The morning after our wedding we woke up for an early flight to the beach with our passports in hand! We did a lot of research about where to go for our week long honeymoon and since I was starting back to school the next Monday and Chas having his first day of work that same day, we decided to stay fairly close and took a 4 hour direct flight to the Dominican!

Our only requirements when searching for the perfect place to honeymoon were 1. the beach, 2. all-inclusive, 3. adult-only and 4. private. plunge. pool. (that was actually only on my wishlist) {wink}. We decided on Excellence El Carmen in Punta Cana. My parents went to Excellence Riviera Cancun and so many of my friends raved about Excellence Playa Mujeres, so we decided to do the newest location, El Carmen, that just opened last December!

Let’s talk about the room! Oh my heavens, it had everything you’ll ever need from a private plunge pool (our favorite!), an outdoor canopy bed + a daybed, sectional couch, an indoor jacuzzi tub and two T.V.s (which we didn’t really use). They even stock the mini fridge each day with snacks (including Oreos!) and drinks. We requested the Terrace Suite with Plunge Pool, but we both agreed we hit the jackpot with the location. It was far enough away from the night life, but still had a beautiful, intimate view of the ocean. Most of the mornings we ordered room service for breakfast and the waffles + fresh fruit were my favorite!

The bathroom has a double vanity, a dreamy rain shower and his + her slippers and robes.

You can still use the code “MADELINE25” to get 25% off your own pair of DIFF Eyewear! I’m wearing the Cruz pair, but I also love the Barry frames.

There are a few pools around the property. We were surprised at how quiet and calm everything was! There were not a lot of people there when we went in late May, beginning of June. The weather was beautiful for our stay – there was a rainstorm on the last day, but we were thankful to have sunshine for the majority of the trip! And every bride needs a white one-piece for her honeymoon!

One of my favorite honeymoon outfits was this yellow gingham set. The day before my wedding my mom gave me these darling Marley Lilly sandals with my new monogram on them!

I recommend bringing a selfie-stick with you on your honeymoon – it came in quite handy for those days where you can’t find a sweet stranger to take your picture.

Another one of my favorite high-waisted gingham swimsuits last seen in this post.

We dressed up for dinner each night (p.s. – the humidity in the Dominican is real! It was pointless to even try and style my hair haha) and tried some of the 12 restaurants they have to offer throughout the week we were there. Agave, the restaurant pictured on the right had yummy Mexican food!

So many beautiful plants and flowers that dressed the grounds of the resort.

This was the perfect beach bag (which is currently on sale for $16!) + white caftan coverup to take down to the pool!

Each day by the pool there was some kind of activity wether it be a frisbee contest or water aerobics (one of the more entertaining ones to watch). They also have kayaks that you can rent for free and take out into the ocean.

Chez Isabelle was by far my favorite restaurant. The black and white checkered tile and Parisian inspired ambiance created an elegant evening.

Everyday (okay maybe 2-3 times a day) we ventured to the cute coffee shop, Aroma, which has a number of yummy baked goods, but I just went for the gelato! With an all inclusive mindset I had no regrets getting multiple cookies + cream cones.

Such a special week with my husband. I’m so thankful to get to do life together everyday now.

We loved our stay at Excellence El Carmen + can’t wait to plan our next trip to try out another Excellence resort! Feel free to email me or leave a comment below if you have any questions!

bloom & grow forever,

Mr. + Mrs. Taylor