Honeymoons

The right honeymoon depends entirely on the two of you: what you want from it, how long you have, and when you are able to travel. Those three questions narrow the field faster than any list, and they are where every conversation with us begins.

What follows is a sense of the honeymoons we are asked for most often. They are starting points rather than finished itineraries, and they are nowhere near everything we arrange. Between them they cover the whole year, so at least one will be at its best in the month you travel. If what you have in mind is not here, it simply means we have not written it down yet.

Is it worth using a travel designer for a honeymoon?

You will have spent a year making decisions. This is the part where somebody else should make them.

There is also a practical case. Honeymoons are the trips where hotels are most willing to do something: an upgrade, a private dinner, a boat, a room held back. Almost none of it happens if you book online and mention it at check-in. It happens because someone with a relationship asks in advance, on your behalf, and follows it up.

And there are the details that only reveal themselves too late. Whether your water villa faces the sunset or the sunrise, and whether the booking system quietly defaulted to the wrong one. Whether your seaplane can still fly by the time your international flight lands. Whether the name on your ticket matches the name in your passport. None of these are interesting. All of them are unrecoverable on a seven-night trip.

The Maldives

The Maldives remains the most requested honeymoon in the world for a reason: it asks nothing of you. One island, one resort, no decisions, no transfers once you have arrived, and water that genuinely looks the way it does in photographs.

When it works: broadly November through April, when the skies are clearest and the sea is calmest. Our Indian Ocean and island escapes page sets out the pattern in detail.

Where we send people:

Soneva Jani, in the Noonu Atoll, has the largest overwater villas in the country, retractable roofs above the bed for stargazing, a slide from the deck into the lagoon, and a floating cinema.

Cheval Blanc Randheli is the most architecturally serious property on the islands, with forty-six villas by Jean-Michel Gathy across five islands, one of which exists solely for the Guerlain spa. Ask for the sunset quay specifically.

Velaa Private Island has forty-seven villas across twenty hectares, the lowest density of any full resort in the country.

One&Only Reethi Rah is the best choice for a first visit, reached by a fifty-minute speedboat rather than a seaplane, which removes the timing risk of a late international arrival.

Six Senses Laamu, on a pristine southern atoll, has the finest house reef of any property we work with.

Safari

A safari is the honeymoon people are least likely to have considered and most likely to describe afterwards as the best trip of their lives. It is also the natural answer for a summer wedding, because the northern summer is precisely when eastern and southern Africa are at their best.

When it works: May to October, the dry season and the peak of game viewing. The Great Migration moves through the northern Serengeti and the Mara from roughly June to October.

Where we send people:

Singita Sasakwa, an Edwardian-style manor above the Grumeti Reserve in the western Serengeti, sits within 350,000 acres of exclusive wilderness. Its sister camps Sabora Plains and Faru Faru are tented and contemporary respectively.

Mombo Camp, in Botswana's Okavango Delta, is known as the place of plenty and has the highest predator density of anywhere we send clients.

Angama Mara is suspended above the Mara Triangle in Kenya, with the single finest view of any camp in Africa.

andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, on the crater rim, is architecturally extravagant in a way that should not work and entirely does.

Bisate Lodge in Rwanda, with its forest villas beneath the volcanoes, pairs gorilla trekking with a serious reforestation programme.

Our African Safaris page covers the regions and the seasons in full.

South Africa

South Africa is the most complete honeymoon on this list, because it is really three journeys in one country: a great coastal city, one of the world's finest wine regions, and a private game reserve, all within short internal flights of each other. It suits couples who cannot decide between doing something and doing nothing, because here you do not have to.

When it works: Cape Town and the Winelands are at their best from November to March, the southern summer. The safari reserves are at their best from May to September, when the bush is dry and the game concentrates. April, May, September and October are the compromise months when both work well, and are what we usually recommend.

Where we send people:

Ellerman House, above Bantry Bay in Cape Town, has thirteen rooms in a restored 1906 mansion with one of the country's great private art collections. It feels like a house rather than a hotel.

The Silo Hotel occupies a converted grain silo above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, and is the design-led alternative on the waterfront.

Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel is the grande dame of the city, in gardens beneath Table Mountain.

Delaire Graff Lodges, on the Helshoogte Pass above Stellenbosch, has private plunge pools, museum-quality sculpture and arguably the best lunchtime view in the Winelands.

La Residence, in Franschhoek, is the most theatrical property in the wine country.

Royal Malewane, in the malaria-free Thornybush reserve, offers exceptional guiding and no need for prophylaxis, which matters more on a honeymoon than people expect.

Londolozi, in the Sabi Sand, is where leopard viewing was effectively invented, and the Private Granite Suites are the most romantic rooms on the reserve.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka gives you more variety in ten days than almost anywhere on earth, and the distances are short enough that you are never in transit for long. Tea country, a walled colonial fort, leopards, and a long stretch of beach at the end, all within a country you can cross in a day.

When it works: December to March for the south and west coasts, the hill country and the cultural triangle. April to September suits the east coast instead. The island works year-round provided you go to the correct side of it.

Where we send people:

Amangalla occupies a 1684 building inside Galle Fort and is the most atmospheric heritage stay on the island.

Amanwella, near Tangalle, has thirty suites in a coconut grove above a long beach, each with a private plunge pool. It is the natural place to finish.

Cape Weligama, a Relais & Châteaux member, sits on a cliff above the south coast with somewhere to go nearby.

Ceylon Tea Trails is a set of restored planters' bungalows on working tea estates in the hill country, and the most characterful way to see the highlands.

Wild Coast Tented Lodge, at Yala, is the design-led choice for leopard tracking, and pairs beautifully with a few days on the coast afterwards.

Japan

Japan is the honeymoon for couples who would rather do something than lie down, and it is the one we most often suggest before it occurs to anyone. Extraordinary food, a culture unlike anywhere else, absolute safety, immaculate logistics, and a quality of quiet service that suits the occasion precisely.

When it works: late March into April for the cherry blossom, which moves north over several weeks and cannot be pinned to a date, and October into November for the autumn colour, which is drier and for many people the better season.

Where we send people:

Hoshinoya Kyoto is reached only by boat up the Ōi River through the Arashiyama gorge, and is the most romantic address in Japan.

Aman Kyoto sits in a private forest garden north of the city, for seclusion within reach of the temples.

Amanemu, on Ago Bay in Ise-Shima, is built around its own thermal onsen and is where we would send you for the second half of the journey.

Tawaraya, in Kyoto, is a centuries-old ryokan and among the most quietly revered places to stay anywhere in the world.

Gora Kadan, in Hakone, is the classic onsen ryokan for a first night on tatami.

Aman Tokyo occupies the top of the Otemachi Tower and is the calmest possible arrival into the city.

Argentina

Argentina is the answer for couples marrying in the northern winter who want something more than a beach. Buenos Aires is the most European city in the Americas, Mendoza is serious wine country at the foot of the Andes, and Patagonia is among the most dramatic landscapes anywhere. It is also one of the few great honeymoon destinations that is at its best in January and February.

When it works: November to March for Patagonia, which is effectively closed outside that window. Buenos Aires is best in spring and autumn, and Mendoza is at its most interesting during the February to April harvest.

Where we send people:

Palacio Duhau, Park Hyatt Buenos Aires combines a 1934 Recoleta palace with a modern wing and the best gardens of any city hotel in the country.

Alvear Palace, on the same avenue since 1932, is the grande dame if you would rather have the older world.

Awasi Mendoza, formerly Cavas Wine Lodge, is a Relais & Châteaux property in the vineyards with a private guide and vehicle for every villa.

Eolo, near El Calafate, is a small estancia-style lodge and the natural base for the glaciers.

Awasi Iguazú is an all-inclusive lodge in rainforest near the falls, with private guiding throughout.

Llao Llao, in Bariloche, is the classic lake district hotel for the northern Patagonian lakes.

The romantic cities of Europe

For a shorter honeymoon, or a first journey together as a married couple, nothing beats a great European city and a stretch of coast or countryside afterwards. It is close, it is easy, and the hotels are among the finest in the world.

When it works: late April to June, and September into October. We would steer you away from July and August, when the Mediterranean is at its hottest and busiest and a proportion of the best restaurants close for their own holidays.

Where we send people:

Venice, and Aman Venice in a sixteenth-century palazzo on the Grand Canal, or Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel on Giudecca with the pool, the garden and the launch across to St Mark's.

Positano and the Amalfi Coast, and Le Sirenuse, which remains the reference point, or Il San Pietro di Positano carved into the cliff below the town.

Lake Como, and Passalacqua at Moltrasio, an eighteenth-century villa named the world's best boutique hotel in 2025.

Paris, and the Ritz Paris on Place Vendôme, or Cheval Blanc Paris in the restored Art Deco Samaritaine above the Seine.

Florence and Tuscany, and Four Seasons Firenze in its walled Renaissance garden, or Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco for a week in Val d'Orcia.

The Côte d'Azur, and Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc on Cap d'Antibes, where the seawater pool is cut into the rock.

Which of these suits your wedding date?

Married between June and August: a safari, without hesitation. This is the best time of the entire year for it, and the South African reserves are at their peak alongside East Africa and Botswana.

Married in September or October: the widest choice of any month. Southern Africa is still excellent, South Africa's two halves both work, Europe is in its best season, and Japan is heading into autumn. October is also the strongest month to combine a safari with the Maldives.

Married between November and February: the Maldives in its dry season, Sri Lanka's south and west coasts, Cape Town and the Winelands in high summer, or Argentina for Patagonia.

Married between March and May: Japan for the cherry blossom, Sri Lanka through March, Mendoza for the harvest, or Europe from late April onwards before the crowds arrive.

If the timing does not suit what you want, there is a further option we design often. A short escape of three or four nights immediately after the wedding, followed by the real journey a few months later in the right season. Couples who do this rarely regret it.

How long, and what shape?

Most honeymoons run between ten and sixteen nights, and almost all work best in two parts, in this order: something first, nothing second. A safari, a city or a walking journey while you still have the energy for it, then a stretch where the only decision is what time to eat.

The pairings that work best are the obvious ones, for good reason. Safari and the Maldives. Cape Town, the Winelands and the bush. Sri Lanka's cultural triangle and then its south coast. Buenos Aires and Patagonia. Japan and an island. For a week, we would suggest one place done properly rather than two done quickly.

What we handle so that you do not

Flights booked in the name exactly as it appears on the passport you will travel on, because new passports do not arrive in time and airlines are unmoved by marriage certificates.

Every property told in advance, by us, that this is a honeymoon, which is how the upgrades and the quiet extra touches actually materialise.

Water villa orientation confirmed in writing. Seaplane windows checked against your arrival time. Internal flights sequenced so no day starts before you want it to.

Restaurant reservations that need making months out, and the one dinner somewhere you would not have found.

Any surprise one of you would like arranged without the other knowing, which we do more often than you might expect.

And one number to call, for the whole journey, if anything is not as it should be.

A note on what we will tell you

We would rather be useful than agreeable. If you want the Maldives in July, or Italy in August, we will say so plainly and offer the alternatives, because a honeymoon is not the trip on which to gamble with weather. Equally, if the place you have set your heart on is right and the received wisdom is wrong, we will tell you that too.

Your journey starts with a conversation

Tell us when you are marrying, how long you have, and how you like to spend a day. We will tell you honestly what works in that season, what does not, and what we would do if it were us. And if none of the journeys above is quite it, say so, because they are a fraction of what we arrange.

FAQ

When should we start planning? Ten to twelve months ahead, and earlier for a safari or for the Christmas and New Year period. The best safari camps take nine to twelve months for the June to October season, and honeymoon villas are a very small part of any resort's inventory.

Should we travel immediately after the wedding? Not always. If your wedding month conflicts with the season where you want to go, a short escape straight afterwards and the real journey a few months later is usually the better trip.

Can we combine a safari and the Maldives? Yes, and it is the pairing we are asked for most. The seasons differ, so the month decides whether it works well and in which order. October and the April to May shoulder are generally the strongest windows.

Can we do Cape Town and a safari in one trip? Yes, and it is the reason South Africa works so well for a honeymoon. The two halves of the country peak in different seasons, so April, May, September and October are the months when both are at their best. We plan the order around your date.

Is a safari really suitable for a honeymoon? More than almost anything else. The camps we use take between eight and twenty guests, dining is private if you want it, and the days have a natural rhythm of early mornings and long afternoons. Couples consistently tell us it exceeded what they expected.

Do hotels really do anything for honeymooners? Yes, when they are told properly and in advance by someone with a relationship. Upgrades where availability allows, amenities on arrival, a private dinner. None of it is contractual and we will never promise a specific upgrade, but it happens on the great majority of the honeymoons we arrange.

What about the name on my passport? Book flights in the name on the passport you will actually travel with. Name changes take weeks, replacement passports rarely arrive in time, and airlines will not amend a ticket on the strength of a certificate. We check this before anything is issued.