It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.
Andrew and I had never really taken a vacation alone before our honeymoon in Saint Lucia. In the past five years together, we had only been on two longer trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic, but always with friends. So, you could say that 10 days of alone time in the Caribbean was just what the doctor ordered, especially just two days after we tied the knot. We were exhausted!
In the months leading up to our wedding, we had done a TON of research on where to go, and where to stay. Saint Lucia is an Eastern Caribbean Island that is known for it’s Pitons, which are majestic mountains that look like two big peaks from far away. They are MASSIVE in person. You can actually climb them, if you are feeling really adventurous, but Andrew and I decided against that (no surprise there). We had more important things to get to….like the sand between our toes and a cold drink in our hands.
After discussing Saint Lucia with Laura and Garin, they convinced us to stay at a Sandals resort. They had the most wonderful experience on their honeymoon (at Sandals Grande Antigua), so naturally, they wanted the same for us. The Grande St. Lucian stole our hearts the minute we saw photos online. This resort sits on it’s very own peninsula with the prettiest beaches and some of the calmest waters in all of the island. I can tell you that I knew we made the right decision the minute we showed up, and were greeted with hot towels and champagne. Not only that, but the view was SPECTACULAR! It was one of those views that you dream about existing, but not sure if you’ll ever make it there. We took in the scenery for a solid 10 minutes, and then both agreed it was time to sleep. It was some of the best sleep I’ve ever had.
We spent the next 10 days soaking up the sun, drinking and eating until we couldn’t move, hiking, boating and snorkeling. Wee even bathed in a volcanic mud bath (which literally smells like rotten eggs, but your skin feels like a baby’s bottom afterwards). Most importantly though, we met three other couples who had all gotten married on the same day as us. We met them in the pool every morning and then out for dinner/drinks at night (usually after a nice little nap). On one of the last nights, we all went on a sunset cruise together. There, we were able to experience the most beautiful, colorful, sunset just over the mountains. It painted the sky with purples and oranges. These people became not just our “honeymoon” friends, but our friends for life. They actually booked flights to come visit us in Chicago this month and Andrew and I couldn’t be more excited! So as the story goes, we never truly got our 10 days of alone time, but that’s okay. This was better.
