Canada, eh? I cannot begin to tell you how many people questioned Luke and I’s honeymoon choice to Ontario, Canada. Although splashing in the magnificent blue waters of Fiji or sharing a plate of pasta in Rome was my original dream for a romantic honeymoon, Luke’s lack of Army scheduling and the crazy cost of flying around the holidays presented me with the challenge of planning a romantic road trip.
I get it, romance and traveling eight hours in a car do not always go hand in hand. Especially if you are anything like me and require hourly pee breaks. However, I love to plan travel and was determined create the dream honeymoon road trip! I sought a location within eight hours of Indiana, due to how much I loathe riding in a car, as well as our need to be relatively close in case Luke needed to fly back to his Army station last minute.
Nashville, been there, done that. (Not that I don’t love to do the Honkey Tonk, wake up to brunch every day, or eat my weight in Nashville Hot Chicken, because I really do love Nashville as much as the next girl.) Chicago, NO. Northern Michigan, an option. Ontario, hmmm. As I started researching, Ontario in the winter seemed to have the best of both worlds. Luke and I settled on a restful and romantic, yet totally exciting honeymoon road tripping through Ontario!
Location One: Muskoka Lake
Northern Ontario is small home town, meets vacation getaway, meets Hallmark romance movie setting. Luke and I spent a few days here to begin our honeymoon, and it was the perfect setting for relaxing after a stressful wedding week. I am typically not one for relaxing while traveling, but trust me, after weeks of intense last minute planning, a pre-wedding stress zit (crater on my freaking face), and the emotions of no longer being a Hartwiger, being in Muskoka was the perfect setting for doing nothing and leaving feeling so rejuvenated!
Luke and I spent the majority of our time together at our Air B ‘n’ B. Seriously, spend the money on a romantic little haven of home, you will be spending a lot of time in it! Muskoka Lakes area is pretty rural, and we spent 90% of the time enjoying our little home together. Our Air B ‘n’ B had a wine cellar, a fire place, and an outdoor hot tub surrounded by snowy woods- the perfect relaxation sanctuary. Seriously, snuggle up by the fireplace and do a puzzle together, make each other brunch in bed, and sip wine in the hot tub. Relax on the first few days of your honeymoon.
The 10% of the time that I wasn’t in my euphoric, relaxing state, Luke and I did some exploring! We hiked Hardy Lake Provincial Park, Luke’s choice, and went to Muskoka Lakes Farm and Winery where they make wine from CRANBERRIES, this was obviously my choice of excursion. As if this portion of the trip couldn’t get any more romantic, we visited the Back of Beyond Equine Center and took a sleigh ride through the snowy, Ontario woods.
Now that we were feeling rejuvenated from the relaxation, nature, and wine (mainly the wine), Luke and I headed to our next stop in Ontario… Toronto!
Location Two: Toronto
As relaxing as Muskoka Lakes area was, I tend to get a little stir crazy. I was more than ready for our next adventure in the big city of Toronto!
Luke and I stayed in an Air B ‘n’ B near Queen Street West, and unlike our last portion of the trip, spent very little time here. My one goal for Toronto was to eat as much food as I could while here, and I hate to toot my own horn, but I really think I crushed that challenge. While in Toronto, we enjoyed taking in the city by walking around the different districts and exploring the different shops, restaurants, and bars. Some of my favorite areas included the historic Distillery District, the “hipstery” Kensington Avenue (although I have never felt so uncool in my life), and the iconic Queen Street West.
After the excitement of the big city, Luke and I decided to end our trip with a little bit more relaxation at Niagara on the Lake.
Location Three: Niagara on the Lake
A historic home created into a Starbucks, over fifty wineries in ONE city, and a romantic downtown with eclectic shops and little eateries. This is not a dream, this is not a drill. I found my dream getaway, Niagara on the Lake. I would suggest this little town for honeymooners or girlfriend getaways. Heck, I would suggest this place for anyone. How do I get a town to sponsor me?! I am seriously that in love!
While here for the day, I had my chauffeur (aka my hubby) drive me on my own little personal wine tour. I spent my day a little bit buzzed and a whole lot happy, as Luke and I went around to twelve different wineries sampling and sipping to our little hearts content. To break up the drinking, we also visited the downtown shops and ate at an old Irish Pub. Seriously, he could have left me here forever, and I would have been perfectly content spending my days at the different wineries.
The perfect end to our unconventional, road trip honeymoon.
Check out my upcoming blog posts for more detailed info about each area where we visited!
XOXO
Abbey Rose