LOVE at first sight
A honeymoon is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so plan wisely. Wedding travel expert Anita Gatley shares her top tips
Where would your ideal honeymoon be and why?
Bora Bora in Tahiti has the most amazing scenery and resorts that are truly set up for honeymooners – they offer secluded indulgence. If I was honeymooning again I’d make sure to include an overwater bungalow for at least part of the trip.
Any great up-and-coming honeymoon hotspots?
Samoa is an unsung hero! After the tsunami a few years ago there has been a great deal of rebuilding, and brand new luxury properties are opening up all the time. And all our South Pacific neighbours (Tahiti, Fiji, Rarotonga, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Vanuatu and Samoa) are ideal, as they’re within close proximity so you can get to your tropical destination within two and a half to five hours.
What are must-remember details when planning a destination wedding or honeymoon?
I’ve encountered clients turning up late or missing weddings through booking errors because they booked the wrong date, time or year, or they didn’t take the international date line into account. I’ve also seen couples caught out by expired passports.
Top piece of advice for a smooth-running ’moon?
Often people don’t take out travel insurance until just before they travel or they don’t do it at all – but medical repatriation and losing your baggage can be expensive, not just an inconvenience. Many premium policies cover ‘loss of deposits’ which kicks in from the moment you’ve paid and are helpful if you have to cancel or amend bookings for unforeseen reasons.
What is the advantage of using a wedding travel specialist to book your honeymoon?
Having a qualified wedding travel specialist means that if things go wrong you have a point of contact who can sort things out – a booking engine won’t give you a refund if you change your mind or you’ve booked the wrong thing (that’s if you can actually get hold of a human to discuss the problem with!).
Neither Jamie or I had done much travelling – I’d travelled to Australia once, 16 years prior to the wedding. Considering I had just given up teaching to pursue wedding photography, and Jamie’s work was flexible, our honeymoon seemed like the perfect excuse to push the boat out for a three-month overseas excursion.
We planned the trip around our various interests – I studied art history, so was desperate to visit Europe, while Japan’s amazing gadgetry and organisation appealed to the engineer in Jamie. Once we’d decided that this was what we wanted to do, we sat down, picked our route, and decided our timings based on what we wanted to see and discover. I listed off art galleries and museums, while Jamie brainstormed road-trip ideas.
Our trip encompassed so many special moments – from spending my birthday at the Louvre, to hiking up and over the mountain between towns in Cinque Terre, Italy, to exploring food markets in Barcelona and Vienna. We cruised around Liberty Island in New York, ate meals from train stations in Japan, swam in the Ionian Sea and walked city walls in Croatia. On our rest days, we competed with each other to see who could finish reading the whole Game of thrones trilogy first. I don’t think I could pick a single favourite place – my top three would have to be Greece (Santorini in particular – I always knew I’d love it), Croatia and Hungary.
Advice for honeymooners
Apart from backing up your photos a million times over (we lost some of our France snaps and all of those from Spain) it’s easy to get caught up with the practicalities of what train you have to catch next and how to find your hotel – be sure to spend time lounging by the sea or walking through forests, stopping to soak up and enjoy the moment.
Anthea & Wayne Moore Where: Australia
When they left: Two days after the wedding How long for: 10 days
How they booked: Through Great Southern Rail, wotif.com, YHA.com.au, SeaLink Kangaroo Island and CCUSA, six months ahead of the wedding
Wayne and I have always wanted to explore Australia, and our honeymoon was the perfect opportunity to do so. We wanted to cover a decent amount of ground in the time we had, so drafted our plan based on the train trips available and their timetables. After touching down in Darwin and delving into the region’s rich World War II history, we boarded the Ghan train to Adelaide. The two-night trip had two scheduled four-hour stops – one in Katherine and one in Alice Springs. Upon arrival in Adelaide, we took the SeaLink ferry service to Kangaroo Island where we did a wildlife tour through the sanctuary. Seeing all the Aussie wildlife stars – kangaroos, koalas, pelicans and so on – in their natural habitat was a uniquely mesmerising experience, so different to anything we had done before. After two nights, we returned to Adelaide, satisfying our inner connoisseurs by enjoying a day-long Barossa Valley winery tour and learning more about the region’s winemaking history.
Next up, we boarded the Indian Pacific train which took us to Sydney – we toured the famous Opera House, traversed the coastal walkway between Bronte and Bondi beaches, and saw Circular Quay, Manly and Darling Harbour before taking the tram back to our hotel. A highlight of the trip was the lion King musical, which we saw live at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney – given that we’d exited our ceremony to the Circle of life, it seemed fitting that we buy tickets.
Our honeymoon wasn’t the most conventional of escapes, but it suited us to a tee – we saw so much of Australia, not only when we stopped at each destination, but from the window as we rumbled through the outback. Arranging activities that we both wanted to experience meant we both had the time of our lives.
Gemma & Ryan Hay Where: Where: Mediterranean cruise
When When they they left: left: The day after the wedding How How long long for: for: 15 days including travel
How How they they booked: booked: Through Celebrity Solstice six months ahead of the wedding
After enjoying a breakfast with our wedding guests the morning after our vows, we began our long journey from Christchurch to Sydney to Dubai, before finally reaching Barcelona. There, we boarded the 11-day luxury Celebrity Solstice cruise. The cruise itself was amazing – there was so much to do, including circus performances, black tie dinners, a dance with the staff, mini Olympics, cocktail-making classes, art auctions and glass blowing. These activities, along with several bars and a couple of clubs, made it impossible to get bored. A highlight of the cruise was receiving an invitation for cocktails with the captain alongside others enjoying a honeymoon or special anniversary – we even won a bottle of champagne for being the ‘newest newlyweds’. Several other couples – including one celebrating their 65th anniversary – offered their congratulations and advice for a long and happy marriage.
Off the ship, we could either join a pre-organised walking tour or explore destinations at our own leisure. We saw the Colosseum in Rome, Monte Carlo, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Montenegro, Venice, Dubrovnik – we crammed a lot into the 11 days! A cruise really does make the perfect honeymoon – you don’t have to worry about packing and unpacking, the food is fabulous, the cocktails are endless. No other travelling experience offers the same combination of luxury and variety in terms of ground covered in such a short space of time – we loved every moment.
Pippa & Christo Swart Where: Hawke’s Bay How long for: One week When they left: Two days after the wedding
How they booked: Parents organised the bach for
them as a wedding gift
After such a hectic leadup to the big day, all Christo and I wanted to do was to run away and spend time together. As far as we were concerned, there was only one box our honeymoon had to tick – total seclusion! We opted to stay at Seascape – a newly built bach in Hawke’s Bay’s Porangahau that belongs to my parents. The bach featured some modern amenities (the internet, a DVD player) but very little cellphone reception – just the right amount of isolation for the sheltered getaway we had in mind! Nestled between the eastern coastal settlements of Whangaehu and Porangahau, its huge glass windows allowed for sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and Cape Turnagain. The boutique-like interior was cute, homely and warm – perfect considering our May nuptials meant the air outside had a definite bite!
During our time in Hawke’s Bay, we explored small local villages – Porangahau was home to a great pub – and sights nearby such as the seal colony. A sumptuous high tea at Chapelwick, a beautiful local homestead, was a definite highlight of the trip. Our time away was exactly what we wanted – there was nothing to do but relax, make plans together and relish our first days together as newlyweds.
Jacki & Rogan Polkinghorne Where: Rarotonga How long for: Eight days When they left: Three days after the wedding
How they booked: Online and through Crown Beach Resort & Spa, two months ahead of the wedding
We live in Auckland and our wedding was in Waihi, so we left for our honeymoon a few days after so we wouldn’t be rushed. Rogan and I booked a trip to Rarotonga after both receiving glowing recommendations from couples at work who had honeymooned there. Our flight was delayed, so we ended up arriving at the Crown Beach Resort in the early hours of the morning. We were delighted when the concierge opened the gate to our suite – flickering candles seemed to cover every surface, and our private pool, lit by solar lights, softly glowed in the nighttime haze. The style of our suite’s interior was the perfect balance between island paradise and modern luxe – it featured a twin monsoon shower, a tropical garden and an outdoor dining gazebo framed by high stone walls. Situated directly next to the powdery white sands of the Muri Beach and a sparkling turquoise lagoon, it was our own private paradise. Rogan and I were exhausted after the wedding week, so relaxation topped our to-do list. I read three books while I was away, and we rented scooters so we could explore the rest of the island.