Boozymoon to Ecomoon: What's Your Honeymoon Personality?
One of the best parts about the whole wedding extravaganza is the opportunity to take the vacation of a lifetime.
These days, it seems like honeymoon planning may be overtaking the actual wedding planning. Today there is most certainly a honeymoon for every type of newlywed.
From foodiemoons to boozymoons, here are seven new honeymoon trends worth exploring.
The mouth-watering lobster at the famed Charleston Grill (Photo: Charleston Grill)
Foodiemoon: If your Instagram is chock-full of carefully curated food pics, a foodiemoon is for you. Stateside, foodiemooners will want to head to Charleston, S.C. — the country’s newest food darling.
Rest your head at Belmond Charleston Place, a stunner of a property that boasts the famed Charleston Grill restaurant, which offers contemporary Southern cuisine under the helm of executive chef Michelle Weaver.
While you’re visiting this charming town, pull up a chair at these foodie destinations: Husk Restaurant, Two Boroughs Larder, The Grocery, and Martha Lou’s Kitchen. Just make sure to pack your sexiest stretchy pants.
Can’t leave the country? Take a long weekend at the White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine. (Photo: White Barn Inn)
Minimoon: With hectic schedules leading to belated honeymoons, a minimoon is becoming an increasingly popular option for couples. The White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine, is just about the coziest place to cuddle up for a long weekend away with your new hubby or wife. The luxury property boasts 26 rooms and offers honeymooner specials with Champagne, butler-drawn baths, massages, and dinner at the White Barn Inn Restaurant. If you’d rather stick your toes in the sand, try a weekend at Elizabeth Point Lodge on Amelia Island, Fla. Each room features an oversized tub, breakfast, and wine hour. Be sure to snag one with a balcony overlooking the 13 miles of dreamy beachfront property.
Related: We’ve Got You Clooney: Here’s Your Perfect Honeymoon
Do you love the Earth as much as you love your new spouse? Take an ecomoon. (Photo: Lapa Rios)
Ecomoon: For eco-conscious couples who want to keep their carbon footprint in mind during their honeymoon, the Lapa Rios Ecolodge in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, is the perfect place. Located on a private nature reserve on more than 1,000 acres of rainforest, the resort runs on biodiesel and uses solar-heated water and local materials in their breezy tree house-like accommodations, which include a private outdoor garden shower and deck. Honeymooners are pampered with poolside dinners, and waterfall swims are complete with wine and a waiter to bring it to you.
Fancy a fancy tent anyone? (Photo: The Resort at Paws Up)
Glampingmoon: Because there’s nothing sexy about bug spray in your nether regions, glamping marries sleeping under the stars with splashy five-star accommodations. The Resort at Paws Up in Western Montana is set on a sprawling 37,000-acre ranch along the Blackfoot River, made famous in the movie ”A River Runs Through It.” Three of the resort’s “honeymoon tents” come equipped with an elegantly trussed feather bed, chic furnishings, a claw-foot tub for two, and an expansive wooden deck with Adirondack chairs. Want for nothing — a camping butler is at your beck and call.
Related: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Other People’s Honeymoons
Maybe the couple who drinks together stays together. (Photo: Thinkstock)
Boozymoon: You’ve earned a drink after tying the knot, so why not dedicate your entire honeymoon to proper imbibing? Sonoma County in California is a natural choice for the perfect boozymoon with its gorgeous weather, fabulous food, and loads of vineyards. The Hotel Les Mars in Healdsburg makes a great home-base for touring local hangouts such as J Vineyards & Winery, Copain, and Banshee Tasting Room.
For brown booze aficionados, Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail makes for a stunner of a post-wedding trip. Rent a car (or driver) to explore the area’s distilleries: Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey, and Four Roses are a must. End the day sipping the golden brown goodness on the Adirondack chairs at Woodford Reserve’s ever-so-Southern porch before tucking into your sumptuous sheets at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Ky.
For a Bond-esque style of honeymoon, a trip across the pond to tip back London’s iconic gin makes for the perfect boozy getaway. Visit the brand-new Beefeater distillery in Kennington, and rest your head at Dukes Hotel, which boasts the iconic bar that’s famous for “shaken, not stirred” martinis made right at your table.
Kayak around Hawaii with Un-Cruise. (Photo:Un-Cruise)
Adventuremoon: There can be more to a honeymoon than sipping umbrella drinks by the pool. Adventuremoons, like the weeklong surf school at Nomad Surf Resort in Keramas, Bali, offer honeymooners an all-inclusive surf adventure package in one of their eight beachy bungalows. You’ll get diving, meals, and a massage for just under $1,000. And the not-so-average cruising experience is one-upped with Un-Cruise Adventures, with an incredible Hawaiian sail aboard the 36-guest Safari Explorer; where days are chock-full of kayaking, whale watching, paddle boarding, and night snorkels among giant Pacific manta rays. Splurge on the Commodore Suite with a separate sitting area, balcony, and Jacuzzi tub.
Related: The Top 10 International Honeymoon Spots
Koins for Kenya lets couples build homes in rural Africa. (Photo: Koins for Kenya)
Volunteermoon: There are few things more rewarding than giving back — especially on vacation. More couples are choosing to volunteer for their honeymoon, and it’s just as good of a way to start marital bliss as planting yourself at a five-star hotel. Whether your passion is animal welfare, community development, or helping children, there are dedicated and reputable companies, such as Charity Guide, to help you find the perfect volunteer vacation.
Anne Roderique-Jones is a freelance journalist living in New York City. Follow her on Twitter at @AnneMarie.
Want more like this? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter so that we can inspire you every day.
