Have a honeymoon dilemma? Stumped when it comes to picking your dream romantic destination? Not sure what need-to-know information all couples should have? Then ask the travel experts. Mr & Mrs Smith, founders of luxury travel site mrandmrssmith.com, have been around the world and back in search of the perfect places to start your new life together. Now they are taking your questions and giving you answers that will take you in the right direction.
E-mail your queries to honeymoon_travel_advice@brides.com and we'll publish the replies here.
I’m getting married in the fall, but I'm not sure of the best places to go for guaranteed rays. I’ve heard that the Caribbean can be unreliable then, with hurricane season well under way. Where else can we go if I don't want to spend days travelling?
Why not stay at home? There are some fabulous places to honeymoon in the U.S. We really loved Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, which has a super-glamorous farmstead feel and incredible rustic food all sourced from its kitchen garden. The weather is pretty stable in September and October, and there’s the bonus of the backdrop offered by the Smoky Mountains' russet-turning trees. Whether you join a foraging trip in the forest, follow trails-for-two on horseback or laze by the lakes, it's a magical place to celebrate your first trip together as Mr. and Mrs. Choose one of the contemporary cool Singing Brook Cottages for a special sense of seclusion. Otherwise, hop on a transatlantic flight and you'll catch the last rays of the summer in the Mediterranean. Santorini in Greece, Puglia in Southern Italy and Provence in the South of France are all bathed in golden light until mid-October.
My fiancé can’t just relax on the beach—he finds it so boring. But I just want to relax after the chaos of organizing our wedding day. Can you suggest some cool destinations that combine lots of activities with pampering and peace?
A two-centered trip sounds like a good compromise. Consider a long-haul destination such as South Africa: You can start off in cosmopolitan Cape Town, which is famed for fantastic wining and dining as well as its dramatic geography and coastline. A Smith favorite is Hawksmoor House, an old wine estate just outside Cape Town. With only eight rooms, it's incredibly private and tranquil. Follow this with a more energetic escape inland into the Kruger National Park with some big-game watching. Lion Sands has super-modern decor and is quite competitively priced. The beauty of a safari is that game-viewing sessions are at dawn and dusk, so you have the whole middle of the day to hang out, relax and spend some quality honeymoon time with each other.
For more great honeymoon locations in South Africa, click here.
We'd like to honeymoon in a romantic European city but want to avoid clichéd cities like Venice and Florence. Which cities are hot at the moment?
We have lots of suggestions for an edgier Euro-experience!
With the sterling at the weakest its been for a long while, there’s never been a better time to take advantage of England’s capital city: London. There are couple-friendly spots aplenty (the South Bank at twilight, Kew Gardens on a balmy evening, Waterloo Bridge when the sun sets over St. Paul’s) and discreet, chic-Gothic Hazlitts in Soho is the perfect pad for loved-up urbane pairs. Or consider Stockholm in Sweden. It's vibrant yet laid-back and picturesquely scattered over a network of 14 islands on the edge of the Baltic. The inhabitants ooze Nordic hip, and there's a buzzing bar scene, upscale shopping on Biblioteksgatan and antique-hunting opportunities on Södermalm. With plenty of culture to soak up (check out the unexpectedly intriguing Vasa Museum, which houses the world’s only remaining 17th-century ship) and some seductive hotels (such as Berns Hotel, which is set in a renovated movie theater), it’s so cool it's hot.
View a list of boutique hotels in London.
View a list of boutique hotels in Stockholm.
For more honeymoon and travel tips from Mr & Mrs Smith, click here.
Be sure to email your travel questions to Mr & Mrs Smith at honeymoon_travel_advice@brides.com and check back regularly for the answers from the experts.
