it started off with a 4am ride to the airport, then waiting around til 5 for the delta booth to open :( and then, having to check my knitting stuff [i wanted something to do on the 6+ hour plane ride]. the flight wasn't too bad, other than it being at 6:30 in the morning. flying into st. lucia was just amazing... we could already see the pitons in the south from the plane [we would be staying in the northern end of the island for the 1st half of the trip].
after departing and making our way thru customs, we were greeted by a driver holding a "mr. and mrs. aimee sanford" sign. i was laughing so hard, i didn't get a photo :) we had a 1.5 hour drive up to the north of the island, through banana plantations, rainforests, and beautiful scenery. we arrived at our hotel and were presented with a bottle of wine and a welcome card. we unpacked, freshened up and took a little walk to see what was nearby and ended up taking an early dinner, followed by a stop at an ice cream stand for some chocolate rum icecream. yummy :)
after catching up on our sleep, we had breakfast on the patio of our hotel [delicious banana bread, fresh fruit, coffees, etc.... perfect], then made our way to the hotel pool for a nice swim and an early afternoon drink. at the hotel, i *always* had the dirty banana... a wonderful concoction of banana, light + dark rum, creme de cacao and coconut milk. i could live on these.
while swimming, a staff photographer was around taking photos of the couples and then came over to shoot us. apparently, he wanted us to be models for a brochure they were doing, and asked if we could stop back that afternoon for a photo shoot! we're awaiting the photos in the mail, and once they arrive, i'll post 'em.
during the days we would usually walk to the nearby reduit beach [voted 2nd most beautiful beach in the caribbean], and did alot of snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing. it was beautiful :)
the 2nd half of our honeymoon, we decided to stay in the southern part of the island. while the northern end was a little more lively, we wanted to relax for the remainder. we stayed in a beautiful resort, where we had our own private villa. when we arrived, the driver took our bags to our villa, and we were shown to the outdoor restaurant to have a light lunch, and were in awe of the view:
it was beyond beautiful. every morning we'd come have breakfast here, occasionally an afternoon swim + drink to watch the sunset, and dinners. every night was a different theme, so eating at the same place every night wasn't so bad. after lunch, we were escorted to our villa, and once again, it was perfect. this was our front porch :
the view was amazing, and we also had a hammock to the right of the table + chairs. having our own privacy pool was great, and we could take a dip whenever we wanted. we also had an outdoor shower which was suprisingly relaxing.
we did a few excursions, visiting a volcano and then a botanical garden and waterfall:
we also visited a few beaches, and did more snorkeling. i still need to get the underwater shots developed and hopefull those will turn out :)
we went horseback riding thu a cocoa plantation, shortly after a light rainfall, so of course there was a rainbow. how silly is this photo?
but here we are, our first times riding:
here we are our last night, after watching the sunset, with a little bit of a sunburn. the food was amazing, i think i had fresh seafood every night :)
all in all, we had an incredible time. i'm so happy we chose a smaller resort, and not an all-inclusive sandals-type vacation. [i think that would have drove me crazy]. our honeymoon was active yet relaxing. the weather was perfect, everyone was friendly. i can't wait to go back :)
wedding recap next week?
