Saturday 6 July 2013

Luxury honeymoon destinations: 10 of the world's best

From luxury, all-inclusive honeymoons on tropical islands to the ultimate romantic city breaks, honeymoon expert Amanda Statham shares her pick of the world's best honeymoon destinations.

It's the most significant holiday a couple is likely to take, but after the stress of planning a wedding, deciding on a honeymoon destination can be a draining task. A travel editor for You & Your Wedding magazine for eight years, Amanda Statham has visited countless luxury resorts and hotels all claiming to be the most romantic in the world. Here she shares her selection of the 10 ultimate honeymoon destinations, all perfect choices for those who want to ensure their first holiday as a newly married couple kicks off in style.
Best for a scenic setting: Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, St Lucia
A recent trip to this sprawling property revealed it has the best setting in the Caribbean: 59 villas dotted across a hillside between the Piton Peaks, which tower like sentinels either side of a crescent of golden beach. This is UNESCO territory and it’s impossible not to be captivated by the forest and mountains. You could pass whole days on the enormous terrace of your pool villa, or, after waking late in a cocoon-like four-poster, you could ask your butler to hail a buggy and head to the beach for freshly grilled fish and a swim in the warm sea. Also notable are the Rainforest Spa with treehouse treatment rooms and the resort’s late-night lounge which looks like it’s been transplanted from New York.

Getting there: Carrier offers a sweet romance package which includes seven nights’ accommodation, flights and lots of extras from £2695pp.
Best for 24-hour entertainment: NIYAMA, Maldives

Subsix at NIYAMA, the world's first underwater club
This fashionable new Maldives escape has all of the usual honeymoon essentials – white sand beach, turquoise lagoon – but it’s the unusual extras that set it apart. At NIYAMA guests aren’t tucked up in bed by 10pm, instead they’re at Subsix nightclub, where you can watch rays and reef sharks through floor-to-ceiling windows as you dance six metres below sea level. Should post-party restoration be required, the spa is 24-hour (another Indian Ocean first), while a beach cinema beneath the stars, supper at offshore restaurant Edge and sunset drinks at rooftop bar Fahrenheit all boost its romance credentials.

Getting there: Seasons in Style offers seven nights from £2495 per person, including flights.
Best for wild beauty: Loisaba, Kenya
The view from Loisaba's star bed at sunset

Heaven-sent Loisaba lies on top of a rocky escarpment in a 60,000-acre private reserve. Suites are dreamy affairs with four-poster beds and timbered decks with views across the plains to Mount Kenya; if you really want to embrace the elements you can also spend an unforgettable night on a handcrafted Koija star bed, rolled onto an elevated, open-air platform for an evening spent gazing at the Milky Way. Loisaba has also just started offering couples a thrilling guided evening star safari, either on horseback or foot; to unwind together afterwards, request an al fresco champagne bath for two in the bush .


Getting there: Cheli & Peacock offers five nights from £1312pp, incl. full board, night game drives, guided bush walks, bush breakfasts and sundowners, excluding flights.
Best for cultural mystique: Taj Lake Palace, India
Widely regarded as one of India’s most romantic hotels, Taj Lake Palaceis a beautifully preserved 250-year-old white marble building which appears to float in the middle of Lake Pichola – a sanctuary of tranquillity amid Udaipur’s churning chaos. You arrive by boat (always a great start to a honeymoon) and it’s not hyperbole to say your jaws will drop once you see this fairytale retreat of turrets, domes, ornate windows and opulent rooms filled with exquisite antique furniture and hand-painted murals. Dine al fresco on gourmet Indian dishes at the Lily Pond Courtyard or at a floating, candle-lit pontoon for two. Excursions to explore Udaipur are a must, as is a couples massage in the Jiva Spa. Already finding that the property seems strangely familiar? That could be because the hotel appeared in the Bond movie Octopussy. Double-Oh-Heaven indeed.
Getting there: Kuoni offers five nights from £2067pp incl. flights.
Best for laidback luxury: Ponta dos Ganchos, Brazil
The fact you can have breakfast at 3pm if you choose sums up the ethos of this hip resort by Florianopolis. Everything is exquisitely simple and geared towards relaxation, such as the Christian Dior spa (the only one in South America), which has just three ocean-view white tents, or the 25 vast bungalows with double hammocks and private pools to laze in. Dining on octopus rice and basil (a local speciality) at a petal-strewn table on the resort’s tiny private island is distractingly romantic. A special mention has to go to the staff, who second guess your every move: favourite drinks are remembered, candles are lit in your room at night and your initials are drawn inside chocolate hearts on top of your coffee at breakfast.
Getting there: Scott Dunn offers seven nights for the price of five from £2815pp including flights.
Best for city splendour: Eiffel duplex terrace suite, Shangri-la Hotel Paris

The Eiffel Tower as seen from the Shangri-La's Eiffel Duplex Terrace Suite
Everything about the Shangri-La Hotel Paris's split-level suites – a glamorous mix of regal gold and soft beige furnishings, wood floors and marble bathrooms – is perfect. I loved the lavish curtains, which cascade from the mezzanine bedroom down to the lounge below – opening them in the morning to reveal the Eiffel Tower perfectly framed through enormous windows is a memorable moment. Later on the vista is even more irresistible – I defy any couple not to be seduced by the sight of the Tour Eiffel shimmering at night, as they toast the panorama from their own private terrace. If you can drag yourselves away from that view, book a table at the hotel’s Shang Palace, Europe’s first Cantonese restaurant to gain a Michelin star.
Getting there: Eiffel duplex terrace suite from €3600 per night
Best for beachside glamour: Four Seasons Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Days at Four Seasons Bora Bora slip by in a haze. Usually they include a spot of sunbathing on the terraces of guests’ over-water villas, but they could also include learning to paddle surf, snacking on seafood salads at the Faré Hoa beach bar, soaking in tubs with mountain views and snorkelling in the resort's fabulous Ruahatu Lagoon Sanctuary, where you can spot more than 100 species from octopus to eagle rays. The entrance of the dramatic cathedral-like spa looks like a temple and, melting to putty during a hot stone massage in the Kahaia couples suite as fish shimmer under the glass floor beneath you, it’s hard not to feel a little closer to heaven.
Getting there: Black Tomato offers seven nights incl. flights from £3998pp.
Best for grown-up elegance: Cipriani, Venice
The triumph of this hotel, cast away on an island in the Venetian lagoon, is that it manages to feel relaxed and intimate despite its grandeur and celebrity clientele. The Cipriani experience starts the moment you're picked up from the airport in a custom-built boat – everything about the property exudes style. The decor is exquisite – Murano chandeliers, polished parquet wood flooring and silk curtains – and junior suites are the rooms to book for a honeymoon, particularly Room 44 for its large private terrace overlooking the (almost) Olympic-sized pool. Breakfast in the luxurious Fortuny Restaurant is a chic affair but my favourite Cipriani eatery is Cips Club, which features a picturesque terrace overlooking the lagoon and city. There's also a vineyard and Casanova Wellness Centre with a treatment room for couples.
Getting there: Elegant Resorts offers three nights from £2040pp incl. flights.
Best for outdoor adventure: Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp, Thailand
Khao Sok National Park, a 160-million-year-old rainforest, is home to elephants, hornbills, rare rafflesia (the world’s largest flower) and Thailand’s first floating hotel. Hidden away in a remote corner of Cheow Larn Lake are ten luxury tents secured to pontoons, so you can literally roll out of bed and dive into the water. Kayaking along the forest edge, spotting gibbons, trekking through rainforest and swimming in the lake are all unforgettable experiences and the fact that solar power lights the camp and that furniture was built by local craftsmen using sustainable wood means your honeymoon’s ethical credentials are taken into account too. Combine your stay with a night at Elephant Hills Tented Camp, which offers the chance to interact with and feed elephants.
Getting there: Audley Travel offers two nights at Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp and one night at Elephant Hills Camp from £1375pp incl. transfers and flights.
Best for fun in the sun: Saint Anne Resort, Seychelles 
Sainte Anne Resort remains my favourite five-star in an archipelago where they’re ten a penny. That’s mainly due to its setting, on a private island just 10 minutes by boat (or helicopter) from Mahé, and because there’s something to suit most couples. Want to dive every day? You’re surrounded by one of the largest marine parks in the Indian Ocean. Looking to unwind for a week? Spa by Clarins will pamper you from top to toe. Need some fine dining served with your sun and sand? There are four excellent restaurants to choose from, including Le Mont Fleuri which is set on stilts above the beach. Sign up for yoga in a pavilion open to the balmy breezes, cycle together around the island then dive into your beach villa’s pool at sunset. That’s activity day and night sorted.
Getting there: Turquoise Holidays offers seven nights from £2899 per person incl. flights and all meals. Honeymooners enjoy champagne & fruit in-room on arrival, one gift voucher at Beachcomber Boutiques & a spa treatment per couple
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Friday 5 July 2013

Valentine’s in the Maldives: Asia’s Isles of Amour

Sprinkled in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives have long been known for their air of romance and mystery. As Valentine’s Day approaches, the crystal clear waters and Ivory beaches of the world’s most romantic getaway will once again murmur with the orations of amour as newly-weds seek out the far-flung atolls of Asia’s smallest nation for a taste of true romance. Explore the best romantic rendezvous this unforgettable archipelago has to offer.
Valentine’s in the Maldives: Asia’s Isles of Amour
Image Source: hoteltravel

In fact, romance makes up a large part of the holiday business in the Maldives, where the majority of visitors are on their honeymoons, renewing their vows or just enjoying an indulgent break with their loved ones. Romance is catered for in almost every corner of the archipelago – although the more budget the resort, the more families and large noisy charter groups you’ll get and the less intimacy you’ll find. If it’s peace, quiet, candlelit dinners and serenading musicians you’re looking for, then you’ll need to go a bit more up market.

However, romance doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be constantly forking out fat wads of cash. For example, it’s difficult to think of anywhere more romantically inclined than little Makunudu Island where TV and loud music have yet to arrive. Here you’ll find simple traditional houses dotting the idyllic beaches and tropical vegetation thick with trees planted by past generations of honeymooners. That said, there is no doubt the maxim ‘you get what you pay for’ generally rings true in the Maldives, as the best romantic getaways certainly do not scrimp on luxuries.

While it’s not possible yet to marry in the Maldives that may well change in the not too distant future. However, this hasn’t stopped couples from holding non-legally binding services with all the trimmings – even if it means completing the legal formalities later. Nearly all mid-range and top-end resorts can organise wedding ceremonies – it’s just a question of seeking out the best special package to suit you.

Of course, beaches are always an important part of any romantic getaway, and apart from your exquisite resort, it’s probably one of the most likely places you’ll be: soaking up the sun, cooling off in the azure waters of the Indian Ocean and swooning over those perfect Maldivian sunsets.

Choosing the best Maldives beaches though, can be problematic. The simple truth is that almost all of them are utterly stunning: soft white sand lapped by crystal clear water and fringed by tall willowy palms – what more could you ask for? However, for the record, here are some that will certainly not disappoint:   

Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, Baa Atoll – This honeymoon favourite has a classic long, wide beach, fringed with the thick tropical foliage of the island. 

Kanuhura, Lhaviyani Atoll – This spell-binding beach is one of the longest and widest in the Maldives and looks out on to a dazzling bue lagoon. If you’re looking for abolute solitude, you can take a boat to Jehunuhura Island next door, which is almost as breathtaking. 

Palm Beach Resort, Lhaviyani Atoll – Beaches in paradise don’t get much better than this. It runs almost the entire way around  Palm Beach Resort, unusual for islands of this size. There’s also a seasonal sandbar and plenty of lovely overhanging palms. 

Meeru Island Resort, North Male’ Atoll – The best beach is on the island’s lagoon side, which is so large it never feels crowded. There are also many other great beaches on Meeru to discover.

Cocoa Island, South Male’ Atoll – A beautiful strip of sand and a long sandbank at the end of Cocoa Island are just two of the beach’s great attractions. What’s more, it’s rarely crowded so you might even find you have the beach all to yourself. 

Paradise Island, North Male’ Atoll – This popular resort certainly lives up to its name. On the lagoon side is a gleaming bar of white sand, lapped by a turquoise sea. 

One & Only Reethi Rah, North Male’ Atoll – Despite being mostly manmade, the dazzling natural-looking beaches are created in perfect crescent shapes. You could spend a week here and enjoy a different beach each day. 

Angsana Ihuru, North Male’ Atoll – Ihuru Island has long been famous with professional photographers seeking that idyllic beach shot. Almost perfectly circular with classic ivory sands all the way around, it’s one of the most popular honeymooning spots.

Male’ is the tiny Maldivian capital , a densely crowded and extraordinary place, throbbing with life. Although it may not be on your romantic itinerary, it’s well worth a visit, simply to see its stark contrast to the more laid-back pace of island living elsewhere. It’s pleasant and pleasingly quirky with tall brightly coloured buildings – a lively mercantile hub – and one of the only places in the country where there’s not a palm tree or sandy beach in sight... Read More

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Captivating W Retreat- Beach Oasis (Honeymoon Escape)




The W retreat Beach Oasis is one of the most amazing places that you could spend your honeymoon at. This bi-level beachfront retreat is designed to cover all enmities needed at a romantic getaway. Fitted with a plunge pool and a circular bed, it provides privacy and the perfect romantic environment needed

Package Includes:
- Breakfast
- Bottle of Champagne
- Chocolate Amenity upon arrival
- Sea Plane Transfer return

Only $5765 for 4 Nights Stay. Please drop an email at marketing@maldivestraveller.com for more information on this package

Friday 17 May 2013

Must See Places Before The World Ends


Welcome to the amazing world of natural beauties. We will introduce you with the gorgeous places of the world. Every person will be amazed with these images of the wonderland Earth. 

Here are the most fantastic & the unique areas which you must never miss to visit in your life time.


 Glass Beach, California, USA

 
Venice Italy

Fernando De Noronha - Brazil

Fingal’s Cave, Scotland
Cinque Terre, Rio Maggiore, Italy
Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway

Four Seasons Hotel-Bora Bora

Golden Horn — Bol, island Brač in the Croatia_

Pink Lake

Hotel La Montana Magica – Huilo Chile
Panjin Red Beach, China

Preachers Rock,preikestolen, Norway

Rocky Village, Vernazza, Italy

 Romania

Tiantan Buddha on Lantau Island

Vally of ten lakes,morainelake,Alberta,canada

Villa d’Este – Tivoli Italy
Mt Everest -Nepal

Aogashima Volcano, Japan

Blue Lagoon, Iceland



Wednesday 15 May 2013

The Great Adventure: Fishermen’s Paradise


Staring into the deep blue sea, watching the sun’s golden rays slowly dip into the horizon in front, you slowly start to wonder if you are going to get lucky at all today. The taunting of your friends grows ever louder with every minute that pass by. When all hope is almost lost, you feel that sharp tug and you know that finally the time has come for you.  Then comes the mental and physical game you have to play. Seconds pass and you are left to wonder if you have done enough. Slowly but surely it surfaces, the fruit of your labor. You finally caught that elusive fish. This is the intense and exciting adventure of fishing. A sport that is rooted in our genes and one that thrives in the Maldives.

Long regarded as a honeymooner’s paradise, the idyllic country is littered with amazing sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. However Maldives is not only perfect for sunbathing and taking a dip into the water, it is also one of the most brilliant destinations to go fishing in.
Fishing has been one of the staples in the Maldivian economy for centuries. Before tourism became the main industry of the Maldives in the 1970’s fishing was long regarded as the bloodline of the country.  Every morning at the crack of dawn, the men of the families could be seen setting of in their boats and when they returned with their catch, the womenfolk would be ready to help them in processing the fish. With such a rich history in fishing, it is not a surprise that the waters of the Maldives is such a gem for all kinds of fishing adventures... Read Continue



Tuesday 14 May 2013

Kurumba Maldives Honeymoon Special!!!



Bliss for newlyweds on a 7 Nights extendable package. Hand-in-hand, touched by the complementary bottle of wine and welcome amenities on arrival. Awaken to a champagne breakfast, celebrate true love.

Full Package Details
Unforgettable moments with your soul mate in paradise. Close the evening with a timeless candle light dinner over a fine vintage. Return round trip airport transfer also included.

Stay 7 nights and receive a 20% discount on accommodation, as well as a complimentary daily breakfast, dinner and return speedboat transfer.

Book Before: 31 May 2013
Stay Period: from 1 May to 22 December, 2013

Rates Before discount 7125/-
Rates are in USD and are inclusive of 10% service charge, 8% goods & services tax, and Maldivian government bed tax (US$8 per person per night). The rates quoted are per room for 7 night, for 2 pax. 

Rates are only applicable for Pool Villa and Private Villa
For more information on applicable tariffs during your desired booking period or to make a reservation, 

please contact  suja@maldivestraveller.com or visit our website http://www.maldivestraveller.com

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Maldives best Destination for Holidays, Honeymoon, water sports and Travelling

More from Maldives Traveller

Maldives Traveller helps vacationers in organizing a luxurious stay in the best hotels and resorts of island nation. It lists special offers and packages on Maldives honeymoon, surfing and liveaboard based holidays... http://www.maldivestraveller.com