What’s the point of a honeymoon? For previous generations, it was a chance to shut yourselves away from the outside world and savour some intimate time together. That was before most couples lived together before marriage. While modern honeymoons clearly aim to be romantic, many people see them now as a chance to explore the world or just relax after a stressful wedding period.
But choosing a honeymoon from the endless options now available can be pretty stressful in itself. So we’ve teamed up with 101 Honeymoons to narrow down the choices and select just 10 cracking honeymoon ideas, whether you want to see the world or just study the room service menu.
Mauritius is a great choice for a honeymoon – it offers silky white beaches, excellent hotels and dazzling natural wonders, from waterfalls to volcanoes. The climate is good all year round, there are direct overnight flights from the UK and the time difference is just three hours. Trou Aux Biches is the only hotel on the island with private pool suites bang on the beach. It’s a great choice.
The idea of an all-inclusive hotel has a lot of appeal if you need to keep a tab on costs. Unfortunately, many of them – particularly in the Mediterranean – are disappointing. But there’s an emerging trend for hotels to offer a five-star experience with all-inclusive prices. The best example is IKOS Resorts which has properties on the Halkidiki Peninsula in Northern Greece along with the islands of Corfu and Kos. As well as offering a la carte dining in a choice of restaurants, you can also opt to “dine around” in local restaurants.
If you want to avoid the hassle of international travel, how about renting a romantic cottage for two in the UK? Classic Cottages has more than 1,000 cosy cottages for two in the West Country, the majority in Cornwall and Devon and the Isle of Wight, either on the coast or deep in the countryside. A great option if you want to hide from the world.
If you’d like to do Africa in style, take a look at Virgin Limited Edition, which is Sir Richard Branson’s personal collection of exclusive places to stay. You could hole up in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains at Kasbah Tamadot, or savour a luxury safari experience at Ulusaba in South Africa. At Mont Rochelle, in the Klein Dassenberg mountain range, you can take over the whole hotel for a spectacular wedding.
Sicily offers great beaches, sensational food and culture in spades. Sicilian Places offers a choice of hotels and villas, with the chance to explore Mount Etna and the gorgeous town of Taormina. Sicily enjoys a long season: it gets crowded with Italian tourists in August, but it’s absolutely perfect for a spring or autumn wedding.
Does a USA road trip take your fancy? California is the most popular honeymoon destination in America and with good reason. You’ll find year-round sunshine, golden beaches, exciting cities and great food and wine. You could combine the Mid-Century style of Palm Springs or the epic landscapes of Death Valley and Yosemite. Don’t miss the coastal drive along Highway 1 from San Francisco to Carmel and Monterey.
If you crave the exotic, Cambodia is a wise choice, especially if you plan a winter honeymoon. The jungle temples of Angkor will undoubtedly top your wish-list, but there are other exciting options including a cruise along the Tonle Sap river and a stay at the 4 Rivers Floating Lodge deep within a mangrove forest.
It’s hard to beat Paris for romance. You can get there easily by Eurostar or travel on the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Picking the right hotel is key: the five-star Lancaster is a great luxury option, while the Relais Christine has all the charm and style of the Left Bank.
Over-water villas are a big thing in the Maldives, but they’ve now arrived in the Caribbean, where Sandals has luxury villas and suites with see-through glass floors in St Lucia and Jamaica. Each comes with a hot tub, over–the–water hammock for two, private infinity pool and butler service.
If you don’t mind a long flight, you’ll be blown away by the raw natural beauty of the Cook Islands. When you clap eyes on the lush volcanic mountains, the powder-white beaches and the coral-filled turquoise lagoons, you won’t regret all those hours in the air. And the islands are easy to combine with New Zealand, Singapore and Los Angeles on a round-the-world ticket.
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