After all the excitement of our wedding (which you can see here, here and here), Tim and I had a few days together as newlyweds and were off on the trip of a lifetime…our honeymoon! Katie from Ever After Honeymoons planned a spectacular vacation for us to kick off our marriage in the best way. Looking out at beautiful turquoise water in two of the islands of French Polynesia, oh yes!

Warning: you may have the sudden urge to immediately purchase tickets to these destinations, unbeknownst to your partner, before you reach the end of this post!

We took a flight to Tahiti where we boarded a small plane, got on a boat and sped off to a little island called Taha’a, where Tahitian vanilla beans grow a-plenty. Our destination was the beautiful resort Le Taha’a Island Resort and Spa. We settled into our beach villa and explored our dreamy and vanilla-scented surroundings.

The villas are romantic little huts with bamboo walls, palapa roofs and nicely furnished inside. We felt like islanders living a plush life.

I mean, really.. that bed?! This is what we arrived to. A decorated bed with flowers and a soft breeze wafting through the room. Pure bliss! They sure knew how to welcome a guest.

After settling in we ate, swam, snorkeled and sipped tropical juices. We slept in, threw on swimsuits and sauntered in crystal clear water all day. Lazy was the name of the game. There were plenty of times we thought this was all a dream, but alas it was not.

We felt so lucky to experience one of their special feast and dance performance nights. It went well into the night with plenty of hula and fire dancing.

It was so hard to leave this little island of ours and were tempted to devise a plan to stay longer. We thought life couldn’t possibly get any better than this. But we peeled ourselves from our lounge chairs and headed to our next stop.. Bora Bora.

This is probably one of the most famous islands in French Polynesia. Many resorts dot the beachside although far apart from one another. We were lucky enough to stay at the nicest one.. The Four Seasons, of course.

The Four Seasons welcomed us with fresh fruit and champagne and a nice little note to “Mr. and Mrs. Dawbarn”. Oh yea, I’m a Mrs. now!

I have an inkling this is the best spot in the world to honeymoon if you are looking to relax on a beach. You get the turquoise water, the white sand, the soothing breeze AND a magnificent view of Mount Otemanu. The Four Seasons staff is there to meet any request, bring you a chilled floral-scented towel to cool your head, and a fruit granita to cool your tongue. Heaven? I think so.

Many baths were taken here with the window open to feel the warm breeze. And that view? Come ON! Stop it already, right?!

Each morning our routine was the same.. go for a delicious breakfast and claim our little palapa lounge area for the day. Eat, drink, sleep, swim, stare at each other in awe, repeat. Oh, and maybe Instagram a bit.

Didn’t get enough sleep on the palapa lounges? Then come here and nap on these huge outdoor beds by the infiniti pool. It’s ok..you came here to relax after all.

Are you the sporty type? Well then snorkel, paddle board, take jet skis around the island or go on a jeep tour around the base of Mount Otemanu.

I won’t tell you how delicious each of their four restaurants are. You will just have to see for yourself.

Yes, the water really is. this. blue.

And yes, you really will not want to leave.

Don’t even get me started on the spa treatments. Tim and I had a fantastic couple’s massage right after I soaked in the spa overlooking the lagoon in a tropical hibiscus valley with a spectacular view of Mount Otemanu. There were even birds singing in the trees next to me. I’m not kidding.

Need another reason to go? Well, watch this video Tim put together of our island excursions..

And that’s the end, folks. Feel free to pull up these photos whenever you’re in need of a great escape. Then call up Katie and have her take care of all the fussy stuff for you.

I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along with us on our wedding day and honeymoon. It was really so great to have you!

xo, Amanda and Tim

Photos: Amanda and Tim Dawbarn / Honeymoon planning: Ever After Honeymoons / Locations: Le Taha’a Island Resort and Spa, and Four Seasons Bora Bora