True Blue Bay, a funky family-run hideaway on the Caribbean island of Grenada, has a sumptuous honeymoon suite featuring a king-size four poster bed, a whirlpool bathroom and a spacious verandah with stunning views of the cerulean sea.

The ultimate in romantic retreats, the suite is reached over a private bridge through the treetops and is custom designed by the co-owner, Magdalena Fielden,  including individual pieces such as heart-shaped wall lights and a wrought iron tree decorated with pink glass hearts. In addition to the king size bed, there is a spacious lounge area where newlyweds can enjoy relaxing together. The bathroom features a whirlpool bath and a shower with multiple jets, as well as ‘his and hers’ wash basins.
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The Middle East has always intrigued me with its powerful history, rich culture and air of mystery. I finally had the opportunity to visit this fascinating part of the world when we recently took an amazing trip to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is well known as one of the world’s most vibrant and extravagant cities with spectacular skyscrapers, decadent hotels, vast shopping malls and breathtaking coastal and desert landscapes. Dubai, although not an obvious honeymoon destination, in fact has a lot to offer honeymooning couples who want the best of both worlds mixing city glamour with desert relaxation and adventure. We set off to explore two very different sides of the emirate taking in the grandeur, bright lights and excitement of The Atlantis Palm Resort and the peaceful seclusion of the beautiful Al Maha Desert Reserve.

The Al-Maha Desert Resort and Spa in Dubai offers a wonderful, relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Situated in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, the UAE’s first national park, Al-Maha is the only resort in this 225 square kilometre area of incredible dune and desert landscape.  The drive from Dubai takes just under an hour and transports you from a world of towering, shimmering skyscrapers to one of rolling sand dunes, blissful silence and close-up wildlife encounters. It’s a perfect, secluded hideaway for honeymooners.

The resort itself is modelled after a Bedouin encampment and is made up of a cluster of luxury, neutral coloured tents overlooking a lush oasis in the stunning red sands of the desert. As we drove in we were completely in awe of the incredible landscape, we had never seen anything like it and couldn’t wait to start exploring the reserve.
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When I think of Jamaica, I think of white sandy beaches, spectacular sunsets and dancing to reggae on the beach whist sipping rum and that’s exactly what I got on my very first visit to this amazing island.

We split our time in Jamacia between the stunning Montego Bay and the Southern town of Negril. These are two very different areas both of which have plenty to offer honeymooners and couples wanting to tie the knot on this stunning Caribbean Island.

Upon arrival in Montego Bay we made our way to the beautiful Half Moon resort which is nestled on a two-mile crescent-shaped beach on Jamaica’s northern coast. This gorgeous resort was the perfect place to start our week of relaxation. Spread over 400-acres and surrounded by lush landscaped gardens, two miles of private white sand beach and the sparkling Caribbean sea, this is a truly heavenly spot to begin your newly married life.

The accommodation at Half Moon comprises of a large number of quaint whitewashed cottages as well as 33 private villas. Each villa features an en-suite bathroom, private swimming pool and your very own butler, cook and housekeeper to attend to your every need. All the accommodation comes with the most spectacular views. Our patio was the perfect place to spend the evening after a hard days relaxing, lying back watching the sun setting over the sea as we sipped on champagne. Later, we had one of the trained masseuses come and give us a blissful massage before sinking in to the large tub for a relaxing hot bubble bath and finally retreating to the enormous bed looking out over the star filled sky.
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For many people Safari is a once in a lifetime experience that couples can only ever enjoy on a really special occasion such as a honeymoon. South Africa is a fantastic place to go for Big 5 safari with many of the game parks offering Malaria free safaris just a few hours drive from the cities. We spent 4 nights at two different safari game reserves, both of which offered us unforgettable experiences.

We chose to fly in to Port Elizabeth, a costal city situated on Nelson Mandela bay which is within easy reach of some of the best game reserves in the country and acts as the transport hub for the Eastern Cape of South Africa. For this reason, it is an excellent place to start or end a safari trip if you are also planning to spend time along South Africa’s famous Garden Route and in Cape Town.

Arriving in Port Elizabeth, tired and sore from the long flight, what better way to start off your honeymoon than with a little bit of luxury. Probably the largest and most impressive looking hotel along the sea front in Port Elizabeth is the Raddison Blu. A cool, modern, glass fronted building with 18 stories of unobstructed sea view rooms, it was an easy decision to make this our first port of call.  The rooms very much reflect the exterior of the building as they are modern, stylish and luxurious. A huge comfortable bed with a killer ocean view awaits in the bedroom and rooms also have a separate lounge area partitioned off from the bedroom and both bedroom and lounge have large flat screen TVs.  A large free-standing bath, double sinks and a shower/wet room are all featured in the spacious open plan bathroom.
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Cape Town is one of the most spectacular cities in the world, from breath taking beaches and scenery to phenomenal vineyards, night life and some of the best food & wine in Southern Africa, there is something for everyone to enjoy and I would highly recommend it for a honeymoon.

We arrived in Cape Town with high expectations and were not disappointed for a single second. We stayed in some of the best hotels in and around the city and had the most amazing time.

Our first point of call was The Table Bay hotel, situated right on the V&A waterfront. When we first entered the hotel lobby, it felt like stepping into a palace! It is the most breathtakingly grand lobby with gleaming marble floors, soaring ceilings and towering windows through which the Cape Town sun streams in, lighting up the many impressive artworks that are dotted around the room. From the moment you arrive you know that you are going to have your every need taken care of as a bevy of helpful staff relieve you of your luggage and set about making you as comfortable as possible. Everything here has a real feel of refined old world class.
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There are few countries in the world that offer beaches to rival the Caribbean along with affordable luxury accommodation but Thailand is one of these countries. It has everything you could wish for whether it is a dream wedding by the sea or a romantic honeymoon at a world class spa resort. Ever since my first visit to Thailand 10 years ago I have been in love with the country. Just an 11 hour flight from the UK and you will arrive in a paradise full of culture, warm Asian hospitality and white sandy beaches as far as the eye can see.

I recently came back from a trip where I found some of the very best destinations for honeymooners and couples looking to tie the knot.

Phuket

When arriving in Bangkok, the island of Phuket is just a quick one hour domestic flight away. If you don’t plan to buy a ticket to Phuket and want to spend a few days in Bangkok first then you can often find extremely cheap domestic flights using one of the local airlines.

Once we arrived in Phuket we took a 30 minute drive across the island and arrived at our beautiful accommodation, The Shore at Kathatani. The Shore is a luxury beach front resort of pool villas on Kata Noi Beach set in a secluded cove overlooking a white sandy beach and sparkling emerald sea.

The resort is small and intimate and never feels crowded so is the perfect place for a small wedding or simply a romantic getaway with your new husband.
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As our plane flew over St Lucia and I took in the first of many stunning views, I knew I was arriving somewhere very special. Of all the islands I have visited, St Lucia holds a natural charm and welcoming warmth that sets it apart from everywhere else.

Whether you’re after romance, rejuvenation or adventure you’ll find it amongst Saint Lucia’s unique landscape – a mix of idyllic beaches, miles of unspoiled Rainforest and the majestic Piton Mountains. St Lucia offers a variety of accommodations from award-winning hotels and spa resorts to stunning family run B&B’s, making it a destination for all tastes and budgets.

The people of St Lucia are very special, I have come across many well-mannered hospitable cultures but there is something about the St Lucians that makes you feel so at ease and so welcome on their beautiful island. They genuinely care about their visitors and want them to enjoy every moment, everywhere you go people are smiling and laughing and asking how your day is going and the truth is they really want to know.

On the drive from the airport to the North of the island there was so much to take in; children running around playing and waving at us, the lush landscapes of the Island and animals such as goats and horses roaming freely. It was difficult to know which direction to look in, but despite there being so much to take in I immediately felt that this was an island with a calm slow pace of life and I was excited to let the stress of my busy London life slip away…
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Located in the western Andaman sea, between the main coastline of Thailand and the island of Phuket lie the small but perfectly formed Phi Phi Islands. Widely hailed for their beauty, the islands found fame as the idyllic setting of the film ‘The Beach’ and travellers flock from all over the world to gaze upon their sheer cliff faces that descend into lush jungles that give way to white sandy beaches and azure seas. Of the two main islands, Ko Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Ley, only Koh Phi Phi Don is inhabited but despite this there are still no roads on the islands, which makes for a wonderfully rustic experience.

Due to the popularity of the islands, the main settlement on Koh Phi Phi Don can get fairly busy at peak times but fortunately we have the answer if you want to enjoy the beauty of the islands in more private surroundings. Just a short boat ride up to the top of the island (the only real way to get there from the main town), lies the luxury villa resort of Zeavola.

Zeavola is the only luxury villa resort on Koh Phi Phi and from its prime position nestled at the top of the islands you can gaze out on the blue waters of the Andaman sea untroubled by the hustle and bustle of the main town.
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Cheaper than the Caribbean whilst still offering beautiful beaches, azure seas and warm tropical weather… it is little surprise that Phuket, Thailand has been dubbed the “Jewel of the Andaman” and “Pearl of the South”.

Whilst many areas of the island have suffered from overdevelopment and tourism driven commercialisation, the past few years have seen a renaissance of sorts, thanks mostly to the opening of a number of luxurious and exclusive resorts such as the fabulous Evason resort and Six Senses Spa.

The Evason Phuket is located on Rawai beach which lies on the islands South Eastern shore, around an hour’s drive from Phuket airport, we went to find out if it was a fantastic as it sounded…

The sleek, shining new 5-series, complete with cold towels and chilled water, that arrived to deliver us from the airport to the Evason resort very much set the tone for what was to be an experience of utmost luxury. On its way to the reception, the car passes through the 64 acres of landscaped tropical gardens that surround the resort. Here we found giant palm trees swaying gently in the sea breeze and a series of picturesque ponds sprinkled with lily pads and a healthy population of colourful little frogs. The reception itself has an incredible view over the Andaman and is made up of four open-air salas (pavilions) which surround a mirror like lotus pond. At night, two burning braziers in the pond cast the whole area in a wonderful dancing orange light.

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Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second largest city and is best known for its numerous magnificent temples, lush tropical countryside and fiery northern Thai cuisine. It represents a slower paced and more rustic alternative to the bright lights of Bangkok and is a wonderful honeymoon destination for anyone looking for a taste of Eastern culture.

In the heart of the Chaing Mai’s old town, an area over flowing with spectacular Buddhist temples, you will find Tamarind Village which is an ideally located romantic haven from which to explore this amazing and exciting city.

The Tamarind Village was one of the first boutique hotels in Chiang Mai to be designed with Chiang Mai’s rich traditional northern Thai architecture in mind. The hotel, really a complex of smaller, individually styled cloisters arranged around a series of small courtyards and gardens, features elegant exposed dark timber beams, whitewashed walls and clay tiled roofs and is really quite beautiful. The tropical grounds are meticulously maintained and the paths that wind between them are lit-up at night by scores of candles. The centerpiece of the complex is a majestic 200 year old tamarind tree which towers over the central courtyard and was the inspiration for the hotel’s name. Read on…