Never mind the frou frou dress and the bridal march: surely the honeymoon is the real reason to get married! But choosing the perfect honeymoon deal can be just as difficult as choosing the perfect wedding dress.

Tropical Honeymoon Ideas:

Our ‘own private island’ is the honeymoon dream of many future brides, and Hawaii honeymoons were one of the original honeymoon island destinations, creating for newly weds the impression of being a couple of castaways on a desert island. Today’s private island resorts are able to offer honeymoon ideas more ‘Blue Lagoon’ than ‘Gilligan’s Island’. Turtle Island has an advantage for being the location where ‘Blue Lagoon’ was filmed, but Bora Bora’s huts hovering over the water are probably the most famous honeymoon idea. Cousine in the Seychelles sleeps only eight – in luxury – and is also a nature reserve protecting sea turtles, Guana Island is one of the last privately owned islands in the Caribbean and Necker Island, one of the British Virgin Islands, has only luxury room for 28 guests so newly weds are sure to find tropical sun, white sand and steamy solitude on all three. A unique honeymoon idea closer to home is Scotland’s Eilean Shona, a private island with one of the nicest beaches in the UK and only four cottages – Eilean Shona will also be a cheap honeymoon deal.

Active Honeymoon Ideas:

Another way to guarantee ocean rimmed privacy is to rent your own love boat and set sail on an achingly romantic honeymoon cruise between deserted beaches and quiet coves. Tahiti is the kind of place they set castaway love films, and The Whitsundays has in its group a heart shaped atoll called Heart Reef – almost too perfect a honeymoon cruise for words…

Sailing is a nice thing to do with your lover and romance doesn’t have to mean mooching over each other all day. An active and cheap honeymoon idea is to hire a classic car with an open top and drive aptly named Romantic Road through Bavaria’s picturesque fairy tale castle region or around the lovely-love-story-backdrop Italian lakes: Garda, Iseo and Como. Learn the sultry, physical language of Flamenco together in Andalusia or take your time strolling the Amalfi Coast, the backdrop of small towns climbing the cliffs as the sun sets will keep things amorous, and you can have your things carried on to the next scenic cliff top hotel ahead of you each day – another cheap honeymoon idea.

Honeymoon Ideas for Princesses:

If the lead up to the wedding has meant you’ve hardly had a moment alone then a hideaway love nest honeymoon idea is in order. Villa Bournella, Corfu has legendary status as a honeymoon idea for 2009 – it’s designed for lovers around a sloping infinity pool, Le Pigeonnier in the south of France is a literal love-nest, it’s a refurbished 18th Century pigeon barn for two, The Windmill on Santorini has the luxury of a private jacuzzi and massage pool a few hundred metres from a sandy beach, all wrapped in whitewashed windmill shaped charm, and you’ll see your in-laws coming from miles off from the roof terrace of La Tour de Calanca, a 15th Century tower with views over the bright blue Corsican coast; it also has its own private beach. But these are not cheap honeymoon ideas.