Honeymoons are for newlyweds, but why should the just-married have all the fun? All couples enjoy getting away to secluded, romantic hideaways—especially when it’s time is to make a baby. The following retreats offer “conception-moon” packages for couples who want to use their vacation for procreation. A little alone time, a romantic setting, and special amenities create the perfect environment for kick-starting the babymaking process.
Five Gables Inn and Spa
This Maryland inn, nestled near Chesapeake Bay, offers a Birds and Bees package that accommodates couples for two nights in their own private suite, featuring a double whirlpool, Swedish shower, and a gas fireplace to cozy up to while romantic music plays in the background. The package also includes a one-hour couple’s massage, an oysters-and-wine dinner at a nearby pub, boxer shorts for the men, and a discount on the inn’s Bundle of Joy package for new moms and dads—should the Birds and Bees prove successful! For more information, visit fivegables.com or call 877-466-0100.
Tides Riviera Maya
This luxury Mexican resort, close to Cancún, offers couples an ancient Mayan fertility ritual that begins with Xtabentum, a honey- and anise-flavored liqueur that the Mayans used to induce a deeper connection to the divine. Once the liqueur is consumed, couples are wrapped in blankets of seeds, symbolizing fertility, and gently massaged while poetry and songs of love are chanted to the accompaniment of native drums. For more information on the mystical Mayan fertility package, visit tidesrivieramaya.com/spa/rituals.html or call 800-578- 0281.
Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort
The Fertile Turtle package at this Florida resort is available from May through September, during the mating season of the sea turtle, a fertility symbol in some cultures. A couple’s massage with chaste berry—an herb thought to increase fertility by balancing the sex hormones—is also included in the package, as is access to the spa’s pool, sauna, and other amenities. Couples who conceive while on their visit will receive a complimentary three-night stay for a return visit. For more information, visit marcoislandmarriott.com/vacation_packages.php or call 800-438-4373.
The Beachmere Inn
In the Mood for Baby is the name of the package at this grand hotel located in Ogunquit, Maine. Couples are given an oceanfront room bedecked with orchids (an ancient fertility symbol). Dinner for two in one of the town’s romantic restaurants is included, as is a meal of oysters on the half-shell (considered an aphrodisiac) and champagne. Finally, couples can indulge in an aromatherapy bath by candlelight, while listening to a CD of love songs. The package, which includes a gift for the baby-to-be, is available year-round. For more information, visit beachmereinn.com/packages.cfm#baby or call 207-646-2021.
A version of this article originally appeared in the Spring 2010 issue of Conceive.
