14 Years Ago Today Was the First of Many Fantastic Trips Over the Years

Us in 2019

I know that April 1 is universally known as “April Fool’s Day” but for me, it is the anniversary of a simply amazing beginning. Fourteen years ago today, my wife and I got married and started the most incredible journey together – and we have taken quite a few journeys within the journey as well!

14 Years Ago – Our Wedding and Honeymoon – the First of Many Fantastic Trips!

I don’t think I have every written about my anniversary on the blog but in a time of such sadness and a host of other emotions worldwide, it is always good to have some great memories! This is, of course, a great one for me!

I had actually only really started with miles and points a bit before we got married. I used to book a ton of airfare for people but had not done much with the actual collection of miles (oh, how I wish I had!). So, our honeymoon was not one booked with mostly miles and points but we did have a few free night certificates along the way.

Our Honeymoon Trip

We got married not far from Detroit so we started our journey from there afterwards. I honestly cannot remember the name of the hotel itself but I believe it was one of the tallest hotels in the US and I know it was a Marriott brand. That meant a free night certificate there!

The next day, we flew down to Atlanta and stayed at another Marriott, the Renaissance, right at the airport. Our hotel overlooked the runway which was a fantastic view but that didn’t thrill me that much since it was our honeymoon! Still, the balcony was a fantastic place to sit for a little bit together and enjoy the sunset.

We flew Delta for all of this and I think the tickets back then (2006) cost $700 a person from Detroit to St. Lucia, roundtrip. We used some credit card points to pay a portion of that but I had not had any Delta Skymiles at that point in my life yet.

Ti Kaye – the Most Amazing Place!

We booked a week long honeymoon package at an adults-only resort called Ti Kaye. This was not a member of any hotel program so it was all cash! It was an amazing stay! We had our own villa overlooking the ocean and there were only about 20-30 people staying at the entire resort so it was a nice and quiet place.

From Ti Kaye’s website – the porch with hammock

Ti Kaye also has their own beach (though other boats filled with other tourists did try to put in at it but were turned away). This meant another place of great calm and relaxation. It was a long stair walk down from the resort but there was an awesome beachside little restaurant that belonged to the resort and had some pretty incredible lunch items.

From Ti Kaye’s website – the dining area

In fact, my wife and I still talk about how spectacular the food was at the resort. There was only one restaurant and to leave the resort, you would need a vehicle so we ate everything right there. The food was just unbelievable. On one night, they had a meat and seafood buffet that was loaded with everything you could want!

Another great thing about this resort was the fruit punches – just chilling and refreshing with a really great taste. I think we had 2.5 each per day!

Our room upon arrival at Ti Kaye

Part of our package had some excursions like whale watching (didn’t see anything – including not seeing dolphins which they say you see 96% of the time), tour through the botanical gardens (really beautiful), a stop at Ladera Resort for more fruit punch and the views (this was a place we had wanted to stay at but it was twice the cost of our spot), and a couple of other things like a sunset cruise.

A view from our boat of the resort with some of the villas and the beachside restaurant

Most of the time, we just really enjoyed the relaxation from our secluded porch and hammock, the poolside, or the beach.

Of course, for me, the most incredible part was that it was the beginning of the amazing journey with my wonderful wife. We have had quite the journey since then and are still loving every bit of it! Our family has grown since then as well so it has been nice to take even more trips altogether.

Some day, we would like to go back to Ti Kaye. Until then, we have the memories and the pictures! Anyways, if you stopped by for a read, thanks for the time! I hope it brought a bit of a travel smile to your face while we are all grounded! 🙂