Travel style

Honeymoons

Q: Do hotels still do honeymoon perks?

Most do — champagne on arrival, petal beds, a complimentary dinner or spa credit. Email the hotel directly 2 weeks before arrival, mention it's a honeymoon. Luxury brands (Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Aman) are particularly reliable.

Q: When is the best time of year?

Shoulder season almost everywhere — November-December in Maldives, May-June in Europe, October in Japan or Morocco. Avoid Christmas/New Year (double rates, busy), Valentine's Day (overbooked in hotels that target honeymooners), and domestic peak seasons.

Q: Is the Maldives worth the price?

For couples who want exactly the overwater-villa honeymoon, yes. The experience is what it advertises. For couples who wonder if they'll get bored after 4 days at the beach, no — pair it with a mainland stopover (Sri Lanka 5 nights + Maldives 5 nights works beautifully) or go elsewhere.

Six honeymoon destinations our editors recommend to friends — the clichés that deliver, and the quiet alternatives that surprise.

By Margot Verhoeven · Verified April 2026

The honeymoon trope (overwater villa + infinity pool + candlelit beach dinner) has become its own cliché, which doesn't make it wrong — overwater villas deliver what they promise. But the best honeymoons we've researched split the difference: a few days of one extreme (the Maldives, the Amalfi Coast, Bora Bora) paired with something more varied. Two weeks beats one. A week of pure beach is shorter than most couples remember wanting.

The Maldives · Baa or Haa Alifu Atolls

The trope that delivers

Soneva Fushi in Baa Atoll and the quieter Haa Alifu resorts (Hideaway Beach Resort, Hanimaadhoo's smaller properties) are the picks. Avoid the North and South Malé atolls for a honeymoon — they're closer but busier with day trips and transit noise. Seaplane transfers are part of the experience. Bookings open a year ahead for the best rooms; the Soneva over-sand villas (not over-water) are the cult favourites.

Our Maldives cover feature →

Italy · the Amalfi Coast plus Rome

The proper Italian honeymoon

Le Sirenuse or Il San Pietro on the Positano cliffside for five nights, a Roman bookend in a Trastevere hotel for three. The Amalfi half is what couples dream about — a boat day to Nerano for lunch at Lo Scoglio, a drive up to Ravello for Villa Cimbrone's terrace, candlelit dinner on a hotel rooftop with the coast lit below. Rome adds a non-beach anchor; most honeymoons that are 'just beach' feel strangely empty mid-week.

Our 10-day Italy itinerary →

Greece · Santorini plus the quieter Milos

The one where Santorini is half the trip

Santorini alone is too much; Milos alone is too little. Three nights in a Santorini caldera-cliff hotel (Canaves Oia, Grace) then three on Milos (Skinopi Lodge is the editor pick) solves it. Milos is what Santorini was in 1990 — quieter beaches, a fishing village atmosphere, and none of the cruise-ship afternoon surge. The ferry between them is 90 minutes and the contrast is the whole trip's pleasure.

Our 10-day Greece itinerary →

Greece · Santorini plus the quieter Milos

Japan · the ryokan honeymoon

The honeymoon that is not a beach

The quiet alternative: two nights at a Tokyo luxury hotel, three nights at a Kyoto ryokan (Tawaraya or Hoshinoya), four nights at a hot-springs ryokan in Hakone or Arashiyama. The rhythm is slow — onsen at dawn, kaiseki dinners, tatami mornings. No beach, but the sense of presence is unusual for honeymoons. Best in November for autumn colours or April for cherry blossom.

Our 7-day Japan itinerary →

Morocco · Marrakech riads plus the Atlas

The less-obvious honeymoon that works extraordinarily well

Two nights at a Marrakech riad (La Mamounia, or the quieter Royal Mansour), three nights at a desert edge kasbah (Dar Ahlam in Skoura), two nights back in Marrakech or down to Essaouira for the coast. The spice markets, the souk-guide, the hammam couples ritual at the hotel — romance that isn't beach-based and doesn't feel like a honeymoon cliché. April is the sweet spot.

Our 10-day Morocco itinerary →

Morocco · Marrakech riads plus the Atlas

Iceland plus Faroe Islands

The dramatic-landscape honeymoon

For couples who don't want beaches at all. A week in Iceland (self-driven South Coast + Jökulsárlón) followed by 4 nights in the Faroe Islands (which cap daily visitors; sublime empty landscapes, 18-seat restaurants with 10-course tasting menus). The Faroes have exactly two real hotels; book a year ahead. Late April is peak — light, little rain, no crowds. Cost-parity with a luxury Maldives week.

Our 7-day Iceland itinerary →

— FAQ

Honeymoons: common questions

How long should a honeymoon be?

Two weeks gives you the full settle-in. One week in one resort is common but couples often come back feeling it was too short (or, conversely, that they'd seen everything). Two weeks with two locations (one beach + one cultural) is what most editors recommend.

Do hotels still do honeymoon perks?

When is the best time of year?

Is the Maldives worth the price?