Overwater villas, petal-strewn bathtubs, candlelit dinners – all popular for a reason, but you don’t need us to tell you there’s much more to a honeymoon.
As wedding traditions change, so to do the afters – whether that’s a splash-out night or two in a London hotel, a big adventure a couple of years later, or something that eschews romance altogether.
Here six creatively-minded couples explain how they decided on their own honeymoon plans and why it felt like the most fitting way to celebrate the start of their marriage (interestingly the words ‘adventure’ and ‘never been to before’ were mentioned so much more than ‘romance’.) So raise your glasses to honeymoon adventures, 2023-style.
TRUE ROMANCE: ITALY
Who What Wear‘s editor-in-chief Kat Collings and husband Zac Wolf are based in California but married in Saint Paul de Vence in the South of France last August, and headed straight to some of the most overtly romantic spots in Europe straight after the celebrations.
Why they chose it
The couple were drawn to the old-world romance of touring around Italy. ‘As we got married in the south of France, we thought it would be seamless to drive into Italy,’ Kat explains.
‘We did an epic road trip tour starting in Milan, then heading to Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, Ischia, Rome and finally Orbetello. We were looking to soak up each other’s company, reminisce about the wedding, and relax – with little on the agenda.’ Any agenda with homemade pasta and aperol is a fine choice.
The highlights
Swimming in coves, staying in a restored palazzo, Nonna-style cooking, Italy provided the ideal backdrop for a newlywed haze. Reschio in the Umbrian countryside is one of the most special hotels in the world: a 1,000-year-old castle which sits on 3,700 acres of magical countryside. Collings-Wolf describes their time there as a ‘true fairytale.’
The couple swam in the Roman saltwater baths, where showers cascade from several stories up, went truffle-hunting, and even took watercolour lessons.
‘Our highlights included a private pasta-making class (our expert teacher somehow coaxed incredible results out of us that we still talk about), driving out to La Scarzuola, the surrealist architectural compound, and meeting up with friends in Milan and seeing Fondazione Prada,’ says Kat. Watching her Instagram videos of Reschio is like an advert for the Italian tourist board.
THE ROAD TRIP: CALIFORNIA
Georgie Le Roux, founder of bridal store Gigi & Olive, and Hugo Gately went on a big American road trip straight after their summertime ceremony at Wilderness Reserve. They drove along the California coastline, moving locations every two to three nights, favouring boutique hotels that had their own unique spin on romance.
Why they chose it
‘Ultimately we wanted adventure and to do something really memorable and special that also involved amazing food and wine,’ Georgie explains of their final itinerary.
‘We decided on a California road trip as we thought that would offer everything we were looking for – and it really was the best holiday. Each place was so different – the food, the wine, the coastline and the people were all amazing. One night we were in the city, another at the beach, then up to Napa, which was also very romantic.’
The highlights
They started off in West Hollywood and drove to many incredible hotels along their route, including the Surfrider in Malibu, the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur and the Carneros Resort in Napa (to name a few).
When asked to share their three stand-out memories, Georgie remembers playing mini golf at San Ysidro Ranch while drinking margaritas, having oysters for lunch at Hog Island Oyster Co while en route and staying in the cottages tucked into the rocky cliffside in Big Sur at the Post Ranch Inn.
THE CLASSIC: CARIBBEAN ISLAND-HOPPING
Digital creative India Cardona and husband James had a beautiful countryside wedding in Somerset this May, and then went straight from the venue to Heathrow airport, not waiting a moment to embark on their travels. They decided to go for a classic honeymoon experience, with an island holiday in the Caribbean – a place they’d never been to together before.
Why they chose it
They wanted to have a new adventure together, and with just 12 days they didn’t want to travel too far to start their tropical holiday.
‘My parents visited Cap Juluca in Anguilla on their honeymoon and I just had a feeling we’d do the same one day – and we did!’ says India. Great weather, a quiet time to visit, and an impressive variety of hotels for island-hopping were the other boxes ticked.
The highlights
The couple started with a stop over in Miami, then went to Como Parrot Cay on Turks & Caicos, Belmond’s La Samanna on St Martin, the aforementioned Cap Juluca, Anguilla, and then ended the trip with a day trip to St Barths. Highlights include renting a Moke on Anguilla to explore the island and looking at their wedding photographs from a sun lounger in Turks & Caicos.
BEACH MEETS CULTURE: VIETNAM
Daisy Hoppen and Vincent Gilbert got married in London in November 2022, and went on a three-week honeymoon straight afterwards. They knew they wanted to explore a new country and not just lie on a beach, and so settled on Vietnam for its perfect mix of relaxation and adventure.
Why they chose it
‘It was hard to decide but Smith really helped,’ explains Daisy, the founder of PR agency DH-PR. ‘We knew we wanted non-British January weather, but also culture, beaches and a bit of all of everything! We didn’t just want to be on an island sunbathing for weeks and wanted to explore a new country with amazing food to try.’
The highlights
Over the three-week trip the couple had a packed itinerary, visiting five parts of Vietnam, including Hoi An, Saigon, Hanoi and Con Dao.
‘The food was just incredible – I don’t think we’ve ever had such an amazing array of food to try from street food to local dishes. We ate the most delicious pho for breakfast every morning.’
As for their favourite places, the couple fell in love with Hanoi for its blend of history and culture, and the green flourishes within the sprawling city. They finished the trip with some first-class relaxation at Six Senses Con Dao, which is the ultimate luxury destination, set on its own private beach . ‘It was another level and the perfect place to end our honeymoon.’
THE CULTURAL IMMERSION: JAPAN
George Driver, senior beauty editor at Elle, and Tom Groves got married in July 2022 after 13 years together. They decided to do two trips, starting with a five-day mini-moon to Minos Beach in Crete straight after the wedding and then a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Japan nine months later, to tie in with the end of the Sakura season.
Why they chose it
‘We knew we wanted to make the most of flying 13 hours around the world so planned a two-and-a-half-week trip that had quite an intense travel itinerary but managed to include all the cities and spots we wanted to see,’ explains Georgie.
‘We planned everything ourselves, with a lot of recommendations from friends – and a very extensive Google doc. Not a dissimilar process to how we planned our wedding!’
The highlights
They started in Tokyo, then got a bullet train to Hakone to stay in a traditional ryokan with its own private onsen, tatami mats and views of Mount Fuji, and then travelled onto Kyoto, Takamatsu and Naoshima.
Their highlights included exploring the Inari gates in Kyoto, shopping in the kitchenware district in Tokyo, admiring the greenery of the Imperial Palace in the middle of the city, and riding on electric bikes to see the sculptures dotted along the beaches in Naoshima.
They did, however, end the trip with a more traditional ‘honeymoon’ island experience, as a respite after near-constant train travel.
‘After quite an intense amount of touristing and travel (it felt very Planes, Trains And Automobiles) we’d always planned to have a week to chill. I didn’t want to come back from our honeymoon more tired than when we left! So we hopped over (via a few flights, buses and boats, of course) to Koh Lipe, a small island off the coast of Thailand and Langkawi and returned to our favourite activity – floating in the sea and drinking cocktails.’
THE ADVENTURE: ARGENTINA
And finally to my own honeymoon… My husband Ernest Amoako and I got married in September last year and, after years of travel restrictions and cancelled holidays, we decided to book somewhere only three weeks before we set off. After much deliberation we decided to travel to South America for the first time together for a tour of Argentina, where our adventure included glaciers, waterfalls and a lot of Malbec.
Why we chose it
We were never drawn to a lie-on-the-beach-and-do-nothing kind of trip and knew we wanted something we wouldn’t ever normally be able to treat ourselves to – travelling in autumn (helpfully) limited some of the destinations on our must-travel list.
We kept saying that we wanted to have a big adventure, and Argentina certainly provided that sense of thrill – one day we were walking on a glacier in Patagonia, the next we were learning to salsa dance (well, ‘shuffle’) in Buenos Aires, and at the end we were drinking caipirinhas in Rio de Janeiro on a pitstop in Brazil on the way home.
The highlights
Every stop on our itinerary was so different, which meant that we felt like we were on a constant adventure, travelling through different climates and landscapes in a matter of mere hours.
We started in Buenos Aires (which was worth the flight for the steak at Don Julio alone) and then travelled to Patagonia where we explored the Perito Moreno glacier from so many different vantage points.
Next up, was a secluded private wine lodge in Mendoza (which felt more relaxing than any beach I’ve ever visited), a trip to the indescribable waterfalls at the Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian border and a few days of restaurant-hopping in Rio. It felt so special to have such a new, different experience together, and to see landscapes unlike anything either of us had ever come close to before.
For more inspiration on post-wedding paradises, explore our full honeymoon collection
Emma Spedding is acting executive fashion news and features editor at British Vogue, and has written for the likes of Who What Wear, Grazia, and The Telegraph.