By Lizzie Jones, marketing director at The Turquoise Holiday Company.
The wedding date is booked. The guest list is taking shape. Now it’s time to decide on the trip of a lifetime. It doesn’t get any better than honeymoon planning – especially with a whopping great big discount. And while you’re deciding where in the world you’d like to go, here are some pro travel tips from the experts. Merry Christmas from Tythe and Turquoise!
Remember to chill!
‘More than ever, couples are focusing on that circuit breaker, the part of the honeymoon where you get to totally relax. It used to be the secondary element of the trip but now it has just as much importance. Life moves quickly; people have much fuller lives again and honeymooners want to know the best places to recharge and soak up the luxury.
Go small, then big!
One big shift I’ve seen is couples taking a mini moon directly after the wedding and then waiting longer to go on the main honeymoon. If you marry in the summer in the UK, you can wait until the winter months to take the trip if the weather is better at the destination then. Lots of couples do Europe for five days or a week, maybe fly for four hours to Santorini and lie by a beautiful pool with an amazing view – that’s the tonic lots of newly-weds are looking for. They will wait for the right weather window and often that works well with their work schedule too. They’re also seeking out smaller properties and more remote islands which we love, it’s one area where we really specialise. We are about to launch a new collection of hotels with 50 rooms or less because we’ve seen such interest in them from honeymooners.
Short & long-haul winners
Closer to home, Italy and Greece are topping the charts for us. For 2025 the Amalfi coast is trending as are a combination of islands like Paros and Santorini – they have the level of luxury just right plus you can fall into local tavernas or be totally secluded in a pretty cove, it offers everything that honeymooners are looking for.
Long haul we’re seeing couples doing safari and more. Everyone will have heard of the Masai Mara experience and some of our favourite lodges are there – couples will combine that with exploring northern Kenya and some of the lesser-known parts like Amboseli or the CHYULU HILLS/ CHECK before heading onto their beach destination. Or in South Africa people will combine The Garden Route and Franschhoek before heading to a beach. The pace of trips is slowing down.
Another exciting destination for us is the South Pacific. We are the number one operator out to the islands of Tahiti. Bora Bora is the location that often draws people in who love island hopping. It’s a brilliant time to go in our summer months. Fiji would be my absolute hidden gem in the world. Our research team has just returned from the Philippines and adored some of the hotels out there. A little bit more off the beaten track you have the islands of Indonesia and one about an hour from Bali called Sumba has a beautiful hotel called Sanubari with just nine villas on a beach. It’s real off the beaten track, raw luxury.
Not forgetting the Maldives
For the 13 years I’ve been at Turquoise it’s still number one year on year and quite rightly so. Fifty per cent of our honeymooners go to the Maldives. The islands and the hotels there are some of the best in the world for a romantic experience. It’s only when you speak to an expert that you realise a lot of the islands are very different in size and style. It can be hard to know where to start but we don’t promote anywhere that we haven’t seen for ourselves. We understand honeymoons can be an intimidating thing to plan, that’s why we are here and why we are honeymoon obsessed, it’s our job to narrow down the perfect island for the perfect couple.
Have high expectations . . .
And tell us about them. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed if planning trips like this is not normal for you. It is the most important holiday of lots of people’s lives and couples should share their expectations with our team. We can guide you from there. The first thing to do is to define when you can travel. You may be flexible but lots of people aren’t. Weather isn’t everything but our founder, James Bell, always says even paradise isn’t romantic in the rain. Although we cannot predict the weather, it is obviously better to try to go to a destination in the best weather window even if that means travelling later after your wedding.
Time is another big consideration – making sure you’re choosing a length of time travelling that works for you and the destination.
Detail is everything
If you can’t narrow down where you want to go then share with our team the kinds of things you like doing – are you foodie or active are you going to go bonkers if you don’t have a beach long enough to walk up and down every day, do you love exploring local restaurants and markets, or will you be in bed by 9pm and up at 5am and therefore need to be somewhere with an incredible sunrise and a restaurant that opens for coffee at 7am. It’s these details that help our team successfully narrow down your choices.
Slow down
Try not to schedule in too much. Packing and unpacking from hotel to hotel is not romantic and not that fun. It might feel like you’re ticking lots of boxes and seeing everything but to really get under the skin of a destination, you need to be there for a little bit of time, give yourselves at least a few days to settle in. You don’t want to feel like you’re packing to leave almost as soon as you arrive. It shouldn’t be stressful for you.
Get involved!
Our team of experts would always prefer to speak to both partners if we can for maximum insight to what you both want. If one person needs to be active and the other one just wants to chill, we may simply switch the order of travel, so we get you straight to the beach. You can relax and feel pampered, then do safari at the end when you mind less about getting up at 6am and you’re ready to leave your sun lounger. Equally, our team may advise taking one stop out of the itinerary to give yourselves space to breath.
It’s a big yes to perks
Honeymoons have got to be about perks. These hotels and destinations are desperate to treat you like royalty. So, if you’re going on an island or beach-based honeymoon, I think the room you’re in is really important. You’ll spend a lot of time there and this is when I would go for a room or villa upgrade. Many of our properties around the world have rooms with private pools and that’s an amazing treat to yourselves.
We always say book the best room in a more affordable hotel over the worst room in a very expensive hotel. You want to be able to order every cocktail on the menu if that’s your thing and eat in the best restaurants without feeling uncomfortable about the cost. It’s a rule that our team try to stand by.
A flight upgrade is the ultimate luxury but if your budget doesn’t stretch to it, then look at the possibility of upgrading one way only. Do the return journey in premium or business if you can or an overnight flight so you don’t arrive home feeling exhausted.
UK airports have amazing lounges. It’s such a cool way to start your honeymoon. Get the champagne flowing whatever time of day it is.
There are things you can do to make you budget go further but also capitalise on the perks that may be included in your booking. We are your ambassadors when you’re there. We will tell the hotel it’s your honeymoon so they can make it extra special for you.
TAKE £500 OFF YOUR HONEYMOON WITH TURQUOISE
We are offering all couples who are getting married at Tythe a £500 honeymoon voucher that can be put towards any honeymoon you plan with us. We understand that honeymoons are not one size fits all. The voucher is applicable to all destinations for all future Tythe wedding couples for a minimum of seven nights, inclusive of flights. It covers bookings made up until the end of February 2025 with a travel window up to the end of April 2026. Honeymooners usually plan nine to twelve months in advance. It can take anything from a week to six months to book your honeymoon. The pressure is not on from us, the pressure if to find the right place and be going at the right time. Our hope is this offer won’t limit anyone in their experience.
For full T&Cs and all the details on how to apply, please click HERE.
Interview by Jade Beer.
