Honeymoon Hotels
Paying for a wedding is no small task – even without the extra cost of a honeymoon. But taking a trip with your partner as a start to your new life is a tradition worth keeping – the chance to rest, relax and spend time together in an intimate or exciting location can really help you unwind after the stresses of planning the ceremony. And with so many honeymoon hotels and packages available, your holiday can be tailor-made to suit your budget.
Whether you want to stay in a fashionable boutique hotel, eating gourmet meals and pampering yourselves at the spa, or in a smaller, less ostentatious venue – maybe a B&B by the beach, where you can swim or take lessons in watersports – it’s entirely up to you. Maybe you and your partner would prefer something more adventurous, like staying in a savannah lodge, and spending your days on safari. Or, if your budget will allow, why not go the whole hog and reserve a private beachfront resort?
Obviously budget will be a considerable deciding factor when it comes to picking out your honeymoon hotels. It’s fairly likely that after organising the wedding, money may not be in great supply in your household – but don’t worry: there are dozens of travel agents now offering budget-friendly honeymoon deals, both in the UK and abroad. Many are fully customisable, allowing you to sit down with your travel representative and plan out exactly what you do and don’t want to pay for.
Boutique hotel in Paris, or Bed & Breakfast in Rome? It all depends on what you plan to do with your time away. If you plan on being out for most of the days, exploring and sight-seeing, then it probably isn’t worth spending all that money on a trendy five-star penthouse – but if your first priority is to get your money’s worth out of your accomodation, then the extra expense of a boutique hotel is justified. Try not to pay out for things you won’t need!
A traditional honeymoon is often thought of as lazy days spent side-by-side on a white beach, sipping cocktails out of coconuts, under a palm tree. It’s definitely an option: travel agents do a steady trade with honeymooners wanting exactly that, and booking private resorts in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Hawaii. As a result, their sun, sea and sand honeymoon packages have been fine-tuned to perfection – if romantic sunset walks on your personal private beach are what you’re looking for, then look no further.
If you’d prefer a little action on your honeymoon – during the day, that is – then ask your travel rep about excursions or activities you can participate in throughout your holiday. Many Caribbean and Mediterranean resorts offer watersports or scuba deals at a reduced rate for honeymooning guests. A snapshot of you and your new partner stroking a shark over a coral reef would look great on the mantelpiece, wouldn’t it?
Fun can be free, too! If scuba diving or waterskiing is a little out of your price range, why not go for a relaxing dip in the sea, or in the hotel pool? There may be fewer sharks to stroke, but it will give you those few extra pennies to spend on candlelit dinners and moonlight serenades.
After the strain of organising the wedding, relaxation is bound to be high on your list of priorities. More and more holiday resorts are investing in spa treatments and facilities, designed to reduce stress and rejuvenate the body. A his-and-hers romantic massage can really set the mood for a night of passion.
If none of those packages sound quite like your cup of tea, then consider an adventure honeymoon. A week at a top ski resort in Switzerland promises gleaming powder by day, and cosy hours spent in front of the log fire by night. If skiing isn’t really your forte, though, there are hundreds of other options to explore. What about a safari? Many couple use their honeymoon as a chance to do something they’ve never done before, and most likely never will again. Would you like to spend a week on the African plains, tracking lions, elephants and giraffes? Nothing’s stopping you!
Don’t let budgetary concerns deter you from making your honeymoon the trip of a lifetime. Travel agents understand that honeymooning couples aren’t exactly flush with cash, and so have spent years refining the honeymoon packages they offer. Covering a huge range of holiday themes and locations, the world really is your oyster, and you are free to do as much – or as little – as you please. From beachside private resorts to up-scale boutique hotels, from savannah safari lodges to cosy bed & breakfasts all over the world, there’s a destination – and a holiday – out there that will fit you perfectly.
Image: arztsamui / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
