Planning a relaxing vacation before your new baby arrives? Read my tips for how to plan the perfect babymoon, including tips for traveling while pregnant and why I chose the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North for my babymoon.
I love any reason to travel and the idea of a babymoon sounded wonderful to me. After all, it’s really just a relaxing vacation a few months before your new baby arrives. Since we decided to remodel half of our house at the beginning of the year in addition to planning for the arrival of our first child, I knew that a few relaxing weekends or weeks away were definitely needed. Read on for tips to plan the perfect babymooon, including why I chose the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North as the best location for the trip.
Most of the tips below are relevant for any type of travel, but are especially important when pregnant.
How to plan the perfect babymoon
Enjoy the time before your new baby arrives and don’t be afraid to be pampered. Choose a location that offers additional amenities or perhaps a babymoon package. Enjoy time at the spa, dinner at the best restaurants or even just a few hours relaxing at the pool. Even though I pampered myself quite a bit on my babymoon, I wish I indulged a little more. Book an additional spa appointment or head to a restaurant that you always wanted to visit.
Trust me on this one. I am the queen of perfectly planned itineraries. I spend months planning my travel and know exactly what I am going to do when I arrive. I usually try to do as much as possible on a trip because I never know if I will return and want to enjoy the destination as much as possible. Don’t do anything but relax on your babymoon. Of course, this still means planning fun activities and pampering yourself, but don’t over plan or else you will leave tired and unrested.
(3) Choose a location that is convenient and minimize possible travel disruptions
The perfect babymoon could be just a car ride away or even a long international flight. Try to choose a destination that is either a short car ride or an easy flight. The last thing you want while pregnant is to be stuck in a car or airport for hours. We chose a location that we visited in the past because we were familiar with the travel and could arrive at the destination in relatively little time.
Choose a location with good food. Obviously, right? That means a location with a good selection of healthy choices and indulgent choices too. Before you leave for the trip, browse through the restaurant menus and make reservations at a few locations. When you arrive, you won’t have to worry about finding something good to eat.
(5) Book a quiet and comfortable room
Sleeping while pregnant can be challenging and sleep while traveling is even worse. I chose a resort where I knew I would be able to sleep well. Since we were mostly active during the day and stayed up later than usual, I was able to get some of the best sleep during my entire pregnancy while on my babymoon. Request a room in a quiet section of the resort and ask for additional pillows, if needed. Don’t be afraid to ask for whatever you need.
Choose a location where you can explore. Stay active, visit some place new and enjoy the time at your destination. We chose a destination we visited in the past but did some of the things we didn’t have a chance to do on our last trip.
Choosing the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale
For our babymoon, we chose a location that we visited in the past, that was easy to travel to and was zika-free. At first I considered visiting Europe or choosing a more intensive itinerary in the U.S., but decided I wanted to avoid any travel disruptions and really wanted the trip to be relaxing. Our babymoon was perfect. We fell in love with the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North last year and couldn’t wait to return. The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale is the perfect place to be pampered, relax, enjoy good food and explore the area.
Not only are the rooms beautiful and relaxing, but they offer a babymoon package filled with extra special amenities. I love to be pampered while traveling so the chocolate tasting amenity, maternity pillow, and monogrammed onesie for baby is a great touch.
Perhaps the best thing about visiting the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale is the easy access to top notch spa facilities. I booked my first maternity massage about halfway through the trip and it was the best way to relax. If I planned this trip again, I would probably take advantage of the spa even more.
Of course, with any trip I plan, food and outdoor adventures are top on my must-have list. The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale has everything I love. The resort is the perfect place to enjoy healthy meal offerings and also indulge a little. Our room was located in a quiet part of the resort overlooking the beautiful dessert landscape so we often enjoyed breakfast in our room before we headed out for an adventure, such as hiking Pinnacle Peak.
Proof Canteen, Saguaro Blossom and Talavera Restaurant are three of the best restaurants in Scottsdale and are located on property at the Four Seasons. I highly recommend a healthy and indulgent breakfast at Proof Canteen. Grab lunch poolside at Saguaro Blossom and don’t miss dinner at Proof too. Their comfort food offerings are too good to resist. Chicken and Waffles, King Crab Cocktail and Pretzel Knots are my personal favorites. Also, stop by their soda and ice cream fountain for a delectable sundae or milkshake!
I talked about my love for Talavera before and the restaurant is too good to miss on any trip to Scottsdale. The views overlooking the valley are the best in Scottsdale and the food and service are amazing too.
Arizona is a beautiful state and is one of my favorite states in the entire country. Scottsdale is a great location because it is convenient to everything within the Phoenix metro area and within a few hours drive to Sedona or even the Grand Canyon. After our visit to the Four Seasons Scottsdale, we also ventured to Sedona, hiked some more and enjoyed a relaxing babymoon.
Tips for traveling while pregnant
The tips below are things I’ve learned based on my own experience. I am not a medical professional so please consult your doctor before traveling while pregnant.
If you don’t already have TSA precheck (or Global Entry for international travel), I highly recommend it during pregnancy. Not only do you breeze through security but you don’t have to worry about taking your laptop and other large items out of your bag. While not necessary, it makes travel at the airport a lot easier.
Travel can be a strain on your body. Drink as much water as possible to stay hydrated.
I usually bring healthy snacks anytime I travel because you never know when you are going to be hungry and stuck without any good food. While pregnant, I snack multiple times a day so healthy options are always needed. Pack snacks such as nuts, whole fresh fruit, granola, trail mix, cheese and fresh cut veggies.
You will feel better if you stay active. Go for an early morning leisurely hike, swim in the afternoon and walk as much as possible.
(5) Travel during the 2nd trimester
During my pregnancy, I traveled by air and car during every trimester. It really wasn’t any different than traveling at any other time. Most of the time I was comfortable but the second trimester is definitely the time when you are feeling the best. I felt great during the second trimester so travel was easy.
Enjoy a balanced diet while traveling but don’t forget to indulge in some of your favorite foods.
For my babymoon, I partnered with the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. I chose the location and planned activities on my own based on my previous experience with the resort. As always, all opinions are my own.
