Your Honeymoon Questions Answered

We have scoured the globe for the most romantic, most luxurious, most relaxing, most adventurous, most private, most charming, most remote... we could go on... destinations, islands, beaches and retreats around the world. However, it is important to remember that there is no 'one size fits all' method of planning the perfect honeymoon, it is all about YOU and what your version of perfect looks like. Our team of experts combine passion, knowledge and expert, honest advice to ensure we make your honeymoon dreams come true.

We have been honeymoon specialists for over 20 years and each one of our expert travel consultants can completely tailor your honeymoon to you with their first-hand knowledge of every destination, hotel and resort we offer. We are very proud to have won a number of awards over the years which support this, most recently the UK Wedding Awards for best Tour Operator.

Yes! We offer a complimentary gift list service for all our honeymoon guests. It is run by a full-time team, read more about how it works on our honeymoon gift list pages. Our gift list is unique in that it allows you to combine honeymoon experiences and extras with traditional gift list items. You will have your own online profile which your wedding guests can access at any time to buy a gift and leave you a personalized message.

Often our favourite type of honeymooners – a blank canvas gives us the opportunity to reveal our passions and what we believe are the perfect destinations for you and your fiancé. Our specialists will run through a series of questions to allow them to put some suggestions together for you, totally taking the stress and worry out of the planning process. Take a look at our YouTube channel for some real life Turquoise honeymoon experiences.

Absolutely. Every destination operates differently when it comes to getting married and often you will be required to do the legal bits in the UK and have the ceremony and celebration abroad. However, our team will talk you through all the options when the time comes. We have several islands and hotels around the world who we work with regularly to organise weddings of all sizes. Each of them have in house wedding coordinators who will take care of everything for you on the day!

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to the ideal time to book your honeymoon but we always say 11 months in advance is a good starting point as this is when airlines release their schedules. Hotels can be booked well over a year in advance but 9-11months would be fine in terms of availability and making the most of early booking offers. It’s a bit of a myth that rates get better the closer to the time of travel and for your honeymoon – we don’t recommend risking this theory!

Most definitely, we love surprises! We can arrange for all posted documentation to be sent to a specific address and phone calls to only be made at a time that suits you – we guarantee we will do whatever is necessary to ensure your surprise honeymoon is secret safe with us.

There is no better time to have a once in a lifetime holiday than on your honeymoon; being as passionate as we are about the destinations we offer we could argue (with ourselves) that all our tailor-made holidays fall into this category. To get you started we have some top tips on finding the best honeymoon destinations.

Our philosophy is #lovewhereyougo – so in that case, why not travel to somewhere you have been before and relive all the magic? However, the world is a big place and we would always encourage couples to discover new destinations together on their honeymoon.

Gone is the tradition of a typical R&R honeymoon. The trend is now multi centre honeymoons, combining a touch of adventure with a relaxing beach escape. However, ‘adventure’ can have a multitude of meanings… some of our favourites include a few days of exhilaration on safari in Africa, a journey by train through Sri Lanka’s hill country, a city break in bustling Bangkok, a hike up Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo, a wine tour of Sonoma County in California, learning to surf in Sydney, bars and boutiques in New York…the opportunities and combinations are endless and all wonderful in their own way. If you’re not sure where to even start have a look at some of our honeymoon inspiration pages; Beach Bliss, Adventure lovers and Safari Beach honeymoons.

We love multi-centre honeymoons. Not only are they a great way to break-up long flights, but they give couples the chance to enjoy several different destinations and experiences. Our top five combinations?

1. Sri Lanka and the Maldives

2. California and Tahiti

3. South Africa and the Seychelles

4. Thailand, Laos and Cambodia

5. Antigua & The British Virgin Islands

For more inspiration and ideas have a look at our twin-centre honeymoons page.

A lot of our favourite honeymoon islands, hotels and resorts around the world offer wonderfully private rooms and villas, but there are a few hidden gems which we have up our sleeve for couples looking to totally escape from the rest of the world.

Our top three would be;

1. Nihiwatu, Sumba, Indonesia

2. The Brando, Tahiti

3. Azura Quilalea, Mozambique.

This will depend on where you want to go and what time of year is best to travel there – we have recommendations for every month and season. We can talk you through the seasons for your chosen destination and the differences in rate, weather and activities. Alternatively, we can help you pick a destination based of the time of year you would like to go, whether that is directly after you wedding or later in the year. Minimoons are becoming increasingly popular for couples who decide to wait a and visit their dream destination at a different time of year to when they get married.

We most definitely request seats together on the flight, airlines will mostly seat people on the same booking together however some airlines charge for pre-seating. It varies from airline to airline and our specialists will talk you through your itinerary and how to ensure you are sat together.

Each hotel is different however most of our key partners have villa’s or suites which they recommend for honeymooners based on their location and privacy. We visit all the hotels that we recommend so that we can give you first hand advice and our honest opinion on which room we think is the best…both in terms of its location, style and size as well as value for money. We will also let the hotel know you are on your honeymoon to ensure you get extra special treatment whilst you are there. Many hotel partners offer honeymoon extras and room upgrades for honeymooners so always ask your specialist about this also.

This totally depends on you as a couple and the time of year you are looking to travel. If you are going on your honeymoon during school holidays then we would always recommend looking at adults only options or at least hotels which have adults only accommodation areas, pools and facilities. We LOVE our families here at Turquoise, but there is nothing less romantic than enjoying a poolside sundowner with kids jumping in and out of the pool all around you!

This is a very popular question and one we get asked all the time. There are pro’s and con’s of all-inclusive options and it really depends on two factors 1) which destination you are visiting and 2) quality vs quantity. If you are visiting a destination which is known for its food, wine, local life and eateries then we would always suggest staying on a board basis which will allow you to get out and about to enjoy the surrounding delicacies at least once during your honeymoon. We only work with a handful of all-inclusive properties and the majority are in destinations where there are no other dining options available. When it comes to quality, ‘all inclusive’ has a bad reputation based on the fact that by including everything within the price, hotels have been known to cut corners and the guest experience can be jeopardised. One of our favourite all-inclusive hotels which ticks all the boxes is Constance Moofushi in the Maldives. It is known for its food and wine, with over 600 bottles on the wine list. It has an a la carte restaurant where guests can dine and the attention to detail is paramount.

The world is pretty much split into those who have children and those who do not...it's totally alien for those of us with them, to understand a world without them - and vice versa! Taking children on honeymoon is an increasingly popular trend and there are hotels which cater brilliantly for it. For us, the important factors to consider are going somewhere that you feel confident and comfortable to leave your little ones in the hands of the hotel for a few hours so that you can steal a few romantic hours together… but also to feel that you can spend quality time together as a family too. Mauritius is our absolute top destination for familymoons and our favourite resorts are Anahita the Resort, Lux Le Morne and Heritage Le Telfair.

Budgeting for your honeymoon can be a challenge as there are so many things to consider - after all it is probably not something you have done before or intend on doing again! As with everything in life, you get what you pay for, but there are a huge range of options to explore. The most important thing is having a budget that you feel comfortable with and then speaking to a specialist who can advise you on how to get the most for your money.

This is completely dependent on where you are going for your honeymoon and the type of accommodation in which you are staying. Always talk to your specialist about this and what forms of payment the hotels accept. US dollars are widely accepted and almost all of our partners will accept debit/credit card payments at the end of your stay. Don’t forget to make the most of our gift list service to ensure you have spending money to do everything you dreamed of on your honeymoon.

If you don’t ask you don’t get so it is always worth asking and we will do this on your behalf. We do have to be honest though and let you know that it is more likely to be the hotel which will upgrade you than the airline! We always want our clients to have the best possible experience from the hotel so often we will negotiate upgrades for our clients in advance of your booking. With airlines, we have very little control over requests like this but will do all we can. Unfortunately, these days’ free upgrades are very rare so if it is important to you it is always worth looking at upgrading in advance – there are often very good fares and it is now possible to upgrade for just one of the journeys – I.e. you can fly out in economy and back in business!

Being the UK’s leading honeymoon specialist we will make sure every person, every step of the way knows it’s your once in a lifetime special holiday. In your flight booking we will put a note to the airline so they are aware, if we can book a surprise cake and champagne, of course we will! With regards to the hotel, we make sure they know it is your honeymoon…but don’t be afraid to tell everyone and anyone as all hoteliers love honeymooners and it’s your one opportunity to go for it and make sure everyone knows to make your holiday as special as it could possibly be!

We wish it was as simple as getting to the airport early and putting on your nicest smile…but these days it is unfortunately quite a rare occurrence. If you have your heart set on being upgraded then you need to look at booking an upgrade in advance to avoid any disappointment. Turquoise will always flag you as a honeymooner to hotels and often negotiate or put a note in the booking for an upgrade. However, this really depends on availability at the time of your arrival.

Hotels will often have a selection of honeymoon extras, which of course we include. These range from a bottle of champagne waiting for you in your room to a romantic candle lit dinner on the beach to a couples massage. Every hotel differs in what they have on offer, but every hotel will have something special to make your stay even more memorable... this is part of the reason we hand pick our partners…to ensure that all the little details and extras are taken care of. Often, we also have honeymoon discounts/offers with hotels that we work closely with, sometimes it even gets as good as bride stays free!!

Make your honeymoon special by seeking advise from your honeymoon specialist. Ensuring you book some excursions and locations that are more off the beaten track to make it unique. Why not splash out and upgrade your outbound flight to business class, this is something that really does make it memorable.Choose a final night experience in advance so you end on a high in style.

Choose a once in a life time experience during your honeymoon, if it is swimming with dolphins or having a romantic sandbank dinner, make sure you plan something really extra on your honeymoon!

Write down a list of three things on your bucket list of must haves/dos. Seek advice on which destination ticks these boxes. Set a budget. Narrow down the months with the best weather Book your dream, once in a lifetime trip with your very own Travel Specialist at Turquoise Holidays