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From Paris to the Whitsundays, Joanna Hall, the editor of the Ultimate Travel Magazine, describes her favourite honeymoon destinations.
There are so many things to plan when it comes to the perfect wedding. Aside from naming the date and buying the ring, there’s choosing a venue, deciding on menus, and most importantly for many women, working out what kind of dress to wear. But for many couples, another vitally important part of nuptial preparations is choosing a honeymoon destination.
Here are five traditional destinations, close to home and further afield, in which lovers have ventured to start their lives together:
The Whitsundays
Think for a minute about what would constitute the perfect tropical island getaway: warm weather, impossibly azure, calm waters, blinding white sand beaches, colourful marine life and corals, and hammocks overlooking the water. Throw in elegant cocktail bars, unreal sunsets, sailing, and all manner of water sports and you have the Whitsunday Islands in a nutshell – a 74-island group in North Queensland, which epitomises the tropical getaway cliché.
These islands are actually the tips of mountains that have been submerged, and many are fringed by coral reefs and set in among impossibly blue water. It’s this colour that is the most striking aspect of the Whitsundays. It’s blue, blue, blue with the odd splash of green and white to mark the location of one of the islands.
For sheer natural beauty, it’s pretty hard to beat. And if you’re on a honeymoon, a must is “doing” Whitehaven Beach by helicopter, for a champagne picnic. It doesn’t get any more romantic than this.
Fiji
With more than 300 islands, and another 500 or so islets, Fiji is the type of place where remote beaches are found with no footprints in the sand. It’s also a place where the locals greet visitors with the all-encompassing welcome of “bula”, and introduce their family to visitors on their island.
The main island of Viti Levu is the political and geographical hub of Fiji and is worthy of a couple of days of exploration, but in truth it lacks the sheer beauty, classic beaches, and traditional culture of some of the outer island groups including the Mamanucas and the Yasawas.
Above water, the islands blend white sand beaches, tropical forests, waterfalls and a proud and vibrant culture. Meanwhile, underwater is a world of beautiful corals and an abundance of tropical fish, which make Fiji a divers’ and snorkellers’ paradise. And if you just feeling like lounging back in a hammock with your new spouse and a glass of bubbly, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that either.
Tahiti
It’s a region that’s inspired generations of artists and writers, and after a few hours in this tropical paradise, it’s easy to see why. Blue lagoons, colourful reefs, volcanic mountains, bright flowers and a real atmosphere of tranquillity combine to create one big natural water-colour that typifies the tropical idyll.
Tahiti is actually the main island among five separate archipelagos in French Polynesia. However, the whole region is often referred to as “Tahiti”, which is a little simplistic, given there are 118 islands spread over an area just a little smaller than Europe.
It’s widely regarded as the ultimate honeymoon destination as French Polynesia is famous for its overwater bungalows at five-star resorts, with cocktail time under a palm tree as an outrageous sunset develops over a coral reef lagoon. And the two key islands are Bora Bora and Moorea, which are perhaps the best equipped to deliver this romantic clichè, and this part of the world is a real life tropical fantasy.
Prague
Very few cities in the world can match the sheer architectural charm of Prague, but there’s more to this ancient city than perfectly preserved medieval and historical buildings.
If you can afford to venture a bit further afield, the Czech capital is a top choice for a honeymoon as it is now as much defined by its buzzing nightlife and restaurant scene as it is by its superbly preserved architecture. It gets compared to Paris often, but the cold hard truth is that for all the grandeur of the French capital, it lacks the welcoming charm and sheer beauty of Prague.
Wandering the city streets, a common scene is impromptu cultural performances on a cobbled corner or in a warm cafè, and readings on a medieval bridge. Centuries-old churches adorn many corners with even older back streets, baroque bridges and cobbled streets. It seems like a conspiracy to convince visitors that they’re in an epic movie set, yet this is a real working city built for romance.
Paris
The “City of Light” is a place that’s exhausted every possible superlative description, and for this reason it remains one of the most loved destinations in the world. A honeymoon in the French capital can involve visits to major landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées and the Louvre. But Paris is more than just a city with grand icons.
Down at street level is where the magic happens. The avenues and alleys reveal the romance of Paris and this is where you’ll find in-love couples snatching a refined lunch, elegant ladies walking tiny dogs, and delivery drivers discussing politics over a glass of wine.
Each of the 18 districts, or arrondissements, has its own personality, which makes it the type of place that demands you return. And each time you come back to a place like Paris, it reveals a little more of its intriguing personality.
Joanna Hall is the editor of the Ultimate Travel Magazine – Australia’s first online magazine dedicated to the best in luxury travel.
Other Rescu. blogs by Joanna Hall: