My husband and I got married fifteen years ago. We were fairly young, hadn't been working long, and our main concern when planning our honeymoon was "What can we do that will be memorable and CHEAP?" I was primarily occupied with planning the wedding, so Chris took over the responsibility of planning the honeymoon. Hopping on a plane and flying overseas was really out of the question, so he came up with the next best thing: a honeymoon in Old Quebec. A little piece of Europe just a five hour drive from home. We both loved the history of the city, so we took an old city tour. Every day we tried a new quaint little restaurant along the cobblestone streets of Old Quebec. We took a romantic carriage ride. And for two nights we stayed at Chateau Frontenac. It was a wonderful honeymoon. I would not trade that week for anything, although we agree that we should have splurged and spent a couple of extra nights at the chateau instead of moving to the cheap hotel on the third night! It was a wonderful, romantic vacation. But after fifteen years and two children, I was ready for another one.
 |
| At Tulum on our 15th anniversary, May 11, 2011. |
We have had the occassional weekend away together since we've had children. We even went to
Vancouver for a week in 2009, but Chris was at a conference, so that really doesn't count. We have never taken a week just to completely focus on relaxing together. After a stressful couple of years of deciding whether or not to move, selling a house, buying a house, moving and settling into a new city, we needed a vacation! Before we even decided to move I made it part of the deal. I booked the sitters before our house went on the market! We hadn't decided when or where we would go, but we knew that when the time was right, we were going. So when we realized that our 15th anniversary would be happening this spring and that my parents would be able to come and stay with the kids, we agreed it was the perfect time. We talked about various tropical destinations, but we were trying to be somewhat frugal, so that narrowed our list of options. Should we go to Cuba? The Dominican Republic? Jamaica? Should we be boring and predictable and go back to Mexico? We had already been to there four years ago for my brother's wedding, but with two kids with us, it was not the same kind of vacation we would have if we went alone. We didn't do any tours of Mayan ruins or try various restaurants at the resort. We really felt like we missed out on a lot of Mexico, so in the end we decided to go back. We are so glad that we did!
 |
| Grand Sunset Princess |
We found a
five star resort with a sale the week we wanted to go. Perfect! Mom and Dad came the week before, I suffered through some drama with a painfully plugged ear that was finally relieved the day we were leaving, and at 1:00 a.m. on Monday, May 9, we got in our car to drive to Toronto to depart on our 6:20 a.m. flight to Mexico.
 |
| Snorkeling at Xel Ha |
It was a perfect week. We truly felt pampered the entire time. The room was beautiful. The resort was beautiful. We went on two excursions,
Xel Ha and
Tulum on our anniversary, and
Coba two days later. We went snorkling at Xel Ha and toured the ruins at Tulum. We climbed the pyramid at Coba (okay, Chris climbed the pyramid at Coba), swam in a
cenote (a sink hole), and even visited an authentic Mayan home. We ate at a different restaurant every night. We took a catamaran out for a sail. And we spent lots of time reading on the beach. And we didn't even once get tired of being each other's only company. In fact, we loved it! We thoroughly enjoyed not having to think about anyone but each other. We knew the kids were fine and loving being with their grandparents, so there were no worries there. I've always thought the term "second honeymoon" was a little cheesy, but that's really what it was. I loved every minute.
|
| The beach at our resort. We took the catamaran out on our last full day. |
 |
| Tulum |
 |
| This woman is making us tortillas in her home. |
 |
| The children played Mayan music for us. The things hanging around the home are for sale. I bought Janelle one of the black purses. The family who lives here has ELEVEN children! They all sleep in hammocks that they hang up every night. |
 |
| The pyramid at Coba — the tallest in Mexico, 130 steps. The guy in the orange shirt with arms raised in victory is my handsome husband. |
Now I wonder how long I have to wait for the "Third Honeymoon"?
My husband and I got married fifteen years ago. We were fairly young, hadn't been working long, and our main concern when planning our honeymoon was "What can we do that will be memorable and CHEAP?" I was primarily occupied with planning the wedding, so Chris took over the responsibility of planning the honeymoon. Hopping on a plane and flying overseas was really out of the question, so he came up with the next best thing: a honeymoon in Old Quebec. A little piece of Europe just a five hour drive from home. We both loved the history of the city, so we took an old city tour. Every day we tried a new quaint little restaurant along the cobblestone streets of Old Quebec. We took a romantic carriage ride. And for two nights we stayed at Chateau Frontenac. It was a wonderful honeymoon. I would not trade that week for anything, although we agree that we should have splurged and spent a couple of extra nights at the chateau instead of moving to the cheap hotel on the third night! It was a wonderful, romantic vacation. But after fifteen years and two children, I was ready for another one.
Bee-yooo-ti-ful. Looks like you had a terrific time.
ReplyDelete