Vacation, all I ever wanted!

I absolutely love to travel. I love being in an airport in the morning - the buzz of zillions of travelers on their way to a destination, the well-stocked magazine racks, the rumble of suitcase wheels, the crappy overpriced coffee. I love thumbing through my passport and reminiscing about all of the places I've been - eating warm croissants in Paris, hiking the mountains of Cinque Terre in Italy, spending the night on an uninhabited island in Panama. I love going to someplace new and trying to live like a local. Experiencing another culture is one of the most amazing things in the world, and I'm lucky to have had so many incredible trips to so many wonderful places.

That said, when Mr. M and I started planning our honeymoon, we both agreed that we wanted something completely different - an all-inclusive tropical vacation with nothing but sand, sun and an unlimited supply of fruity cocktails. Forget living like a local, forget about exploring and experiencing local culture - we wanted to plant ourselves at a swim up bar for a week or so and just chill out.

I did some research, consulted a bunch of friends for suggestions and looked at resort websites until I was cross-eyed. Did we want in-room whirlpools in Mexico? Swim-up suites in the Dominican Republic? Five days somewhere super luxurious or ten days in a cheaper version of paradise? After some discussion, we both agreed that our must-haves were an all-inclusive adults-only resort with good reviews and plenty of yummy food options. Oh, and that swim-up bar. Totally non-negotiable.

So as soon as we came across the Couples Resorts, we knew we'd hit paydirt - and booked our honeymoon at Couples Swept Away in Negril, Jamaica! Adults only? Check. Great reviews? Check. Swim-up bar? Oh, we've got your swim-up bar! The best part was that the prices were so reasonable, we were able to book the honeymoon of our dreams: ten days long. 

Photo from Couples.com website - hello, beautiful beach! Hello, hammock!

Ten days of palm trees and sand, of sunscreen and rum punch, of reading crappy novels on the beach and eating jerk chicken and having nothing to do but spend time with each other... oh man, I can't wait! 

The best part for us so far has been Couples' Love Away plan. We put down $100 to reserve our rates, and every month between now and next May, we put another $100 towards our balance. They also have a best price guarantee, which meant that when better rates popped up last month, I was able to call and immediately switch our package to the new cheaper rates. (We saved close to $700!) 

When I'm having a rough day at work now, I just pull up the Couples website and indulge in a little bit of daydreaming. I'm all, wedding? What wedding? I'm looking forward to the honeymoon!