From sunshine chill-outs to city-chic glamour, we’ve found the latest stylish honeymoons to fall in love with, whatever your style and spending power, says Colette Harris.
Perfect for: old-fashioned romance.
Enjoy the romance of Lake Bled deep in the heart of Slovenia’s fabulous countryside. Explore the fairytale castle perched high on a hill overlooking the lake, and have a glass of wine (the local Riesling is good!) as you take in the stunning views, take a rowing boat trip to the picturesque island in the middle of the lake (where you might see couples getting married – it’s local tradition that the groom carries the bride up the seemingly endless stairs to the top!), and walk hand in hand around the shore. Explore the capital city Ljubljana’s buzzy riverside cafes and restaurants, and myriad small art galleries, just an hour away; or go hiking in the Triglav National Park.
Book it: Stay at the four-star Hotel Park on half board with daily afternoon tea and biscuits, and enjoy the pool with big glass windows giving you views over the lake, from £1,150 per couple for seven nights with Thomson including flights from Gatwick to Ljubljana, and airport transfers. From £1,150.
Perfect for: sunsets, seafood and sheltered coves.
Discover the delights of beautiful little Portloe with a stay at the white washed Lugger Hotel, a renovated 17th century smuggler’s inn tucked right down on the water’s edge in this tiny traditional fishing village. Eat the freshest seafood selected by Head Chef Didier Bienaime from the fishing boats, which drop by each day, on the terrace overlooking the sea. Choose a modern room with white furniture and crisp Egyptian linen, or stay in the secluded new Honeymoon Cottage Suite, a love nest set away from the hotel along a clifftop footpath, where you can drink English champagne as the sunsets over the Atlantic.Book it: from £550 per couple, bed and breakfast, for five nights in a standard room, or from £1,200 per couple for the Honeymoon Cottage Suite, bed and breakfast. From £550.
Perfect for: exotic dining, bargain hunting in Souks and sublime spas.
Get a taste for authentic Morocco as you relax in the lush oasis surrounding the five-star Mazagan Beach Resort, with views plunging down to the deep blue sea, luxurious vegetation and the lagoon, the golf course, the swimming pool and the patio. Spoil yourselves with Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes and good wine at the eleven restaurants and bars in the resort, and unwind in the spa set amidst palm and fragrant orange trees. Walk hand in hand along the pristine beach as the sunsets over the Atlantic Ocean.
Book it: Luxury Holidays Direct (020 8774 7299) offers seven nights at the 5* Mazagan Beach Resort in Morocco from £790 per person (Travel: October 01 – December 25 2010)! Price is based on two people sharing a Deluxe Room on breakfast basis and flights on Royal Air Maroc departing from London Heathrow. Airport taxes and private transfers are also included. Offer is subject to availability and prices may vary. From £1,580.
Perfect for: foodies who love the countryside.
Indulge yourselves at Gibbon Bridge Hotel in the unspoilt countryside near Beacon Fell; with gourmet local produce (some of it from the hotel’s own kitchen garden!). Don’t miss strolling by the river which runs through the hotel gardens, a pub lunch in picturesque Chipping village nearby, walking on the fells to get spectacular views, and the hotel’s own honey, chutneys and preserves, made on site to take home. You can also play tennis and go fishing in the grounds. Five days in a VIP suite, with bed, breakfast and evening meals, a four-poster suite with a whirlpool bath, a champagne picnic in the beautiful grounds, with fizz and homemade chocolates on arrival, from £1,540 per couple. Around £1,500.
Perfect for: total relaxation – and wine tasting!
Tucked away in a little known area of Provence, Crillon le Brave is the ultimate escape just 30 mins from Avignon in the heart of the Côte du Rhône wine region. Formed from a collection of seven medieval houses in a hilltop village, you get wonderful views over the surrounding vineyards, olive groves, lavender fields and the majestic Mount Ventoux. Amble hand in hand through the cobbled alleyways, bridges and hidden courtyards to find terraces, the dining area and the outdoor pool, or explore the nearby sleepy villages on a hotel bicycle – forage for souvenirs in the antiques markets (there’s a good one at Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue on Saturdays) and watch the world go by as you sip rose in a pretty cafe. Or go wine tasting with Cedric Demeneix, Hotel Sommelier, at one of the local vineyards.
Book it: five nights at Hotel Crillon Le Brave costs £1,030 per couple (room-only) in a standard double room, via Eurostar from London St Pancras to Avignon (6.5 hours), from £140 return per person. From £1,310.
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