Budget 'Moons: Town and Country

I decided to play guinea pig and try out our next budget moon; a 50/50 split between town and country with a romantic twist. My husband is very in to the outdoors and I'm more of a city girl so when it came to putting a romantic getaway together that was affordable, we found ourselves splitting the week between two fun destinations. Here's how it all played out:

The first half of our vacation week was spent camping at Deception Pass State Park. While I admit, camping doesn't sound like the most romantic of vacay's, I must implore to you it's not where you camp, but how you camp (although, the view isn't too bad in this area, I must say!)

Thanks to the Washington State Parks website, you can get specs on various camping sites and are able to book a reservation online. We chose a partial waterview site that offered plenty of privacy and were set! For sleeping arrangements, we opted for as many cushions, pillows and blankets as our 3-person tent would allow and created a luxurious little nest that would offer sleep to even the pickiest of people.

For food, we strayed off the beaten path and went camping gourmet. Our menu offered easy to prepare food that was far from the usual hotdog over the fire. Breakfasts included breakfast burritos with chorizo sausage, salsa, eggs and cheese in organic wheat and corn tortillas and oatmeal made with whole milk, cashews, blueberries, maple syrup and a wee bit of peanut butter (my fave). Our favorite lunch involved grilling 4-cheese sourdough over the grill and melting baby swiss on it then topping it high with turkey breast with fresh berries on the side. Grilled flat iron steaks with roasted vegetables and gourmet chicken burgers with fresh bakery buns, bacon and slived cheddar were on the dinner menu. Best part was that each meal used minimal dishes and took less then 30 minutes to make.

Camping as a couple offers a lot of quiet time and solitude: perfect for newlyweds that want to stay bunked in the tent and cuddle all day. At our location, the beach was also a short walk away and strolling hand and hand along the sand at sunset was a daily activity. Other suggestions include renting a boat at the lake (also less then 5 minutes away walking), swimming, packing a picnic at the beach, hiking, reading or whatever your mind comes up with. We found after half a week in the wild, we came home rested, relaxed and ready for the next leg of our journey.

After a brief stop at home to unpack the camping gear, shower and get ready again, we were off to Seattle for the rest of the week. I grew up in Tacoma and while Seattle has always been right down the interstate, neither of us had ever taken the time to really see the city. We thought we'd give it a go!

We bought City Passes which had single admissions into Seattle's most popular attractions including the EMP, Science Center, Space Needle and Seattle Aquarium. Sadly, we hadn't visited any of those places before and thought we'd make up for lost time. Our days were spent exploring attractions, visiting shops and eating great food. We had dinner our first evening at The Pink Door, located in Post Alley near Pike Place (there's no sign, just look for a pink door). Not only was the food fantastic, but the cabaret style entertainment made it a highlight of our trip.

We took a gamble and purchased our hotel room via Hotwire. It works by showing you the location, amenities and star rating of a hotel but not giving you the hotel name (keeps the pricing competive). For under $150 a night, we were able to book at a 5-star hotel that was walking distance to everything!

So how did this trip stack up on pricing? Here's the breakdown (not including food in Seattle since that depends on where you go):

55.00 for the campsite
100.00 for camping food and supplies
500.00 for 4 nights at our 5-star hotel
108.00 for 2 adult city passes

$763.00 total :)