A honeymoon might be the most romantic holiday you’ll ever take, so the pressure to achieve perfection is high. And with myriad destinations to choose from, it’s hard to know where to begin, whether you want petal-strewn beds and private beach dinners or something a little more understated.
We’ve found some of the best honeymoon spots around the world, inspired by celebrity weddings, fabled castaways and a few of our favourite places. There’s bound to be one that’s right for you…
Spend summer in Italy
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner stopped off on the Monte Argentario peninsula as part of their Italian honeymoon, putting a bit of Tuscany that’s traditionally been a celebrity secret firmly on the map.
Peppered with pebbly beaches and home to the seaside towns of Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano (both the epitome of la dolce vita), it offers hikes towards the water for gentle sea swims, boat trips to hidden coves and long evenings of aperitivi and spaghetti alle vongole.
© WireImage for Hotel Il PellicanoThe newlyweds reportedly stayed at the ultra-exclusive Hotel Il Pellicano, a destination where even a souvenir keyring costs £79. For those looking to splurge, the Erasmo suite at the boutique La Roqqa hotel – which comes complete with an outdoor tub on a panoramic roof terrace – is equally romantic. The hotel also owns the dreamy Isolotto beach club and offers the chance to book swimming excursions under starry skies.
How to book: The Erasmo suite costs from £2,500 per night (room only); double bedrooms start at £415 (laroqqa.com). Rome Fiumicino is the nearest airport.
Embrace Indian culture
Maharana Jagat Singh II was, by some accounts, a rather romantic soul. Stories suggest that he built his 18th-century palace on Lake Pichola, Udaipur, for moonlit picnics and secret assignations.
Today, however, Taj Lake Palace is a five-star hotel where newlyweds can wander through blossoming gardens and sleep in four-poster beds, before heading into the city to explore ancient temples, lotus gardens and buzzy, rainbow-hued back streets.
© Getty ImagesSee it all as part of a tailor-made trip with Wild Frontiers, which takes in Delhi, Jodhpur and Jaipur too, as well as expeditions into the countryside to search out tigers and elusive leopards.
© Getty ImagesHow to book: Two weeks cost around £4,235 per person, including some meals and excluding flights (wildfrontierstravel.com).
Get away to Scotland
A honeymoon doesn’t have to be far-flung to be romantic. Bringing a touch of American luxury to the Highlands, Dunton Destinations – established when its owners renovated an entire town in Colorado – has turned its attention to Scotland’s Kilchoan Estate on the remote Knoydart Peninsula, which can only be reached by ferry from Mallaig (or via a very demanding hike).
© Rebecca Reid/Waldo WorksThis is a place to wander through countryside that’s deserted save for Highland cattle, cuddle up near bonfires on empty beaches and enjoy evenings in hot baths, with whisky chasers. Its five cottages come with checked bedspreads and views of purple-hued hills, while the estate can arrange guided walks or Land Rover tours offering misty vistas of Inverie Bay, with packed lunches to fuel onward adventures.
How to book: A night costs from £1,200 per couple, all-inclusive (duntondestinations.com/kilchoan-estate). Inverness is the nearest airport.
Escape to Fiji
To experience Crusoe and Girl Friday moments, it’s worth heading as far away as possible. Dotted with some of the world’s best resorts, Fiji is having a moment, with a handful of new openings planned across its 300-plus islands.
For now, though, Vomo Island, which reopened in April, is perfect for trips a deux. This is archetypal coconut palm, ivory sand and warm water territory – 15 minutes by helicopter from Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu.
© Derek PhillipsBeachfront villas with huge outdoor bathrooms lend themselves to lounging, while there’s an adults-only bar and pool at the edge of the resort. Tear yourself away for picnics on the nearby island of Vomo Lailai or hike through shady trails to its highest point.
How to book: Combine five nights at Vomo with seven cruising the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands on a Blue Lagoon Cruise, from £6,995 per person, full-board, including flights (turquoiseholidays.co.uk).
Go wild in Tanzania
If one of you gets restless lying on a beach but the other can think of nothing better, consider combining time on the sand with a safari. Yellow Zebra’s three-stop holiday includes two of Tanzania’s most romantic camps, taking in the flamingo-filled Lake Manyara and the seemingly endless plains of the Serengeti, where wildebeest, lions and cheetah race, before ending on the white-sand beaches of Zanzibar.
© Getty ImagesIts safari camps are enchanting: there’s Manyara Green, lost in a forest that elephants and bush babies call home, and Serengeti Green, cast away in a particularly wildlife-heavy patch of national park and lit by a scattering of lamps when night falls.
© Malicky S. BoazSpend six days between them, then finish up on what may be the most beautiful beach in the world – the pristine, palm-backed stretch outside Zanzibar’s Pongwe Beach Hotel, boasting water that’s so turquoise it almost glows.
How to book: Ten nights cost from £6,756 per person, full board, including flights (yellowzebrasafaris.com).
Cosy up in Aspen
Mariah Carey chooses Aspen – every A-listers’ favourite ski resort – for many holidays a deux. And if it’s good enough for Mariah, it’s good enough for… well, anyone. This might be the most romantic place to ski in the world.
© GC ImagesWake early for exclusive sunrise trips to the pistes before they open to the public with The Little Nell, a cosy and luxurious hotel with a ski-in/ski-out spa, and stay up late for a snowcat trip to Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro, marooned in the Aspen Highlands.
Away from the slopes, there are romantic excursions aplenty, from nights at the Wheeler Opera House to candlelit French dinners at Mollie or sushi at Matsuhisa, a favourite of Leonardo DiCaprio.
How to book: Doubles at Little Nell cost from £807 per night, room only (thelittlenell.com). British Airways flies to Denver.
Soak up the sun in Mauritius
The Caribbean sometimes suffers from August hurricanes and early winter brings driving rain to parts of Thailand. Determining which honeymoon destination works with the date of your wedding can be difficult – unless you opt for Mauritius, which doesn’t really have an off-season thanks to balmy year-round temperatures and plenty of sunshine.
It is, however, cheaper in summer, when temperatures hover in the low twenties and sea visibility is better. Book into the St Regis Le Morne Resort, which reopened last year after a refurbishment and boasts a spectacular setting under the Unesco-listed Le Morne Brabant mountain. There’s a traditional pirogue boat to transport guests on sunset cruises or to picnics on secret beaches.
How to book: Tui has a week from £2,977 per person, B&B, including flights (tui.co.uk).
Go around the world
Having tied the knot in Madison Square Garden, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were never going to opt for a low-key honeymoon – so it follows that the A-list couple reportedly embarked on a round-the-world trip.
Given enough time, this is a surefire way to kick off married life in style. Whatever type of travellers you are, there are plenty of routes to choose, from the epic landscapes of Vancouver and New Zealand via Tokyo to a buzzy city-hopping trip to Vietnam, Australia and Canada (even if, unlike Taylor, you don’t have your own jet).
© Getty ImagesYou can build a custom trip with Trailfinders: one option is to stop in Las Vegas and Los Angeles before heading onwards to Australia’s national parks, Bali’s beaches and Singapore’s restaurants and bars.
© Getty ImagesHow to book: Trailfinders can arrange a variety of round-the-world trips – this route costs from £2,699, including flights and five nights’ accommodation along the way (trailfinders.com).
