Our Honeymoon Plans Part I: Tuscany

While none of the wedding planning decisions have been easy for me {I have a very specific vision yet am also quite indecisive - a challenging combination}, choosing our honeymoon destination has been virtually a nine-month long debate. We bounced around staying in over-the-water bungalows in Bora Bora, going on a safari, relaxing in Hawaii, exploring Portugal, and even adventuring in Patagonia {which, I quickly found out, does not exactly have honeymoon weather in September}. However, from the get-go we just haven't been able to get Europe out of our minds, and the two destinations that we kept coming back to were Santorini and Lake Como {both on the very top of my bucket list}.

Instead of picking Italy or Greece, we decided to combine the two. Because I am prone to being very active on vacation, we wanted to stay at hotels that encouraged us to relax yet offered enough to do on their property that we wouldn't feel the need to leave, if we didn't want to. A restaurant, pool, spa, activities, and beautiful grounds for exploring were a must. 

While thinking about how we wanted to spend our time, immediately Emily's Tuscan honeymoon blog post came to mind. When we first visited Tuscany several years ago I immediately looked into staying at the gorgeous Relais & Chateaux property that Emily said was the "highlight" of her Italian honeymoon, however at that time it was out of our budget - which was absolutely fine as we stayed at the most wonderful villa and agriturismo instead.

After just a couple of minutes reading reviews of Borgo Santo Pietro and looking at photos I was hooked. We booked three days in a gorgeous room overlooking the gardens with a clawfoot tub and working fireplace, perfect for cuddling up with on cool Tuscan nights.

The 15-room property, set in a 13th-century villa, is home to a gourmet cooking school and a Michelin-starred restaurant, plus a more casual restaurant with an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven and bar for relaxed meals by the pool. From walks through the 13-acre gardens to art classes with a local painter to horseback riding to private wine tasting classes, Borgo Santo Pietro will be the perfect start to our dream honeymoon.