My husband and I had the honor to vacation on the fantasy island of Bora Bora this month and we renewed our 10 year wedding vows on the breathtaking turquoise beaches while staying in one of the over the water huts. We lived a 9 day dream come true for both Keith and I. I want to share with you my journey.
Being a hopeless romantic, I wanted to renew our wedding vows for our 10 year. I had been throwing out hints for the past couple years to my hubby that we should go somewhere super romantic like those uber cool Instagram travel accounts that I follow, where I drool over dream vacations from all over the world. (When I dream big, I dream really BIG!) So I scrolled away on dream vacays on IG till I found the perfect places.
We narrowed it down to three locations when we did our search-Bora Bora, Santorini in Greece, and the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It was so hard to pick just one because they all looked really dreamy and let’s get real, I could see myself in all these locations saying “I do” again. In the end of our long research, the huts over the water in Bora Bora won!
Now was the fun part, all the planning! I had three friends stay at the Four Seasons in Bora Bora and gave us glowing reviews that we couldn’t say no to those great testimonials. We booked our vacay last year because April is a busy month for weddings, honeymoons, and vacations. Our wedding anniversary date is April 8th. We tried to get that week but it was a popular month. So we went with the last week of April/beginning of May.
April 29th couldn’t come fast enough this year. It seemed like a long 2016 just waiting for this tropical paradise to come and guess what? It was! Where have you been all my life Bora Bora? A bucket list of dreams I can’t wait to check off! Then the day came and we were more than ready to go. Dreams, romance, adventure, and love awaited us on this dreamy vacation.
The first day we arrived at 11 am and our rooms weren’t ready till 3 pm so we walked around the resort and got a massage. (You will need one after a 12 hour plane ride.) We got a 2 hour couples massage and unwinded from the flight. After our massage, we were so excited to check out our bungalow. Just the walk to the over the bungalow was super exciting! It was the very last one on the end. It was everything we imagined and more! As we wizzed through the room to see the layout, we couldn’t wait to see our balcony, the views just blew us away. Mount Otemanu looked like a back drop to a movie set. It did not seem real. Another thing we couldn’t wait to do was jump off the back of our bungalow first thing in the morning. We had so many things to check off our bucket list, we couldn’t wait to get through the list.
The food was amazing! All fresh unprocessed foods! I got fresh pressed juices, fresh fruits, salads, and more. It catered to vegans and gluten-free peeps (like myself) and I was in plant-based heaven! Between the breathtaking nature back drop and the food, I was living it up. They had a great gym too! I jet skied, snorkeled, kayaked, paddle boarded, and swam for the most part everyday. Besides some champagne, wine, and margaritas to toast this festive trip, I did pretty good being healthy. The sun and the beach calls to my soul and fills me up. I just can’t get enough. I love being healthy in a big city, but the beach naturally encourages my soul to do it. The beach grounds me every time I go and makes my heart full.
This was such an amazing trip to reconnect with my husband, re-evaluate our personal/professional goals, and get inspired going forward. I have so much to give and have so much to live for.
At the end of trip waiting at the airport, my husband asked me what my favorite part of our trip was. I answered, “EVERYTHING! Can we live there?” My three favorite things were renewing our vows, swimming with the sharks, and sleeping in the over the water bungalows. All three things were very thrilling for me, so special, and are what dreams are made of. My husband spoils me and I am so grateful to have such a thoughtful loving husband who helps me live out my dreams.
When we renewed our vows on the beach, I couldn’t get past the second line without crying for joy. My heart was happy. I had to bring my vows on paper so I didn’t forget them because I was all nervous. (Love that I still get nervous with him and I have been with him for 13 years!) In this pic, I love the way he looks at me as I am crying saying our new vows for the next 10 years. He was pretty choked up. Shhh!! Don’t tell him I said that. Love, love, love my husband! I said “I still do”! Until the next 10 years Keith!
I want to say thank you for all your beautiful comments and post that you guys reached out to me on my social media. I adore them! Thank you for sharing a special moment in my life.
Here are some fun tips if you ever decided to go to Bora Bora!
Fun tips for Bora Bora
- If you get an over the water bungalow, request one at the far end of the dock so you have the best views of Mount Otemanu. It was my favorite view every morning when I woke up and before I went to bed. Did you know that Mount Oteman is 3 million years old and used to be an active volcano? I know! Crazy, huh!?
- You have to do the shark and stingray tour! That was my highlight of the trip (besides renewing my vows). We did the full day and it was AWESOME! We snorkeled at 3 different locations in the lagoon and then they prepared us a traditional Polynesian lunch on a private island.
- There is so much to do there that we didn’t get all that we wanted to do. We did 4 days of water excursions, and the rest on the beach, pool, and spa. It was all necessary on this vacay. I could have stayed another week. I wanted to do the ATV tour on the land, but it was booked. Maybe next time!
- Some people say you must go once in your life, I recommend twice! LOL! We will be going back, it is now my favorite place on earth. Love the Polynesian culture and this island. They make you feel so welcome and it is so special.
Love and lunges,
Marzia
Photography by Kim Akrich
