The Honeymoon Testers Blog

In transit

 Posted by Mark

This morning was a very early start, made all the more difficult by the fact that we were leaving our villa in Mauritius. Our butler Rao woke us at 5:15am, brought us breakfast and then drove us the 3 minute walk from our villa to our taxi to the airport - I promise we are not becoming spoilt divas - Mauritians just insist on being helpful.  

All is not lost however, we have one more leg of this big first tip. We are back in Nairobi for one night in transit between Mauritius and the exotic and mysterious island of Zanzibar. 

Our flights for this trip are provided by Kenya Airways but today we actually flew with their partner airline Air Mauritius. It was an eventful flight because we had the 'pleasure' of sharing the flight with the Mauritius national rugby team. Eventful because obviously economy seats are not really designed for rugby player so the guys spread out through the whole plane also rugby players are not really designed to be quiet and finally of course boys will be boys. Between joking and playing cards the twenty or so massive blokes chatted up the airline stewards and played the classic game of 'How much salt can we pour on this guy's head before he wakes up?' It was funny to watch and all harmless fun - they were heading on a tour of Tanzania so we wish them luck. 

Tomorrow morning we fly to Zanzibar and to tell you the truth it is a place we know we little about. Based off the East coast of Africa the island has a population of 1 million people is part of Tanzania. Friends have told me to expect another Mauritius like paradise island but also to be braced for the poverty and underdevelopment that affects the island outside of the luxury resorts. I have also been told about the beaches, especially one in the north of the island that illuminated at night by glow in the dark algae - very exciting. Reportedly the beaches of white sands and aqua oceans make Zanzibar a honeymoon mecca and the beach where we will be staying at Breezes Resort was voted in the Top 30 in the world by Traveller magazine. 

Our stay in Zanzibar will be our longest to date, we have an incredible 8 days in the same location so we really hope to get to know the island and resort. Denise is most excited about the daily yoga classes! See Runaway Bride and Groom for more info on Zanzibar as a honeymoon destination. 

Wikipedia has informed me that a very cool fact about the island is that Freddie Mecury of Queen was born there - maybe there is a shine we can visit. 

Have you been to Zanzibar - any tips or advice on what to expect and what to do to test our the perfect honeymoon?

Beau-tiful renewal at Beau Rivage

Posted  by Denise

Yesterday we had a very moving wedding vow renewal under the gazebo at Beau Rivage, with a wonderfully funny officiant who tried to make us promise him to come back next year with a baby. Um, can't make that promise yet unfortunately!

Someone asked us if we're getting sick of all the vow renewals. To be honest, some are very quick and business like - we're trying to beat a very big record, so some of the 90-odd renewals won't be terribly romantic.

But yesterday's ceremony was very sweet and I actually had tears in my eyes. Maybe it was the magical setting, the fish swimming around us, the hibiscus flowers and the ocean breeze. The officiant spoke movingly about marriage, the ups and downs and reminded us about our original vows. 

We had our wedding dinner on our private terrace, and came back to our bedroom with rose petals strewn around the bed in heart shapes. They know exactly what to do here to make romance happen (copious amounts of champagne!).

Today we had breakfast on the terrace (more champagne), a private cooking lesson in Indochine, one of the resort's restaurants, and then went snorkelling under a perfect azure sky. 

Promises aside, I know we'd really love to come back to Mauritius. Both resorts were incredible, and the staff at Legends and Beau Rivage have been extremely welcoming, polite and helpful. A honeymoon here truly would be unforgettable, sexy, relaxing and romantic.

Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible. The team at Naiade Luxury Resorts, Kenya Airways and of course Runaway Bride and Groom. 

Here is a short video of the brilliant time we had at Beau Rivage and our vow renewal. 

Welcome to Honeymoon Island, Beau Rivage

Beau Rivage in Mauritius is stunning. Located straight on the most beautiful beach, this 5+ star resort is jaw-droppingly gorgeous!

Let me tell you about our private villa. It's so cool that our private butler had to show us around and demonstrate what all the switches were for - air-conditioning, ceiling fans, pool heater, electric bath blinds, private patio lights, etc. 

This place is so lovely, that I actually want to live here forever and never leave...ever. I love the walk in closet, the sunken bath with a full size window out to our pool. I love that we have a fruit platter that's replenished every morning (with passion fruit the size of tennis balls).

Most of all, I love Rou our butler. He came over to escort us to dinner in a golf buggy. The restaurant is only a couple of minutes walk away, but hey - we're so stuffed with champagne, why would we want to walk anywhere?

Stay tuned as we're renewing our vows here. We've also got to test out the hammocks, the massive hotel pool, the gym, go on a glass bottom boat trip, maybe do some snorkling....etc

If you're planning a honeymoon, get yourself to Mauritius. Seriously. 

Otherwise, check out our crib!

A Legendary Honeymoon at Legends, Mauritius

Today we said good-bye to the beautiful Legends hotel in Mauritius, an amazing stay in one of the most stunning locations we've ever seen. We relaxed on the private moon-shaped bay, went snorkling in the clear blue water, ate gorgeous food at all four different restaurants, did Thai chi on the beach and enjoyed every minute of our stay.

Yesterday, the staff organised a few surprises for us for our wedding vow renewal. They set up a table for us on the far end of the beautiful secluded Abalone beach on the most perfect sand we've ever seen (yes, people actually rake the sand each day). 

Brice Ludot, the General Manager of Legends conducted the sweet ceremony with the sun setting behind us, and we had champagne afterwards then got some photographs around the island in the most picturesque parts of the resort. 

Lastly, we had our dinner right there on the beach, with the ocean lapping the sand about five metres away, the gentle breeze, a swing band in the distance, ice-cold champagne and a beautiful dinner together.

Mark got to cut the top off a champagne bottle with a sword. It doesn't just pop the cork off, it literally cuts the glass and he got it on the first go. It might be his new party trick!

Thank you to Legends for a legendary stay, such a romantic and relaxing place for a honeymoon (and for a vow renewal). I can see why Mauritius is such a popular place for honeymoons and Legends was even voted Best Honeymoon Resort with Irish couples last year. I'm not surprised, it truly creates a perfect honeymoon.

If you want the complete beach honeymoon experience at Legends in Mauritius, then make sure you check out the packages offered by Runaway Bride and Groom.

It's here! It's finally here!

Posted by Mark

Tomorrow the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa kicks off and I can not wait! Despite our hectic travel schedule and the fact that we are on our "honeymoon", I hope to watch as much of the tournament as possible starting with tomorrow's opening ceremony.  

You might remember this post about watching sport on your honeymoon. Well, here is a scoop - the bride I bumped into last night is going to South Africa with her husband for their honeymoon to see the WC.  Proof that is you marry the right women she will let you watch the world's biggest sporting event whether you are honeymooning or not. My lovely wife is giving me similar freedom, but my advice to all men is tread carefully - do you really need to watch Uruguay v. North Korea? Do not over step the mark or viewing rights might be revoked at a key time in the tournament.  

I am avid football fan and having played, coached and watched my whole life - I even managed to wangle a job in the industry. I am excited that we will be in the host continent for the start of this year's tournament. 2010 also promises to be interesting for the England team, with a good manager in place, their star player (Rooney) fit and firing on all cylinders and good preparation, this should be the year when the team confirms either their position either as a top team capable of challenging for international honours or, as has been for the last 44 years, a perennial also ran at major tournaments. Time and Rooney's metatarsal will tell. 

I wish I could be in South Africa to experience the atmosphere first hand but I am lucky enough to be near by. Ben Southall (from Tourism Queensland's Best Job in the World) even offered me a place to stay if I could get to SA! However, all is not lost because our resorts, Legends and Beau Rivage in Mauritius are showing all of the games and I am sure this will also be the case in Tanzania next week. Of course the hotel's are also offering special prices in the spa for the women.

Wherever you are watching the football - enjoy it, especially if you are in Africa - this World Cup promises to be spectacular.

My prediction for the Semi finals is England v. Brazil and Spain v. Argentina with Brazil beating Spain in the final. 

Check out RunawayBrideandGroom.com's African, South Africa and Kenya honeymoon and wedding destinations so you can experience the legacy and atmosphere of the World Cup.

More-itius please!

Posted by Mark

I normally hate 6pm. It is the time of the day when I look out of my office window and realise that it will be a few more hours before I get home. What's more I then also realise that the journey home will be through rain and darkness.

But in Mauritius, everything changes. I just walked along the beach to collect our towels from our loungers and am now sat on our verandah. June is winter here but the hot sun is slowly setting on the horizon and the palm trees sway in the breeze - pretty big contrast to a wintery Wednesday back home. 

Walking back from the beach I bumped into a bride heading to get married. She was nervous and a little teary and had a young girl carrying her quite big dress. I assume it was her soon-to-be husband that was helping with the dress and flowers, both looking tanned and relaxed. I offered my congratulations as they passed - they were English! (we also heard an Irish accent somewhere at breakfast today). I half thought about stopping them, 'Err, excuse me, sorry to bother you, I know you are about to get married but I won this competition and would love to ask you about your experience of Mauritius blah blah blah' but quickly thought against it. If Denise had been with me she would have given me one of those 'don't even think it' looks and squeezed my arm/stood on my foot (probably both). 

You can get married on a secluded private beach here looking out to the ocean, it really is beautiful. We are lucky enough to have a renewal of our vows scheduled there for tomorrow and did thai chi there yesterday.  Watching the sunset and feeling the cool breeze is perfect - calm and romantic. 

It is even easier to hate 6pm back home when you have had a bad day, but yet again, Mauritius makes that tough because the resort packs in so many activities to make sure you don't. Thankfully with the time difference we can work around the awesome weather. We have decided to try and get our work done in the mornings and evenings before dinner, leaving the middle of the sunny day for 'honeymoon testing'. Therefore today we checked out the reef just off the beach on a snorkelling trip and glass-bottom boat ride. The reef actually wasn't as colourful as I expected but we did see lots of beautiful fish and coral. It took Denise a few minutes to settle in the water (fear of sharks) but I think she really enjoyed it too. 

The resort has a lot of options for food and we chose Abalone on the beach for a light Asian style lunch. The view is the definitely the best thing about this restaurant.   

After an awesome Mauritian buffet at the main resort restaurant we are heading back tonight to try the a la carte menu and will then visit the 60 seater cinema (some random rom-com is showing).  

To get you through your 6pm today here are some random facts you might not know about Mauritius:

1. Heather Mills is currently in Mauritius on her family holiday 

2. In 2009, Mauritius was the world's second largest buyer of knitting machines

3. The official language is English but French is the most commonly used 

4. Mauritius will act as FIFA's offshore HQ during the South Africa World Cup (wonder why they the execs chose here?)

5. Despite the recession, tourism to Mauritius is up 7% (because the bankers are escaping here!)

6. Mauritius was the only known home of the Dodo bird before its extinction