's most renowned luxury hotels, and we couldn't have picked a more perfect place to unwind. Everything is luscious with its iconic lake view and manicured gardens; every moment at Villa d'Este felt like we were living on Pinterest.

 

This wasn't our first trip to Lake Como; we'd been here together before, and I'd visited years ago for my cousin's wedding. But that wasn't why we went. We chose to revisit a place we already loved, so there was no pressure to explore or adventure around. Instead, we fully embraced the serenity of Villa d'Este and worked on our tan. Our stay was all about relaxing, recharging, and being completely present with each other.

 

September 6th: London

Our trip to London was a quick one, as I was simply there to go to the US Embassy to get my Visa renewed and stamped in my passport. Unfortunately, Hal ended up getting food poisoning (don't eat chicken on a plane even if you're in first class) and was rotting in his bed the whole time. Even though we stayed at the beautiful Bulgaria hotel (the spa and gym were insane – they even have two Pilates reformers), he literally couldn't even enjoy it because he was on his deathbed, lol. The purpose of London was just to go to the embassy, so there was nothing special to share here!

 

I did go out for dinner with friends, though, and this is my look!

 

September 7th-9th

We then flew from London to Nice, where we went to Monaco for a few nights and back to the Maybourne Riviera Hotel, where we stayed out earlier in the year. Again, just like Lake Como. We wanted to stay at places that we'd been to before so we really could relax and not feel the internal pressure of going sightseeing. If you haven't visited this hotel before, I highly recommend doing so, as the service is amazing, the vibes are immaculate, and the food is exquisite.

We spent our days lying by the pool, Hal was still recovering from his food poisoning, eating amazing food, and getting really tan

 

 

September 9th-16th - OUR WEDDING WEEK!!!!

Everything about our wedding will be shared in another blog post, so keep your eyes peeled!

 

September 16th - 20th

We took off to Greece the day after our weekend of wedding events ended. We flew out in the evening, despite us having a 9 AM flight – that just wasn't gonna happen, so we changed our flight at the last minute. We were in such a daze after the most blissful weekend, and I'm so glad that we got to spend five days in one resort while just being able to be in our love bubble. We stayed at Amanzoe, which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Athens (without traffic).

 

 

This hotel is absolutely jaw-dropping. Not only is the service absolutely insane, but the property is the most blissful place. It feels like you stepped into heaven. The food was incredible; the sun was shining our whole trip, and I got to taste olive oil! We spent a day out on a private yacht. I got to see the surrounding areas and swim in the crystal clear water. Hal played some tennis with a private tennis instructor, and we both spent plenty of time in the sun and spa. Unfortunately, we both started to get pretty sick, and I had a fever that pushed me to my core one night, but that didn't stop us from having an amazing time.

 

 

There was a lot that you could do at this hotel that they organise for you, but we didn't do that much as we didn't really have the energy and we just wanted to relax together rather than running around like headless chickens from one thing to another.

 

 

We really are the kind of couple that prefers to have room service outside naked by the pool rather than dressing up to the nines to go to the fancy hotel restaurant. Even though we seem so extra and bougie, we're actually very laid-back we just like looking good whilst doing it. 🤣

 

 

Also, it made me realize how much of a waste of time it is to go to the Greek islands when you can literally just drive a few hours outside of Athens and experience the exact same color of water, food, activities, etc. So many people lose their bags (we have once, well, they were heavily delayed) going to the Greek islands (just because of probably the infrastructure at these airports)… So I'm like... is it really worth flying that way and adding in all that extra time at the airport?

 

 

September 21st - 26th

Heading to Turkey was an absolute JOURNEY. We flew into the Greek island Kos for one night as this island is really close to Bodrum, where we were heading in Turkey. We ended up just staying at the closest five-star resort to the airport (a very bad decision on my part; I was so tired that I said all I wanted was a bed), knowing that we would leave the next morning. Unfortunately, there are only two ferries a day to Bodrum, one at 9 AM and the other at 5 PM. We missed the 9 AM one because we didn't even know it existed, and I was not willing to fuck around and wait until 5 PM. Especially when we found out that customs can take upwards of an hour to get through because of the amount of people on the ferry. So naturally, I told my husband that I wanted the hotel to get a private boat for us and that I didn't care what it cost.

 

This is where money really does buy happiness and why having a good relationship with money is paramount because not allowing yourself to pay for things that bring you joy just adds misery. I know not everybody can afford a private boat to where they have to go, but there are plenty of other examples in life where you might not want to pay the extra money, but in doing so, you ruin your honeymoon because you're in a grumpy mood the whole time being bitter.

 

 

Long story short, we got the private boat sent to us, and I meant that we were able to go through customs privately, but it also meant that we had the most turbulent drive to The Edition, where we were staying, that I had ever experienced. I genuinely thought the boat was going to stop at half because of the sound that would come through the boat when we would crash back down on the water after flying off a giant wave. The water was so incredibly crazy that day. I was hanging on for dear life and genuinely worried that we would all end up in the water and not stay in the boat. Usually, the drive takes about 40 minutes, and it took us an hour and a half because of the crazy waters, but we made it in one piece.

 

I posted some funny Instagram stories about this part of the honeymoon, so you can check them out in the highlight here (look at the 🍯🌙 highlight!) 

 

 

I've never been to Turkey before, so I was really excited to go, and granted, we didn't actually end up going to Istanbul (we thought we were going to, in long story short, we ended up just staying longer in Cappadocia), but I didn't love Bodrum as much as I thought I would!

 

 

Obviously, everyone has their own experience and preferences when traveling, and there are so many different parts of Turkey to be able to experience. But I wasn't that impressed with Bodrum. I basically just felt like you might as well go to the Greek islands because they're easier to get to for most of the world, and in my personal opinion, I prefer the food. All that to say, The Edition in Bodrum is where we stayed, and it was so beautiful. It was really quiet because we were there in the off-season, but the weather was literally perfect. It was that temperature where you could lie in the sun for six hours and literally not sweat one bit.

 

We explored the main town of Bodrum, went to dinner at Zuma (highly recommend for a sunset sitting and getting the Miso Black Cod), and walked around this area (highly recommend). We planned to do a lot of activities, including paragliding, but when we found out that it was a 4-hour drive there and a 4-hour drive back, we literally couldn't bring ourselves to do it. So, just something to know if you're going to Bodrum and you want to do a bunch of those sorts of activities! Also, a lot of the hikes and other sightseeing were really far away.

 

 

Then we flew to Cappadocia, which was the most incredible place ever! It is definitely someplace that I recommend every single person go at least once in their life because it truly took my breath away and brought me to tears. It felt like you were stepping into the medieval times, and it was truly incredible. One thing I would recommend, though, is making sure you're there for a few nights because if you're planning on flying in the hot air balloons, or at least seeing them if the wind is too high, they will not be able to fly. I've had other friends who have gone and not been able to do the hot air balloon because they were all canceled that day. So, at least if you're there for a few days, it gives you a higher chance if, God forbid, it is too windy. Plus, there are tons of things to do there in terms of sightseeing, history, museums, and hiking, so you'll be able to fill your days even if you're there for a few.

 

 

We stayed at Argos in Cappadocia, and I highly recommend it. It took us a while (actually, just my husband, I wasn't involved, lol) to figure out which 5-star hotels were actually 5-star. Sometimes, in these really old towns, it can be hard to find really top-quality luxury hotels just given the resources and environment. We were so incredibly happy with this hotel. Not only was the service absolutely impeccable, but the restaurants there had the best food, and the view was insane. Plus, every single suite is completely different, so if you stay there for a few nights, I recommend swapping each day to a new room so that you can experience all the different cave rooms. The room that we had on the second night actually had a pool inside the room at the back of this cave!