1. Bali
Bali is an Indonesian volcanic island with beautiful white-sand beaches, stunning sights, incredible buildings, culture, art, and performances. Couples could choose to partake in a Balinese massage, a perfect way to pamper and relax. Bali has many spas to visit that offer a range of treatments and yoga. If you enjoy water-slides and rapids to relax and cool down from the heat, you could visit a water park such as the Waterbom Bali. You can go scuba-diving or snorkeling in Labuhan Lalang. The Sekumpul Waterfalls in Singaraja are a beautiful picturesque place to visit. If you’re an animal lover, there’s the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud with over 600 Balinese macaques; Ubud is also known for its Hanging Gardens. Bali has tropical jungles, exotic wildlife, green pools, spacious white-sand beaches, and magnolia trees. You will often find yourself entertained by dancers and musicians.
2. Mauritius
Mauritius, based in Africa, is a beautiful location. Its capital is Port Louis, which has a stunning waterfront harbor and a bustling market with a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, and spices. It’s possible to view Port Louis from the Citadel—an old-fort—or from the church of Marie Reine de la Paix located at Signal Mountain—both give stunning high-up views over Port Louis, with hills on one side and the sea on the other. If scuba-diving is of interest, then Flic-en-Flac is a popular destination. Other water sports such as surfing, snorkeling, glass-bottom boats, watching whales or dolphins, parasailing, submarine trips, and kitesurfing are also available in Mauritius. If you’re looking for a more peaceful destination, then you could choose Trou aux Biches, a small non-commercialized town on the north coast of Mauritius that used to be a fishing-village; it has a 2km white-sand beach that is shaded by trees. If you enjoy deep-sea fishing, then Riviere Noire is a perfect location for that. Chamarel is worth a visit to see the stunning view of the Seven Colored Earths (Terres de 7 Couleurs), which is surrounded by tropical forests and has an 83-meter-high waterfall; it’s also near the Black River Gorges National Park. Mauritius has white coral sand beaches (to the north), lagoons (to the east), and is surrounded by mountains. If Bali or Mauritius doesn’t sound right for your honeymoon, don’t worry: the next five islands on this list are also magnificent.
3. The Cayman Islands
There are three Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman)—the sea surrounding the islands is beautifully clear, which means that honeymoon couples can go diving and see a wealth of underwater marine creatures, including turtles and tropical fish. Seven Mile Beach at George Town (actually only 5.5 miles) has beautiful white sand and is non-touristy. Stingray City is a location where you can swim among, hold, and even feed stingrays; you’ll also get the opportunity to see coral gardens and the Barrier Reef. Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, as well as having an array of beautiful plants and flowers, has parrots, other birds, and a conservation area for blue iguanas. Little Cayman is very tranquil and peaceful; the native iguanas outnumber the 150 residents. The Cayman Islands has many incredible restaurants for a wonderful romantic meal for two. In Grand Cayman, you can treat yourselves to a lovely massage and spa visit. You could also take an excursion into a tropical rain forest. Cayman Brac has 170 caves, and you will see fruit bats, herons, and green parrots there.
4. Hawaii
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii has a laid-back atmosphere, perfect for relaxing after your wedding. Guava fruit grows on trees near the beach. Haleakala National Park is worth a visit to see endangered species, volcanic landscapes and rain forests. You can see the vibrant emerald river valleys in Kaua’i and vividly colored coral reefs. Hawaii has an abundance of stunning waterfalls, volcanoes, and ancient lava flows. Hawaii is a photographer’s paradise, for all the beautiful diverse scenic backdrops there, just waiting to make some lasting memories. Hawaii is ideal for surfing, with its big waves, as well as for kayaking, outrigger canoeing, swimming close to manta rays and turtles, snorkeling, whale-watching or seeing the spinner dolphins, diving, sunbathing, and fishing. You could pick up a homemade ice cream with delicious flavors of macadamia nut or Kona coffee. If you visit Hawaii in July, there’s a Big Island Hawaiian Music Festival with steel drums, ukuleles, guitars, and singing. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, a farmer’s market takes place in Hanalei, a beautiful environment surrounded by mountains, where you can buy organic produce, such as feta cheese and frozen chocolate bananas; you may also purchase local arts and crafts. Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens is worth visiting to see monkeys, sloths, parrots, reptiles, and a white Bengal tiger. What could be more romantic for a honeymoon couple than watching a sunset or sunrise in Hawaii?
5. Santorini
Santorini in Greece is a beautiful volcanic island. It is famous for its many white villas with colored roofs on the cliff tops, which give it a picturesque backdrop. Santorini is on the edge of the beautiful blue Aegean Sea. The beaches contain striking red sand at Akrotiri and black volcanic sand at Perissa and Kamari. Also at Kamari are Greek ruins and an open-air cinema, which can make a lovely romantic date night. Ancient sites, such as the Bronze Age settlement called Akrotiri, which also goes by the name of the Minoan Pompeii, is a stunning place to visit for anyone with an interest in archaeology. Santorini is a beautiful place to go for cliff-top walks. If you enjoy wine, you could visit a winery and tantalize your palate with some wine tasting. Santorini has a giant lagoon in the Cyclades island group, approximately 12km by 7km. With high cliffs surrounding it, the lagoon acts as a harbor and port, and has a new marina. There’s a hilltop village of Oia. Santorini has many wonderful restaurants, and for a young-at-heart couple who also want to enjoy some nightlife, it can make the perfect honeymoon destination.
6. Seychelles
The Seychelles are a group of more than a hundred islands. They’re based in the Indian Ocean and have palm trees, secluded white-sand beaches of Beau Vallon on Mahé or Anse Lazio on Praslin, lagoons, and a turquoise sea. Anse Source d’Argent on La Digue has very vivid pink sand and is a beautiful beach, containing boulders too. Wildlife is abundant, including turtles, tortoises, and birds. The coral reefs in the Seychelles have so much marine life to see, with beautiful brightly colored fish and a variety of corals. North Island is three kilometers long and contains just 11 villas for guests; it’s a very private and exclusive retreat that has been used by royalty. North Island has been especially stocked with endangered plant species to conserve them. The Seychelles has private islands, such as Fregate with treetop dining and Denis Island, where it is possible to go diving and snorkeling with sea turtles. Morne Seychellois National Park is worth visiting in Mahé, especially if you’re a keen walker. If nature and wildlife interest you, the Vallee de Mai has the rare coco de mer palm (which produces a fruit that looks like a double-joined coconut) and is a well-known site for such birds as the bulbul, the blue pigeon, the endangered black parrot, and the Seychelles warbler.
7. Maldives
The Maldives are a perfect location, with warm water to go scuba-diving, snorkeling, waterskiing, jet skiing, parasailing, paragliding, or you may choose to go on one of the many boat tours. Beautiful white-sand beaches make a lovely place to go for a romantic stroll hand-in-hand, such as at Veligandu Island Beach or Alimatha Island; or in the evening you could visit the bioluminescent beach, which looks as though the sea is filled with tiny blue lights. You could relax with yoga and Pilates. The Maldives has a huge selection of spas, where you could have a romantic massage. You could decide to visit the National Museum to soak up some Maldivian culture and see items from royalty of the past. clothing, statues, Buddha statues, and engravings. The Maldives has over 1,000 mosques to visit; the mosque in Hulhumale is striking, with its huge gold dome. Local markets in Malé sell fish, fruit, and vegetables. At various reefs you can see amazing sea life with schools of tropical fish, manta rays, and turtles: the Banana Reef at the North Malé Atoll, Manta Point, and HP Reef. If you’re daring you could go diving with sharks, such as the hammerhead sharks or a whale shark. After you choose your destination, the next step is to do some planning for a memorable honeymoon and begin your romantic journey. Featured photo credit: tigertravel via pixabay.com
