BAHAMA MAMA!

I triplet #2, went to the BAHAMAS recently for my honeymoon! And it was so dreammmmmy, Chase and I loved it! What a beautiful place. The Bahamas is made up of 29 islands! Can you believe it? We cruised through the Atlantic with the Royal Caribbean and stopped at two of the islands, Nassau and Coco Cay.

Our first day was spent cruising and our second day we stopped in Nassau. This place was made for tourists so don't expect cheap prices or decent bartering. But it is worth the experience, culture, and fun souvenirs. Chase and I found a few cute things to take home, enjoyed a nice nap on the beach, I got a hair wrap, and we took a sail boat excursion to go snorkeling in the middle of the ocean (it's all pretty shallow)! It was the best. Unfortunately our water camera with all the rad pictures got lost :( Tear. But here are the ones we got with our other camera.

Our second day the ship ported at the gorgeous island of Coco Cay. This was the raddest place I have ever been. Chase and I had some to die for photos here that were on the water camera that I'm still depressed about losing. This island was HOT I couldn't believe it. After living in Hawaii you would think you would be used to heat and humidity, but this was like something I have never felt. The water was glass clear and you could walk out for miles. The beaches were perfection with palm trees and hammocks. It had adorable souvenir stands and yummy food all over. There was nothing but brightly colored buildings and happy smiles from everyone. This was definitely our favorite stop!

The third day we hit land at Key West, Florida. Although in the United States, I felt like I was still far into the Atlantic. Here Chase and I did a "touristy" thing and went on an adventure! We rented jet skis and joined a tour group all around the island. It was the coolest thing, so fun, warm, beautiful, and thrilling! Chase was such a fast driver I thought I would die a few times (afraid to fall into the waters there because its shallow and grassy which means sharks...eep!). But it was a blast. We also walked around Key West a little and I was blown away by its beauty, gorgeous massive old fashioned homes, and some great brightly colored real estate. Key West is a booming shopping place so bring your moneys!

Other than that Chase and I spent a lot of time enjoying the perks of the ship. We ate lots, swam in the pool lots, explored the different decks lots, ate lots, went to a few comedian shows, and again....ate lots. Seriously....so much! It was a party the whole 4 days!

Now go to the Bahamas, and become a Bahama Mama!!!

HONEYMOON DESTINATION: PANAMA

while we're on the topic of honeymoons

let me (megan) share with you what we decided to do.

drew and i got married in 2009 and were ready for an adventure!

first, we chose a place none of us have ever been.
panama sounded fun and it's in central america so it's cheap!
we got our plane tickets with spirit airlines.
spirit is inexpensive so don't expect a nice spacious plane ride, but it's better than starting your marriage broke. 

second, we read travel books like lonely planet and plotted the places we wanted to go.

we aren't really planners. we're more the spontaneous type. 

but having a plan of at least what cities we wanted to go to helped.

we visited panama city, playa las lajas, david, bocas del toro and bastimento. 

third, we packed light. for packing tips click here.
mind you, our honeymoon was spent backpacking through panama and we got around by bus, boat or taxi.
we weren't laying by a pool on a big boat in the ocean. we were getting dirty and sleeping in hostels.
it may not sound ideal for a honeymoon, but it saved us a lot of money and we still were able to have an international experience.

as we backpacked through panama, we first would find a place to sleep and leave our bags while we explored. 
here we are only a boat ride away from the popular caribbean island bocas del toro. 
we spent a romantic valentines day at red frog beach.

we also made sure to visit some tourist sites. 

old panama city and the panama canal. 

the panama canal is a must see with interesting history behind it. 

it was fun waving at tiny people in the giant boats as they passed through the locks.

as you can see it wasn't exactly the traditional honeymoon, but it was perfect for us. 

if you need any help planning your honeymoon let us know, we'd love to help. 

honeymoons can still be romantic even if you're getting dirty!

HONEYMOON DESTINATION: COSTA RICA

getting married soon and planning a honeymoon?

just looking around for a fun trip with your sweetheart?

we chose costa rica for our honeymoon because it is a tropical paradise

and said to be home to the happiest people on earth.

we found this to be true, and for obvious reasons.

we took the less paved path and visited small towns on the nicoya peninsula.

most of our time was spent at a beach house called

casa rosada, rented by our friend juan surfo

in the small town of nosara. 

it was quaint, quiet, and beautiful.

we surfed and tanned and explored the beaches,

and spent the rainy nights indoors playing games 

and enjoying one another's company to 

RADIO DOS, nosara's favorite radio station.

if you are looking for a place to stay in nosara, 

check out juan surfo's house rentals here.

they are affordable and awesome - and juan is such a cool guy.

it's easy to book ahead - but also easy to do upon arrival.

we took a 9-hr bus from san jose to nosara, and from there

rented a tiny little car for $250 from alamo for an entire week 

and explored the entire peninsula.

samara and la fortuna were among our favorites,

doing ziplines and visiting hotsprings 

as seen in previous posts here.

while you're at it, 

learn how to surf and check out some great deals on 

surf rentals and other activites here.

make your honeymoon worth it, 

without going broke at the beginning of your marriage.

good luck planning yours!