a honeymoon in heaven

Well, the 2013 wedding season is definitely winding down. We just returned from a week in Boston where we went to our last wedding until the start of spring season...in February. Because we have been in Boston, I admit I haven't made much progress on my bedroom makeover since last Monday's post. So for today's Monday post, I am bidding goodbye to the 2013 wedding season by featuring a friend's fabulous honeymoon:

Before we left for Boston, my friend Sarah was married near her hometown of Sarasota, Florida. Sarah is the older sister of my best friend from college, so naturally I have idolized her since the day I met her...and it didn't hurt that our first meeting took place in Paris, where Sarah was studying abroad in college. Sarah is sophisticated and stylish--so much so that she and her handsome new husband, Zac, were featured in the New York Times weddings section!--and she was a stunning bride.

I love weddings. And I love Sarah. And yes--I did indeed almost break the refresh button on Facebook the day of Zac and Sarah's wedding, but I admit have been equally as anxious to see the photos of her honeymoon as I had been to see the ones of her wedding!

But first lets back up a bit: as you may recall, Brian and I chose to travel to Thailand for our honeymoon last spring. We were mostly drawn to its lush, tropical beaches and exotic geography (dramatic karst islands rise out of a glowing, blue Andaman Sea), but also to the warm and welcoming culture, and the fresh and fragrant cuisine of Southeast Asia. I found myself so inspired by our trip that I began this blog upon our return home! So when I learned that Zac and Sarah had chosen to spend their honeymoon in Southeast Asia, as well, I couldn't wait to pour over pictures and compare notes.

Sarah explains that it was important to the well-traveled pair to discover their honeymoon destination together: "We were both fortunate to travel all over the world, but we wanted a place neither of us had been." With Zac taking the lead, the couple researched Tahiti, Fiji, and Thailand, but ultimately chose Vietnam. "A lot of people scratched their heads when we told them where we were going," says Sarah, "but we couldn't be happier with the choice. We love to read and relax, but we knew we would go crazy just beaching it for a week. Our idea was sort of mixing a luxury hotel with a culturally fascinating country and blending both."

Makes perfect sense to me!

"Once we discovered the Intercontinental Sun Peninsula in Danang, there was really no looking back," explains the bride. And it is easy to see why; the new resort is impeccably decorated and features world-class service and cuisine, so the discerning duo knew it would provide the perfect place to rest and relax in between excursions to explore nearby Hoi An and Hue.

May the rest of their journey be as beautiful as its beginning!:

Sun Peninsula perched upon Monkey Mountain

Beautiful black and white bedroom

The chef's table inside La Maison 1888--

check out those harlequin floors!

Stylish stripes provide shade from the sun

Sarah enjoying Saigon iced coffee and croissants
as she sits in a booth suspended above the sea

Some vodka soda refreshments? Don't mind if I do!

L_o_n_g Bar at Sun Peninsula

A red reading nook at the resort!
"Because it rains a lot, there were lots of hidden beds and areas for reading or waiting out a rain storm..." 

In addition to indulging at the Sun Peninsula, Zac and Sarah wanted to take advantage of their trip and explore the exotic surroundings: "We alternated days on the beach and by the pools with wonderful day trips to Hue and Hoi An."

Lantern Festival

Traditional music performance inside Hue

An ancient walled city in Hue

Burning incense in the temples

Sarah bought bananas and lychee fruit from the local market

Working off the croissants?

Sarah is quite the chef and was as excited to explore the local cuisine as she was to explore the local culture: "We love Vietnamese food and I love French food, so we were sure the country would offer lots of both!" Not to mention the Michelin star chef restaurant offered right at the resort...

coconut & prawn soup

chorizo, black mussel & chickpea

Pho!

Sarah explains that the vertical resort was laid out in four different levels: Sea, Earth, Sky and Heaven, and breakfast was in Heaven; "My favorite part of the day was when we boarded the funicular and Zac told the driver, 'To heaven!'" Thank you for letting us tag along on the trip...

Enjoy!

Emilie