· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Top 5 destinations for a luxury honeymoon

From dining under the stars at a lantern-lit beach table to sipping champagne from a private infinity pool and watching wildlife from a safari camp, a honeymoon is a chance to head on what is truly your dream luxury holiday. So, we’ve picked out some of the very best places to celebrate after your big day – whatever your ideal romantic getaway may be. Here are just five of our favourite destinations and luxury hotels perfect for kicking off your happily ever after. South East Asia From private-pool luxuries to gourmet cuisine and stylish but excellent-value hotels, the permanently sun-soaked scenery of South East Asia’s vibrant cities, white-sand beaches and enchanting culture draws honeymooners in time and time again. To accompany the surrounds, there’s an abundance of luxury hotels that all make for the ultimate romantic trip, with everything from drinking champagne at secret waterfalls to intimate sunset cruises and candlelit dinners on your own private island on offer. One of our favourites is Thailand’s The Sarojin on the coastline of Phang Nga, a secluded boutique gem with sprawling plunge pools, the perfect spot for a late-night cocktail and some stargazing as you soak with your loved one. Over the border in Cambodia, Song Saa Private Island ticks all the boxes for a honeymoon in blissfully secluded, barefoot luxury. Think infinity pools, shaded day beds, quiet sandy beaches and dining with 360-degree views. Then, Vietnam’s exquisite Six Senses resort on Con Son Island is just a short flight from Ho Chi Minh City, meaning you can step off the plane to dreamy indulgences in no time. Alongside private pools, a luxury spa, butler service and unobstructed sea views, there’s a gorgeous beach restaurant where locally-caught seafood is served as you dine with your toes in the sand for the perfect romantic sunset dinner. Southern & East Africa Africa may be vast, but its honeymoon experiences are exclusively luxurious. One of our top picks is tracking the Big Five in Tanzania with a stay on the border of Tanzania’s incredible Ngorongoro caldera – with its eponymous Crater Camp possibly the country’s most romantic lodge. From your private tent, step outside and feel like you’re gazing back in time as you track wildebeest, lion, elephant and the elusive leopard, coming back to dinner on the crater floor around a roaring fire and gazing up at the star-filled African sky. It’s wonderfully paired with a stay on Zanzibar’s tiny &Beyond Mnemba Island, one of the Africa’s most private and glamorous retreats. From personal beachside cabins, enjoy barefoot luxury on your own stretch of beach alongside romantic candlelit dinners and private sunset dolphin cruises. Or, perhaps combine it with a thrilling trip to Rwanda to come face-to-face with mountain gorillas for an adventure you and your partner will never forget, staying in jungle-hidden luxury lodges. Finally, for a truly indulgent safari, head to Botswana. There’s everything from walking with elephants in the Okavango Delta to sleeping under the starry African sky at some of Africa’s most luxurious safari lodges that vaunt private pools, gourmet dining and wine cellars. Scandinavia For adventure-seeking couples, honeymooning in Scandinavia is both a thrilling and luxury choice. Picture venturing into the wilderness together among snow-dusted forests, private hot tubs and cosy log fires under star-scattered skies and the Northern Lights. Plus, from the jagged mountains of Norway to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, the backdrops that Scandinavia has to offer mean that your honeymoon pictures will be truly memorable. Perhaps opt for a stay at the ICEHOTEL, snuggling up at -5C under reindeer skins for a true bucket-list experience; you could even combine it with sleeping in a luxury treehouse alongside fireside dinners and private picnics under the dancing light of the auroras. Or, perhaps celebrate your fairy-tale beginnings with a trip to a heated glass igloo in Finnish Lapland, falling asleep under a canopy of stars and the Northern Lights after days exploring the unspoiled snow-swept landscape with snowshoeing, husky sledding and snowmobiling. For a serene retreat like no other after the buzz of your big day, make your way to Norway, with private yachts and luxury hotels on the shores of stunning fjords. You could even take a romantic drive along Norway’s famous Atlantic Road, or leave the shore behind with a private boat trip to go island hopping around the Lofoten Islands or Svalbard to spot polar bear, walrus and reindeer for an unforgettable Arctic honeymoon. Italy Italy simply exudes romance. Think warm summer evenings sipping champagne overlooking glittering lakes, indulgent seafood lunches on private boats and luxury train journeys among alpine landscapes, such as the iconic Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. For the ultimate romantic honeymoon with a difference, opt for a journey to Venice from London. After settling in to your private cabin, complete with personal steward, enjoy Michelin-starred dining in the beautifully restored restaurant cars before waking to explore Venice and its romantic cobbled streets with private boat trips and tours. Or, the pastel-coloured delights of the Amalfi coast provide more than enough romantic delights, from Capri’s sweeping cliff tops and charming sea-view jumbled towns to sophisticated Riviera rib boats and luxury hotels with sun-kissed terraces, bougainvillea gardens and fine-dining restaurants. The rest of the country provides plenty of romance, too, from sipping wine in sun-soaked Tuscan vineyards to luxury stays on the shores of Lake Como and relaxing on private beaches in Sicily. Australia & New Zealand Their faraway location means Australia and New Zealand may not instantly be synonymous with honeymoons. But, adventurous couples in particular will delight, with everything from bungy jumping to jet boating on offer and more serene options ranging from horse treks to scenic helicopter trips above snow-capped mountains and renowned wineries. It’s all done alongside an abundance of luxury lodges that provide the perfect base for everything from scuba diving in colourful reefs to tasting freshly-shucked oysters. One of our favourites is New Zealand’s Huka Lodge on the banks of the Waikato, combining the great outdoors and gourmet food to wonderful effect with couples cottages, landscaped gardens and secret pools alongside spa treatments and private dining in wine cellars and orchards. It’s best paired with a hop over to Australia for everything from walks among monolithic Uluru from a luxury private tented camp to sipping world-class wines at luxury vineyard lodges and stays on secluded islands, such as Kangaroo Island’s Southern Ocean Lodge. Situated on the coast that’s, as expected, dotted with its eponyms, honeymooners can expect private and indulgent suites, gourmet restaurants and a spa with stunning sea views. Dave Warne is Product Director at The Luxury Holiday Company. The Luxury Holiday Company offers completely bespoke holidays designed to deliver unrivalled luxury, arranged by specialists who have more than 200 years of collective travel experience. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

Did you enjoy this article?

Receive similar content direct to your inbox.

17 Comments

  1. Reading between lines honeymoons seem to have changed a lot since my day. Now it seems that the emphasis is on shared experiences and there are some pretty impressive experiences on offer too. I like the idea of couples doing magical and memorable things together that will stick in their minds for the rest of their married lives. A Scandi honeymoon to the Ice Hotel would be really different. I would have loved to have done that, so romantic.

    1. We agree Julie – the ICEHOTEL is one of my all-time favourites and very romantic!

  2. As an unattached singleton it is really exciting to think that maybe one day I could be heading off on one of these dream honeymoons with my dream man though I’m yet to find him.

    A whole cluster of my friends are getting married in 20220. At the moment a lot of them are talking about leaving a bit of a gap between the wedding and the honeymoon. I doubt that any of them will head off on honeymoon straight after the wedding. I would like that as a wedding must be a highly emotional day and it’s probably a good thing to recharge emotionally especially if you are going to travel a long way to your honeymoon destination.

  3. It is all so different to the options when I got married. What makes honeymoons so very different nowadays is the set-up. Many couples have lived together for a few years and gathered together their home. No need to put cutlery, toasters and washing machine on their wedding lists. Asking for contributions to a holiday of a lifetime honeymoon is the way to go nowadays.

    My parents bought us a three piece suite that disintegrated and ended up at the local skip many moons ago. I would be much happier giving my son and future wife a contribution to a honeymoon so that they can go take a hot-air balloon over the Serengeti or go wine-tasting in the Barossa Valley or swim with dolphins so that they have a shared experience that they will remember forever.

    1. You’re right Carolyn – a honeymoon is certainly one of the most wonderful and memorable presents you can give. I’m sure that would make your son and daughter-in-law over the moon!

  4. What if you designed a questionnaire on the key ingredients for a brill honeymoon what would the top five come out as? And what order would they be in?

    Great beach
    Gourmet food
    Infinity pool
    Wildlife watching
    Champagne
    Perfect service
    Luxury suites
    Peaceful romantic location

    Have I missed anything?

    1. What a great idea Jim. That sounds like the ultimate honeymoon list – gourmet food is definitely up there for me!

    2. I know that I should really say something first like, “It doesn’t matter where I am as long as I am with the man I love …” but …

      It’s got to be location, location, location which has to be at the heart of the decision. In my eyes you need some space to carry on getting to know each other.

    3. Although I am well past the Honeymoon phase of life, my vote goes for luxury suites. Whenever I travel I tend to pay the extra for a Suite, especially if we are going to be in a hotel for more than 3 or 4 nights. Some hotel rooms can be a little too “bijoux” and I like to have room to unpack. If it’s going to be my home for a few days I’m going to need the luxury of space to unpack.

      I now it sounds boring but I have a busy job and I never get to read at home. As far as I’m concerned you can’t beat a separate living area, perhaps with a balcony, where I can get stuck into a good book.

  5. Scandinavia is coming out of left-field as a honeymoon suggestion. I don’t like excessive heat and I don’t like sitting by a pool so it would be quite a good suggestion for me. Though as no one has even proposed to me yet I might be jumping a head a bit too far.

    1. Agreed Lydia, we think Scandinavia makes for a truly unforgettable honeymoon. And you can never plan too far ahead when it comes to luxury holidays!

  6. Looking back I wish that I had read this post 17 years ago. We just didn’t know what was out there in the way of honeymoons. At the time we didn’t realise what a great opportunity it was to travel and try new things. We had an OK honeymoon but we neither stepped out of our comfort zone nor fully into the luxury zone. Soon after the children came along which cut the budget for travel and also limited what we could do. If you’ve got the chance for an awesome honeymoon grab it.

    1. It’s true, there certainly seems to be limitless options nowadays. Though holidays like these are also a great chance to celebrate a big occasion, too, like anniversaries and birthdays!

  7. Going to Scandinavia to stay in the ICEHOTEL is certainly quite a novel one when it comes to what a honeymoon is stereotypically thought to involve, like beaches and warmer weather. It would definitely be a distinctive talking point for your family & friends when you get home, and a story to pass on through generations! Going to Australia would be a Honeymoon I’d love, though I think you’d want a few weeks there to appreciate it and enjoy it fully. A good excuse for a few weeks away celebrating your wedding though!

    1. Agreed Lorna, new, unusual ways to honeymoon are certainly becoming more popular! ICEHOTEL and Australia are definitely contradictory – we’re not sure which we’d choose! Both make for very memorable holidays indeed.

  8. Whenever I think of honeymoon destinations, beachfront villas are always on the top of my list. Among these five destinations, I prefer going to Southeast Asia ,and Southern and East Africa. These two offer great villas and cabins that gives people the comfort of home. Aside from that, they also serve scrumptious delicacies with exquisite drinks that tourists certainly enjoy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *