Choosing Your Honeymoon

The common image of a honeymoon destination is white sands, azure waters and two palm trees with a double hammock between them. But it doesn’t have to be! With more and more couples shunning the typical beach resort honeymoon for other more varied options, we explore the various options on offer.

Surf and Turf
If you fear stopping in one resort for the entire holiday will leave you climbing the walls, perhaps you would prefer a multi-destination holiday, where you can combine a relaxing beach break with the exotic rainforest, a desert landscape, or a modern city. Thailand is a popular destination for this kind of holiday, where you can combine a trip to bustling Bangkok, with elephant trekking in Chiang Mai, and then kick back on the sands of Koh Samui. Holidays in Africa and the Indian Ocean are perfect for combining the adventure of safari with the relaxation of the beach, or how about Central America for a reef and rainforest multi-stop honeymoon?

Activity and Adventure
If you yawn at the thought of a relaxing beach holiday, you could join hundreds of other newlyweds who opt for an adventure to remember for their honeymoon. Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, whitewater rafting the Zambezi, visiting the orang-utans in Borneo or sea kayaking in Baja Califonia, Mexico are just a few of the once-in-a-lifetime experiences on offer. Several companies specialise in these types of holidays, allowing you to see more of a country than just its coastline and ensuring you have very special memories to last you a lifetime.

A European Jaunt
A honeymoon doesn’t have to be far-flung and exotic, and our European neighbours have a lot to offer. With the average honeymoon costing around £3,000, if you were to get a budget flight to Italy, just think of all the money you would have left over for extravagant accommodation and dining! You probably won’t need a visa and you won’t need to worry about inoculations or malaria tablets. For total seclusion, you could also consider hiring your own villa, complete with swimming pool to guarantee you escape the crowds of holidaymakers.

Winter Magic
With winter weddings gaining in popularity, snow and ice honeymoons are also a growing trend. What could be more romantic than cuddling up next to a log fire after a hard day on the slopes? The fantastic French Alps are a short plane-ride away or travel a little further-afield and you have your choice of luxurious resorts in USA and Canada. If hurling yourself down a mountain on skis isn’t your idea of romantic fun, then how about snowmobiling and spa-going in Iceland? Or husky sledding in Swedish Lapland before relaxing with a well-chilled vodka at the famous Ice hotel? Or for a more gentile option, arrange a visit to the famous Christmas markets of Austria and Germany.

On the Doorstep
Why even go abroad at all? With 781 islands, 68 castles, hundreds of miles of coastline, remote beaches, mountains, glens and countless golf courses in the Highlands alone, you could have a fantastic honeymoon in Bonnie Scotland. Then there are the rolling hills of Wales, the stunning backdrops of the Lake District, and the beautiful beaches of Cornwall. You won’t need a passport or phrase book and there’ll be no getting used to exchange rates!

Make a Gift of It!
With an estimated four in ten couples now asking for money towards their honeymoon in place of traditional gifts, a honeymoon wedding list makes perfect sense. HoneyMoney (www.honeymoney.co.uk) provides a wedding list where you divide up your honeymoon itinerary into affordable portions so that your friends and family can buy you anything from a night in a hotel or a romantic meal, to an elephant safari or hot air balloon ride. This means that not only do you avoid the awkward situation of asking people for money, but your guests feel that they are actually buying you a tangible gift – and hopefully one that you will remember forever!


By Marianne Rogerson
Marianne Rogerson – Honeymoney

www.honeymoney.co.uk