It seems only fitting to end a week of posts about a great food-lovers’ trip to Spain and Morocco with a shot of something sweet. Jaime and David Caldwell had an a “fascinating cultural experience” on their adventure. I’m so happy to be able to share all of their incredible images.

For some couples, travel at the holidays and being away from family would be hard. But from the looks of it, these two had an amazing time just being together in a gorgeous setting. That’s the fountain of Plaza del Triunfo below.

Jaime talks about how they decided on a honeymoon destination, “Spain is always great (David had been before but I hadn’t) and we were both excited to visit Morocco as neither of us had ever been. A friend of ours spoke very highly of Morocco and we couldn’t wait to dive in!”

She adds, “We originally wanted to take a grand tour of Africa – Namibia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Seychelles, but once we took a hard look at flights and due to David’s limited vacation days (due to school), we realized we needed to scale back to a smaller geographic area. Spain and Morocco had the food and culture we were looking for and were very easy to navigate.”

Lots of couples struggle to decide if they should travel right after the wedding or wait a while to take their honeymoon. Jaime’s very glad they pushed their trip off a bit. “Due to David’s school and summer job schedule, we delayed our honeymoon by nearly 6 months. This turned out to be the biggest blessing as we were able to spend time planning and anticipating our trip completely apart from our wedding. Ours was a destination wedding (in New Orleans) with 175 people which required a lot of planning and preparation (as all weddings do) and in the end, we were so glad that we didn’t have our honeymoon right afterwards as it would have added that much more planning. We were able to focus 100% on our wedding and making it a great event for our friends and family and then 100% on our honeymoon and making it a great trip for us. Whether it’s for scheduling reasons or financial reasons, I cannot stress how great it was to separate these two events. It made everything that much more fun and enjoyable for us!”

Thanks again to Jaime and David for sharing their story with us this week. Here’s wishing everyone a Merry-Christmas-in-April!

Newlyweds Jaime and David consider their December honeymoon trip to Spain and Morocco a “whirlwind dream trip.” Not only did they see some great sights and indulge in Jaime’s love of food, but they also had a few great hotel stays. She gives us a rundown on some of the best experiences.

Hesperia, Madrid
Loved this hotel! Beautiful, very cosmopolitan, excellent service, close proximity to everything yet not in a terribly touristy area.

Hesperia, Granada
Lovely, quiet hotel in the heart of Granada. Staff was friendly and very helpful.

Riad Altair, Marrakesh
(See more about their stay here) Very beautiful, excellent breakfasts, fabulous roof deck, affordable, knowledgeable and friendly staff. We would definitely stay here again.

Peacock Pavillions (coming soon!)
We had the unbelievable good fortune of meeting Maryam from My Marrakesh and touring her family’s soon-to-open guest houses at Peacock Pavillions. Nestled in an olive grove just outside of the walls of Marrakesh, Maryam and her family have constructed an unbelievably beautiful setting for couples or families traveling to Marrakesh. We can’t wait to go back and stay there!

Honeymoons are definitely the time to splurge. Treating yourself to a fancy suite or a first class seats can make your trip even more special. And splurging on food — really, really good food — can mean one of the most amazing meals of your life.

When Jaime and David headed to Madrid, Spain, on their December honeymoon, they had to dine at La Terraza Del Casino. And these foodies had to try the incredible 23-course tasting menu. Creator and 3-starred Michelin chef Ferran Adria designed a menu that is always original and creative. Head chef Paco Roncero runs the kitchen and plates the incredible foods. Some of the innovative courses include alga lollipops, liquid fritters, marrow with caviar, liquorice cake with ice cream and tonka toffee with redcurrent.

Jaime says, “We enjoyed a remarkable 23-courses with each course topping the last. It was a truly memorable experience in a beautiful setting. The staff was warm and made us feel truly at home.” She warns other to plan ahead, “Be sure to make reservations well in advance of your trip (at least 1 month).”

La Terraza Del Casino is also know for it’s elegant decor, panoramic city views and exquisite French champagne and Spanish wines. Jaime and David know this is a meal they’ll never forget.

While in Spain on their December honeymoon, Jaime and David visited La Alhambra, a palace and fortress built in the 15th century by Moorish rulers. (Karen & Tom also visited on their honeymoon.) Located on a mountainside in the city of Granada, visitors can stroll through the buildings and courtyards. Although the exterior walls are mostly blank, the insides are full of carvings and tiling with exquisite detail, which Jaime captured beautifully.

When I asked them about the weather on their trip, Jaime said, “The rain in Spain falls mainly anywhere we are!” They didn’t let a little drenching dampen their spirits. In fact, it made for some beautiful, moody shots of Grenada.

David & Jaime Caldwell of Cambridge, MA, took some time between their summer wedding in New Orleans and their December honeymoon in Spain and Morocco. The anticipation made the trip all the sweeter for these two newlyweds.

Jaime, who’s a freelance food publicist and recipe developer (plus a part-time foodie/lifestyle blogger) and David, a 2nd year law student at Harvard Law, say this trip was “a fabulous opportunity to explore exotic places with each other.” That’s Seville, Spain below on Christmas Eve.

Jaime adds, “Ours was an active honeymoon with a lot of cultural immersion. I would highly recommend it to those looking to experience something exotic and a bit out of their comfort zones.” For them, food was a huge highlight of the trip. Below is a photo from their incredible 23-course dinner (no, that’s not a typo!) at La Terazza del Casino in Madrid.

That shot at the top is these two on the flight oversees. She says, “David’s parents gifted us with first class tickets to and from Spain. This was the first and probably last time we will ever be able to fly in such style and we enjoyed every second of it from the reclining seats to the free movies to the fantastic dop kits to the delicious multi-course meals!”

Kate says: I chose to focus on cosmopolitan Barcelona, but Adeet and I enjoyed the several days we spent with a friend in Granada. The city is rich in history and its masterpiece, the Alhambra, is an architectural marvel. And in Granada Adeet ate his weight in jamón serrano, the dry-cured ham that is a culinary marvel!

We had only one night in Barcelona and stayed at Barcino 147 Bed and Breakfast. Our room was clean and cozy and we had the run of the kitchen for breakfast. The B&B’s central location was ideal since we didn’t have a lot of time to sightsee. Our first stop was Antoni Gaudi’s cathedral-in-progress, La Sagrada Familia. Ascending to the top of the towers in a tiny lift is not for the claustrophobic, but the payoff is spectacular, close-up views of Gaudi’s incredible masterwork. (Sadly, we lost almost all of our photos from our day in Barcelona.) We later enjoyed more of Gaudi’s work and great views of the city in Güell Park, a World Heritage site. Later in the day we walked to the area of the 1992 summer Olympics. Although the Olympic architecture can’t rival Gaudi’s, it is interesting and the waterfront view is beautiful.

There’s no question Seville is beautiful, as the photo above proves. Those Spanish really know how to work the tile. Karen and Tom loved wandering the city. Check out this wikitravel page for a list of activities.

These honeymooners typically try to avoid the tourist traps when on a vacation, but made sure to see some of Barcelona’s best-know sights. She offers some great advice about things to see and things to skip. “We truly enjoyed seeing all of the Gaudi architecture throughout the city. La Sagrada Familia (above left) is amazing to see and nearly impossible to comprehend that it has been under construction for over 125 years. The audio tour is a must. You will have to wait on a long line to get in but it is so worth it to see the intricate architectural detail. Park Guell and the other Gaudi buildings (above right) throughout town are all must-sees, too. We went to the aquarium in Barcelona and while it was huge for European standards, was not all that impressive. Many of the tanks were empty or had minimal fish in there. I was disappointed that they didn’t have any educational info about endangered species. “

They also visited Granada, in the South of Spain, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, a place rich with culture, architecture and history. If you go, be sure to visit the Alhambra de Granada. The photo above was snapped at Palacio del Pórtico.

We’ve loved getting to experience Spain through this couple’s eyes. When it comes to planning honeymoons, there are no rules. If the beach is calling, then grab you towels and go. But don’t be afraid to pack your trip full of cities, sights, and romance. Thanks for sharing, Karen and Tom!

The best meal of the their trip was dinner at L’Olive in Barcelona. Serving classic Catalan cuisine, this place has been in business since 1984. Karen says, “Everything we had was incredible,” noting that the monkfish suquet was especially delicious.

She says, “We did a lot of grazing while we were there…we just walked around the cities and when we got hungry would stop for a glass of wine and a few tapas. “

And if they could go back to Spain, they’d immediately head to Catalonia and get some paella. ¡Muy Delicioso!

The couple traveled around Spain, primarily in Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona. Karen says, “I would recommend it to anyone that wants to be on the move and experience a different cuisine, an incredible culture, nice people, and plenty of great wine! “

Tom had visited Barcelona when he was studying abroad during college and wanted to go back ever since. Karen shared the desire to see Spain. She says, “After all the stress of the wedding planning and traveling to attend five other weddings the same year, we thought we would want to just relax somewhere in the sun. We were thinking of Micronesia for a beach destination, primarily for the scuba diving. As we talked about it, we realized the drive for both of us to get back to Europe won over the desire to go to an exotic beach. Once we decided on Europe, we talked about Italy and Spain. Spain won!” 

By far, their favorite accommodation was Hotel Atlantico in Madrid. Don’t let the Best Western name fool you… Located on Calle Gran Via 38, one of the main streets in Madrid, it has an amazing view of the downtown area. Their top floor room had a small balcony, above, to enjoy the sights and sounds. The near-by top floor bar was a convenient spot to enjoy a drink or some great tapas.

Karen and Tom were thrilled with their stay and say Hotel Atlantico was definitely worth the Euros. They also mentioned that we were honeymooners and got upgraded us to a nicer room.

In Barcelona, Karen recommends Hotel Dante for it’s location and room size. She says, “It is an older hotel that has been kept up nicely.”

For these two, an extravagant suite was beside the point… They spent very little time in any of their hotel rooms, option to be out sightseeing most of the time. Knowing you priorities on a honeymoon can help you decide when and where to splurge.

How can a short week feel so long?! Tim and I were lucky enough to have a delightful few days in Miami with our good friends Dan and Amanda. The beach, kayaking, mojitos in their backyard. Not only did they and their awesome dog Genson host us in their adorable home, but they showed us some of the best hotspots in Miami Beach. I even got to take a tour of the beautiful Delano Hotel, which will be featured soon.

But coming back to reality, work, and fall in NYC has left our heads spinning. It’s made us long for another night of bbqing in our friends’ backyard. Good thing we’ve got another short week coming up before Thanksgiving. We’re going to squeeze in a few days of travel to Spain with Karen and Tom this week.

I’ve known Karen since our days in Miss Grace’s ballet class. (Shockingly, neither of turned out to be professional ballerinas…) This California couple’s trip to Spain reminds me of Chris and Marissa’s honeymoon… lots of great food and great sights in a fantastic location. My own trip to Barcelona ranks as one of my favorite architectural trips of all time. Thanks for sharing guys!