We’ve always been big travelers. I even had what we jokingly called the “Baby Bucket List” of trips I wanted to take before we started a family (which we completed, by the way). So when we found out we were expecting our sweet baby boy, I had an extra thing to be excited about – planning a babymoon!
Unfortunately, my pregnancy coincided with the Zika outbreak, so all of the initial destinations that popped to mind were out of the question (picture relaxing on a beautiful, peaceful Caribbean beach). So we had to get creative.
Timing
I started by thinking about when would be the ideal time. Of course, there’s no travel medically allowed after 36 weeks, but I also wanted to make sure I was well into the 2nd trimester (and therefore most likely past the sickness and exhaustion of the 1st trimester), so it seemed like right around the end of the 2nd trimester and beginning of the 3rd was ideal. Not knowing how my body would react and how I’d feel toward the end (since this was my first), I preferred not to plan it during the last 2 months of my pregnancy. I like to be active and explore when I’m in new places, so I didn’t want to be at the point of feeling huge and maybe not as energetic or mobile. So with my mid-June due date, this meant around March-April would be the ideal timeframe.
Location and Lodging
Most non-Caribbean beach locations are still at risk of being chilly that time of year, which didn’t seem like a risk I wanted to take. We thought about Bermuda, since it is one of few islands not impacted by Zika, but being there and not being able to enjoy the beach due to cooler temps just didn’t seem ideal. A long international flight didn’t sound great to me either, so we pretty quickly narrowed it down to the US.
I knew I wanted a solid mix of exploring/activities and extreme relaxation (with a little pampering thrown in). Two places that have always been of interest to me that seemed to fit these criteria were Big Sur, CA and Sedona, AZ. We investigated both for airfare and lodging, and pretty quickly decided to go with Sedona due to the option to stay at a luxury resort for a very low price by using our Chase credit card points to cover most of the hotel cost.
I’d heard wonderful things about L’Auberge de Sedona, particularly about the serenity and the wonderful spa, and they had a pretty good deal with Chase points the first week of March. That would be right at 25 weeks for me – perfect. So we quickly locked in that reservation, along with our flights.
Entertainment
As I mentioned, I was very interested in some serious spa time (so that we could get into what we call “vacation zen”). So I knew that would be at least a half-day activity. We also definitely wanted to do some hiking while we were there, although I knew I wouldn’t be able to do everything I normally would while pregnant (which would have been Cathedral Rock and Devil’s Bridge). So I did quite a bit of research into hikes to make an educated decision about what I felt comfortable with physically, and blocked off 2 different half days for hiking. The Hike House website was a great resource, and we also made a stop there when we arrived in Sedona and spoke to an extremely helpful employee that helped me feel confident that we were selecting hikes that I could handle, but that weren’t too lame/boring. I also wanted to do something special to surprise my hubby. He had been such a wonderful and supportive partner throughout the pregnancy, and I wanted to pamper him a bit too. He is obsessed with helicopters, and I continued to see helicopter tours of the canyons there pop up as a top rated activity. So I secretly booked us a tour with Guidance Air. Lastly, I figured we should take a half-day to go to the Grand Canyon since it is just a 2-hour drive away and I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see such an iconic landmark. I really wanted to make sure I didn’t overbook us with activities (which I have a tendency to do), since one of the major purposes of this trip was to just relax and enjoy each other, so I left it at that.
Food
I love exploring the local food scene when I travel, so I do quite a bit of research ahead of time (Yelp, Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet, and asking friends/family that have been there) to compile lists of restaurant options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as other specialty places (cool bars, wine bars, dessert spots, coffee shops, etc.). That way I have these lists ready when we’re making those decisions on the trip. I usually come across 1 or 2 “must do’s” so I go head and make reservations there if possible. For this trip, I knew we wanted to eat at Cress on Oak Creek, the fine dining restaurant at L’Auberge set right along Oak Creek, so I locked in a reservation for one of the nights. We were also going to be staying in Scottsdale for a night when we first arrived, and I definitely wanted to take Luke to my favorite restaurant there, The Mission. It’s always packed, but amazing, so I made a reservation right away.
Here’s the final itinerary we ended up with (along with pictures of us enjoying it!):
Day 1:
- Arrive in PHX late due to flying out after working that day (planned) and then lots of weather delays (UNPLANNED), get rental car, stay in Old Town Scottsdale
Day 2:
- Explore Scottsdale
- We didn’t have specific plans for this day but ended up doing the following:
- Coffee at Cartel Coffee Shop
- Walked around Old Town Scottsdale a bit
- Went to a Spring Training baseball game because my hubs loves baseball and it was a beautiful day
- Hopped into some galleries in Old Town Scottsdale before dinner because they had a gallery crawl going on
- We didn’t have specific plans for this day but ended up doing the following:
- Dinner reservation at The Mission
- One of my absolute favorite restaurants of all time and a “must do” if you’re ever in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area
25 week bump in front of the LOVE statue in Scottsdale, AZ
Day 3:
- Breakfast at the Chop Shop in Scottsdale (my other favorite Scottsdale spot from my days of traveling there for work)
- Drive to Sedona (2 hour drive) and check into L’Auberge de Sedona
- Massages scheduled at L’Apothecary Spa at L’Auberge at 2 pm
- I wanted to give us plenty of time to have lunch and relax in the spa before our appointments, which we definitely did!
- Easy/light dinner at hotel (again, wanted us to not feel rushed to get ready and get to dinner somewhere)
L’Auberge de Sedona
Day 4:
- Breakfast at Wildflower Bread Company
- Stop by the Hike House for some hiking guidance
- Morning Hike: Soldier Pass/Brins Mesa Loop
- 5-mile trail offering moderate elevation changes and a variety of landscape features
- This was a perfect hike for me as a relatively fit preggo with a significant (but not yet obscene) bump – great length, moderately challenging at times but not too extreme, pretty/interesting scenery
- Explore downtown Sedona and relax at resort
- Sunset and cocktails/mocktails at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill
- Dinner reservation at Cress on Oak Creek
Soldier Pass & Brins Mesa hike
Cress on Oak Creek
Michael Stars dress (non-maternity – sized up one, color: nocturnal)
Sunset & Mocktails at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill
Pinkblush dress
Day 5:
- Breakfast at Indian Gardens Cafe & Market
- The valet guys at the resort recommended this place, which was how we found out what an awesome resource these guys were for recommendations!
- Drive to Grand Canyon (about a 2 hour drive without stops)
- Took the scenic route up Oak Creek and stopped at overlook
- Explore South Loop of Grand Canyon
- So, this day didn’t quite go how we’d hoped. It ended up being a lot colder than normal/expected (in the 40s) and there was a high wind advisory at the Grand Canyon. We went anyways, because it’s one of the 7 Wonders of the World so you gotta see it, right? I don’t think I would change it because it was still amazing to see, but it really wasn’t as enjoyable as it would have otherwise been. We basically drove the loop and stopped at some recommended viewpoints to hop out of the car for honestly about 2 minutes and snap a quick picture and hop back in the car because we were freezing. See picture below to get an idea of what I’m trying to describe.
- I was very unimpressed by the food options at the Grand Canyon. If you’re going when the weather is better, I’d recommend bringing stuff for a picnic lunch that you could eat at one of the beautiful overlooks.
- We didn’t end up staying for sunset because of the weather, but Hopi Point is supposed to be a great place to watch it (you could end your drive of the loop there).
- Sunset back in Sedona at Airport Mesa – very crowded, but would have been a good spot if not so cold and windy (and probably an even better view other times of the year)
- For dinner we grabbed some (pregnancy-approved) cheese and charcuterie from Whole Foods and enjoyed it by the creek at the resort for a more relaxed evening.
Just a bit windy at the Grand Canyon
Relaxing dinner and tea by the creek
Day 6:
- Breakfast at Creekside Coffee & Bakery
- Helicopter tour with Guidance Air in the morning
- We did the Cathedral Tour, which is 35 minutes long. There is a shorter option and a longer option, but I think this one was perfect for us. It was such a cool experience and one of the highlights of our trip!
- Afternoon hike at Fay Canyon
- This was a shorter (2.5 mile), pretty easy hike, but very pretty and not crowded.
- Sunset from our balcony
- We finally realized on our last day there that the sunset was actually pretty beautiful right from our balcony! You don’t actually see the sun, but we had a perfect view of how it reflects off the red rocks and lights the sky up over the creek.
- Dinner at Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante
- We loved dinner on our final night here. It’s a pretty traditional, Sinatra-y Italian place with a live pianist and delicious food. It was pretty busy, so I’d suggest a reservation.
Helicopter Tour with Guidance Air
Sunset view of the Red Rocks from our balcony
Day 7:
- Breakfast in Sedona at L’Auberge
- Drive back to PHX (2 hour drive) to fly back to CLT on a mid-afternoon flight
In the end, I think we struck the perfect balance of exploring and relaxing. We really focused on pampering ourselves and truly enjoying this time with just the two of us. Sedona was a beautiful and serene setting that set the backdrop for wonderful memories of this exciting time that we’ll cherish forever.
Where did you go on your babymoon? What are your favorite memories? If you’re currently planning one, where are you considering going?
*This post may contain affiliate links.
