Hawks on Honeymoon: Lessons Learned

Our all-inclusive resort honeymoon was perfect and just what we needed: a lot of relaxation with a sprinkle of adventure. As with most experiences, we came away with a lot of good memories and some lessons learned. Here are the Hawks' honeymoon words of wisdom:

Don't overpack!
Overpacking is kind of my M.O. so it's no surprise that I had way more than necessary for our trip. During the day, I lived in bathing suits and coverups. At night, I would throw on a sundress for dinner and drinks. Packing three bathing suits was spot on, but four pairs of sandals? Overkill. I wore one pair in addition to my daytime flip flops. I can't even recall how many outfits I packed, and the jewelry I bought was such a waste of space. In retrospect, I'd bring a handfull of dresses, one pair of shorts, and a couple of breezy tops. The jewelry would be left at home.

These earrings are the ONLY piece of jewelry I wore the entire week (beside my rings, of course!)

Prepare ahead!
This is mostly in reference to dinners (if reservations are necessary) or activities. Mr. H and I were pretty good on this front. Restaurant reservations had to be made daily. We made them first thing in the morning and we were able to get into the restaurants we wanted. As a part of the "honeymoon package," there were also extra reservations to be made for a candelight dinner on the beach, breakfast in bed, and a flower-filled bubble bath. These activities could all be reserved at once. Since they were pretty popular, making them upon arrival was pretty necessary.


Breakfast in bed. So much food!

Particpate!
Well, this one might not be for everyone or every situation. Mr. H wasn't about to join in on the "Mr. Sexy" contest nor was I interested in shaking my tail feather for all the guests in the women's competition, but we did find things to join in on and had a blast. At the tequila tasting, we tried delicious strawberry margaritas, and at the "White Night" party we sampled rum-infused coconut drinks.


Delish!

We also made sure to try Mamajuana, a drink famous in the Domincan Republic for being an aphrodesiac. (Sadly neither Mr. H nor I felt any different after drinking it, but we did bring the recipe home...Just in case.) I also joined in on some dance lessons that were so much fun.

Mamajuana!

Tervis tumblers are a lifesaver!
Okay, so this one really doesn't seem nearly as important as the others, but I cannot stress enough how crucial they were. All mixed drinks were made in small cups, which would be fine if we had planned to sit at the bar the entire time; however, we were more interested in floating in the pool than being bar flies.


Tiny little cups

The bartenders were more than happy to serve drinks in our tumblers, which allowed us to be in the sun and kept our beverages extra frosty cold while we lounged about.

My "Hers" cup making an appearance (and yes, Mr. H definitely was carrying around a "His")

 What's the best advice that you could give future honeymooners?

Officially honeymooning!

As I may have admitted a time or two before, I'm a pretty type-A girl. I crave organization and often require a wealth of information before making a big decision. Our honeymoon planning was no different. I originally asked Mr. Hawk to take charge and be the head planner for our honeymoon plans; however, when he didn't seem to be doing a lot of research, I quickly stepped in (and pretty much took over).

I scoured Trip Advisor for reviews and rankings (all while taking copious notes, of course). After a few months of off and on research, Mr. Hawk and I finally sat down over the weekend to make some concrete decisions. We've decided to go to Punta Cana, DR. Woo hoo! We will be staying at an all-inclusive resort, in the adult-only club area. I have never stayed at an all-inclusive resort before, but I am really looking forward to it. I like the idea of knowing what we're paying up-front, and I think knowing all our meals and drinks are taken care of will make for a less-stressful vacation.

Those canopy beds look like a great place for an afternoon nap! Images via Expedia

After officially booking our trip, Mr. Hawk proclaimed, "I'm sure glad my big portion of the planning process is over." Eeeer, what? I'm sorry, what part of the honeymoon did he plan? He did make a good point though. He could have done all the research in the world, and I still would have wanted to do my own. It's not that I don't trust him, it's just my nature. It was most likely a time-saver that I did the majority of the research. I'm just pleased as punch that we have another major decision taken care of. (And I'll give Mr. Hawk a little credit and say it was a joint effort!)

How did you decide where to honeymoon? Did one of you end up doing the majority of the research?