Take Me Away Tuesday: Boston

Boston is a fabulous place for history buffs to honeymoon.

Stay at the Boston Harbor Hotel. The Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf stands as a gateway to and from the harbor. Private yachts from around the world and events such as Operation Sail and the BT Global Challenge call the wharf home.

Rooms range from the 500 sq ft Superior to the 900 sq ft, 2 bedroom Presidential Suite. Each room includes modern conveniences, such as flat-panel plasma TVs, with premium-cable channels, in-room movies, and Web TV and a Bose Wave radio/CD player. Some rooms even include a Playstation.

Some important events to consider (in case you want to participate or avoid the crowds):

- Patriot's Day: 3rd week in April

- Boston Marathon: 3rd Monday in April

- Restaurant Week: March and August

- Head of the Charles Regatta: October

While you are in Boston, walk the Freedom Trail for a crash course in colonial history. Relax at the Common and the Public Garden (America's oldest public park and oldest botanical garden respectively). During baseball season, take in a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Shop for antiques along Charles Street or high fashion on Newbury Street. Dine on lobster, clams, and "chowdah". Check out the hot new restaurants in the Theater District.

Take Me Away Tuesday: 1835 White Palm

Get away to Cannes, France and vacation like the rich and famous.

Luxuriate in splendor at 1835 White Palm Hotel. "Twenty metres from the sea. One step from paradise"

Guest quarters range from 540 sq ft to over 1000 sq ft.

The hotel also showcases its signature les Thermes Marins de Cannes, one of the most prestigious seawater thermal baths in the world.

Affluent Traveler says "Lavishly intimate in its opulent design."

Sandals WeddingMoon

What is a WeddingMoon?

A WeddingMoon is Sandals' signature destination wedding plus your honeymoon. You pay for the honeymoon and the wedding is on the house (or in this case, the resort).

Find out more about Sandals WeddingMoon packages at www.sandals.com or call 877-SANDALS.

Take Me Away Tuesday: Eau Spa @ The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach

Opened in March 2009, Eau Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach offers the ultimate in rest, relaxation and rejuvenation with a menu of luxe facials, invigorating scrubs and sensuous massages. With the introduction of the spa’s Wedding Collection, brides, grooms and the entire wedding party now have a dedicated treatment menu from which to pamper and prepare for the magical day.

The five-hour “Here Comes the Bride” treatment features a Ruby and Sapphire Massage, Classical Manicure and Pedicure, hair, make-up and eyelash enhancements. For even more indulgence, “Bejewel the Bride” lasts 6.5 hours and includes a Ruby and Sapphire Massage, as well as a Platinum Facial, Platinum Chakra Cleansing, Diamonds-in-the-palm-of-her-hands Manicure, Diamond-on-the-soles-of-her-feet Pedicure, hair, make-up, eyelash enhancements and a healthy Eau Spa lunch.

Fine beauty and grooming services are available for bridesmaids with the “Bridal Party” treatment, which lasts 4.5 hours and includes an Eau Spa lunch, Eau De Massage, Classical Manicure and Pedicure, hair, make-up and a glass of champagne to top it all off, leaving the ladies in waiting feeling as special as the bride. “All the Groom’s Men” helps the gentlemen prepare, as well, with an Eau De Massage, haircut, express shave and blow-dry, finished off with a sip of the spa’s famed Diamond-infused elixir.

Eau Spa features 19 Spa Villas, including three spacious Couples’ Spa Villas, providing an intimate experience far beyond treatments, with lavish outdoor garden enclaves, oversized soaking tubs and al fresco rainfall showers for an open-air spa experience and ultimate relaxation either before or after the big day. Adjoining Spa Villas are also available and ideal for large groups and wedding parties.

Eau Spa is just the beginning when it comes to Ritz-Carlton wedding specialties. The beachside resort is home to four sophisticated wedding locales; couples can say their vows in the outdoor Courtyard, with an infinity pool and Atlantic Ocean as the romantic backdrop or one of the three ballrooms – Ocean, Plaza and Ritz-Carlton – adorned with decadent silk and chandeliers and spacious enough for any size gathering. For a more intimate wedding ceremony, couples can invite their closest friends and family to witness the exchange of vows in a fanciful oceanfront cabana. No matter which venue is chosen, the surf, sand and sunsets of Palm Beach are sure to imbue the day with tranquility and natural beauty.

Take Me Away Tuesday: Riu Palace Punta Cana

I hope you enjoyed the Labor Day weekend and the unofficial end of summer. Now is a great time to plan an exotic getaway.

Experience a world of comfort and convenience during stays at this expansive resort. Spread amidst lush tropical gardens and a beautiful beach, guests to this popular resort enjoy an impressive selection of restaurants, extensive activities, exciting entertainment and family-friendly amenities including a kid’s pool, mini-club and playground. From sun-up to sun-down, there is something for everyone at this romantic island getaway.

Free Wedding Package Includes:

*On-Site wedding coordinator

*Decoration set up for the ceremony location

*Bridal Bouquet and matching boutonnière for the groom

*CD or recorded music during the ceremony

*Semi private dinner for the wedding group at one of the specialty restaurants

*Wedding cake for up to 10 people

*Sparkling wine for 10 people during the main toast

*Surprise spa gift

*10 percent discount on all spa packages for the bride and groom (restrictions apply)

Take Me Away Tuesday: Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resort

A completely new kind of ultra-luxury retreat focusing on wellness, serenity, and romance. In addition to the comfort of your luxury accommodations and healthy gourmet cuisine, you will have opportunities to participate in cultural, artistic and educational experiences and even contribute to the local communities and the Earth we share.

Currently located in Riviera Maya with new locations coming soon in Punta Cana and Casa del Mar.

www.ZoetryResorts.com

Take Me Away Tuesday: Couples Tower Isle

Couples Tower Isle offers secluded tropical luxury on a private offshore island.

Every bride and groom get a personal wedding coordinator and a complimentary U.S. stateside wedding concierge! Every detail - custom music, signature menus, tropical flower bouquets, hairstyling, guest accommodations - will be taken care of by these experienced and eager- to- help professionals.

Unique requests? Just ask and we will make sure that your special day is exactly the way it should be. In other words, just the way you've always dreamed of.

Couples can accommodate adult, couples-only groups up to 100 people. Whether it's a romantic, private ceremony for two or you want to celebrate with your friends and family.

$4,500* Package Inclusions:

- Private 5:00 pm Tower Isle wedding ceremony with Minister, photographer and wedding coordinators journey with you to the private Tower Isle to ensure a gorgeous ceremony complete with cake, champagne and photos
- Boat transportation to the island for you and your wedding party
- Private wait staff to serve you and up to 40 of your guests hors d'oeuvres and cocktails
- Hors d'oeuvres served on the island
- Full bar on the island
- Romantic décor for the ceremony and reception sites
- 24 Photo Package -- 24 printed photos in a Couples Resorts photo album, along with high-resolution images on a CD
- Authentic Mento band to play during your wedding ceremony and cocktail party
- Two personalized champagne flutes
- Personalized wedding certificate holder
- Personalized knife & cake server
- Special "Just Married" breakfast in bed for the wedding couple the day after the wedding
- Couples Resorts "Thank You" cards

*Does not include $200 government and license fees

Take Me Away Tuesday: Eco-Fab Escape

How do you follow-up a green wedding? With an eco-friendly honeymoon, of course. Enter Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in British Columbia.

"The intimate scale of the resort prescribes privacy and a level of service and pampering unlike anything offered by large, all-inclusive resorts. The memories you make here are yours alone, as unique and original as your dreams, and unfolding at a pace set by you. Slip seamlessly into resort culture or invite resort staff to delight and surprise you with little extras conceived for newlyweds and newly-in-loves. Consider a candlelit dinner just for two in the games tent, or a tandem massage overlooking Bedwell River. Or maybe wild strawberries and champagne arriving unannounced, or a horse drawn wagon whisking the pair of you off to a secluded beach or river valley meadow, is more your style.

So, if soft adventure, soft beds, blissful quiet, and week-long days sound like your dream honeymoon, contact the resorts and inquire about Clayoquot romance."

Photo source

Modern Bride's Best Honeymoons : The Top 10

{Hotel Splendido, Italy}

Modern Bride magazine does a survey every year to find the hottest, hippest, trendiest honeymoon locations. There are 50 published in the August/September 2009 issue along with hotel and resort recommendations.

Here are the top 10:

1. Italy: fashionable hotels and restaurants plus art and history
2. Hawaii: "America's tropical jewels"
3. Tahiti: warm lagoons, sweet-scented air, and endless vistas
4. France: from Paris to Cannes
5. Greece: for beach-lovers and sightseers
6. Bali: "Heaven on Earth"
7. Mexico: dazzling resorts, silken beaches, and charming colonial towns
8. Fiji: "The jewel of the South Pacific"
9. Maldives: islands in the Indian Ocean
10. St. Lucia: traditional yet trendy

Host a Honeymoon Shower

Instead of having a ladies-only bridal shower where you get cute little nighties, ask for a co-ed honeymoon shower. Your guests will come bearing gifts to make your honeymoon FABULOUS!

The theme can be based on your honeymoon destination or have everyone select gifts from your Honeymoon Registry. Your guests may purchase matching monogrammed robes or a set of luggage.

Photo Source

Take Me Away Tuesday: Private Island Resort

Last week, I mentioned the exclusivity of a private yacht. The only thing I can think of that would be more secluded is a private island resort.

My mother-in-law is a native of St. Vincent (an island in the Caribbean). So when I heard about Petit St. Vincent, I thought of her (and then I thought of Mr. Rourke on Fantasy Island). You can book a cottage for a week at this island resort for less than $700 per night. If you want anything, it will be delivered by a server on a golf cart. If you get hungry while you are chilling on the beach in a hammock, you can have lunch delivered to you right there on the beach. You can also choose where to have dinner: on top of a hill, on the edge of the sea, or in your cottage.

For a less expensive option, travel to Young Island where cottages start at $450 per night, which includes breakfast and dinner.

Take Me Away Tuesday: Private Yacht

There aren't too many options that are more exclusive than chartering a private yacht. You decide which islands to visit. You decide what to ask the chef to prepare.

At Mooringssignature.com, you can even decide what size yacht to sail in.

Prices start around $1300 per night for a totally private yacht. If you are a less affluent traveler but want the yacht vacation experience, then try a Sail Away Stateroom Vacation with other couples renting the other cabins on the yacht. These vacations start at $2700 per week.

Take Me Away Tuesdays Will Be Back

If you have been following The Fabulous Blog for a while, you are probably wondering what happened to Take Me Away Tuesdays. No worries. We will resume our weekly vacation/honeymoon destination posts this Tuesday 7/14/09.

We appreciate your patience and thank you for sticking around.

Take Me Away Tuesday: South Africa

For the adventurous couple, why not spend your honeymoon on a South African safari? You'll see lions, elephants, the African buffalo, leopards, and rhinos. You can also watch birds and other wildlife at the wildlife preserves.

Wondering where to sleep? Visit CC Africa to view the accommodations.

The best time to enjoy a safari is between June and August when the grasslands are low. If you want to enjoy the beach in addition to the safari, then your best bet is to go in October or November. South Africans generally vacation in the summer. Tourist areas are usually crowded in December and January.

The African sun is no joke, so pack your sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses.

If you are planning a destination wedding in South Africa, you must have your passport and birth certificate. You also have to sign an affidavit stating the date and location of your birth. If you've been married before, you must also show proof of the termination of the previous marriage. You need 2 witnesses and they must sign the marriage certificate. Same-sex marriages are allowed but officials have the individual right to refuse to perform a same-sex ceremony.

Take Me Away Tuesday - San Francisco

source

Betsy Malloy @ About.com says, "In a city known for its romantic ambiance, you'd expect some nice, romantic hotels and B and B's to stay in, and San Francisco doesn't disappoint."

The Harbor Court Hotel is San Francisco's premier waterfront boutique hotel. It features luxury accommodations with spectacular views of the bay, the Bay Bridge, and Treasure Island.

The Hotel Drisco was originally constructed in 1903. Today, the Hotel Drisco blends traditional elegance with the convenience and comfort of a world-class modern hotel.

Watch the sunset from Crissy Field.

Have cocktails at the Top of the Mark, the bar on the top floor of the Mark Hopkins Hotel.

Take a sunset bay cruise.

San Francisco is proof that you don't need a passport to find a romantic getaway.

I Know It Isn't Tuesday, But I Couldn't Wait

Temptation Resort Spa Los Cabos

3 nts All Inclusive from $319

An evolutionary concept in Los Cabos, the new adult only Temptation Resort Spa welcomes singles and couples to experience a contemporary take on the all-inclusive holiday. A hip vibe is the hallmark of this beachfront resort which allows guests to relax in a fun, chic and modern atmosphere.

Amenities include a spectacular Jacuzzi lounge bar with incredible views of the Sea de Cortez. Socialize at our swim up bar in the topless optional pool and enjoy five bars, three gourmet restaurants, gym, spa, nightly entertainment, 24-hour meal and beverage service and daily activity program.

The perfect place for singles and couples to meet, mix and mingle!

Contact the Travel Agent @ Always Fabulous Events 866-653-9966 or email info@alwaysfabulousevents.com

Take Me Away Tuesday - Anguilla

Cap Juluca

Altamer Resort

Villa Exclusivity

Anguilla is a tropical paradise in the Caribbean which offers a unique pristine retreat with several private Anguilla luxury resort hotels scattered around the beautiful region. Anguilla luxury resort hotels are not surrounded by golf courses, shopping arcades and casinos as it is a tranquil island, ideal for a luxury travel getaway.


There are several secluded Anguilla luxury resort hotels with serene beaches that stretch for miles along the dramatic coastline.


There are 33 gorgeous beaches for you to choose from so make sure you have enough time to visit them. Each of the secluded beaches offers superb snorkeling and diving around breathtaking coral reefs.


Anguilla offers an exclusive atmosphere, with several first-class fine restaurants serving sumptuous cuisine that will have you coming back time and time again. The many restaurants and cafes are all located nearby the excellent Anguilla luxury hotels in the region.


Anguilla is certain to deliver privacy, first-class service, comfort and exclusivity.


Source: Resort World

Take Me Away Tuesday - Nassau Bahamas

I know that the Bahamas is not an uncommon honeymoon location, but how many of you would have considered staying at a Bed & Breakfast instead of a hotel resort?

A Stone's Throw Away is a "gourmet bed & breakfast" in Nassau. It is a great location for a romantic getaway.

If you can only take a quick honeymoon, 2 nights includes:

2 nights in a Suite or Ocean View room with a split of Champagne Moet & Chandon, a fruit platter and a L'Occitane basket made of an Aromachologie Bath and Massage Oil and Vanilla Incense sticks

$470 (summer) $560 (winter)

Take Me Away Tuesday Celebrates Mardi Gras

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Since today is Fat Tuesday, we are going to take you away to New Orleans. The city has recovered from Hurricane Katrina and is back in business to welcome honeymooners and other tourists.

New Orleans is one of the most romantic cities in the country. Plan a destination wedding in the French Quarter. New Orleans offers magnificent churches of every denomination. In addition, there are exquisite antebellum homes, elegant hotels, sumptuous courtyards, parks and pavilions or intimate bed and breakfasts to accommodate every taste, every budget.

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While you are there, take a guided tour to see all that has made New Orleans famous. Ride a riverboat in the moonlight. Take advantage of the city's laid-back atmosphere and schedule a couple's massage at a local spa.

New Orleans Online offers a 3-day itinerary for you to enjoy all of the hot spots plus these great places to kiss:

1. Moonwalk in Woldenberg Park at Dusk
2. Sculpture Garden in City Park
3. Lakefront at Sunset
4. French Quarter roof top patio
5. Carriage Ride through the French Quarter
6. Fountain at Audubon Park
7. Top deck of the Steamboat Natchez
8. Pirate’s Alley
9. On the Streetcar
10. In a corner booth at a dimly lit jazz club

Take Me Away Tuesday - Costa Rica

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I recently overheard a band leader saying that he wants to retire to Costa Rica. One of my wedding couples from 2008 went to Costa Rica for their honeymoon. So I'm thinking this is becoming a hot vacation spot.

Here are a few resorts I would like to check out:

• Allegro Papagayo


• Barceló Tambor Beach


• Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort