OMG! Our New Honeymoon!

[TangoWedding]

So...we're doing our "big" honeymoon in the Dominican Republic next year...for our 1-year anniversary.

We've been trying to figure out what we're going to do for a small trip after the wedding. The other day I wrote a frustrated post with FH just won't make up his mind on where to go and vetoes everywhere I suggest.

A couple of people suggested I let HIM decide what to do and just not tell me where until we're on our way there. I said NO WAY because he's in the past suggested Branson, MO. LOL (SO not my type of place.)

Well, I asked him what he thought about picking and keeping it a surprise...and he loved the idea! Sweet! (Not that I wasn't nervous...but he knows what I do/don't like...so I decided to trust him.)

Today he comes home with an idea and just can't keep it a secret.

So here's what we're doing for our honeymoon!!

We're going to fly to San Diego, rent a car, and drive up the coast for a week, stopping for however long we feel like in Hollywood, LA, San Francisco and Napa Valley...and then we'll drive to and fly out of Sacramento.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that might be the BEST idea I ever heard of!! And it took him a whole 12 hours to come up with it!!

I'M SO FLIPPIN' THRILLED!!!!!!!!! That's exactly my type of vacation! WOOOOOO!!!

:soppy:

[Dani]

That sounds SOOOOO fun!

[bichonlvr]

You can totally come and see me...I live 5 minutes from the sac airport :) You have to go to old sac ;)

Congrats on a super fun trip!!!

[august8bride]

That sounds like it will be so fun. And plus you have a great vacation to look forward to for a whole year.

[hummingbird521]

Good for you!!! It sounds like a blast. You trusted in him to know what you liked and would enjoy and he came through for you. He done very well.

[lizardbnorton]

That will be a fun drive. I love driving trips.

Much better than Branson...

[WBandMe]

Wow, what a great idea! You're gonna have a BLAST!

[Nekochanpurr]

Neat!! *^^* I'm glad you guys got it figured out!

[SerendipityCrafts]

LOL ya see?!!! He knows what you like. That sounds like a wonderful trip.

BTW - when you put them in charge of the honeymoon details, lol they will do well because they certainly don't want to disappoint!

My suggestion? - Do some winery tours & tastings (We had a blast doing this on our honeymoon) in the Napa Valley & bring home some bottles to keep. Open one on your first anniversary, another on your second etc. Ask them for recommendations on how to best store the bottles.

[val24]

i am happy that it all worked out for you!!!!
it will be an exciting trip :)

[TangoWedding]

My suggestion? - Do some winery tours & tastings (We had a blast doing this on our honeymoon) in the Napa Valley & bring home some bottles to keep. Open one on your first anniversary, another on your second etc. Ask them for recommendations on how to best store the bottles.


We're for sure doing the winery tour thing. I'm hoping we can rent a little place on a vineyard for a couple of days, actually. We're going to start looking into details and booking stuff this weekend.

Great idea on the anniversary wines! I'll check into that.

Now we just need to figure out what all we can pack in in a week's time...there's a LOT to see on the west coast! We're thinking maybe 2 nights in San Diego, 2 nights in San Francisco, and 2 nights in Napa Valley...then seeing what we can on the way from one place to the next.

Anyone know some awesome places on the coast that we have to see? Megan?

[Kfancii]

Make sure you plan to visit Monterrey and Carmel. I was lucky enough to visit a friend who lives in that area and she was a wonderful tour guide taking me everywhere we could pack in that week. Monterrey and Carmel were my favorites though. 17 mile drive is beautiful as is the coast there.

Enjoy! I know it will be wonderful!

[Brian's Bride]

Definitely better than Brason! LOL. Sounds like a fun trip! And then you get to go to the D.R. next year! Lucky girl!!!!!!!

[NicksBride]

oh that sounds soo romantic and those are the best places to visit. I have visted them all and they are sooo romantic and beautiful!!!

[firespirit]

OMG that sound soooo cool!


Monterey Bay I think is supposed to be a great beach, we didn't make it there last time, but Ryan grew up in CA and talks about it. There is a neat boardwalk in Santa Cruz.

Near San Fransico there is Mt. Tamapolis and you can get a view of the whole bay area. http://picasaweb.google.com/firespirit/SanFranciscoSanMateo That photo album has some pics.

Oh and in San Fran you should drive down the crooked street.

There is also Muir woods (a redwood preserve) and Muir Beach near that area (if you're feeling riske, Muir beach had a clothing optional section when I was there 5 years back, I don't know if this is still the case though). I would not recommend swimming at Muir beach since when I was there, there was a biohazard warning about the water.

[WebLady]

Sounds like a great time :D

[crazycatlady]

sounds like ours. everything i suggested he said "thats not a honeymoony type of place." so eventually i said "why does it have to be honeymoony?!" i was like "I wanna go to seaworld and disneyland!". so we decided to stay in anaheim for 10 days and go to seaworld in san diego, disneyland, maybe drive to tijuana, go to L.A., see where he used to live in Laguna Nigel.... I think thats much more fun than just flying to hawai'i or something. sounds like you guys are going to have a great time! that sounds like an awesome trip.

[bichonlvr]

I just wrote a LONG one and it went away!!! YUCK!

Sooo of course there is ME! Totally kidding...

I would drive up the coastline on the 101 and the 1...you will hit San Diego (old town is cool), Malibu, Disneyland, San Luis Obispo (you can totally stay at the Madonna Inn...FUN), Santa Barbara, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco...you can ride a cable car, go to Lombard street, Alcatraz, Haight Ashbury! Yosemite...Muir woods is cool, but it can be quick, you do also check out Stinson beach on the same trip.

What do you like to do and I can come up with other stuff!

In Napa I suggest either taking a tour, mapping some of them out (which I can help with), or taking a Limo especially if you are going to drink so you don't have to drive on the winding roads

[FFC]

Woohoooo! Sounds like a blast! Be prepared for hot and cold weather, the weather on the coast in CA can be freezing one day and blazing the next!

[Danielle9608]

Sounds like a lot of fun!

[TangoWedding]

Oooh, such great ideas!

Monterey is high on my list....I've heard good things.

The only bad part is that we won't have nearly the amount of time we'll want to stop everywhere. We'll have 6 or 7 days. SanFran for sure a couple of days and Napa a couple of days. The rest is kinda up in the air for now.

A walk on a beach is a MUST at some point on the trip. So maybe Malibu for that? Or Monterey? We both love nature stuff (though no camping!) Muir woods sounds like a good idea for that...right? And Carmel, maybe...

I just looked up Madonna Inn. That looks SO neat! :bblol: The caveman room! Heheheh! I bookmarked that one to show FH.

We also like to have fun...so maybe Sea World or something like that. Other than Disney, any cool amusement parks worth looking into?

SO many options! SO little time!!

We're doing more research this weekend...thank you for all the suggestions. It'll give us a great head start!

[FFC]

Monterey has some nice tide pooling areas, be sure to head out to the lighthouse early in the day and do some tide pooling!

Take hwy 1. It's a longer drive but way more scenic than 101 or 5. You might even enjoy coming inland a little bit to the Calavaras Caverns... one of the underground caverns can even fit the Statue of Liberty!! They're magnificent!

SanFran will deffinitely be cold. Mark Twain said that the coldest winter he ever had was a summer in San Francisco :D Check out Ripleys Believe it or Not!

The farther north you go on the coast, the colder and darker the water gets, I'd recommend hitting the beach in Monterey or farther south...

Other than Disneyland.... there's Knottsberry Farm, Six Flags Marine World (in Vallejo), Universal Studios in So-Cal, Ummm.....

Old Sacramento is quite a historic attraction too :D

Just a few ideas!!

[FFC]

Oh, and the Jelly Belly Factory is just out of Napa!

[TangoWedding]

Monterey has some nice tide pooling areas, be sure to head out to the lighthouse early in the day and do some tide pooling!


Oooh, this sounds PERFECT! We're SO doing this. *swoon* :soppy:

[SerendipityCrafts]

We're for sure doing the winery tour thing. I'm hoping we can rent a little place on a vineyard for a couple of days, actually. We're going to start looking into details and booking stuff this weekend.

Oh yeah do it!!!! This is exactly what Hugh did for our honeymoon. It was awesome. This was the private stone cottage we stayed in -

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/80/233140947_e12106ab43.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/81/233140949_c5f23a1459.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/96/233146298_b39a1d678b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/233146303_3fc0808530.jpg

[TangoWedding]

SO cute, Elizabeth! I love this! Do you happen to have any pictures of the vineyard? And which place was this?

[SerendipityCrafts]

SO cute, Elizabeth! I love this! Do you happen to have any pictures of the vineyard? And which place was this?

No where near California LOL The area is called Prince Edward County and it's in Ontario, Canada. We stayed at The Waring House Inn (http://www.pec.on.ca/waringhouse/).

The vineyard is still pretty young so there isn't any production happening yet but there were plenty of vineyards in the area to visit.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/83/233140948_1e9392ebc1.jpg

We didn't have ocean but Lake Ontario was nearby and since you can't see the other side, it certainly feels like the ocean :)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/81/233149255_0f3c9eb532.jpg

One of the best parts was seeing all the butterflies (our theme) migrating south. We stopped counting at 300 sightings or so ....

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/81/233146314_b2674823a8.jpg

So sorry to highjack your thread!

[TangoWedding]

You're totally not hijacking! I asked! :bblol:


And...ooooooooooh, I thought you went to Napa Valley for some reason. My bad!

But still..that's awesome!! I'm getting SO excited!


The monarchs migrate through Tulsa....I love it because they're literally EVERYWHERE and it's so neat to see 'em all over the place. However, I hate it, too, because that also means they're flying along the highway. Many of them suffer their fate at the hands of my windshield. :parp:

[bichonlvr]

The weather will be fine, don't stress about that! Bring a coat, jeans, and shorts...it will be cool and if you get too chilly you can buy cheap sweatshirts off the street in SF!!! :)

I am excited about Madonna inn for you, you'll love it!

You can walk on the beach just about anywhere you go and do like Carrie does take sand from each spot, it will be super cool in a bottle from your honeymoon to keep forever! LOVE IT!!!

You do not really need more then one day in Napa, it is cool, but this whole area kinda looks like that and you can find wineries wherever you go :)

Okay amusement parks...what do you like?? Fun and fast rides? Or more Disney kinda rides? There are a ton.... However, if I was going to skip something, this is where I would skip..since amusement parks are amusement parks, you know what I mean?

Disneyland/California Adventure, Knotts, Universal and Six Flags =Down South

Great America and six flags (marine world)=up North

The caverns and tide pools are KILLER!

Another cool spot is Solvang, Danish place!

What else are you interested in???

[SerendipityCrafts]

The monarchs migrate through Tulsa....I love it because they're literally EVERYWHERE and it's so neat to see 'em all over the place. However, I hate it, too, because that also means they're flying along the highway. Many of them suffer their fate at the hands of my windshield. :parp:

It is sad. Only about half the monarchs make it to Mexico .... the others die a natural death, get smooshed, or freeze along the way but just think about the "miracle" of it all .... the last butterflies of the summer fly all the way from Canada to Mexico, winter there and their young return to the same spot. That is some long flight plan, for such a little insect :) LOL I find it all so interesting.

[TangoWedding]

You're killing me, here. You should see my list of things to do already! LOL!

I kinda think you're right about the amusement parks. There are those here. And Sea World/Six Flags is just a few hours from here anyway. Good call.

Doesn't Monterey have a killer aquarium though? Would that be worth seeing? Or what about the San Diego zoo? Worth it...or just another zoo?



To show you what kind of stuff we're interested in....the things that are top of my list of things to do right now are:

Tide pools
Muir woods
Winery tours/tastings
Jelly Belly factory (just to say we've done it. LOL)
All things SanFran touristy (because FH has never been there)

So probably more nature, relaxing type of stuff. I'm thinking 'big city' stuff isn't right for this trip. I originally thought about Hollywood, Beverly Hills, etc....but not for the honeymoon, I think.

I wish Yosemite was closer...that'd be up there, too. We just won't have time to do all of it this time around. *sniffle*

[SerendipityCrafts]

You're killing me, here. You should see my list of things to do already! LOL!

LOL sounds as if you should stay at the nearest motel 6, because you are only going to have the time and the energy to crash there!

[FFC]

I'm guessing Muir woods is the Monarch sanctuary in Monterey??

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is pretty awsome. I haven't been to the San Diego Zoo since I was like, 5, so I couldn't compare them. If you like sea life, then go spend about 2 hours in the acquarium.

If you're going far enough north on hwy 1, there is a beach called Glass Beach, where from what I'm told, there is broken glass that has been run through the rocks so it's all smooth now. I haven't been there, just heard of it. Anyone else familiar with Glass Beach?

[SerendipityCrafts]

If you're going far enough north on hwy 1, there is a beach called Glass Beach, where from what I'm told, there is broken glass that has been run through the rocks so it's all smooth now.

Oh Tango, please go there too! If you could send me a small box of that glass, I would be forever grateful!!! :D

[bichonlvr]

Yeah the San Diego zoo is cool and the Monterey Bay Aquarium is cool too..but again I mean really animals are animals, right?

Here is what I would do..something...take or give..you have to take into account car time!!

Day 1-2...Fly into San Diego...check it out maybe Old Town, the Gaslamp area, the USS Midway (if you are into military stuff, an actual aircraft carrier), stay in San Diego or just right outside, Carlsbad is COOL! Then head up to the Newport Beach/LA area.
Day 2-4..Stay around that area checking things out you might want to or drive to Santa Barbara, San Luis, etc.
Day 4-5...Tide pools, caverns, Monterey etc.
Day 5-6...San Francisco-Muir Woods
Day 6-7... Or Muir woods, Napa
Day 7-8..Sac and flights

SF will be awesome take a WHOLE day! you can start downtown park you car and cable car and BART it...The Haight is cool! NorthBeach, Pier 39, Ghirardelli square (it is just a tiny place, but great ice cream spot)! That all would be a day! Then...

Head out to Napa, you can drive across the Golden Gate go to Muir Woods for 2 hours, drive through Santa Rosa, then to Napa....After Napa for the next day drive up to Sac, stopping at the jelly Belly fac (the whole tour can be done in like 2 hours), you should just walk downtown sac, see the capitol with the govenator, then eat on the water in old sac! Then fly out!

[TangoWedding]

:soppy:


I lurve you, girl!


Oh Tango, please go there too! If you could send me a small box of that glass, I would be forever grateful!!! :D

:rofl:

I'll see what I can do.

(That DOES sound really neat!)


FH is on his way home right now. I'm going to make him crazy with all the info I got since I've talked to him last. LOL!

(There goes our plan of not talking about the wedding at all this weekend! Hahah!)

[bichonlvr]

I love it..something I can "plan".....

[SerendipityCrafts]

I love it..something I can "plan".....

Ya know ..... you could use some of that pretty glass too to make jewelry (http://i24.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/82/6e/f7ed_1_sbl.JPG) :) I am thinking it looks like beach glass.
http://www.raindagger.com/glass.jpg

[bichonlvr]

HA HA Yeah I have beach glass....who knows where it is!

I am looking for a pic from Muir Woods, etc!!!!

I love when my friends come to visit, I get to be a tourist!!!

[Whitewater]

If you're looking for something to do in San Diego, might I recommend going to the Hotel Del Coronado? Not to stay, just to look :) It's where Some Like It Hot was filmed and they have a beach to die for. Also fantastic food and really nice ambience.

Secondly, you'll want to go to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido (about 45 minutes from the coast of San Diego). Don't confuse it with the Zoo -- the Wild Animal Park is all about animals in their natural habitats -- not a cage to be found! They have a funny bird show and a wonderful safari-like tram ride through the park and other stuff too, which I can't remember, it being a good 15+ years since I lived there!

Sea World is awesome and the Navy part of the harbor is cool too, if you're into that kind of thing. They don't give tours, but from the Del you can see pretty much everything.


Whitewater

[TangoWedding]

Ok. Some bad news. :sorry:


We worked everything out, found flights to and from those places, found hotels, found a rental car....and realized that 1) we aren't going to have enough time to do all that we want and 2) it was going to cost about $3000 for everything.

So basically FH said, "sorry, yo". I nearly cried when I realized that it was SO expensive...even getting cheaper hotels and such.

BUT! Then today we started talking and crunching numbers.

We thought...what would happen if we just do, say, 5 days, 4 nights in one place? And...what about just San Diego?

SO. We were recently told about hotwire.com, where you reserve hotels without knowing which one it is...you just know ABOUT where it is in the city and the price. It was SCARY...but we decided to price it out.

We closed our eyes, chose a couple of 4-star hotels (for about 50% of the regular price it said) and hoped for the best.

The first 3 nights, we got THIS (http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/Coronado-Bay-Resort/Overview.aspx) resort. OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!! And for only $136 a night!!!

http://www.ion.org/meetings/plans2006/images/loews.jpg

The last night, we got THIS (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/index.html) hotel. OHHHH MY GOOOOOSH!!!! And for only $166 a night!!!!!!!!

http://www.discoversd.com/images/OriginalImages/hotel/w_hotel-25Jan2007012344047250.jpg

:eureka:

It's a little tricky because you don't know at all which hotel you're booking...and it's totally non-refundable. In our case, it worked out GREAT!!! We have to switch hotels the last night, but it's all good...they both look AMAZING!!


So....


Tell me more about San Diego now. LMAO!


(We've already booked everything....we're arriving on a Monday and leaving on a Friday)

[bichonlvr]

COOL!!!!!!!

I HEART San Diego! You can drive up to the LA area for a day trip too...so you wont miss MUCHO!!!

* I would then either go to the Zoo or the Zoo nature preserve... http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html

* Check out the USS Midway!
* Beach/Carlsbad
* Check out the Hotel Del Coronado..tons of movies there including a Bay Watch episode... http://www.hoteldel.com/
* You can park and walk in Tijuana, kinda fun day trip, they also have shuttles, but bring your passport these days.
* Gaslamp Quarter... http://www.gaslamp.org/
* Old Town... http://www.oldtownsandiego.org/
* Day trip to Catalina Island... http://www.catalina.com/main.html
* Balboa Park... http://www.balboapark.org/

LOVE the W's!!!

[TangoWedding]

Woohooo! Awesome info!


You're my new BFF. :eureka:

[bichonlvr]

HA HA no worries...you can also go to a baseball game :)

[Nekochanpurr]

Whoa!! those hotels look AMAZING! =D

[Parhelion]

I LOVE San Diego. My FH's parents invited me along when they went last May, and we all had a blast! If you like seafood, you absolutely have to try out Anthony's Fish Grotto. Then there's Seaport Village for lots of fun shopping...oh, and you HAVE to check out Coronado Island. The San Diego Zoo is awesome, as is the Wild Animal Park. There are a few wineries in the area if you're into that sort of thing, and of course miles and miles of wonderful beaches (La Jolla is my favorite). Have fun!

[TangoWedding]

I LOVE San Diego. My FH's parents invited me along when they went last May, and we all had a blast! If you like seafood, you absolutely have to try out Anthony's Fish Grotto.

I love fresh sea food! And sushi!! We're big on finding great restaurants, so thanks for that suggestion! :D

..oh, and you HAVE to check out Coronado Island.

The resort we're staying at (Loews) is on Coronado Island, actually. It looks GORGEOUS there!!

and of course miles and miles of wonderful beaches (La Jolla is my favorite). Have fun!

I read somewhere about La Jolla..that they have amazing beaches. I'll have to check it out! Thanks!

[FFC]

Sorry to hear Northern Cali won't work out for you! :( But the places you have chosen look like a blast anyway! Good luck with that! I don't know much about SD, but you're going to have an awsome time!