Mini Honeymoon at the Coeur d’Alene Resort
Two months ago today my husband and I got married in beautiful Bozeman, Montana – our second home, our alma mater, the place we met.
We chose a late September wedding to avoid the unpredictable summer weather and chaos of harvest. But despite our best planning efforts, the forecast predicted rain, clouds and a thick haze from the fall fires…
Photo by Cali Frankovic Photography
…I was freaking out. My best friend and family members urged me to stop checking the weather channel and just go with the flow. There was nothing I could do to change the forecast. So I finally gave up worrying and as it turns out…the sun was shining on our big day and the smokey haze had lifted to reveal a spectacular view of the Bridger mountains. There was a little rain storm after the ceremony but it produced the most beautiful double rainbow I have ever seen. My heart was completely overjoyed and I couldn’t help but feel anything but thankful for the life god has given me.
The morning after our wedding we had breakfast with family, packed up the car and started making our way back to Portland. Between our trip to Jamaica in February and all of our wedding festivities we didn’t have enough vacation days to do a big honeymoon this year so we started looking at local, northwest destinations. It didn’t take us long to settle on the Coeur d’ Alene Resort – a beautiful destination that just happened to be on our way back home.
When we arrived at the resort our suitcases were whisked away to our room, our golf bags were taken to the course and we were promptly checked in. Much to our surprise, the woman at the front desk told us we had been upgraded to a corner room in the Lake Tower with a sunken living room, king bed, roman bathtub and a fireplace. We took the elevator to our room and found champagne on ice, chocolate covered strawberries, candles and flowers waiting for us (courtesy of my new sister-in-law)…talk about feeling spoiled!
The amazing view from our room
We didn’t realize how spoiled we were until we woke up in the morning and opened the remote-controlled curtains to check out the view (it was dark when we arrived so we had no idea what to expect). We immediately rescheduled our massage appointment and purchased tickets for the next Lake Cruise so we could get out on the water and see more. The dock was within walking distance of the resort and when we arrived we discovered cocktails, chairs and tables on deck. We grabbed a drink and sat around the railings for completely unobstructed views of the lake, its natural surroundings and amazing lakefront properties.
The next day we were in for much-needed treat: a couples massage. My husband was hesitant to partake in this part of the honeymoon but I convinced him it would be a great stress reliever after the wedding. And I was right. The 10 million dollar spa delivered flawlessly. For one glorious hour we were pampered in a suite with a fireplace and side-by-side heated waterbed massage tables. If you are on your honeymoon or even a trip with your significant other: do not miss this.
On the last day of our trip we golfed 18 holes at Coeur d’Alene’s world-famous course. Neither of us had ever golfed with a caddy before and we were a little nervous about getting paired with some of the pros we had seen warming up at the driving range. We ended up getting paired with an older couple from Canada who were getting ready to spend the winter in Arizona. They were very sweet and patient when I chose to “sit this one out“, as was our caddy (who had a staggering handicap). The course was absolutely gorgeous and my husband parred the floating green. The perfect end to a fantastic honeymoon!
View of the resort from the lake cruise
Aboard the Coeur d’Alene lake cruise
Hagadone (owner of the resort) Lakefront Property
Home perched on top of a rock
Us out on the balcony
View from Lake Tower Room
Opposite view from our room
Wooden boat for transport to the golf course
The famous floating green
Attempting the floating green
Transportation to floating green
Personalized honeymoon golf tags (our caddy rocked!)
After parring the floating green (my husband, not me)
Our honeymoon ride equipped with a StowAway Hitch Cargo Carrier
A special thank you to Deborah McDaniel, head of Coeur d’Alene Resort promotions, for helping us plan our getaway and ensuring the staff knew it was a special time for us. Those little touches made all the difference.
