This week’s reader request comes from Faye who is expecting her first baby in April and is after ideas for a final holiday for her and her husband in January before the baby arrives. Given how well travelled lots of you are we’re hoping you’ll have have plenty of suggestions for where in the world they could go. Over to Faye…
{Faye’s request}
When I was planning my wedding I was a regular Rock My Wedding reader and I’ve been reading Rock My Style since getting married. Our first baby is due in April and I’ve loved reading Charlotte’s baby updates on all things from nursery decorating, outfits and holidays with baby. I’m looking for ideas for places we could go on a final babymoon as a couple before the baby arrives. We’re hoping to get away in January as that will be the last possible time I can fly. We’d like to go somewhere sunny. Not too hot, as I’ll be the size of a heffalump by then, but hot enough for me to be able to lie in the sun and relax with a good book! We’d like there to be the option for some day trips too. Great food is a must but somewhere that I won’t feel out of place not having a drink. It’s completely mindboggling and I wondered if any of the wonderful RMS readers had any ideas and recommendations. We’ve been looking at Mexico as an option but we’re open to suggestions!
Faye x
I’m a big fan of going on holiday in January or February. It gives you something to look forward to after the excitement of Christmas and New Year are over, means you miss some of the worst of the weather in the UK and, in the case of February getaways, you can see the first signs of Spring when you return. Australia is my favourite destination at that time of year but the flight’s hard going at the best of times let alone when you’re six months pregnant. Mexico would definitely be good on the weather front but as I’ve not been there for many years I can’t recommend any specific destinations or hotels, but friends of mine went to Tulum earlier this year and haven’t stopped raving about it. I was in Costa Rica at the end of January last year but it might be a bit hotter than you would like Faye.
I got in touch with the team at Mr & Mrs Smith for their suggestions for possible destinations and dreamy places to stay when you get there. They have a new winter sun hub on their website which you can check out here. To make life super-easy Mr & Mrs Smith can book flights AND hotels in one package. Here’s their suggestions…
The destination: Thailand
Why: It’s around 28 degrees in January and excellent value.
The flight time: 13 hours from Heathrow.
The dream hotel: The Sarojin is not far from Phuket and is sleek and chic, on a beautiful beach. (I’ve stayed at the Sarojin Faye and can highly recommend it, one of the loveliest hotels I’ve ever stayed in and the friendliest staff – Miranda).
The destination: Miami
Why: It will be about 20 degrees so warm but not scorching.
The flight time: Nine and half hours from Heathrow.
The dream hotel: Tides South Beach is in the perfect location on Ocean Drive and has gorgeous ocean views.
The destination: Vietnam
Why: It’s great if you want beach and culture and will be about 25/26 degrees in January.
The flight time: 15 hours from Heathrow.
The dream stay: Six Senses Con Dao – it’s one of the ultimate Smith stays, a hotel you just don’t want to leave with private pool villas and the most stunning beach right out the front. Heaven!
The destination: Morocco
Why: It’s closer to home and very pleasant in January at around 18/19 degrees.
The flight time: Three hours and 40 minutes from Gatwick.
The dream stay: Palais Namaskar – service is exceptional, there’s excellent spa and wellness centre and it’s not a huge hike to get there with a baby bump.
Where’s your favourite place in the world for winter sun? Where would you suggest Faye goes on her final holiday before two become three? Destinations that are sunny but not too hot? Hotels that offer great food, but won’t make Faye feel uncomfortable for not drinking? Day trips she could do whilst she’s there? Anyone been to Mexico recently who can recommend specific places Faye could stay? As ever please share in the comments selection below!
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Oh my! Im getting married in 3 weeks and then heading to Thailand on our honeymoon…The Sarojin is our last ‘relax’ stop! So excited. Any tips for what to do around there Miranda, id really appreciate it xxx
Hi Clare! I was there three years ago, in early December. and had the best holiday. We were only at The Sarojin for a couple of nights and we stayed very local, going for walks on the beach, cycling to a nearby waterfall and I think there might have been a treatment or two! xxx
Hiya
We went here http://phangan-rasananda.anantara.com/ when I was four months pregnant – It was perfect for our last holiday as a couple, we pretty much stayed in the resort but we spent one day on an elephant trek and visiting a temple. Apart from that we ate amazing food and chilled on the beach. we went in February and the weather was hot but not unbearable. Enjoy wherever you end up! xx
Wow, wow, wow, the Anantara looks idyllic Rebecca. It’s going on my list of dream places to stay! x
I’m heading to South Africa in February, which I’m really excited about…but maybe it would be least to leave that one until you can enjoy all the wine! Thailand is a great idea, will be lovely and relaxing and there’s plenty to do – cooking courses, boot trips, cheap massages etc. Morocco is on my bucket list, it looks gorgeous. But, a few friends that have been all had stomach problems with the food. I’m sure that doesn’t always happen, and it can be avoided, but maybe it’s not best with pregnant? (Haven’t been pregnant myself, so please ignore if that’s not a problem!) Hope you have a great holiday with plenty of R&R xx
Hmm, I’ve been to Morocco and didn’t have stomach problems Faye (and I ate at the market and in various restaurants as well as my hotel) but as Sian said it sounds as if it might be something to think about if it will be a problem. x
If you don’t mind going far then definitely try Bali. We stayed in both the alila ubud and the alila soori villas and they were to DIE for. Theses are both in quieter areas of bali but both hotels do minibuses to the local towns and there’s loads to do on the island. Did I mention that Balinese massage is out of this WORLD! The food is also like nothing you’ve ever tasted. x
Bali is my favourite place in the world! I would love to go back, but there’s always somewhere new I want to go too. Worth considering if you can cope with the flight. x
Totally recommend Tulum – chilled out and beautiful and a world away from the craziness of Cancun et al. The hotels are very small and relaxed and tend the veer on the eco-chic side, with emphasis on the eco but there’s places to suit all budgets and some amazing food to be had. I don’t know if mosquitos and DEET are a problem when pregnant, but s it’s pretty much on the edge of the jungle they can be an annoyance. I used a natural repellent with no DEET and it was probably about as effective as the commercial Jungle Formula stuff.
We went to Mexico last year for our honeymoon and stayed in Tulum, it was gorgeous. Our hotel was quite a small all inclusive beach resort, compared to some of the other mega resorts you get around Playa Del Carmen and Cancun. It was called Dreams Tulum, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps if you’re a foodie and want to try different things/a couple of different restaurants it would better not to fork out on an all inclusive though. The main beach area of Tulum has lots of smaller boutique type hotels, restaurants and bars, and that beach is stunning. Wide, white band and turquoise waters, palm trees dotted around for shade…bliss. You’d be sorted for day trips as well, you could go snorkelling an Akumal bay which is not too far away where you’re pretty much guaranteed to see sea turtles and possibly rays, or if you don’t fancy open water there is a sheltered lagoon called Yal-Ku which is like a natural aquarium – you’ll see Dori! Local company Edventure Tours arranged some really good trips for us including the snorkelling days plus a visit to Chichen Itza, Coba, cave snorkelling in Dos Ojos cenotes (wow, incredible) and a trip to protected mangrove lagoons in Sian Kan’an.
Hope that gives you some ideas!
If you want somewhere sunny that isn’t too far from home, you could do a lot worse than Dubai or Abu Dhabi – I speak with authority as I currently live in the latter! It’s 7 hours from Heathrow and our ‘winter’ tends to be a very pleasant 25 degrees and sunny, dropping to about 15 at night. That said, January is probably the coolest month at around 21/12. Both cities are full of fabulous restaurants and you certainly won’t feel out of place not drinking – in fact, if your hubby is willing to join you on the wagon you can venture out of the hotels and find some fabulous local and ethnic (pretty much any ethnicity) cuisine.
Dubai is a much more bustling, shiny metropolis so if you’re looking to just relax I would probably recommend the St Regis on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi – five star fabulousness, an excellent spa, plus glorious white sand beaches and turquoise waters: http://www.stregissaadiyatisland.com/ (Abu Dhabi is blessed with better beaches and Saadiyat is the best).
Limiting the attractions to the pregnancy-suitable, Abu Dhabi offers an awe-inspiring Grand Mosque for a bit of culture, boat trips, a few sporting events throughout the winter (Golf championships in Jan which a lot of the big names come out for), and Dubai is only an hour away if you fancy a day trip to go up the tallest building in the world or hit the shops and souks. And/or you could take a day trip into the desert – you might not want to go dune bashing or ride a camel but if you fancy some real escapism, take a trip to the Empty Quarter. This is far and away the loveliest hotel I’ve ever stayed in: http://qasralsarab.anantara.com/
If I sound like I’m giving it the hard sell, I’m sorry! I just think Abu Dhabi is such a well-kept secret that more people should know about 🙂
Kimberly
We are off to Grenada in the Caribbean next week for our babymoon! I can recommend that as we were there in July for our honeymoon, one of the smaller islands in the Caribbean and totally beautiful! Some good all inclusive hotels too, if that is your preference. Look at Spice Island or Mount Cinammon. We are going to Sandals La Source as it is adults only before bubba comes!
All of the Caribbean will be great weather in January, Antigua is also another favourite. Both with the option to explore if you feel up to it!
I’ve done Thailand too but a long flight when expecting!
Abu Dhabi sounds like a good option, and another hotel I could recommend is Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman. Also a nice short flight!
Definitely save South Africa for when you can visit the vineyards!
Hope that helps! Sorry for rambling – I work in travel so love all travel related posts!
Congratulations on the baby too 🙂
Xx
I’d definitely second the Caribbean for your babymoon! We went to Grenada a few years ago for our babymoon in February time and loved it. It was a really nice temperature and there are lots of beautiful beaches to see. It was really easy to get around on the local minibus service too. We also went to Antigua for a mini break (alone) not long after our daughter turned 1. Antigua has the added bonus of being a direct flight away (I think you pitstop very briefly in Antigua to fly on to Grenada). We stayed at Hermitage Bay, which was lovely, but we were also recommended Jumby Bay.
Oman/Middle East is also a good shout for a short (ish) flight but decent weather. Plus you won’t be so alone as a non-drinker! 😉 Zighy Bay is on my wish list of places to go in Oman! We have stayed at the Chedi in Oman, which was lovely, and there are a lot of cultural things to see and do around that area. Hope that helps! X
Wow thanks everyone for the help! Loads of fabulous ideas here! We’ve been to Thailand twice already it’s beautiful but we are thinking the flight might be too much being so pregnant – we also had a thought about having good hospital facilities available in case anything goes wrong so not sure a paradise island would be the best option no matter how amazing that would be! Keep the ideas coming as there are some great suggestions here!! 🙂
If you want somewhere that’s not too long a flight I’ve spent a lot of winter holidays in Dubai (down to the fact my parents live there) – it’s a great time to escape especially November-February.
It is a crazy place with lots going on but that means there’s lots to see and do if you feel like it. My favourite hotels there are the Mina a Salam as (link at bottom) which is near the Madinat so close to bars/restaurants and The Address downtown as it has fab views of the Burj Kalifka (world’s tallest building) and you see the fountains which dance every night from 6.30pm! Also handily next to the Dubai Mall which has everything!
The desert is a must – I’ve done the desert safari with a group but now it’s fun to go drive out and take the dog and a picnic and watch the sun go down. Magical!
If Dubai is too bling – Muscat in Oman is supposed to be great and we do trips to Fujairah on the coast which is great for snorkeling and kayaking – the drive from Dubai is great up through the hills and past all the Wadi’s which are full of water after heavy rainfall (yes it happens in the desert). There’s a Le Meridien in Fujairah although we stay in apartments at Sandy Beach Hotel resort (reminds me of the resort in Dirty Dancing!) which is v basic but it’s 2 steps to the beach and each place comes with a BBQ area so we just fill our coolboxes and cook away 🙂
http://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/madinat-jumeirah/mina-a-salam/
http://www.theaddress.com/en/hotels/the-address-downtown-dubai/index.aspx
We went to Key West in Florida for our babymoon. It was wonderful, we hired a convertible and drove down from Miami airport. The food was amazing and I didn’t feel out of place not drinking. We stayed at the Southern Most on the Beach.
So it looks like the Caribbean, mexico and Dubai/Oman are sounding like great options – thanks again everyone!
Thanks Nicola for your suggestion – we went to florida and the keys in May this year on a road trip it was amazing (we also stayed at the same place as you!) But very tiring even without being pregnant! For Morocco I’ve also heard some horror stories about food but who knows it still sounds like a wonderful colourful place to visit!
Chloe thank you for your suggestions – let me know how you get on in Grenada on your babymoon have a wonderful time! – how far gone are you if you don’t mind me asking? Ps totally agree Sian that South Africa requires lots of wine tasting please so that will be a trip after the little one arrives! 😉
Hi Faye – not at all, I am 20 weeks today 🙂
How are you finding your pregnancy? I am SO tired, like constantly!
So definitely need this trip, as Emma said, the flight isn’t direct. I fly Virgin Atlantic, and this has an hour stop via St Lucia.
If you consider Antigua – look at Galley Bay & CocoBay hotels.
The Sandals La Source in Grenada is stunning, quite big with 200+ rooms though.
xx
Emm C totally missed your post! How pregnant were you when you went to Grenada? What temperatures did you get in February? Interesting that two of you had selected that as a babymoon too 🙂 can you share where you stayed for both Grenada/Antigua – any hotel recommendations welcome! 🙂
I think I was around 24 weeks pregnant when we went to Grenada. It was warm but I don’t remember ever feeling uncomfortably so (maybe mid to high 20s?). We stayed at the Petit Bacaye http://www.petitbacaye.com which was lovely but I’m not sure I would necessarily recommend it for a babymoon. It was quite rustic, which was nice, and I did have one of the best ever massages there, but the bar/restaurant is only open in the daytime and it was very quiet at nighttime. I would have preferred it if there had been somewhere on site to spend the evenings as I didn’t necessarily always want to go out. As an aside, the reason we went there was because it was owned by the same people that own the Onion Store in Romsey (which was recommended in the first ever Mr and Mrs Smith book) and we loved it there so thought we would give it a go. If I was to go to Grenada again (without kids) then I love the look of the Laluna http://www.laluna.com which is recommended on both the Mr and Mrs Smith site and by Scott Dunn (my two fave travel sites).
In Antigua, we stayed at the Hermitage Bay http://www.hermitagebay.com which was amazing but a very indulgent treat! I’m sure both Mr and Mrs Smith/Scott Dunn would have lots of other suggestions so I’d check out both their sites.
Good luck and I hope you have an amazing babymoon, wherever you do decide to go! X
Hi all just wanted to let you know that we’ve landed back today from 11 blissful nights at the El Dorado Casitas in Mexico – it was heaven and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a babymoon or honeymoon! Back to reality on Monday and into the third trimester we go! Countdown to baby begins 🙂
Thanks everyone for your help!
Faye x