When it comes to honeymoon destinations we’ve done it all… whisked lovers off to beach breaks in the Maldives, villas on the Amalfi Coast and city breaks in Paris. But the best post-wedding flyaways veer off the beaten path, with offbeat activities and a dash of adrenalin. We’ve found one-of-a-kind hotels for something-a-bit-different sweethearts and honeymoon hotspots for couples thinking beyond the beach…
Spain
Serious wine sipping
Say ¡Salud! to Spain’s wine region and get acquainted with the term Denominació d’Origen Qualificada (or DOQ) at Terra Dominicata, a romantic, rustic estate sitting pretty by the Serra de Montsant range. Its DOQ is Catalan’s wine region, famed for rich reds, which got a PR coup when a group of friends revived its vines, earning praise from Paris’s pickiest sommeliers. Spend your stay taking a private tasting at Clos de l’Obac winery (run by Bill Gates’ mate) or picnicking at Trossos del Priorat, or simply sipping the hotel’s own vintages by the pool, doting on that DOQ view. The ideal way to toast the start of your marriage.
Oman
Desert drives and mountain highs
Take three letters away from ‘romance’ and you get ‘Oman’. Coincidence? We think not. The evidence is compelling: mountaintop retreat Anantara al Jabal al Akhdar in the sultanate’s rugged interior offers abseiling and gorge trekking (in spring, pink roses carpet the valleys to make it feel a bit more honeymoon-y). Pair a stay here with a night in the desert. Magic Camps will drive you out over the dunes, pitch you a private tented camp and bring a butler to serve you Middle Eastern mezze, then give you some alone time under the stars.
France
Frolicking on the farm
The cosmos is captured at fairy-tale stay Domaine des Etangs in Aquitaine: space-y artworks, a solar-system hanging in the library and telescopes aimed at the sky enhance its out-of-this-world feel – the estate-to-plate cuisine in restaurant Dyades bears a star of the Michelin kind, too. It has ‘written in the stars’ all over. However, its most joyful experiences are more down to Earth: boating on the lake, cosying up in the gardens, roaming the forest with a naturalist guide or digging in with the head gardener.
Mexico
Artistic awakenings in San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende has long enchanted artists with its colourful casas and cobbled streets; and its creative legacy, having been home to famed Mexican muralists and Beat poets over the years. The drive is still strong if you wish to express yourself or find a new side to yourself on honeymoon; Casa Delphine’s concierge will arrange classes in weaving, textile dyeing and Huichol beading; or you can learn to make papier-mâché ‘mojigangas’ at Casa de Sierra Nevada (and go on studio tours too). Or at Casa No Name – romantic former home of noted fashion photographer Deborah Turbeville – mingle with artists in residence and local musicians.
China
Pandas and philosophical musings
The main beliefs of Taoism are inactivity, simplicity and keeping in harmony with nature, which align nicely with ours and are best expressed – in as much as a luxury hotel can be ‘simple’ – in China‘s Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain, set close to the monastery-studded sacred peak. Elegantly clad in bamboo and wood, with a holistic spa and tea lounge, it’s the ideal cloister for self-reflection, with guided temple tours and philosophical walks. But also to see Dujiangyan city shine after-dark, have a traditional lunch with a Szechuanese grandmother and meet cuddly red and original-flavour bears in nearby Panda Valley.
Finland
Frosty fun and firelit dining
In the snowbound climes of Rovaniemi (Santa’s official HQ), the Arctic Treehouse Hotel has the cosiest of cabins, each overlooking a glittering alpine vista. It’s cold outside, but reason’s to leave your love nest are plenty: sledding, heli-skiing, tobogganing, wine tasting and berry picking in the forest and more. For an experience as unique as a snowflake, go for a trek in the snow wearing thick woollen socks, watch auroras while floating in a lake or dine alfresco by a bonfire on the tundra. While you’re in the forest, swing by the spa, too, for a sausage in the sauna (yes, really) and chase a steamy session with a snow dive.
Indonesia
Spy coral gardens from a yacht
Only available for exclusive charters, Sequoia Yacht offers total seclusion in the Indonesian archipelago. Just you, your sweetheart and a team of 10 staff will sail through the Coral Triangle, stopping for scuba-diving in vivid under-the-sea-scapes, kayaking sessions, paddle-boarding and meals whipped up by your private chef, served on deck or even sand-side. Each island hop brings a new surprise: volcanoes to hike, hatchling turtles (from April to October) and fragrant markets.
Upstate New York
Creativity in full flower
If you want to get so involved with nature that you’re just one step short of tree-hugging, then Wildflower Farms in Upstate New York is the spot. It’s right there in the name, but also in the attitude; you’re on a farm that works with the seasons, floral cocktails taste of whatever’s in bloom that moment and wellness is very much about touching grass. But it’s about growth too (pun intended) – with workshops for pressed-flower-pottery making, out-in-the-field watercolour-ing, and baking floral focaccia.
Fallen for these honeymoon destinations? Contact Smith24 and create a wedding gift list