Honeymoon Part 2 - Mauritius

I woke up like this #married

So it’s official - we can tentatively start booking holidays again. I’m choosing to Staycation this year now but there’s always a bit of time for wanderlust so I thought I’d relive the second part of my honeymoon. You can read all about Part 1 here if you haven’t already read it and I’ll pick up where I left off…

View of the Ocean from Paradise Cove.

After leaving my heart in Marataba Safari lodge, we made the long journey back to Johannesburg and had an overnight stay a the Intercontinental Airport Hotel. At first I wasn’t keen on this idea - an airport hotel on our honeymoon? But Charlie from Paperplane Travel persuaded me it was the right thing to do and she wasn’t wrong! We were exhausted from the car journey and it was so nice to just retreat to our room, order room service and watch TV in the massive bed. We had an early flight in the morning and it gave us the perfect amount of time to chill. Mauritius is a 4 hour flight from Johannesburg making it a great choice for a twin holiday.

I had researched and researched hotels in Mauritius almost compulsively. I knew what I wanted - small, boutique and beautiful. Paradise Cove hit all the boxes on paper. It is set in a gorgeous private cove on the North Coast. On arrival we weren’t disappointed by the beautiful interiors and the overall calmness of the space. I want to add that almost immediately after booking, the hotel shut down for refurbishment and we spent many months panicking it wouldn’t be open in time. Luckily all the holiday Gods got together and it was reopened a few weeks before we arrived.

Private sunbathing spots, Paradise Cove

My favourite thing about Paradise Cove was it was specifically designed for honeymooners and couples. Everything was about the two of you with lovely little sunbathing spots dotted around, private enough to be just the two of you but also easily accessible to the hotel bar - very important for those holiday cocktails!

Infinity Pool, Paradise Cove, Mauritius

Mauritius is a tropical island though and we went in October which is supposedly the best month to go according to the internet. Although we can’t complain, there were definitely cloudy days and a few showers which temporarily put a stop to the sunbathing. The hotel bar, however, provided a sufficient place to wait for the sun to reappear - pina colada anyone?

Seven Coloured Earth, Mauritius

One thing I would highly recommend doing is to get out of the luxury hotels and go explore the island. Mauritius is so much more than it’s glorious beaches. We dedicated 2 1/2 days to excursions and didn’t regret it.

Because we booked through Paperplane Travels, we had private transport to and from the airports and a rep met us on the first day to book in any other travel we wanted. You can easily hire cars in Mauritius and they drive on the same side as in UK but because it was our honeymoon we spent a bit extra on private tour guides.

Highlights included travelling inland to the denser wilder side of the island. We saw craters, waterfalls, and the famous geologic formation Seven Coloured Earth. We also tasted lychee wine , bought a lot of bottles and completed a Rum tour, surviving the copious amounts of rum poured.

Another amazing place to visit is the famous giant Hindu statues at Grand Bassin. The sacred lake was buzzing with people and they had actual fishing cats which I was in awe of!

One afternoon we ventured into Port Louis which is the capital of Mauritius for some renowned street food. A lot of the hotelier and taxi drivers tried to put us off doing this activity but it was named Telegraph’s best cities for street food so being foodies we just had to go and explore. It’s not that the food at the hotel wasn’t good, we just wanted to sample authentic Mauritian cuisine. The market itself is a giant, vibrant bustling place that appeals to all the senses. We wandered around for a bit, taking it all in. Then we did what every tourist would do and found the street food vendor with the biggest queue of locals. Those Roti's did not disappoint and we’re so glad we ignored the advice.

Port Louis, Mauritius

All in all Mauritius has it all and I loved the experience. It was the perfect antidote to the South African Safari and gave us time to chill and recover from all the wedding planning. Would love to know if you’ve been to Mauritius and any extra tips you have for future travellers. Comment below!

Honeymoon Part 1 - South Africa Safari

I don’t know about you but I am longing for some sunshine now after yet another storm hits the UK this weekend. Whilst I’m stuck indoors I thought I would share our honeymoon adventure in case anybody is thinking of doing the same thing!

We went on honeymoon two days after the wedding in October 2019. Up until this point I had never travelled outside of Europe as I HATE flying so this was a massive deal for me to be able to do all this travelling - the final destination had to be worth it!

After countless hours trawling the internet and deliberating about destinations we decided to take the plunge and go on Safari. Our ideal honeymoon had to tick the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation - two weeks on a beach just isn’t us. The idea of relaxing on a sunbed is very appealing but the reality of sand in all places, red head skin that burns and a husband who doesn’t read books for longer than ten minutes makes it more stressful than relaxing for us!

When I found out you could do “twin centre holidays”, we knew it was the right choice for us.

I have a few friends who love planning all aspects of their trips from travel, changeovers and hotels. That person is NOT me. I needed someone to do it for me and after making several appointments with all the big luxury travel agents, I found Paper Plane Travel on Instagram and felt this was more up our street.

After a few emails and phone-calls, Charlie provided the quotes and once we all agreed, she arranged everything for us. From flights to transfers to little honeymoon touches that make it all the more special. I knew which hotels I wanted to stay in which was a starting point but this doesn’t always have to be the case. Charlie is fab at recommending hotels you would never have found on booking.com.

I fell in love with Marataba Safari Lodge from the moment I saw pictures and I can honestly say it is the best place I have ever stayed. It is pure magic!

Getting there though is a bit of a bitch especially if you don’t like travelling. We flew from Manchester to Johannesburg via Dubai with Emirates (no cheeky upgrade though, unfortunately). It was 6 hours to Dubai with a 3 hour transfer time. From there it was 9 hours to Johannesburg. After we landed in Johannesburg we had another 4 hour car journey to the lodge.

But my God was it worth it! The staff like to say “welcome home” and I really really really wish it was my home because everything is amazing. The facilities are pure luxury, the staff are amazing and the food is incredible.

Full disclosure - Safari is not for the fainthearted. You have 5am wakeup calls everyday sometimes before the sun comes up and probably only sleep about 4 hours maximum at a time during the whole trip. But we never felt more relaxed at Marataba even with no sleep.

We had a few hiccups along the way - the first being a storm on the first night which immediately took me back to a fateful camping trip in Snowdonia many years ago. It may be a luxury expensive tent - but it is still a tent when the wind blows!

We also had a family of warthogs make a den under our tent for a few nights. Ever wondered what a family of warthogs sounds like? Like they are sawing through the wooden supports that hold the tent up and at any moment the whole thing might collapse.

There was also a wildfire which started after the storm. Although it never came close to the lodge, you could see it raging across the mountain top and it really made you appreciate how dangerous and destructive these fires are.

I was not prepared for the immediate immersion in nature once arriving at the lodge. I thought we might have a few drives before spotting any of the “Big 5” but on our very first drive, just hours after arriving we saw elephants, lions and the elusive Black Rhino. It was so breathtaking, nerve-wrecking and beyond my wildest dreams all at the same time!

My top tips for Safari :

1. Be prepared clothing wise but bear in mind some blogs/advice maybe a little extreme. For example I didn’t need to buy walking boots, my gym trainers were more than suitable. We also didn’t need waterproof pants - we spent most of the time in shorts and hoodies.

2. Take naps in the day but also enjoy the facilities. Try the wine, the “exotic” meat. Order room service and book the massage on the balcony - it was insane!

3. Make sure your camera has the flash turned off before setting off on a game drive. I nearly had a nervous breakdown in the midst of a family of elephants when another guests flash went off!

4. Sit at the back of the car if your hearing is good enough. It’s the best place to see everything and if you’re a bit nervous like I was when a herd of rhino’s catches your smell downwind then you feel way more protected than lower down in the vehicle.

5. Be prepared to wee in the bush. Something I hadn’t really considered until I was squatting down behind a tree hoping that there wasn’t a lion waiting, or worse - a snake!

So if you are debating a safari for your honeymoon, or just because - I would say do it! Save the money, spend the money and you will never ever regret it. Unless maybe if you get eaten by a lion but even then that would be cute ;)

Top Tips for Malaga

I thought I'd share with you some highlights from our mini adventure to Spain in July. The glorious Costa Del Sol has long been avoided by me for fear of Brits abroad and when I got an email from RyanAir telling me there was no alcohol allowed on the flight - I felt like we'd made a terrible mistake!!!

But alas there has been no other holiday where I've actually been so surprised in the best possible way. We stayed in Fuengirola courtesy of Ben's boss who rents his apartment out to staff. It's about 30 minutes from Malaga airport by train and so so pretty. 

Fuengirola, Spain.

The first thing that struck me were the colours - I'd forgotten how lush Spain is. I wish we had these flowers back in England and especially in my garden! Anyways onto to Malaga...

We spent a day in Malaga, walked our little socks off and still didn't scratch the surface so we will definitely be returning! Here are my top tips....

View from the cafe at Alcazaba Castle Gardens.

WANDER ROUND the Alcazaba Castle gardens. It is stunning and is so big that you can easily escape the crowds and be wandering round on your own. The Moorish architecture was built in the 11th century and it's like stepping into Kings Landing (cheesy Games of Thrones reference there!)

Alcazaba Gardens, Malaga.

GRAB SOME Sangria on the cutest rooftop right in the heart of Malaga - Dulces & Dreams Hostel. This place was so secret we were the only ones up there! And the rooms and bathrooms looked like the best hostel ever so I would even consider staying here! 

Dulces & Dreams Rooftop Garden, Malaga.

STOP OFF at Bodega El Pimpi for a spot of lunch. This place is a labyrinth of rooms with seating that goes on and on forever. Find a spot, order your tapas and just enjoy the atmosphere as you wonder how on earth the waiters keep track of their tables!  

Bodega El Pimpi

TASTE A SHERRY at Antigua Casa de Guardia. This bar has been around since 1840 and you just pull up by the bar, order straight from the barrels and the waiter writes your bill in chalk on the counter! 

Sherry at Antigua Casa del Guardia, Malaga.

TAKE FIVE with Picasso. You can't escape Picasso in this city, they are so proud to be the birthplace of this great artist. We didn't have time to wander in the many museums but we did catch a seat in the square outside the home where he was born! 

Picasso monument, Malaga.

Malaga you were a delight and I will certainly be back soon! 

Spanish colours, Malaga.