Gorgeous Honeymoon Destinations to Add to Your Bucket List

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Looking for an out-of-this-world location to go on your honeymoon? We've got you covered. Whether it's the uber-romantic city streets of Paris and Florence, the adventurous Vietnam and Galapagos, or the exotic Bali and Brazil, we've rounded up destinations that should definitely make their way on to your bucket list—honeymoon or not. Here, our favorite fantasy vacations you should take with your hubby.

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Bali
This Indonesian island oozes so much Hindu spirituality you'll barely leave your resort before stumbling on colorful petals left as offerings by locals. Graced with green mountains, beautiful beaches, and a boho-chic vibe, it's anyone's version of paradise. Go high-low and stay a few nights at the whitewashed beachfront Amankila (doubles from $950), where staff can orchestrate a bed under the stars, then bunk inland at the affordable-luxe retreat Uma Ubud (doubles from $270). Yoga, temple blessings, and hikes through the stepped rice paddies are required diversions at both.

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Paris
Paris, you make us swoon. Those boulevards. Those gardens. Those effortlessly chic denizens. Any marriage is perfectly consummated by lazy walks through the Tuileries, the Louvre, and the Marais, but to truly immerse yourselves in la vie en rose, head to the edgier 10th Arrondissement, where dockside hubs like Point Éphémère are home to electronica concerts and a vibrant arts community. There's even a quirky hotel, the 12-room Le Citizen (doubles from $274), that acts as an anchor to the hipster enclave. Or up the luxury quotient by staying at Paris's new palace hotel, the super-sexy Le Royal Monceau Raffles (doubles from $1,311), designed by Philippe Starck to evoke the eclectic home of a 1950s bon vivant.

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Machu Picchu
Many couples consider hiking Peru's Inca Trail to the Lost City of the Incas a rite of passage, but if you're too done in by wedding planning to walk, you can always go by rail. Spend the night in Cuzco at the Belmond Hotel Monasterio (doubles from $665), a former Incan palace and monastery built in 1595, then take the luxe Hiram Bingham train through the Sacred Valley to Belmond Sanctuary Lodge (doubles from $1,215). It's the only hotel at the site, so in the mornings and evenings you'll have the ancient ruins practically all to yourselves.

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Taj Majal, India
It's an over-the-top tomb built by an emperor for his beloved deceased wife. How romantic is that? Spend the night in a room framing views of the marble folly at Oberoi's knock-your-socks-off Amarvilas (doubles from $757), done in Mughal style with every fountain, garden, terrace, and restaurant taking advantage of the world's greatest symbol of undying love from less than half a mile away.

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Brazil
With the next World Cup and Summer Olympics landing here, this sultry nation has never been buzzier. Your first stop? Rio de Janeiro and the retro-cool Belmond Copacabana Palace (doubles from $740), an art-deco masterpiece across a walkway from the legendary beach. Once you're done soaking up the sun, join the locals for live samba music at Carioca de Gema. Next head to the Amazon's Anavilhanas Lodge (all-inclusive doubles from $1,674), in the middle of a river archipelago. The 16 guest cottages hover on stilts, so you can fall asleep to the sound of the river and awaken to a symphony of frogs before going dolphin watching or piranha fishing. Need more down time? Dig out your chicest bikini and head to Bahia, a paradise of unspoiled beaches and boldface names (Gisele Bndchen, Naomi Campbell, et cetera). The 10-room Uxua Casa Hotel (doubles from $452) is the brainchild of the former creative director of Diesel, so expect to see fashionistas practicing martial-arts moves during daily capoeira lessons and downing caipirinhas by the quartz pool. Sade!

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Florence, Italy
This city's name practically rhymes with romance, and its every ancient villa, piazza café, and art museum exudes Italian coquettishness. The restaurants ain't bad, either. Case in point: the pear-and-pecorino ravioli at La Giostra, a candlelit 16-table hideaway owned by a Hapsburg prince. When it's time to say buon notte, float along the Arno River—a violinist can be arranged to serenade you—to the hilltop Belmond Villa San Michele (doubles from $1,142), a former monastery with a facade designed by Michelangelo. Hey, if it's good enough for Bono's 40th birthday...

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The Grand Canyon
Photos of the biggest hole in the world don't do it justice. Peek over the canyon's foliage-thick edge and you'll see layers of rock compressed over millennia and carved by the Colorado River shifting from brown to pink to white to silver. For the most Instagram-worthy views, make Las Vegas your base camp and do the canyon by helicopter. (Try Papillon Tours, which offers four-hour flights for two from $304). Then hightail it back to town for celebratory sushi at the newly opened Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace, followed by meditations on the day in your sleek, feng shui'd room (doubles from $169).

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__Halong Bay, Vietnam __
Pretend you're Catherine Deneuve in Indochine as you float between the limestone islets erupting from the mist in this hidden cove on Vietnam's Northern coast. Start the excursion with a night at the colonial-era Hotel Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel (doubles from $180), whose secret wartime bunker was recently restored and open to the public. The drive to Halong Bay is long (three hours), but so totally worth it: once you reach the gateway, you board a traditional junk—those atmospheric, wooden-masted ships—for just the two of you (two-day trips with Bhaya Cruises, from $330 for two), picnic lunch on the deck included. Over two days, you drift past floating fishing villages and mountains festooned with green, and spend the night in utter isolation, with the mist-shrouded mountains as your romantic backdrop.

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Northern Lights, Iceland
Fireworks are so overrated. Upgrade them with Mother Nature's own version: the ethereal Aurora Borealis, streams of green, violet, and blue lights that arc, ripple, and shoot overhead in the endless skies of Iceland. When you're not admiring what's above, look at what's below: the natural thermal spas of the famous Blue Lagoon, the crazy-cool moss fields and hothouse towns along the Golden Circle, the moving glaciers and continental divide between Europe and North America. Nights are raucous in Reykjavik, especially in wintertime at the hipster haunt 101 Hotel (doubles from $328)—look out for Bjork and Sigur Ros—when the sun rarely makes an appearance, giving everyone a reason to throw back a few more beers. Skál!

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The Galapagos
Giant tortoises. Marine iguanas. Blue-footed boobies. All the critters who inspired Darwin live here in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. Most visitors explore via ship, but if you'd rather spend your nights on dry land, go glamping at just-opened Galapagos Safari Camp (doubles from $535, including meals)—infinity pool totally included.

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Great Barrier Reef
Sprawling over 1,200 miles, the world's largest reef has 400 types of coral, more than 1,500 species of fish, and some of the most incredible private-island resorts a giddy bride can dream up. Our pick: the ultraposh One&Only Hayman Island (doubles from $528), due to reopen in April after a months-long facelift. Diving fanatics swear by this retreat, which occupies 726 lush acres off the coast of Queensland and provides serious OMG moments, from your first glimpse of sea horses and 150-year-old giant clams to a massage in the surf. Ready to get out of the water? Take a helicopter ride to a deserted island for a private champagne lunch on four miles of white sand.

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Seychelles
William and Kate put this far-flung Indian Ocean nation back on the honeymoon bucket list—where it should stay in perpetuity. Prices are steep, but you only get married once, right? The royals stayed at North Island(all-inclusive doubles from $7,091), but equally sublime is Fregate Island Private (all-inclusive doubles from $5,144), where Aldabra giant tortoise crossings pass as rush-hour traffic and you can linger over dinner for two on one of seven beaches, in one of the 16 guest cottages, or even in a treehouse.

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Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia
Within this 21-million-acre reserve and the world's largest remaining piece of undeveloped rainforest, you'll find grizzlies, spirit bears, mink, wolverine, humpback whales, seals, porpoise, sea lions, and the list goes on. Nimmo Bay (all-inclusive doubles from $2,518) sits on the edge of all this majesty: The lodge nestles on a rocky promontory at the edge of the reserve. You, your guy, and the fresh salmon he catches. How romantic is that?

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Sea of Cortez, Mexico
Every year in February, grey whales gather in the calving lagoons of the Sea of Cortez to give birth and playfully sidle up to boats hoping for a head scratch. One of the world's dreamiest resorts, Los Cabos's sexy One&Only Palmilla (doubles from $595) just happens to be a couple hours down the coast from the calving lagoons in San Ignacio, which makes arranging a day trip a breeze. Or just hang by the bar—every time the bartender spies a pod of whales, he sounds a conch shell.

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Cappadocia, Turkey
Picture a wild landscape of wind-sculpted rock spires and a network of mountain caves converted into churches, houses, and hotels and you'll get a sense of this Shire-like land. Set at the confluence of trading routes between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, the region is influenced by them all. When you're ready to pick a perch, check in to Greme's Anatolian Cave Hotel (doubles from $110), built right into the limestone karsts, where candles flicker in the walls, rooms are carved from stone, and bath time means a dip in a rose-petal-strewn Jacuzzi built for two.

Courtesy of Andaz Maui

Hawaii
This archipelago is a honeymoon classic, and no wonder. It offers all the exoticism of a far-flung retreat without the hassles of international travel. You can visit the iconic emerald-draped Diamondhead on Oahu, helicopter over Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, and hike Kauai's lush Napali Coast, all in one week. Maui, always a favorite for couples, has two new hotels to sweeten the stay: Andaz Maui (doubles from $409, pictured at left), whose airy suites have floors made of natural lava and direct access to the blow-your-mind beaches of Wailea, and the 24-acre Montage Kapalua Bay (doubles from $1,195), 50 beach-front suites with private lanais (outdoor patios), a ginormous Hawaii-inspired spa, and a list of activities too vast to mention. Fine, we'll mention three: zip-lining, paddleboarding, and some of the best golfing in the world.

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Once-in-a-Lifetime Honeymoon Destinations to Add to Your Bucket List

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