8

Mar

2013

Diary of a Boho Bride – Charlotte and Alan, Entry 2: Let’s Talk Honeymoons

diary of a boho bride

On Diary of a Boho Bride today we are chatting to Charlotte and Alan. Last time we spoke to them Charlotte was telling us all about how Alan had proposed and putting the all important plans into action. Now with more planning under her belt, Charlotte is going to talk us through their honeymoon plans. I have to say reading Charlotte’s report has made me incredibly jealous! It all sounds AMAZING!!! If I were to get married again this is certainly the sort of honeymoon I’d like to go on!

Diary of a Boho Bride

I’ll pass the Blog over to Charlotte…………

Hello again,
The past 7 weeks have flown by and we are now at the 6 months countdown and it’s non stop at the moment. Along with our photographers Paul and Kelly, we recently met up with our fellow bride and grooms to be Jo & Nick and Becki & Jonny. As Jo mentioned in her last blog it was nice  to share our ideas, plans and frustrations over a glass of wine, or 2, or 3!!

I had planned on writing about “finding the perfect dress” but its not due at the bridal shop for another few weeks so I will save that for next time……it gives me a few more weeks in the gym before my first fitting, if nothing else.
So….lets talk honeymoons!!

I LOVE to travel. Time away from my normal surroundings in a new and exciting place, makes me one happy lady. A honeymoon should be the most amazing trip you make as a couple, and I really want to take time out after months of hectic wedding planning to relax and enjoy our first few weeks as Mr and Mrs.
As you will have gathered from my first post, Alan is a bit of a jet setter, so the first job was to choose a destination that:
a) We hadn’t been before
b) Alan wouldn’t go to again
c) Had plenty to see and do, great food and drink and that all important sunshine.

My dream honeymoon had always been the Maldives, 2 weeks laid on a beach doing absolutely nothing, but I have done a lot of laying on beaches doing absolutely nothing over the years and since meeting Al I have realised there is a whole world out there to explore….so we are going on an adventure.
We have taken inspiration from a feature on the Boho blog and will be asking guests to “buy our honeymoon“. Our friends and family will be able to visit the website and purchase a gift which could be as little as a cocktail in our favourite bar or a wine tasting trip to stellenbosch. We think this is a fantastic idea for all those bride and grooms who already have everything they need and feel that asking for cash in a card is a little impersonal. Visit the site to see how it works www.buy-our-honeymoon.com
As Alan works in the travel industry and I already have a list as long as my arm…..it was time for him to put his skills to the test. He took on the task of arranging the lot, and my word has he come up with the goods!!

Diary of a Boho Bride

South Africa ticked all the boxes and research showed September was an ideal month to visit for both the weather and game viewing, lucky us.
We will arrive in Cape Town for 6 nights in a beautiful boutique hotel “Atlantic View” in camps bay, it is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain, so you are sure to have a room with a view. With only 10 rooms/suites available its important to book early, and depending on time of year there are offers available. The rate includes the most scrumptious breakfast and each sunset is celebrated with complimentary wine and canapés, this gives us the freedom to venture out for dinner on an evening.

diary of a Boho Bride

We contacted Greg the owner directly, informing him we were on honeymoon, his service has been outstanding and has filled us with great confidence that our time there will be very romantic. Cape Town has a lot to offer, some of the things we will be doing include, visiting the penguin colonies, robben island, table mountain, whale watching and the wineland regions. Al wants to experience swimming with sharks….I think I will be staying put in the boat for that one.

diary of a boho bride

Next stop is Kruger Park for a four day Safari, we are big animal lovers and to see them in their natural habitat will be out of this world, my camera will be glued to my hand. Safaris can be very expensive depending on your choice of accomodation, but considering it includes 5* luxury, 3 meals and 2 game drives each day, selected drinks and sundowners in the bush it will be worth every penny. We are heading to Lukimbi Safari Lodge in the southern part of the National Park.

diary of a boho bride
It is a concession within Kruger, meaning only vehicles from this lodge can drive there, perfect for viewing the Top 5 without the crowds. Each suite here has a bath tub facing the bush and an outside shower to really make the most of the safari experience. There are 2 premier suites which honeymooners get a free upgrade to if they are vacant at the time of your stay, the private pool here often plays host to passing elephants wanting to quench their thirst!!

diary of a boho bride

After early morning drives and late nights dining under the stars i think we will be ready for some serious chill out time. We really wanted to visit Victoria Falls in Zambia seen as though it is just over the South African boarder, so a quick flight and we will be arriving  for our last few days at “The Royal Chundu Zambezi Lodge”.

diary of a boho bride

With the exception of visiting Victoria Falls and swimming in the devils pool right at the edge (yikes) we will be taking it easy here. Al did inform me however that the falls is home to one of the worlds highest bungee jumps and some crazy river rapids and so I might not be enjoying as much relaxation as I had hoped for……watch this space. Our island lodge looks breathtaking, meals are served on our veranda, we literally don’t need to step foot out of the door if we don’t want. The outside bath tub complete with rose petals and candles overlooking the Zambezi river will be the perfect place enjoy a glass of fizz and reflect on what we hope will be an unforgettable wedding day and honeymoon, before heading home to our future as husband and wife.

diary of a boho bride

I hope you have enjoyed hearing our plans, particularly if you too are organising a similar trip.
If you want more information on any of the places we are staying visit these websites,

www.atlanticviewcapetown.com,   www.lukimbi.com,  www.royalchundu.com

 

My top tips regardless of where your honeymoon takes you are:

  • Always mention you are recently married, hotels will make your stay that extra bit special and airlines will often upgrade your seat….so show them your marriage certificate at check in.
  • Trip advisor is the most wonderful tool for finding more info about potential destinations and accommodation, but beware with thousands of reviews it will take over your life!!
  • Skyscanner and Opodo are a great place to find your flights and compare prices from different airlines to get the best deal.
  • Like with anything else that has come apparent during the wedding process, plan ahead and book early to avoid disappointment and give yourself time to save some ££££’s you will only have one honeymoon (hopefully) so make it count and do something you have always dreamed of even if it means going months after the big day.

 

Happy holiday hunting,

Love Lottie x x x

 

Photo Source: cape town mapAtlantic View, Cape Town, breakfast at Atlantic View, Cape Town,  Table Mountain, penguin colonies,   Table MountainLukimbi Safari Lodge, Kruger National Park , Giraffe, Lion,  Royal Chundu Island Lodge, dinner at Royal Chundu Island LodgeVictoria Falls, ZambiaVictoria Falls, Zambia

 

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Comments

    Nicola Yarker

    My husband to be and I went on mealy the same trip in 2010. We loved Cape Town and Kruger. Cape top is now are number 1 city as it has a perfect balance of culture, relaxation, beauty and most importantly adventure. We cage dived with great whites and I really do recommend it.
    We really struggled with booking our honeymoon, also September 2013. Think sometimes its harder if you have already done a lot of trave, and still want to experience something new. We have just booked New Zealand as like South Africa we hope it is the right mix of luxury and adventure.
    I’m sure you will have a great time

    Nicola xx

    Reply
      Charlotte

      Nicola, great to hear you have done something similar, we think we will have the perfect balance between relaxation, adventure and culture so great to hear that you agree. I will probably feel different about the cage dive when I am there….it will certainly be one to tell the grand kids!! Some friends of ours visited New Zealand for their honeymoon and had a wonderful experience, sort sounds like you have made a good choice also. Enjoy and good luck with all your other plans.

      Charlotte x

      Reply
    Rachel

    It sounds incredible! So exciting. South Africa was definitely one of the places we considered for our honeymoon and I hope we make it there one day!

    Reply
      Charlotte

      We could smuggle u In our suitcases and say you are going on a photography
      tutorial :) x x

      Reply
    Becki Mallows

    Wow! I’ve read this twice now to take it all in and i’ve come to the conclusion that a, I am very very green with envy and b, I need you to book all our holidays from now on please? :oD
    It sounds out of this world amazing! I’m just totally lost for words!! Great post Charlotte xx

    Reply
      Charlotte

      Becki, it’s all Mr Muffs doing, he should set up a sideline booking romantic breaks!!
      Florida will be awesome though too, I love it there :) x x

      Reply
    Julie

    This sounds amazing. I am from South Africa and my parents live in Botswana which is brilliant for us as we go back once every two years to visit. My hubby and I went back in April last year to Cape Town and went cage shark diving and it was a fantastic Experiance! Highly recommended.

    Devils pool is fantastic (definatly not for the faint hearted) and if you get chance I would highly recommend a helicopter flight over the falls. The only downside about going to the Zambian side is you don’t really get a full front view of the falls ( you do on the Zimbabwean side) so a helicopter flight is brilliant for that reason.

    Once you are in Zambia if you get the opportunity to pop over the border to a place called Kasane ( in Botswana) it’s on the banks of the chobe/Zambezi river. It has the biggest population of elephants and hippo’s in the southern Africa. The animals walk through the town so you don’t even have to go on a game drive!

    You will have a fantastic time x

    Reply
      Charlotte

      Thanks for your advice Julie, always great to hear from people who have experienced the same thing, that’s two now who have said the cage diving is a must.

      I am sure we will have a wonderful time x x

      Reply
    Andrew Green

    Hi Charlotte — thanks so much for mentioning Buy Our Honeymoon here! Your plans sound fantastic! If there’s anything we can do to help with your list, do please let us know.

    Reply
      Charlotte

      No problems Andrew, we have been sorting a paper version of a list at the moment, so will probably be in touch once we are ready to sort it online. We think the concept is brilliant and have been recommending it to all our other engaged friends.

      Reply
    Jasmin

    This sounds amazing! We would love to do something like this but being on a budget we would find it very difficult, would you be able to email me the coatings involved for you? Thanks very much!

    Reply

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