The most memorable and romantic moment of Katie and Robert’s St. Lucia honeymoon was the boat trip they took around the island. Ti Kaye Village Resort, where they stayed, arranged the outing for them.

There were a few other couples on board with them, which Katie says, “made the trip a lot of fun.” The crew served up wine, cheese and some appetizers as they sailed past the Pitons, St. Lucia’s famous peaks.

After watching the beautiful sunset, Captain Glen let Robert take the wheel and steer the boat for a while. Looks like everyone had a blast.

A huge thank you to Katie and Robert for sharing their beautiful trip with us. And a very happy congrats to these two, who are celebrating their anniversary this month.

Where Can A Recently-Married Couple Get a Drink Around Here?
Bon Appetit lists their picks for the World’s Best Hotel Bars in this month’s issue. It’s comprised of the usual suspects, and for good reason: these really are some of the most gorgeous venues around the world to enjoy a libation after a long day of sight-seeing. And if you take a bit of history with your scotch on the rocks, check out the Bacchanology menu from The Connaught in London.

iFad
As a creative type who uses Apple products daily, and an early-adopter of all things techy, it pains me to resist the charms and advances of the iPad. And this travel-centric iPad article from the New York Times isn’t making it any easier. It’s one thing to anticipate what you’ll see on a trip and plan accordingly, it’s a completely different one to be allowed to geek-out and find everything you need to know about a place right at the very moment you’re there. Maybe I’ll find a $700-dollar bill on the ground today.

Getting From Here to There
There are two things in this world that sound like they’re in a city, but are actually about 20 miles outside of it: baseball stadiums and airports. Making the connection between your airport and hotel can be a challenge, so Airport Railways of the World aims to help you out. The site provides web links, phone numbers, and even describes what type of travel it is. (And if you needed more convincing, another great article on non-air travel can be found here on the NYT website.)

Yellow Car!
This thread on in-car games from Lonely Planet made me smile when I came across it. There’s something really fun about car games with your spouse, especially when you get to the point where you’ve instituted your own rules and specifications. For example, when playing the license plate game in our car—shouting out states as you come across them on a drive—you a) cannot begin with the state you are currently in, b) break ties by shouting the capital of the state, and c) FLIP OUT when you see an Alaskan license plate. In Hoboken, New Jersey, no less. It happened. I can prove it with photos.

Kiwi Wine
New Zealand is one of the hottest new-world wine regions, and anyone planning a trip there should spend some time at a few (or more) of its wineries and vineyards. This Fodor’s list highlights a few of the best. Does it get any better than drinking wine in the New Zealand sunshine with your new spouse? My guess is: Not a chance.

Marissa’s first journey out of the country was on a school trip to England (since then her anglophilia has truly known no bounds). She throughly enjoys seeking out all things “delightfully Internet-y” to share with her friends.

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.

Being forced to stay close to home for a honeymoon doesn’t have to be a bummer. Roadtrips can be very romantic if you’re in the right place. If life hands you lemons, make lemonade, right? Or, just drive your lemon down the highway. Yeah. We weren’t sure what was up with this one either…

Happy Friday everyone!

All of the wineries we visited had spittoons on the counter for tasters to spit out their samples. This avoids any change of dangerous driving.

But let’s be honest, most of us want the full experience. Hiring a limo or bus to do the driving for you is a great way to relax and taste all you want and be responsible. Consider some of these companies to haul you and your sweetie around:

• Finger Lakes Winery Tours
• Caz Limousine Service
• Finger Lakes Limousine & Coach
• Grapevine Country Tours

As you drive down Rt. 14 along Seneca Lake, there are wineries lining either side of the road. Some offer free tastings, others charge a small fee per pour. Our next stop was Torrey Ridge.

We each chose six wines to taste. The staff at all of the wineries are helpful in picking what you might like. The more questions you ask, the more you learn about their particular varieties.

This stop is actually two tasting rooms in one. Adjacent to the Torrey Ridge building – which houses the huge, two-story tasting facility seen at the top of this post – is the Earle Estates Meadery.

Legend has it, the term “honeymoon” originates from an old Irish tradition in which newlyweds drank honey wine, or mead everyday for one full moon (a month) after their wedding. That makes Earle Estates a must-see for any honeymooning couple. We may not have been “just married,” but it made us happy anyway.

During our day of wine-tasting in the Finger Lakes, Tim and I started out in Geneva, NY, at Belhurst Castle. Built in the 1880’s, it’s a place with a long and rambling history, including its use as a speakeasy and casino during prohibition.

Like most many of the wineries in the region, they’re probably best know for their Reislings. Belhurst consistently receives awards for their wines.

It goes without saying, that one must be careful when tasting and driving. So we loaded up on lunch before we began to imbibe. Stonecutters is one of two restaurants at Belhurst. In good weather, you can sit out on the patio and enjoy the amazing lake views across the lawn.

The food is reasonably priced and wine parings are suggested with each item. We started with a cheese platter featuring Upstate New York cheddar and some tasty mustards. My mozzarella-tomato-pesto panini and Tim’s catfish sandwich were great. He especially loved the fried pickle that comes on the side.

Without drinks, our bill was less than $30 for two. Not a bad way to start the afternoon.

Then it was on to the good stuff: the vino. Belhurst recently completed construction on a new wing at the hotel, below, that houses the tasting room and gift shop.

We sampled some of their reds and whites and spent some time chatting with the dude who was pouring. He told us about the grapes used, some from Upstate and others from Long Island. Tim and I both love dry wine, so we decided to take home a bottle of their semi-dry riesling. It was a little pricey, but quite good.

Marisa and Eric’s honeymoon road trip led them out of Portland and into Wilamette Valley for some wine tastings. With over 50 wineries in a spectacular setting with views of Mt. Hood, this wine region has gotten tons of recognition for its Pinot Noirs and Pinot Gris. The newlyweds liked Domaine Drouhin in Dayton.

After the imbibing, Eric took a much-needed, post-wedding-stress rest. Or maybe it was just a little too much wine. Either way, it’s well deserved.

Less than an hour east of Portland is Bonneville Dam, which spans the Columbia River. This massive, impressive man-made structure generates power for the area. Visitors can see fish and sometimes even sea lions stopping by for a meal.

Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge is breathtakingly spectacular. It’s just a short drive from downtown Portland.

Great views of the river and amazing hikes are what draws visitors. It’s also know for some pretty incredible waterfalls. Above, Marisa check out the aptly named Bridal Veil Falls.

And of course they had to hit up McMenamins Kennedy School, a Portland fixture. It’s got 35 guestrooms, a movie theater, a brewery and a bar. Sure, it can be a little surreal to sip whiskey is a spot that still looks exactly like an old elementary school, but you simply cannot go to Portland without visiting. Eric found himself at home in detention.

Teacher Marisa felt right at home with the chalkboard and took a minute to practice her new name. Too sweet!

In the summer of 1997, I received a letter from Syracuse that contained the name of a girl from Queens, NY, who’d been selected as my freshman roommate. Who knew that all these years later, we’d still be great friends. Or that she and her husband would become Tim’s and my favorite dinner companions.

Jen, a restaurant publicist, and Eli, a photo retoucher/art professor/blogger, live in Brooklyn. After their Westhampton Beach, NY, wedding The Neugeborens spent an amazing honeymoon exploring Greece. Jen describes their trip as delicious, awe-inspiring, and “the perfect decompression from wedding stress.”

Neither of them had been to Greece and it was one of the first places they discussed going. They briefly considered Mexico, but with hurricane season in September they didn’t want to take any chances. She says, “We didn’t think Greece was a place we’d get to any time soon if we didn’t go on our honeymoon!”

These two are big foodies. Serious foodies. They Twitter about every restaurant they try. So food played a huge part in their trip. Whether it was wine, cheese and olives on the hotel balcony at sunset, or dinner at a fabulous restaurant, they ate their way through the Greek Islands.

This week we’ll vicariously travel along with them as they visit Athens and the islands of Crete, Santorini and Naxos. Get your napkins ready… it’s going to be a tasty week!

Mark and Christi were super excited to check out some of the fantastic wineries that New York State offers in the picturesque Finger Lakes region. Most of these wineries have tasting rooms that will give you samples for free or for a small fee. They’re cozy and not at all pretentious. The staff is always willing to share their knowledge and help you discover the varieties you like best. (Can you tell I’m a huge Finger Lakes fan as well?)

They discovered some of their favorite spots easily. The got a free bottle of sparkling wine because they were honeymooners at Arbor HIll Winery in Naples, NY.

Also in Naples, they thought Imagine Moore Winery, above, was “a very cool winery with generous pours.”

And it wasn’t just wine Mark and Christi were tasting. They also checked out the local still at Finger Lakes Distilling where $2 buys you three whiskey samples. Christi calls their Glen Thunder “moonshine, pure and simple.”

After all the tasting, food was in order. These honeymooners had lunch at Stonecat Cafe in Watkins Glen. Mark says the food “was fantastic.” Christi is a collector of some amazing things, including vintage typewriters and super-cool Pyrex bowls. So you know they had to also wander into several antiques shops and check out the General Store.

These two sadly just missed the annual Grape Festival, which took place the following week in late September.  But they were eager to learn more about it. Christi says, “Henry, our innkeeper at Bristol Views, told us that grapes grown in the Canandaigua Lake region are mostly used for grape jelly, grape juice, and, of course, the local fave – grape pie.”

What a sweet way to spend a few days in the Finger Lakes! Check in tomorrow for the newlyweds’ more adventurous activities.