As I mentioned earlier this week, Bucuti Beach Resort’s on-site wedding coordinator Nashette Wouters does an amazing job at helping couples pull together the perfect romantic destination wedding. She works with local vendors to get a perfect cake – or cup cakes – for the intimate receptions.

Above are images of bouquets and boutineers from real weddings held at Bucuti. In addition, Nashette always gives her couples the option to mix in Aruban wedding traditions to their ceremony or reception. This could mean adding local foods to the dinner menu, dancing the first dance to a traditional Aruba waltz played by a classical trio, or serving a traditional Aruban groom’s cake (small bite of fruit cake soaked in rum).

Some couples come to Aruba for a destination wedding with no guests. Just bride, groom and the sunset. Those couples usually follow their ceremony with photos and then a quiet, romantic dinner for two in the sand. Other couples come with up to 50 guests and are treated to a reception at tables on the beach with waiter service all evening.

Bucuti Beach Resort in Aruba isn’t a huge place, which helps make the stay more intimate. Their 140 rooms range from basic-but-nice to the more extravagant penthouse suites, which have balconies like the one above. The outdoors space give great views of the beach, ocean and the Pirate’s Nest restaurant with the masts of the ship visible on the right. A full breakfast buffet at the restaurant is included for all rooms.

The penthouse suites also have amazing bathrooms with beautiful soaking tubs, perfect for a romantic honeymoon evening.

Even the most basic rooms at Bucuti are welcoming and comforatble. Most rooms feature a king bed and a private balcony.

Guest are often welcomed with a bottle of wine or bubbly in the room. Honeymooners each get a glass of champagne during check-in (talk about starting the trip off right!) and are encouraged to sit down and relax right away. Nashette usually greets the couples and welcomes them personally. The hotel staff escorts them to their rooms and they’re greeted with treats like chocolate or cheese and crackers.

All of the balconies at Bucuti face either the beach and Caribbean Sea or the peaceful and quiet landscaped garden.

Migration Camp was British luxury dropped in the middle of wilderness. It’s a permanent tent camp, but the “tents” have double sinks, solar-powered hot water, nice beds, wood floors, cushy leather chairs. The service and staff were top notch. We had our best meal of the trip there with wines matched to our food.

For romantic moments, sitting on a rooftop deck with cocktails watching the sunset before dinner was hard to beat. And it was kind of cool that after dark, management insisted guests be accompanied by staff in case of encounters with hippos, who come from the nearby Grumeti River to graze on grass near the tents. We were serenaded to sleep by the sound of those hippos grunting and awoken by mischievous gopher-like hyraxes jumping on the tent roof.

Kate says: We rented a studio apartment, above, in the Latin Quarter for the week we stayed in Paris. We found the flat on Craig’s List and the price for a week was considerably less than what we would have spent on a hotel. But more than the savings, staying in an apartment made us feel that we weren’t just tourists. There is something incredibly romantic about making omelets, or even doing laundry, in a Paris apartment! It gave us a sense of domesticity, a sweet feeling for a newly married couple, and it was Parisian domesticity.

We delighted in discovering “our neighborhood.” Le Boulanger de Monge, one of the city’s best bakeries, was down the street from our flat and every morning we indulged in decadent pastries. We also made several trips to the nearby rue Mouffetard, a street lined with market stalls, where we bought fruit for our day trips and wine to enjoy back “home.” I would highly recommend renting a flat to anyone who plans on staying in the city for more than a few days.

We hit the big tourist stops: the Eiffel Tower (where we enjoyed a picnic on a nearby lawn), the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and Notre Dame. However, we also took time to wander. I highly recommend “City Walks: Paris,” a set of 50 cards with maps and suggestions for walks. Every day we picked several cards and walked one or two of the suggested routes. This is how we ended up on Passage Brady, a pedestrian street that is home to Paris’s très petite Little India. The vegetable stands, South Asian grocers, and Indian restaurants made us feel homesick for Mumbai. We had an excellent dinner at Pooja, where the tasty curries were obviously made with rich French butter and cream.

One of our favorite afternoons was spent in L’Institut du Monde Arabe, above.

We drank fresh mint tea in the institute’s Café Littéraire and then took the elevator to the rooftop terrace, which overlooks Notre Dame and the Seine. The view is marvelous and so is the building—steel diaphragms open and close depending on the sunlight, an ingenious blend of modern design and classic Islamic architecture. We’ve returned to Paris twice since our honeymoon and both times we made sure to visit this gem.

Of course food played an important part of our stay in Paris. We discovered what we consider the best crepe stand in the city near the St. Germain des Prés Métro stop. We grew so addicted that we went on a daily basis and even went twice on one especially greedy day.

At Dalloyau tearoom in the Bastille neighborhood, we drank the thickest, richest hot chocolate we’ve ever tasted. We lounged on a red sofa, against a backdrop of pink and red walls. It was like being inside a Valentine candy box.

And we’ll have Mumbai and Trivandrum and London and Melilla and Barcelona… We feel fortunate that we experienced such an incredible honeymoon (or honeymoons) and look forward to one day telling our daughter about these adventures.

RH note, again: A super, gigantic, huge THANK YOU to Adeet and Kate for sharing their incredible journey. Their words and photos make are just spectacular!

Kate says: I had spent a year as an exchange student in Melilla, an autonomous Spanish city in North Africa, and I wanted Adeet to meet my host family. We stayed with them for several days and Adeet fell in love with them and their city. Melilla has a population of around 70,000 people and is home to Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and even Hindu communities. Although it is very much a part of Spain in its language and traditions, it borders Morocco and is part of North Africa, both geographically and culturally.

The city is on the Mediterranean coast, and we enjoyed walking along the “Paseo Marítimo,” a paved stretch that runs along the water. We also explored the old, walled part of the city that was founded by Spain in 1497. Melilla is known for its Modernist architecture and there are many fine examples in the city’s downtown. Parque Hernández is a beautiful park lined with palm trees and is the perfect spot for a leisurely hand-in-hand stroll.

Although the city is dear to me, I wouldn’t recommend it as a sole honeymoon destination. Instead, I would suggest that couples interested in visiting Morocco and/or southern Spain spend a day in Melilla. It would provide an interesting bridge between the cultures of those two countries. There is an airport in Melilla with flights to major cities in Spain, as well as a ferry that crosses the Mediterranean.

Kate says: Any stress from getting to Kerala soon vanished when we reached The Tall Trees Resort, outside of Munnar. Cardamom, pepper, and coffee are grown on the grounds of Tall Trees, and tea plantations surround the resort. We loved our accommodations—a spacious two-story “cottage” with a large bedroom and modern bathroom, above. It provided a peaceful alternative to the bustling crowds of Mumbai, and we relished the stillness.

We left Kerala from Trivandrum’s international airport on Indian Airlines. Returning to Mumbai was much less adventurous than our train ride to Kerala. However, there was a moment of drama when we boarded our plane. The flight attendants had placed dry ice in the window wells for dramatic effect, and we thought the plane had caught on fire! Once we calmed down, we enjoyed a quick, comfortable flight complete with lunch. Domestic airlines serve meals even if the flight is less than two hours and are known for their excellent service.

Happy Valentine’s Day! So glad to be able to wish our readers a lovely one. Tim and I took the opportunity of a long-weekend to get out of town for a few days. We’re currently up in Vermont, sampling Ben & Jerry’s and Magic Hat while getting a bit of R&R.

We’ve got a lot to celebrate this weekend. Not only is it Valentine’s Day (and the birthdays of several rad founding fathers) but also the seven year anniversary of when we first started dating. My, how the time has flown…

Taking time away is super important to keep things happy in your relationship. Whether it’s a weekend drive or a honeymoon you use to de-stress after the wedding, travel can be the perfect way to unwind and reconnect. This week’s couple, Oliver and Lisa, took the most laid-back approach to honeymooning we’ve shown yet.

Their trip to Costa Rica was packed with nature, hiking, ziplining, good food and adventure. But hardly any of it was planned in advance. Their fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants honeymoon unfolded into a fantastic trip as they made their way through this spectacular spot. Stay tuned this week for Oliver’s fabulous photography.

And now, off to get some real maple syrup… Have a sweet one, everybody!

The first stop on Kristen and Dane’s honeymoon to Ireland was Dublin, it’s most famous city. The friendly city is rich with literary culture, political history, good pubs and great people. They especially loved the first person they met, the cab driver at the airport. Kristen says, “Our cabbie was funny, chatty, and gave us all the insider info on where to visit and what to do.”

Kristen says one of the most romantic moments of their trip was “walking through the St. Stephens Green. It’s a beautiful, green park in the middle of Dublin. How could it not be romantic?”

For the past 400 years, this park has stood in the heart of Dublin. Once a restricted area for only the residents living along the park’s edges, the grounds were opened up to the public in the late 1800’s with help from Sir Arthur Guinness (the man behind the beer.) Features include a manicured central garden and statues of famous Irish writers Yeats and Joyce.

The honeymooners also took a stroll down nearby Grafton Street, Dublin’s major shopping areas. The pedestrian mall is lined with shops and cafés. Every day there are mines, musicians and buskers of every variety. Anyone who loved the movie Once as much as me will recognize it as the spot where Glen Hansard’s never-named character meets his never-named girl.

Kristen and Dane spent a lot of time wandering Dublin on foot since it’s a very walkable city… just be sure to watch when crossing the street. Kristen says, “Even weirder than driving on the wrong side of the road, was having to look at the wrong side of the road when we crossed the street! Those nice Dubliners made it easier for us by putting instructions right on the street.”

You might also consider the three day pass for a Dublin Bus Tour. The hop-on, hop-off tickets let you spent as much time as you like at a location. The buses take you by all the must-see spots, including the Guinness Brewery and Jameson Distillery, which we’ll visit with Kristen and Dane tomorrow.

Jen and Eli absolutely love the Greek islands, especially Santorini. It’s exactly as you picture Greece – white stuccco buildings standing out against bright blue skies and black rock, with perfect views of the water below.

They joined the crowds that gather every evening on the balconies and roofdecks along the cliffs to watch the sun set.

The rocky volcanic mountains make for beautiful views in every direction. Jen also notes, “The black sand beaches of Santorini are a must-see.”

They wandered along the staircases and switch backs to Fira, the capital city of Santorni. There they opted for a bus tour to get to see the best sights in the area.

They may have been sad to leave Santorini on their last morning (above) but they had lots more sightseeing to do in Greece. Later today we’ll follow then to Athens for a tour of ancient ruins.

The best meal of Jen and Eli’s Greek honeymoon also happened to be Eli’s birthday celebration. Jen says, “His birthday fell during our trip on September 22, so I took him out to dinner in Santorini at a restaurant overlooking the caldera, called Selene. This was hands-down our most romantic meal; all of the tables are outside and lit with candles.” Eli looks serious about that menu above.

Being a true food lover, Jen recounts the meal in detail, “We shared a seafood baklava appetizer (calamari, scallops, and fish layered between sheets of phyllo) and then I had fresh sea bass in a fava bean crepe and Eli had rabbit served on cheesy polenta with mushrooms, red peppers, and carrots. Not traditionally Greek, but a refined and creative take on Greek flavors.”

“Our server was Nick, and he had a great sense of humor and provided excellent service. Eli’s birthday dessert came out with a sparkler in it and Nick even gave us complimentary glasses of the Greek dessert wine vinsanto. The fact that we were on our honeymoon and it was also Eli’s birthday AND we were sitting at dinner on a cliff in Santorini was incredibly romantic.”

Selene also offers a full day cooking class, a very cool option for foodie honeymooners.