Even before we were engaged we had spoken in depth about our honeymoon. We knew it was going to be difficult to find something we both loved whist making it something a little more special as I always think honeymoons should be a once in a lifetime experience and a little bit more luxurious than normal. We debated for a while, I wanted the white sandy beaches of Mauritius whereas Chris wanted something a bit more adventurous, suggesting a few weeks travelling around Thailand.
When it finally came time to booking something we decided on a safari with a beach stay at the end. It was the perfect compromise, 4 days sleeping in tents and going on game drives to see some of the most majestic animals in the world and then 10 days of pure relaxation on a beach doing nothing but sunbath, swim and soak up the beautiful surroundings. All that was left to do was decide where we wanted to go this fortnight of paradise!! That is where Imagine Travel came in, I had looked at lots of different travel companies from Kuoni to Hayes and Jarvis but I didn't feel like they were right for us. When I happened to click on to the Imagine Travel website I knew they would be the company we booked through, with their dedicated specialists for all locations we knew we would be in good hands. I got in touch with Pierre, who actually grew up in South Africa, and told him what we were looking for and he was able to put together a tailor made package for us which turned out to be perfect.
We spent 4 days at Kilima Camp in the Maasai Mara, Kenya staying in beautiful tents which looked out over the national park. In the mornings we watched the hot air balloons floating along the horizon as the sun rose and in the evenings we sat around the camp fire with other guests talking about our spots of the day and drinking delicious wine. During the day we would spend hours out in the national park with our guide Martin who knew just where to spot the elusive Rhino and how to creep up on a sleeping Lion (impressive when you are in a jeep!). I have never experienced anything like the feeling I felt when we drove past the first herd of Elephants on our way from the landing strip to the hotel. It really was a magical site and one I will never forget.
A safari is not the most relaxing break though, we were up at 6:30 every morning for our game drives, it was often quite cold and windy during the early mornings and then boiling hot by midday so when it came to move on, although sad that the safari part of our honeymoon was over, I was so excited for a slice of luxury at Diani Beach. When we arrived at the Almanara Beach Resort it actually took my breath away! The hotel only has 5 guest rooms and the entire time we were there, there was only ever a maximum of 4 guests which meant we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. It was spotless and trust me after almost a week of living in a (luxury) tent all I wanted was bright airy rooms with a big comfy bed to jump in to and a bath to soak in and that is exactly what we got. We arrived to welcome drinks and cold towels to cool off from the flight on the tiniest plane I have ever been on and were then shown to our suite! It was honestly the most beautiful room I have ever stayed in and the view was just incredible. From that moment on we lost all concept of time, the half 6 starts were a thing of the past, we woke up when we wanted, had breakfast made for us by our personal chef when we were ready and then spent the morning by the pool, when lunch was ready we would head to the terrace and have a long lunch and then head to the private beach for the afternoon before returning to our rooms to get ready for the most incredible dinners and lots of wine.
I can honestly say this was the most incredible trip we have ever been on and we were treated like royalty from the moment I contacted Pierre to the minute the hotel chauffeur dropped us off at Mombasa Airport for our flight home. I think any future holidays are going to have a hard time living up to this one!!
J xx
