The pressure is intense. You’ve got two wealthy and demanding clients, troubled by table plan arrangements and chair cover choices, and now they’re looking to book the most important holiday of their lives.
Transform their stress into excitement by running through a few of these deluxe options, and offer to look after all the finer details of the honeymoon so they can concentrate on the wedding itself. That way, Mr and Mrs Moneybags will be back to book with you again and again…
Cash rich, time poor
For clients who can’t leave their booming business for too long, suggest something short or mid-haul and encourage them to upgrade flights and accommodation to make the trip feel really special.
You can’t go far wrong with Italy’s heady mix of summer sunshine, good food and wine and the dolce vita.
The island of Sardinia is home to some of Italy’s best beaches, and with its golden sands and granite outcrops it provides a whiff of the Seychelles in the Med. The Costa Smeralda has been the area of choice for celebs and the stylish set since the Aga Khan discovered it in the 1960s.
Try the Cala di Volpe for uber-luxury and the chance to rub shoulders with the likes of George Clooney and Carla Bruni. Alternatively, the Amalfi Coast is an eternally popular Italian favourite. Ravello is one of its most romantic villages, and Seasons in Style recommends the Hotel Caruso (pictured), which has an infinity pool overlooking the sea.
And clients needn’t worry if they want to travel outside summer – the Middle East provides the perfect winter-sun honeymoon just a short hop away. Oman proves too hot for most between May and August, but the rest of the year stays well above 20C.
Its luxury hotels are of an extremely high standard, and when not relaxing, lovebirds can take trips out to visit the souks, palaces and mosques of the capital, Muscat, the country’s historic forts, or head into the desert to explore by four-wheel-drive or camel.
Kuoni recommends the world-class, adults-only Al Husn at Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa. Its fortress-style property is set on a rocky bluff overlooking the Gulf of Oman.
Inside, couples will find opulently exotic decor, butler service and complimentary afternoon teas. Honeymooners booking with the operator for six nights or more will receive a fruit basket, flowers and a complimentary one-hour spa treatment for two.
Beirut is a great choice for couples looking for something close by in the shoulder season, when it’s warm but not sweltering. The once war-torn city is now namechecked in the papers for its cafe culture and vibrant nightlife, and the choice of deluxe hotels is wide.
Check out the new Four Seasons, or the uber-stylish Le Gray, a property with a rooftop pool from the same stable as Carlisle Bay in Antigua and London’s One Aldwych.
Beach buddies
After the stress of a wedding, many couples just want to relax in the sunshine – and in the lap of luxury. The Indian Ocean makes the top spot for many honeymooners – the Seychelles and Mauritius are ideal during our summer, the Maldives in our winter.
Big spenders might like to mimic the Beckhams, who spent their 10th wedding anniversary on North Island in the Seychelles (pictured), a deluxe eco-sanctuary on a private island with just 11 villas.
Alternatively, Elegant Resorts recommends Maldivian hideaway Huvafen Fushi, which sits on the secluded North Mari Atoll within a private lagoon.
Clients can book a pavilion with a private pool and a personal butler on-call 24 hours a day. And if that’s not enough to help them relax, they can have a massage in the world’s first underwater spa treatment rooms, watching tropical fish through the glass.
With palm-fringed beaches, temples and a touch of true exoticism, Bali beckons other lovebirds – just recommend they avoid the wetter months between January and March.
Pure Luxury is featuring the Banyan Tree Ungasan for the first time this year. Set high on the cliffs near to beautiful Uluwatu Temple, book clients into the Cliff Edge Ocean View Pool Villa for the best location and the chance to relax in their private pool or the sunken marble bath with the sound of waves breaking far below. In-room dining can give them ultimate privacy.
The Caribbean also excels when it comes to high-end romance. Specialist operator Caribtours suggests twinning two islands to give clients the ultimate honeymoon experience. It recommends a week each at Jade Mountain in St Lucia for its stunning panoramic views and Cotton House on exclusive Mustique, where clients can sip rum coolers at the infamous Basil’s Bar and potentially rub suntanned shoulders with regulars like Mick Jagger and Tommy Hilfiger.
Alternatively, suggest combining Jumby Bay, the private island resort in Antigua, and Rosewood Little Dix Bay, the luxurious hideaway in the British Virgin Islands.
Adventures
What better excuse for a trip of a lifetime than getting married? Honeymooners are often looking for a spot of adventure to make their special trip even more memorable.
Safaris are incredibly popular with couples, offering wow-factor wildlife and an easy twin with a beach stay. Suggest combining Tanzania with Zanzibar in June, so clients can see the Great Migration in the Serengeti (usually in the northern part of the park at that time of year), Masai herdsman and the big five in the Ngorongoro Crater, and then Zanzibar’s beautiful beaches just as the dry season begins.
Or combine deluxe Botswana – the fertile Okavango Delta is elephant central – with idyllic Mozambique. Suggest barefoot luxury at private Vamizi Island for the dream end to their honeymoon. Between May and October they’ll find the Okavango rich in wildlife and they will hit the dry season in Mozambique too.
Bales Worldwide suggest ‘glamping’ in India’s most regal state, Rajasthan, between October and March, to avoid the hottest time of the year.
The princely state has many luxurious tented camps that make sleeping under canvas a privilege. Check out Chhatra Sagar, where deluxe air-conditioned, hand-stitched tents are pitched on a 100-year-old dam, overlooking a lake teeming with birds, whose songs will act as a gentle alarm clock.
Or Manvar Camp, a desert oasis based on Mughal Emperor’s royal hunting camps, where mini marquees with teak furniture, jute rugs and block-printed linings look out over the dunes. All these luxury camps have proper bathrooms with flushing toilets and hot and cold running water, so customers need make no sacrifices in terms of comfort.
Or suggest Bhutan – what could provide a more tranquil adventure than a trip to this Buddhist gem, nestled in the Himalayas. It’s so unscathed by globalisation that the government measures gross national happiness instead of the usual, purely financial gross domestic product.
The best times to visit are in the shoulder seasons, and Carrier suggests staying in each of the five luxurious Amankora lodge properties dotted around the country, among pine forests, plunging gorges and beautiful Buddhist monasteries.
Guests don’t need to denounce material things to enjoy this spiritual journey – the eco lodges have luxury spas, king-sized beds, wood-panelled walls and large windows for guests to look out across orange orchards, rice paddies and palaces.
It’s often possible for clients to wangle a little more time off than they usually would for a honeymoon, so it’s also a great time to head Down Under to Australia or New Zealand – both of which have a wealth of luxury options.
While Southern Australia and New Zealand are best enjoyed in our winter, those holidaying in our summer months will get the best of the weather in the Red Centre, avoiding the most intense desert heat, and in the tropical north of the country – including the Great Barrier Reef, where the dry season runs from April to October.
Fifteen of Australia’s leading independent luxury lodges have formed a new association, Luxury Lodges of Australia. Members include Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in the Blue Mountains, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, Longitude 131 at Uluru and Qalia and Bedarra resorts on the Great Barrier Reef.
Honeymoon checklist
- Have you organised private transfers for the bride and groom?
- Have you suggested upgrading flights and room categories to make the honeymoon really special?
- Have you organised early arrival or late departure where necessary to make their holiday run super-smoothly?
- Have you contacted the hotel to organise special extras – fruit and flowers in the room, private dining etc?
- Have you made sure they have insurance – what if that expensive ring went missing?
- Have you made sure everything – flights, visas etc – is booked in the bride’s passport name? This is likely to be her maiden name if the honeymoon is booked soon after the wedding.
Sample product
Kuoni offers seven nights in a seaview room at the five-star Al Husn at the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah in Muscat. The price includes flights from Heathrow, UK airport lounge and private transfers in Oman from £2,947 departing October. kuoni.co.uk, 01306 747008
Pure Luxury offers five nights’ room-only in a Pool Villa Garden View at the Banyan Tree Ungasan, Bali, from £1,579. pureluxuryholidays.co.uk, 0844 493 0020
Bales Worldwide offers a 10-day holiday staying in deluxe tented camps across Rajasthan, India, from £2,295, including British Airways flights, a private car and driver, and an English-speaking guide. balesworldwide.com, 0845 057 1819
