Anyone know the title’s reference? Gosh, I’m such a Netflix junkie. I really need to cool it. Anyways, I thought there would be no better time to do a recap post from our honeymoon than now considering we were there this time last year! We stayed at Four Seasons Bora Bora. Just saying the name makes my heart hurt a little because I miss it so badly! DJ and I both agree that every second of the trip was nothing short of magical. It was the perfect honeymoon. Dutch goes the photo has challenged us to submit something around the color “Blue”. I have to say there was nowhere in the world that I saw more beautiful blues. Here is my submission for the challenge. I think this photo captures so many different shades of gorgeous blues from a deep indigo to bright aqua.
Traveling to the island was a fabulous adventure in itself. Tahitian airlines is highly recommended- the food is not your typical airplane food. We stayed one night in Tahiti before actually taking a smaller flight onto the island of Bora Bora.
** Side note: in the collage above I couldn’t decide if I wanted the food or our wedding rings to be the large picture. Shows where my priorities lay (lay or lie?! Ugh! IDK!). I digress.
When we first arrived they treated us like royalty. The staff offered us the most delicious mango juice we have ever had. I can still taste it. “La Orana” is a popular saying there for hello. You catch on quickly that you use this phrase frequently. The staff was incredibly friendly and we would always exchange the greeting in passing. DJ and I still joke around and say it to each other. It makes us miss this place something fierce!
We then proceeded to our little bungalow. Bungalow, bungalow, bungalow. Just a super fun word to say, don’t you think? Looking back through these pictures I crack up at the number of ring pics I took. Such a typical newlywed girl! It was also sorta a big deal that my nails were done because I have them painted like .00005% of the time due to nursing and also just because I’m too impatient to let them dry.
Generally, our days were pretty relaxed. I will hit on a few essential highlights.
First, we were greeted with the most exquisite champagne set-up. The coconut contained a delicious array of fruit and a jam for dippin’. Coconut strips are big in BB. They would hand them out casually to us when we were on the beach getting ready to go jet skiing or shark diving (more about this soon, no worries 😉 ) . 
Next, one word: Breakfast. We would get up in the morning and go to the breakfast buffet. This is not your typical breakfast buffet, this is like blow-your-mind gourmet cuisine. It was so good that even Jimmy Kimmel ate there with his family! Nope, not kidding, JimKim and the Jennifer Aniston clan were all there post her wedding with Justin Theroux at the same time as us. One day DJ and I were passing Jimmy (first name basis here) and his wife. He smiled and said HI (H-I) to us! HI. Ya’ll don’t understand. Star stinking struck. But, back to the good stuff (food), we sampled everything under the sun. They had a ridiculous amount of fresh fruit, french crepes, parfaits, an omelette station, and fantastic coffee. DJ loved getting their juice of the day. I thought their french toast was out of this world. The jams were not just your typical Smucker’s jams either (& I love my Smucker’s!). They were so good that I took a few of the mini jars home with me and still have them in my fridge. They are too cute, so I don’t want to eat them!
…THE VIEWS! Oh how gorgeous this island is. I do not even need to say much- I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Although, the pictures cannot even do justice!
Most days, we loved just lounging on the beach. I read The Girl on the Train, highly recommended, and DJ stayed in tune with the sports world reading ESPN articles. We loved ordering lunch on the beach or at a beach bar. There is something delightful about digging your toes in the sand while munching on a nice juicy burger (a tuna burger in my case).
We decided we wanted to try a couple excursions, but not go crazy. Before my last arduous year of nursing, we wanted to make sure we relaxed as much as possible! We went jet skiing one day and then went swimming with sharks the next. One of the most insane things I have ever seen was an eel that snaked its ferocious head out of it’s cave as we swam by. 
Our guide played the ukelele for us as we floated along the blissful water. We stopped at different locations and the leader of the trip would give us fresh mango, starfruit, and of course, coconut! The fresh air, golden sun, and rocking of the boat made us sleepy between stops but then we would get a new rush as we saw the sharks circling the boat- the sharks that we soon would be swimming side-by side-with. Cue the jaws theme song!
Dinners were … as you might predict… fantastic. I can’t even describe in words the incredible amount of seafood available. Some nights we opted to do room service while looking over the pristinely blue water, and other times we tried the restaurants. **Of course, we had to get the pineapple pizza at one point 😉
What would a good vacation be without embarrassing moments? One night I tried to take a picture of the new Mrs. Aniston when she was only tables away from us. We were dining at Sunset Grille surrounded by fire tiki poles that lit up the dark sky and the sound of the waves softly crashing around us. I probably ruined her perfectly romantic dinner as my camera flash lit up the entire area. I wanted to bury myself in a hole. I was mortified. If she noticed, she was sweet enough not to say anything. Also, while on the treadmill, Jason Bateman came in. Jason-freaking-Bateman. He started running a couple treadmills down from me, and we were the only two in the room. I tried to think of anything to say, and nothing came to mind. I truly understand the meaning of speechless now. I could not think of a single word. He asked if I would mind if he turned the music down. I said, “yes, of course” probably a bit too excitedly, but hey whatevs. He gets it, he’s him. I continued to try to think of any kind of conversation starter but felt so overwhelmed, like I might have a stroke, so I left. I LEFT. Who just leaves when a movie star is within conversational distance?! HELLO. I still want to smack myself to this day. My Aniston picture ended up being a picture of my kneecap as I quickly turned the camera with the flash away, so we won’t share that… However, I asked the waitress to take a picture of us one night hoping she would capture our friends (Jimmy Kimmel, Jason Bateman, and their two wives) in the background, and sure enough she did!!! This is one of my favorite little grainy pictures from the whole trip.
I loved doing yoga, handstands, and sunbathing on our back deck. We would watch for stingreys and angel rays off the back too.
Luckily, there was only one day where it rained the entire trip. The rest of the time it was bright blue, sunny skies. However, I didn’t mind the refreshing tropical storm. I love storms in general. This picture was taken before it hit. The photo captures the mood, which was quite ominous, but strikingly beautiful as well.
At one point during the week we received a couple’s massage. It was maybe the most relaxing hour of my entire life. The spa location was just breathtaking. The hot tub faces out into the foliage of palm trees, tropical plants, and the characteristically blue water. It was truly paradise.
We awoke from our Polynesian dream and had to head back to reality. La Orana!!!!
Wishing you rest and relaxation this weekend,
xo <3
Mack
Well, you visited Paradise for sure. Such a wonderful place to visit. Thank you for sharing such wonderful photographs.
P.S. In the pic where you are doing a handstand; if I may ask- What made you want to view paradise upside down? 😀
Haha! I had to make sure that it looked that good from all different perspectives, ya know?
That’s an awesome reply, Marie. 🙂
Favorite pics – walking bridge, lagoon and snorkeling! (All are good!)
Thanks, Ronald!
Ooookay I don’t even know where to start. First off: could that place be any more picture-perfect? You and your husband are so cute together, and you can really see how perfectly happy you are! ALSO, Jennifer Aniston is my favorite EVER so I can’t even explain how cool I think it is that you saw her (and the rest of those famous guys!) But most of all…. that SUSHI. I could live on sushi (even after an awful day of food poisoning due to it haha) and that seafood looked incredible. You take great pictures, and I love that your personality shows through in your writing!
Thanks so much, Anna for your sweet words!!!!! And seriously she was a dream, she seemed so down to earth and was playing with the other couples’ kids… It was precious!!!! And yesssss-The sushi!!! This was the first place my husband discovered he loved sushi. The king crab rolls were to die for! Hopefully there is no more food poisoning for ya in the future! 😉 Glad it didn’t scare ya away, what is life without sushi!? Have a great weekend 🙂
these are beautiful photos!!! 😍😍😍 You and your hubby are adorable!! xo
Thank you so much, Hannah! You are so sweet ❤️❤️
Paradise, Indeed! You are fabulous, Marie!
Thank you, Amy!!! You are so kind! Xx
Beautiful. Congratulations!
Thank you!
This post has made me so happy! Absolutely gorgeous photos- the FOOD! And man, that ring! You have absolutely put Bora Bora very close to the top of my travel bucket list!
~ Kat ~
Thanks for reading,Kat!!!!! And for the sweet words 🙂 Im glad it is now on the list- you won’t regret it 😉 xox
WOW Marie, what a fantastic Post, beautiful pictures and just a great post to read. You are so adventurous, swimming with sharks. I mean, I’d love to see them but from a distance 🙂
Hehe- thanks so much for reading 🙂 and I think most people would feel the same way as you about the Sharks 😉 But what is more symbolic for marriage than jumping in shark infested waters?! Lol! Have a great weekend ❤️
Oh my goodness! Well if that isn’t paradise, I don’t know what is!
Looking at the photographs and reading the story made me feel as if I was there… My travel spirit has just woken up after a (too) long sleep and wants to get out to the world! Btw, I you are such a beautiful couple with DJ, it is great to see so much joy on your faces 🙂
Aww thank you 🙂 I am so glad to have awoken the travel bug!!!! Please keep us posted on your next adventure 🙂
Wonderful blues and a fantastic location for a honeymoon! Looks like sheer perfection!
Frank
Thank you, Frank :)!
Looks like heaven on earth Mack. How lovely to find your blog and what a beautiful first post to immerse myself in. It reminded me so much of my own honeymoon in the Maldives. Congrats to you too newly weds and cheers from down under. xo 🙂
Aww I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I have heard absolutely wonderful things about the Maldives too! Thank you for the kind words ❤️
My pleasure. And the Maldives were magical, much like Bora Bora. Keep smiling. xo
Absolutely beautiful photos and commentary! Your voice simply leaps from the page.
May I ask, how long was your trip? My husband and I wanted to go to Bora Bora for our honeymoon as well, but he couldn’t get more than a week off from work, and we didn’t want to cut into our relaxation with the amount of travel time required. Some day we’ll get there!
Hey Stephanie! I am so glad you enjoyed the post 🙂 We were there for 8 nights with one night in Tahiti if I am remembering correctly. It does require quite a bit of travel – but it is so worth it! I understand it’s hard to get away, but if the time ever frees up for an anniversary trip or something I HIGHLY recommend going here 🙂
WOW! What a fab time you two had. The various blues are amazing, especially the colour of the water.
Thank you for checking it out, Kim! I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
I’ll join the chorus of WOWs now. 🙂 Gorgeous pictures and you are radiating happiness. <3
Thanks, Nikki ❤️
Oh Mack what a wonderful post!!! You both look so happy 😄 I’m so glad for you, plus I love Frank’s photo challenge so great to see you there as well. Yay!
The food looks glorious (who knew airplane food could look that good) and the path to your cottage is so blessed. You are so awesome and I’m glad to connect with you on this blog. Take good care 💖😄🌼
Thank you so much, Debbie! Participating in the post was so fun!! And I’m glad to keep up with your lovely and insightful posts as well ❤️ have a wonderful week!
You too, Mack! Thank you 😄
Beautiful moments of your life in pictures. I wish u guys all the best and many more… 🙂 I’m sure it’s something u guys will remember forever!
Thank you so much! That’s so kind of you. And yes – certainly a memory for a lifetime <3
Oh wow! I savored every word and photo of this! What an amazing honeymoon and I can’t believe all those famous folks were there. I hope to go one day!
Thanks for checking it out, I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Put it at the top of your travel list- it’s the best! 😍
Simply Beautiful!
beautiful place for a honeymoon:)
Stunning photos. We went to Bora Bora many years ago and loved it.
STUNNING!! I have always wanted to go to Bora, Bora. Every picture i have ever seen has been beyond amazing. I am begging my partner but he thinks we should save it for something special, like a honey moon. That could honestly be years away, haha. What do you think? Everyday location or special spot worth the wait?
Worth the wait!!!!!! It’s amazing- nothing can possibly beat this location!!!!! If you ever go you have to let me know how you enjoyed it!
Just fabulous 🙂
Congrats!
Thanks so much 🙂
Kenz, just went thru all the Bora Bora pictures and the wedding pictures. all the wedding ones made me smile and cry
God has blessed you so much and you both are very deserving of his love. Hope all is well with you both.
Your Mom had a wonderful time with you and am sure you had a great time with Rachel . Love you both
Gramma
Thanks so much Gramma!!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Love you!
Wow, lucky you. That is my dream trip! Thank you for sharing.
No problem- I truly hope you get the chance to one day!!! SO worth it!
Ia orana indeed, and my compliments to bot newlyweds. Bora Bora has a ring of magic in the very name. Glad you enjoyed it. And as for ia (or la) orana there is a Gauguin painting by that name, I think it is at the Met in NY. Have a lovely week-end. Brian
Thank you so much!! How kind of you! And it was certainly magical. I will definitely be checking out that painting- thank you for the information! Also gives me an excuse to go to NY again!!! Have a great weekend!
Thank you. And a good week to you. (Met and MOMA are perfect excuses to go to NY)
Omg I can’t wait to travel here some day! Ive heard so many good things about the 4 seasons resort!
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It is truly the BEST! The staff was the greatest too. I promise you would not regret it!
Beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing
Thank you so much, Dahlia! <3
Oh, my! I love the eel and sharks. Wish I could go there right now.