honeymoon tips

Whether you're going to the desert, Europe, or just the next town over for your honeymoon, I have a few tips to make your trip fantabulous.

1. Tell people you're on your honeymoon.

We almost didn't do this. When we arrived at our hotel, it was still three hours before their usual check-in time. We had been traveling for six hours; we felt super gross and just wanted to get in a room. So Ribs very politely mentioned to the woman at the front desk that we were on our honeymoon and if there was any flexibility, we'd appreciate it. She told him he should always note if it's a honeymoon or anniversary (FYI!), gave us a card for two free cocktails at the bar, and asked us to wait a little longer.

We waited about twenty minutes with our cocktails in hand when the woman came back and said we had been upgraded to a suite and the room was ready. Booyah!

2. A point and shoot can take good pictures.

I don't have a DSLR camera. Instead, I own a Leica D-Lux which is really just a designer version of a Panasonic Lumix (same manufacturer, different badge). It's a fantastic little camera with some manual settings.

All I do is turn off the flash and mostly use its "aperture priority" setting. I don't have to worry about exposure in this mode, but I do get some control.

If you have Photoshop or download a trial of it, you can download the Pioneer Woman actions. I used the 70s action on all of my photos for that dusty, vintage look. I did not manually alter the pictures beyond what the action did!

3. Your phone takes good pictures too.

I forgot my camera sometimes, so we took a lot of pictures using our iphones. All you need to make the pictures look stellar is an app called Camerabag. My favorite filters are Helga, Colorcross, and Instant (a Polaroid imposter).

4. Be Seriously Lazy.


I'm impressed by the go-getter type of honeymooners, but personally, the lack of a schedule was so refreshing. Planning a wedding and having a full time job is a struggle. So doing absolutely nothing with your new spouse, starting happy hour at 11 a.m. because dammit you can -- beyond the best thing ever.


Those are my tips for a well-documented, well-rested honeymoon! What would be your tips for soon-to-be honeymooners?

old hollywood honeymoon: joshua tree

We really did almost nothing during the honeymoon but lie around by the pool, which was intentional and fantastic. But I knew I'd feel guilty if I didn't venture outside of the lush confines of the Viceroy and actually see some of California. This was, after all, my first trip out west!

Our original idea was to rent a car for just one day; we would drive out to the Joshua Tree National Park for a morning hike and then come back in the afternoon, get some In-N-Out Burger (Palm Springs proper did not have one, for shame) and spend the rest of the day being lazy, as was our way. Well the daily highs were 105, which is okay in the shade, under misters, or in a pool, but not so great when you're tromping around the actual desert.

So we hopped on Tripadvisor.com from our phones to rethink our options. The number one rated Palm Springs activity was something called Elite Land Tours. We made reservations for a nocturnal tour of Joshua Tree.

We were picked up the next evening at the hotel in a gleaming white Hummer. It was just Kirk and I and our guide, an extremely knowledgeable and chatty man who came with snacks. Snacks! Everyone loves snacks.

We drove out to Joshua Tree which involved going past this spectacular valley filled with windmills and then crossing the San Andreas Fault. After about 20 more minutes of driving, our guide suddenly turns off the road onto what I would've thought was unnavigable. We were actually taking some crazy back roads into a more pristine portion of the park. Quite the adventure.

On top of Eureka Peak

The first thing we did was hike to the top of Eureka Peak, which at sunset, provided some tremendous views of the surrounding desert. Also notable, the temperature at this elevation dropped to 60 at night! I was freezing my tail off.

After snapping some pictures, the guide drove us to our next stop: a wide expanse of Joshua trees and rock formations. We hiked around, saw a rattlesnake, and then as it became dark, we looked for scorpions! Our guide gave us black light flashlights that illuminate scorpions, making them look like glow in the dark toys. Hiking some more, he showed us the oldest tree in the park. (Interestingly, Joshua trees are not at all trees, just plants!)

The tour was pricey at $220 for both of us, but when we calculated what it'd cost for us to rent a car and just the one-on-one tour guide experience, we really felt it was worth it.

Next, we eat. A lot.

old hollywood honeymoon: the viceroy

We're back from the honeymoon! It was the most relaxing and lazy trip I've ever taken. We're having difficulties adjusting to "doing things."

So Palm Springs. About a month ago, I started to really worry about the honeymoon: after all, who goes to the desert in the summer? I thought we made a huge mistake. Well, that was needless worrying because Palm Springs is simply amazing in June! The daily high was around 105, which sounds brutal, but without humidity it is solidly pleasant in the shade of a cabana or floating in a pool.

We stayed at the Viceroy and got 25% off our room rate, food, and spa services. I was absolutely in love with their Hollywood regency look.

The grounds were gorgeous too.

We barely left these spots the whole trip.

Service at the Viceroy was impeccable. There was always a friendly face coming by with drinks to the pool, feeding me way too many sweet potato fries and mojitos.

With a view of stunning mountains, I did not miss a lapping ocean at all. Next up, we went to Joshua Tree National Park and sampled a few restaurants!

honeymoon: booked

We just booked our honeymoon.

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We'll be spending four nights at the Viceroy Palm Springs. It's not going to be a two week odyssey in Thailand or something equally exotic, but I'm ecstatic. I adore Hollywood regency and love the idea of spending a few days poolside in such a glamorous spot. We've already picked out a few spa menu items we want to do and my fiance is fast at work finding savory restaurant spots.

The reason we decided not to go with the Ace Hotel was just a matter of price. The Viceroy was significantly cheaper and seems a lot more luxe, even though I do love me some midcentury modern.

We're thrilled and I can't wait to start shopping. I passed up some amazing Balenciaga sandals yesterday but I may be going back for them right now..

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putting the mini on the moon

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In terms of our budget, we're reaching the end. My parents are contributing a significant amount (the majority) and are within their own set budget, which is fabulous. But there are things we felt we needed to pay for as a couple and unfortunately, we underestimated a few of them. This leaves our honeymoon in a bit of a limbo.

Since we're getting married in June, tropical beach locales aren't going to be so refreshing - they'll be humid and hot. We originally wanted to do an all-inclusive in Mexico, but with the lack of funds and the potentially oppressive weather, we're going to save that trip for the winter. We're disappointed, but going to the beach in the middle of January feels sooo much better than going in June.

So instead, we're figuring out a minimoon. We'll take three or four nights, relax, but not spend nearly as much. One of my favorite contendors is Palm Springs, at the Ace Hotel. It's not quite the beach, but the desert might just do!


The Ace Hotel is actually a converted Howard Johnson motel, in the desert, with a boho vibe. Looking pretty swank!

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The idea is to save our super-luxe honeymoon lounge on the beach all day experience until the big one next winter. So we may rough it in Palm Springs. We still have other options to explore, though, and I'll definitely be sharing them!

Are you considering doing a mini-moon?