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We are pleased to introduce Natalie Nevares, Absolute Travel’s new Honeymoon Guru! Having spent more than ten years creating unique, culturally stimulating private journeys for couples, Natalie has earned her title and is expertly qualified to serve in this capacity. She would be pleased to discuss a customized journey for your honeymoon or you can submit a general question about honeymoon planning and if Natalie thinks our readership would find the answer helpful, we’ll post it!
Before submitting a question, please check out the questions and answers below to see if the Honeymoon Guru has already answered a similar question.
RECENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I don't know whether to choose Bali or Mauritius for my honeymoon. We would like to go for two weeks and I am looking for sunny weather. Any advice?
Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Regarding your honeymoon, either would be fine but a lot would depend on the flight routings and which is more convenient from where you're traveling. Flight routes are very different from Latin America, the US and Europe for example, so one destination could be logistically much easier for you to get to. You don't want to have to take 5 flights to get to your final destination right after your wedding!
October is the beginning of rainy season in Bali but September is usually perfect, so you could get lucky and never see any rain at all. Typically November through February are the rainiest months in Bali. Bali is a wonderful honeymoon destination and it has a lot of cultural and soft-adventure touring available, whereas Mauritius is really considered more of a beach destination and there's not a lot of activities to do away from the resort.
In Mauritius, September/October is considered a great time of the year to travel but because of wind factors at that time of the year it's best to stay on the West coast, and I usually recommend the Oberoi Mauritius at that time of year. The only downside of the Oberoi Mauritius is that the beach isn't the best but it's a lovely resort and highly recommended.
My fiancée and I are very into food and wine. We kind of blew our budget on our actual wedding – any suggestions for budget-friendly food and wine honeymoons? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Weddings can get expensive -- and leave little extra for a honeymoon afterwards -- but budget-conscious newlyweds still have some great options. The best bet among our food and wine destinations is South America -- the dollar is still strong there and you can really stretch your money to go further than it might in, for example, New Zealand or South Africa, which also have well known wine regions. In South America, I recommend that you head to Argentina. You could spend a few nights in Buenos Aires enjoying the great food and then go to the Mendoza wine region to visit the many wineries. If time (and your budget) permits, you could conclude in nearby Uruguay or head back to Buenos Aires. Additionally, Argentina is famous for the romantic tango dance that originated here so don't miss one of the popular tango shows during your stay in Buenos Aires. It's a favorite with honeymooners!
Our honeymoon will be at the end of April. My wife likes wildlife and beaches and we both like luxury. We also considered India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. What do you suggest? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives might not offer ideal weather in late April but they do offer wonderful wildlife-viewing as well as absolutely gorgeous beaches. I'm not sure if you have considered Bali or a combination of South Africa and Mauritius but those would also be great options for your interests and the time of year you are going. Bali has lovely beaches and beautiful weather year-round. Though it is not as much about the wildlife (lots of monkeys, though!), they do have plenty of activities for more adventurous travelers, like whitewater rafting and mountain-biking down an active volcano. South Africa offers a more traditional wildlife viewing experience that you can follow with time on the beaches in either Mauritius or Mozambique.
We are going on our honeymoon in July (Java and Bali) and are looking for good accommodation close to Jakarta. We want to spend the first days relaxing in a nice resort with swimming pool. Any suggestions? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
To answer your question, your best bet in Jakarta is the Grand Hyatt -- that is where we put our clients. Ideally, however, we recommend that you skip Jakarta entirely. It's a fairly charmless city and there are many other great places in Indonesia that you will want to focus on. Would it be possible for you to change your ticket to fly into Denpasar, Bali, instead? That way, you could make an easy hop over to Java to see Borobudur and do some exploring but it would allow you to skip Jakarta entirely. My recommendation would be to try to switch your flight to go into and out of Bali and, if that is impossible, spend your first night at the Grand Hyatt in Jakarta and then head to Java and Bali right away.
We are planning our November honeymoon and have decided to go to Thailand but are debating where to go within Thailand. Bangkok and Phuket were my original choices, but my fiancee is more interested in seeing things on the path less beaten. What do you recommend? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Well, I think it would be a shame to travel so far and only see Bangkok and Phuket. Bangkok is a lively, exciting city and Phuket has gorgeous beaches but I agree with your wife that your honeymoon would benefit from a cultural element. I recommend visiting either Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, both located in the north. Chiang Mai is larger than Chiang Rai, but there is much to see and do in each city -- in Chiang Mai, the touring is more focused on temples and museums while in Chiang Rai, it is geared more towards nature and outdoor activities like elephant rides (but also has plenty of museums, temples, and other cultural activities for those who want that). Both are a quick plane trip from Bangkok and have great luxury hotels: in Chiang Mai, the Four Seasons and the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi are the best and in Chiang Rai, I recommend the Anantara Golden Triangle. Three nights in either of these cities would be perfect. You could spend two nights in Bangkok, head to Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai for three or four nights, and then spend as long as you like on the beaches of Phuket!
One last idea: if you want to see one of the most amazing sites in the world, head to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It is also just a quick flight from Bangkok but is well worth the trip. Gorgeous Khmer temples and some top notch hotels (Amansara, the Raffles Grand, etc.) make it a great side trip from Thailand.
We're going on our honeymoon in October but are having trouble choosing a location. We considered Fiji and then some sort of adventure destination, but we couldn't find something that worked without spending a ton of time traveling. Any advice? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Fiji can certainly be combined with New Zealand ( Queensland is known as the "Adventure Capital of the World"!) but that would require quite a bit of flying and it seems like that is a concern. An alternative is Brazil. It's closer than Fiji and New Zealand and October would be a very nice time to go. You could start with some time at the Txai Resort near Itacare -- they have a lovely beach as well as many activities like kayaking and canopy tours in the jungle. From Txai, you could head to Salvador, a charming colonial town, and then conclude in Rio for a few days in the city. One other option I would recommend is Bali. The beaches are not as spectacular as Fiji's but they are very nice (and the hotels are world-class). There are plenty of adventurous activities that can be arranged: whitewater rafting, hiking through the rice paddies, bicycling down the volcano Mt. Batur) and -- best of all -- it's a fairly small island so there are no internal flights at all once you get there!
We are going on our honeymoon in August but can't decide between Bali and Thailand. We want nice beaches as well as activities like boat trips, excursions and culture. Any advice on which we should choose? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Both are excellent choices and have the ideal elements for a dreamy honeymoon. However, one major difference between them in August is the weather. Although Thailand is fine in August, it is rainy season so you generally don't get the azure, cloudless skies that you may envision. Tropical rains aren't terrible (some people even call it "green season" because the rice paddies are such a brilliant color!) but it often rains hard once a day – the rain only lasts about half an hour but it might interrupt or affect your day. However in Bali, the weather in August is ideal. I have personally been to both Bali and Thailand several times, and if I were making this decision for my own honeymoon, I would definitely choose Bali. I assure you that you will be very happy with your decision if you decide to go there!
What are your most popular honeymoon destinations? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Africa and Thailand tie for first place. Thailand is an all around wonderful destination not just for honeymooners but for everyone, and it’s perfect in our fall and winter. Africa is popular because of its sumptuous safaris and great beach options, and it is perfect in spring and summer. A close runner-up is Bali – properties like the Aman and Four Seasons resorts, fascinating local culture, beaches, and great weather make it a perennial favorite for honeymooners. Bali is also perfect in our spring and summer, prime honeymoon seasons!
How long do you recommend for honeymoons? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Obviously, this depends in large part on you – how much vacation time you have, how long you like to be away from home. I would say that our typical honeymoon is a little longer than two weeks, which is enough time to have some good relaxation time as well as do something exciting that you can tell your friends and family about when you get back.
Any tips for structuring the trip? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Definitely! The most important thing to remember is that, unlike a typical vacation, you want to schedule the most relaxing part of the trip at the beginning rather than the end. If you want a safari and beach honeymoon, plan for the beach first and then head out on safari. After your wedding, the last thing you’ll want to do is have to be really active – you’ll want to relax and just do nothing but replenish your energy for at least a few days.
I’m thinking about cashing in my air miles for the honeymoon. What do you think? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Definitely give it a try – free air gives you more money to put toward the actual honeymoon so it can’t hurt to check. However, with airlines becoming increasingly restrictive about blackout dates and requiring passengers to book as far as a year in advance to confirm seats, many people who try to use miles end up planning their honeymoon around the dates they can fly, which can limit your flexibility. If you decide not to use miles, American Express Platinum cardholders can buy great two-for-one fares in Business and First Class. If you are not able to use air miles for the honeymoon, save them for your next trip to see the in-laws – you might feel better about the visit if you know you haven’t spent money to go!
I’m getting married in June. I’m not really a beach type but my fiance and I love good food and wine, and we’re really active. Any ideas for unusual honeymoons we might enjoy? Read the Honeymoon Guru's Response:
Well, I have tons of ideas, actually – the problem is narrowing them down! I think New Zealand would be a perfect choice – activities like hiking the Routeburn Trail and seeing Milford Sound and the glaciers can be interspersed with time in the cities to enjoy the amazing food and wine. Another great option is Vietnam, though it may seem unlikely for a honeymoon. Excellent local cuisine, gorgeous resorts, and many active adventure possibilities (including kayaking in Halong Bay, bicycling in Hoi An, snorkeling in Nha Trang, etc.) would make for a wonderful honeymoon. See more of our favorite Food & Wine trips here.
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