Is Windsor a nice place for a honeymoon? These newlyweds from Michigan sure think so

Michigan newlyweds Malea and Courtney Tipton didn't have to go far to get the honeymoon they were looking for after their March wedding.

"We found that Windsor was a really smooth, cool place to hang out," Courtney said. "We went over for a weekend and just had so much fun."

That was the couple's first impressions of Windsor when they visited for a birthday early on in their relationship. They are from Clinton Township — only about 40 kilometres from downtown Windsor. 

"It's like a real laid back environment that is still welcoming as well," Malea said.

"We knew that it was the place we wanted to have our honeymoon."

Malea says they knew they wanted to have their honeymoon just over the border — a decision she says was well-received back home. 

"I know the people I told, they were like 'I like that. It's different, but I can see why you guys chose Canada and chose Windsor,'" she said. "'It's quiet, it's chill. You guys will have a great time.'"

Courtney says he likes Windsor as a destination because, for him, crossing the border is enough for him to feel like he's on a getaway.

"For us, it's about a 45-minute trip and it feels like we travelled to Florida," he said.

"That was the first thing we recognized, was like 'wow' even though we can look back across the water and see where we essentially spend a lot of our time but we definitely like that getaway feeling without the hustle and bustle of getting on a plane or travelling hours and hours away."

Finding stuff to do in the region wasn't hard, however, thanks to the Windsor community, says Malea. She put a call out on the Windsor, Ontario Facebook page. That post garnered 196 comments filled with suggestions.

The couple says they enjoyed their stay in a downtown hotel, hit up the Jerk Festival and spent a day at a resort in Harrow. They also got a couple's massage in downtown and grabbed some good eats along the way — including at Neros Steakhouse in Caesars Windsor. It made Opentable.com's list of Canada's top 100 most romantic restaurants in 2023.

"I think a lot of people don't really appreciate or understand the gem that is Windsor.... You don't even have to look hard, like there's just so much going on," Malea said, adding that they were bummed they were going to miss T-Pain who was playing a concert the weekend after they left. 

The couple don't know when they'll be back but they're already looking ahead for the next opportunity.