10 New Wonders, Consider One For A Honeymoon
Below are the list of 10 new wonders on the world, ever thought of honeymooning at one of these?
Ningaloo Coast (Australia)
Made up of nearly 2,335 square miles of Australia’s remote western coast, the striking Ningaloo Coast is comprised of both marine and land-based treasures. In the water off the Ningaloo Coast, you’ll find one of the longest near-shore reefs in the world and a wealth of diverse sea life, from sea turtles to an annual visit from whale sharks. On the land side, a network of underground caves and groundwater streams help support the coast’s biodiversity.
Ogasawara Islands (Japan)
South of Tokyo, this archipelago of over 30 islands is often called the “Galapagos of the Orient” because of its diverse ecosystems, landscapes and native species. Since the islands have never been near a continent, the native flora and fauna have developed through unique evolutionary processes. Along with over 440 documented native plant taxa, the Ogasawara Islands are home to close to 200 endangered bird species, numerous types of fish and coral, and the Bonin Flying Fox, a bat that’s in danger of extinction. Only two of the islands are inhabited, with about 2,440 residents in total.
Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley (Kenya)
Set in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley region, the area around three inter-connected shallow lakes—Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru and Lake Elementaita—is home to a stunning arena of bird and mammal life. Great Rift Valley is considered the most important foraging site in the world for the lesser flamingo (the smallest species of flamingo at 3 feet tall)—countless of which can be spotted there—and it’s also a top nesting and breeding ground for great white pelicans. Black rhino, lions, Rothschild’s giraffe, greater kudu and cheetahs quench their thirst at the lakes.
The majestic Wadi Rum—the largest desert valley in Jordan—was the famous stomping ground of the real-life Lawrence of Arabia. The Wadi Rum covers 286 square miles in the southern part of the country and is notable both for its natural and cultural wonders. In addition to photo-perfect desert landscapes marked by caverns, narrow gorges and massive cliffs, there is evidence of 12,000 years of human habitation here. Petroglyphs, archaeological remains, 20,000 inscriptions and 25,000 rock carvings offer insight into the lives the early residents of Wadi Rum.
West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou (China)
It’s easy to see why this lake, surrounded by hills on three sides, has been inspiring poets, artists and scholars since the 9th century. Peaceful and picturesque, the area is dotted with causeways and artificial islands, as well as man-made beauties like temples, pavilions and pagodas. Over the years, the West Lake cultural landscape has influenced garden design in China, Japan, and Korea.
The Persian Garden (Iran)
It may not be the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but its influence has been no less notable. Comprised of nine gardens that date back to different periods since the 6th century BC, its sites are prime examples of the diversity of Persian garden designs, which traditionally paid homage to Eden and the four Zoroastrian elements (earth, water, sky, plants). Dotted with historic pavilions and walls, as well as sophisticated irrigation systems, the gardens have inspired garden design as far away as India and Spain.
The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean Agro-Pastoral Cultural Landscape (France)
Together making up over 1160 square miles of south-central France, the Causses and the Cévennes regions are notable examples of the working relationship between man and nature—places where agricultural activities, like non-intensive sheep farming, help contribute to the preservation of the land. Within the site you’ll find the beautiful Cévennes National Park, as well as villages and stone farmhouses on the terraces of the Causses. Mont Lozère, the highest point in Cévennes, is one of the last places in the world where they practice summer transhumance, during which shepherds move along with their stock to higher pastures for the whole season.
This 1,930 square mile delta shaped by the arms of three rivers gives us key insight into both natural and human history. Over 200 islets and islands dot the Saloum Delta, along with dry and mangrove forests and marine habitats for the rich fish and shellfish life. The area is also home to 218 human-made shellfish mounds, some several hundred meters long. Burial sites on 28 of the mounds have yielded important artifacts that speak of the history of human residence along this part of the West African coast.
Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana (Spain)
This landscape is located on the majestic mountain range that lies off of the northwestern coast of the Spanish island of Majorca. Because of the area’s sheer-sided peaks and scant resources, farmers throughout history have had to come up with ingenious ways to work the land. Now, after thousands of years of agriculture, the area has unique water management and transport networks, agricultural terraces, connected water mills and dry stone structures in its villages—making it both naturally and culturally notable.
Konso Cultural Landscape (Ethiopia)
Within the stone walled terraces and fortified settlements of Ethiopia’s Konso highlands you’ll find original living traditions that date back to more than 400 years. Over 21 generations, inhabitants have adapted to the dry, hostile environment by creating special social systems, engineering techniques and craft works—including wooden statues grouped to represent noteworthy residents and heroic events. The statues are amazing standing remnants of funerary traditions that are in danger of disappearing.
10 Great Honeymoon Escapes
Choosing the best honeymoon destinations isn’t easy. We live in a beautiful world and there’s a whole lot to see and enjoy with your new spouse. Most of us can’t afford a trip around the globe, and only have time and budget to visit one special place on our honeymoons.
Bora Bora
If you want to be somewhere exotic and secluded, Bora Bora may be just what your heart desires. You can stay in a little hut over the water with a glass floor through which you can see fish, and have breakfast brought to you each morning by canoe. They specialize in romance in Bora Bora and have amenities from hiking and fishing to luxurious spa rituals.
Tuscany
Lying in the sun isn’t everyone’s style. If you want culture and history (and maybe a good helping of wine), consider Tuscany, one of the best honeymoon destinations out there. Even within Tuscany, there’s a variety of options. You could stay at a natural thermal spa, a winery, a villa, or in one of the historic cities like Florence or Siena.
Paris
Another urban honeymoon option is Paris, the City of Love. What can we say? The French get romance. You’ll find amazing honeymoon packages offered at the better hotels in Paris, as well as art, lights, and plenty of photo opportunities.
The French Riviera
In the French Riviera, the French are even more laid-back. Go during a hot month to experience the glamour, privacy and exclusivity celebrities love. It’s every bit as fabulous as it’s made out to be. Be sure and spend at least one day out on a yacht, living it up.
Punta Cana
If you like island resorts, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic probably has a perfect spot for you. Click the above to browse what’s available in different price ranges — you won’t have to choose between fun water sports (like scuba bikes and parasailing) and relaxing spa amenities; most of the better resorts have access to it all. Furthermore, if you’re golfers, this is definitely one of the best honeymoon destinations for you.
Bali
Bali is home to a mysterious and warm culture and exciting experiences. You can choose to spend a little or a lot here; you can stay in a superlatively luxurious hotel or go the budget route and get $5 massages on the beach. Either way, bring souvenir money — the craftsmanship you’ll find in the local markets is top-drawer.
Hawaii
You don’t have to leave the USA to have an first-class honeymoon. Hawaii is an amazing option — and bonus: your cell phone and money work there. The time change is favorable; your “jet lag” will simply be that you’ll feel like you’ve slept till noon and it will be hours earlier. There are incredible options here for budgets of all shapes and sizes, and the scenery is unmatchable.
Banff
It has a funny name and it’s closeby in Canada, but Banff has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Gorgeous lakes and majestic pines across a landscape of mountains make Banff one of the best honeymoon destinations, and there are plenty of activities for outdoorsy couples, too.
The Swiss Riviera
Arguably the most romantic place in the world, the Swiss Riviera combines the romance of the French influence with unbelievably storybook-like quaint architecture. And then, there’s Lake Geneva. One boat ride in this glassy, pure lake, gazing up at the grandeur of the French Alps will stay with you both for a lifetime.
Your Nearest Body of Water
Don’t have a lot of cash to spend? That doesn’t mean you can’t visit one of the best honeymoon destinations. Just get yourself into a bed and breakfast with a view of your nearest body of water and let the serenity wash over you as you let go of your wedding stress — and fall in love with each other all over again.
Ten Honeymoon Escapes to Consider
Private Island Honeymoons
Staying at a hotel on a private island means you don’t have to share the terrain with hundreds of other hotel guests or local residents. While amenities such as spa treatments and beach views are par for the course, each of these secluded islands lets you relax in style. Can you hear the tropics calling?
Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach and Private Island
French Polynesia
Located on a small island just off the coast of Bora Bora, you’ll find a private dive center as well as a beach. Stay in a bungalow; some are over water and others are built into the hillside. Enjoy access to super-luxe amenities like a cigar cave, a wine cellar, two on-site bars, a spa, and an infinity pool. Cuisine inspired by many regions is served in the fine-dining restaurant Latitude 16°, including dishes prepared in a Tahitian oven. At Manu Tuki restaurant, tuck into lighter snacks, such as BBQ and Polynesian or French specialties. Tahitian plants are incorporated into treatments at the spa.
Kamalame Cay in Andros Island, the Bahamas
The Bahamas
Kamalame Cay takes up 96 acres on this island, providing lots of privacy for guests. Nineteen rooms are housed in a combination of colorful cottages, bungalows, peaked-roof beach houses, and plantation- style villas (one has a 1,000-square-foot game room with a billiards table). Bahamian-style cuisine with a modern twist is served in the Great House. For a more casual affair, the Tiki Bar hosts local bands and prepares fresh fish on an open grill. Adventurous travelers can forego relaxing on the designated three miles of beach area in favor of kayaking through mangroves, deep-sea fishing for King Mackerel, or scuba diving — all of which can be arranged by the hotel.
Aerial of Guana Island, British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
Formerly a sugarcane plantation owned by Quakers, this unspoiled 850-acre private island now has seven resort-owned beaches. Guana Island Club’s 15 rooms are housed within stone cottages, or you can reserve the entire Beach House for more privacy. Expect a summer-camp vibe, with ping-pong tables, croquet, beach barbecues, and “Old Movie Nights.” You can also enjoy snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, 12 miles of hiking trails, or massage treatments and yoga classes offered through the spa. All meals are served in The Club and incorporate locally-grown fruits and vegetables.
Young Island Resort
The Grenadines
Johnny Depp slept in one of Young Island Resort’s 30 cottages while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl — proof of the island’s celeb status. Spa Kalina, in Cottage #15, offers treatments incorporating a product line from Barbados, such as a guava-seed foot. Caribbean-flair dishes (including a five-course menu) are served nightly under a palapa hut or among gardens of tropical flowers and plants. Swim out to Coconut Bar — owned by the resort and just a few yards from shore — for a cocktail.
Cayo Espanto in Ambergis Caye, Belize
Belize
Belize is the new hot spot in Central America — yet Cayo Espanto, on a four-acre island in the popular Ambergris Caye area, remains largely undiscovered. Reserve one of seven chic villas, each with turquoise decorative accents, an open-air design for Caribbean Sea views, and direct access to the beach and water. The world’s second-largest barrier-reef system is just a short swim away. Staff can help arrange an excursion, whether it’s a relaxing deserted-island beach picnic, a jungle tour, or intense scuba-diving or fly-fishing voyages.
Beach House in Manafuru Island, Maldives
The Maldives
With so many amenities to choose from, you won’t even think about stepping off Manafuru Island (unless it’s for deep-sea fishing or snorkeling). Villa options include the Water Villa, built above the ocean with glass-paneled flooring. At Moden Spa, the signature Maldivian massage uses local white sea-salt sand and Maldivian coconut oil. The resort also has yoga classes, an art gallery, and a tea lounge. Eight bars and restaurants serve everything from regional-themed menus to wines plucked from the undersea wine cellar.
Parrot Cay island, Turks & Caicos
The Turks & Caicos
Life on this 1,000-acre island is pretty sweet — take your pick of holistic options at COMO Shambhala Retreat; enjoy bone fishing, windsurfing, or hiking; or simply lounge on the mile-long beach. At Parrot Cay Resort, grilled conch and spiced banana fritters are specialty dishes at Lotus restaurant, as are Asian- inspired options like Balinese-spiced mahi mahi. Every Saturday is a barbecue where BBQ Kurubuta baby back ribs slathered in chipotle sauce are the main attraction. Terrace, the other restaurant, is ripe for romantic occasions with an Italian-themed dinner menu and its blueberry hotcakes for breakfast. Lodging runs the gamut from an affordable garden-view room to a duo of four-bedroom maisons (which are owned by Donna Karan).
Want To Honeymoon In One Of The Top 10?
With so many places to choose from for that perfect honeymoon, take a look at these top ten choices.
1. Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis
At the Caribbean’s only historic plantation inn set right on the beach, wicker-furnished cottages are spread among palm trees filled with green Vervet monkeys and beachfront hammocks that swing in the breeze. For the best views book one of the six Lower Deluxe Junior suites, with attached patios facing the ocean. Hoping to see more of the island’s sugar plantations? The hotel will be happy to put you in touch with Reggie Douglas, Nevis’s reigning cycling champ, for a 2-hour bike tour.
2. Jade Mountain, St. Lucia
Located at the highest point of the island, near the west coast town of Soufrière, this hillside hotel with a curved exterior and rough stone accents may be one of world’s the most recognizable. Inside, each of the 28 suites is unique, but they all share impressive features: infinity pools or jacuzzis, 15-foot ceilings, and loftlike architecture—even the raised bathroom is essentially part of one huge space. But since there is no fourth wall obscuring the view, the Piton mountain vistas takes center stage.
3. Jamaica Inn, Jamaica
Long a favorite among visiting British elite, including the likes of Winston Churchill, this classic Caribbean resort on the east side of Ocho Rios was thoroughly renovated in 2007. Now the 47 suites are a blend of Indonesian, colonial, and retro Jamaican décor, but remain refreshingly unplugged, with no TV’s to shatter the peace. Every suite has its own outdoor space, with a private infinity pool and sea entrance just steps from the bedrooms.
4. Wickaninnish Inn, British Columbia
The Wickaninnish Inn, set on a remote, pine forest–ringed promontory near Pacific Rim National Park, is best enjoyed during fierce weather—the more tumultuous, the better. In the 75 rooms, plush beds and deep soaking tubs sit beside floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on the churning ocean. Don a rain jacket for a walk along Chesterman Beach, or relax next to your fireplace with a Pacific Northwest Pinot Noir and the binoculars that are provided in each room.
5. Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Florida Keys
This well-regarded private sanctuary is comprised of a cluster of thatched-roof bungalows, a Thai-and-Balinese spa, and a beachfront restaurant (not to mention a new Chef’s Table), and it’s all reachable by a 15-minute boat ride or by seaplane from the mainland. A bonus? Overnight rates include valet parking, boat transfers, mini-bar beverages, and use of watersports equipment.
6. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii
“Perfect,” “heaven,” and “the best vacation of my life” are just a few ways guests describe this tropical island resort where all 228 rooms, in two-story bungalows, have ocean views. Meanwhile, the grounds border the dramatic volcanic rock coast with seawater and freshwater swimming pools and an open-air spa teems with tropical vegetation. Be sure to schedule tee time: The private 7,100-square-foot oceanfront Jack Nicklaus signature golf course is carved right into the underlying black lava, which serves as occasional bunkers.
7. Couples Tower Isle, Jamaica
This Jamaica property, the first Couples resort, set the standard for all-inclusive hotels when it opened over 60 years ago. Recently renovated to the tune of $30 million, the hotel now offers 20 new rooms, a dive pool, and 10 spa treatment suites. Reserve the top floor Ocean Junior Suites and you’ll have balconies with sea views, flat-screen TV’s, and king-size beds.
8. Halekulani, Oahu
It’s all about service at this recently renovated 5-acre Waikiki Beach beauty, which has existed for nearly a century. Breakfast is a highlight: at the open-air dining room at Orchids restaurant, paddle straight for the Hawaiian specialties: pipi kaula beef jerky, marinated ahi tuna poke, lomilomi cured salmon, Waimanalo roast suckling pig, local Kula tomatoes, and Big Island goat cheese. The Halekulani kitchen also whips up the Pacific’s best popovers. Once you’re thoroughly stuffed, book a traditional Polynesian spa treatment like Lomi Lomi Hawaiian massage.
9. Kahala Hotel & Resort, Oahu
This Oahu classic—fresh from a major renovation—now has thoughtful in-room details (Frette linens; chenille robes; oversize showerheads) in addition to a dolphin-filled lagoon and views of Diamond Head. But it’s the hotel’s storied history that makes this 1964 colossus such an icon. It was here, at what was then a Hilton and known as the Kahollywood, that Richard Burton and Liz Taylor hid out from the paparazzi in a private cabana.
10. Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele
An English country manor sensibility pervades this 20-acre central-highland property on sparsely populated Lanai. The 102 rooms and suites have verandas, many fronting the perfectly manicured lawns where croquet and lawn bowling are played. Spend your days on jeep tours, hiking, horseback riding, or skeet shooting, then unwind by the enormous stone fireplaces in the hunting lodge–like Great Hall, sumptuous with dark rich wood, skylights, and libraries and sitting rooms in the wings.