Jamaica Sandals South Coast in
Jamaica has introduced 12 over-water villas featuring glass floor panels, underwater lighting and secluded sun decks – every inch the Maldivian fantasy.
Mount Kenya delivers a honeymoon like no other: epic vistas, old-world luxury and the big five on lap…
THE WILD LIFE LOCATED SLAP-BANG ON THE EQUATOR AND WITHIN THE GLORIOUSLY UNSPOILT MOUNT KENYA CONSERVANCY
Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club is one of Africa’s most lusted-after honeymoon retreats – and a popular choice for celebrity weddings! The former home of Hollywood star William Holden, it dishes out spectacular views of Mount Kenya (the second highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro) and is the perfect launchpad for exploring the surrounding plains. The hotel’s cosy riverside cottages are wonderfully secluded with wood¬burning fires – nothing but the sounds of the Mount Kenya forest and the rippling Liki River to lull you to sleep – and for real bragging rights, book the Equatorial suite, which has the equator actually running through it.
The Best Safari Honeymoon Destination in Kenya Photo Gallery
For a broader honeymoon in Kenya, why not extend your trip with a stay at Fairmont’s other two sensational hotels: Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mara Safari Club? For more information or to book a honeymoon, visit fairmont.com/mount-kenya-safari
Not just a honeymoon destination, the hotel also organises regular game drives to nearby parks including the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, home to three of the world’s last remaining northern white rhinos, while on-site, there’s an animal orphanage doing incredible work to conserve the bongo (a beautiful African forest antelope, pictured right).
Famous for its active volcanoes, dramatic mountains and billowing waterfalls, and from here, you can take full advantage of the natural bounty. Best of all, the hotel benefits from direct access to L’Hermitage beach and a calm coral-encrusted bay. Snorkels and masks provided. Rainbow tours (rainbowtours.co.uk) offers six nights bed and breakfast at Lux* Saint Gilles including flights from £1,950 per person.
luxresorts.com
Waterfront. Alternatively, Daphne’s next door (an outpost of the chichi Draycott Ave, London one) has been doling out delicious Linguine all’Aragosta for 15 years, and is one of the best restaurants on Barbados. Water-skiing, paddle boarding, snorkelling and Hobie Cat sailing will take up the sunshine hours, and at dusk, keep your eyes peeled and you might spot a sea turtle or two. eleganthotels.com/the-house.
LUX SAINT GILLES REUNION
With its whitewashed colonial buildings, frangipani-clad paths and laid-back Creole mood, this is Reunion with added elegance (it’s also the only five-star hotel on the island). Expect surprises at every turn: a message in a bottle, vanilla- flavoured rum cocktails at sunset, and the occasional appearance of a humpback whale. Reunion is.
THE HOUSE, BARBADOS
Designed as a home from home (nothing so formulaic as a lobby here), this small adults-only retreat on Barbados’ west coast is the ultimate place to decompress post¬wedding. ‘House Ambassadors’ will tend to your every need from afternoon tea broug ht to your terrace, to lantern-lit dinners on the.
SRI PANWA, PHLKEI
Catering to a jet-setting elite, this hilltop hideaway located on the Cape Panwa peninsula is eq ual parts g lamour and unconuentionality. Each jungle-clad villa has its own infinity pool and endless uiews of the Andaman Sea. You can take yoga classes on the hotel’s floating deck, try your hand at Thai cooking, or take a boat trip to some of the best snorkelling spots Phuket has to offer. There are three pools just begging to be diued into, or 100 steps leading down to a pretty little beach. After dark, Baba Nest is one of the hottest rooftop bars on Phuket – book in advance. sripgmua.com
BRIDES PARTNERSHIPS RENDEZVOUS, ST. LUCIA
This smart adults-only retreat is much more than merely a beach escape. Perfect for active couples, it recently introduced an ‘adventure programme’ offering all manner of outdoorsy thrills from hiking the island’s majestic Pitons, to rum distillery tours, cocoa plantations and cookery classes. With a PADI scuba centre, a host of water sports, three pools, state-of-the-art gym, fitness classes, biking, hiking, tennis and golf, there’s no danger of island ennui setting in, and for happy-go-lucky sun¬worshippers, there are breezy cabanas dotted along a powder-soft crescent of sand.
theromanticholiday.com
HOT DESTINATION FAIRMONT KENYA
Located within the Mount Kenya Conservancy (ripe for game drives) this safari lodge, once owned by actor William Holden, provides hunting-style cottages with wood-burning fireplaces and a one-of-a-kind suite. The Equatorial Suite is divided in half by the eq uator, so you can have your breakfast (strong Kenyan coffee) in the northern hemisphere and your gin and tonic in the southern hemisphere. It also has marvellous views of Mount Kenya. sandals.co.uk
The Philippines
Seeking fascinating wildlife and paradise beaches? The Philippines has both – in spades.
Combine the idyllic limestone karst scenery of Palawan (staying at El Nido Lagen) with a few nights on the jungle-clad island of Bohol, famous for its empty beaches, chocolate mountains and tarsiers (cute little creatures with huge eyes). Add in optional stopovers in Hong Kong for an urban jolt and you really can have your cake and eat it. Turquoise has 14-day itineraries from £3,595 per person including flights and transfers.
turquoiseholidays.co.uk
