Planning the perfect honeymoon takes almost as much foresight as putting together the actual wedding: once you agree on a destination (no small feat), you still have to choose hotels and restaurants, and you might want to arrange a few activities beyond your suite. We've saved you some of the hassle by asking top travel agents to divulge their ideal honeymoon itinerary, each in a different sybaritic location.
CARIBBEAN IDYLL
AGENT Raschinna Findlay, Distinctive Honeymoons, a division of Protravel International
Findlay, who has been a travel agent since 1989, focuses on upscale destinations, especially in the Caribbean (she was born in St. Vincent and has a passion for the islands). "The Caribbean is a magnificent honeymoon spot because of its mixture of cultures, the aquamarine water and the friendly people," she says. 800-803-1360; distinctivehoneymoons.com; protravelinc.com.
DAY 1 Fly to St. Lucia, the second largest of the Windward Islands, and check into the Ladera resort (866-290-0978; ladera.com), where your open-sided Hilltop Dream Suite ($640) has its own plunge pool. Chef Orlando Satchell will prepare an unforgettable West Indian dinner — it might be pan-seared rack of lamb marinated with nutmeg and Cajun spices — which can be served in the privacy of your room.
DAY 2 Spend the morning at Ladera's Ti Kai Posé ("little house of rest") spa, reveling in a couple's massage ($260) and soaking in a mineral pool that's hidden away in a garden. Have dinner at the Dasheene restaurant, noted for its vista of the sea and the Piton mountains.
DAY 3 For an even more spectacular view, hike to the top of Gros Piton, the island's second-tallest peak (more than 2,600 feet high), with a guide from Barefoot Holidays ($130 a person; 758-450-0507; barefootholidays.com). You'll climb through arid to shady tropical forests and up steep, rocky inclines (the latter is not for the faint of heart); keep your eyes open for some of the rare species of birds and animals indigenous to the area.
DAY 4 In the afternoon, enjoy a thirty-minute cruise down the coast to Marigot Bay for a sunset dinner at the Rainforest Hideaway (758-286-0511; rainforesthideawaystlucia.com). During the boat ride back to Ladera, you'll see constellations you didn't know existed.
DAY 5 For the second half of your trip, fly to Anguilla and head for the CuisinArt Resort & Spa (264-498-2000; cuisinartresort.com; reopens October 29), where you'll stay in a beachfront one-bedroom suite (from $1,015, including breakfast). Dine at the Michel Rostang restaurant (264-497-6111) at the nearby Malliouhana Hotel & Spa; choose a wine from the 25,000-bottle cellar to complement the Mediterranean-Caribbean cuisine.
DAY 6 Board a boat to Little Bay, where you'll be "marooned" — with caviar and Champagne — on a quiet beach for the afternoon. (The resort will loan you a cell phone so you can call for your ride back.)
DAY 7 Play golf at the 18-hole Greg Norman championship course at the St. Regis's Temenos Golf Club (stregis.com/temenos), near CuisinArt. Stop for lunch in the clubhouse at Zurra (264-497-6100), the new restaurant from Bob and Melinda Blanchard, owners of the island's renowned Blanchard's.
DAY 8 Sign up for a master class with one of CuisinArt's chefs. After picking produce at the resort's organic garden and hydroponic farm, you'll learn how to whip up a three-course meal that may include such dishes as bouillabaisse with Key limes, hothouse chiles and herbs.
NATURAL HAWAII
AGENT Jim Strong, president, Strong Travel Services
Strong, the author of Craving for Travel (2006), began his career as a travel agent thirty years ago, working for his mother, Nancy A. Strong, at her Dallas agency. His specialty is customized luxury travel, with an emphasis on exclusive villas and high-end hotels. 800-747-5670; strongtravel.com.
DAY 1 Check into the Hotel Hana-Maui & Honua Spa (808-248-8211; hotelhanamaui.com), on the eastern coast of Maui. Stay in one of the Sea Ranch cottages (from $1,075), many of which come with hot tubs and unobstructed ocean or mountain vistas. Relax and savor the sun and sea. Feast on a dinner of fresh seafood at the Ka'uiki restaurant, which has majestic views of Hana Bay.
DAY 2 At sunrise, take a yoga class by the water, then have breakfast on your lanai and lounge by the pool. Spend the afternoon at the Honua Spa: indulge in a sensuous Watsu couple's massage, followed by a soak in the outdoor lava-rock whirlpool tub.
DAY 3 The hotel can arrange for a guide to bring you to Haleakala National Park (nps.gov/hale), where you can hike to the waterfalls of the Kipahulu area. Have dinner back at the hotel: order the slow-braised ribs or the grilled catch of the day at its casual Hana Ranch Restaurant, in the village center nearby.
DAYS 4–5 Drive across the island and sign up with Island Star Sailing (888-677-7238; islandstarexcursions.com) for an overnight trip on a fifty-seven-foot sailboat (from $4,000). In addition to snorkeling and whale watching, be sure to visit the extinct Molokini volcano crater and explore the coastal waters off Maui.
DAY 6 Fly to Lanai with Pacific Air Charters (808-839-3559; pacificaircharters.com) and go to the Lodge at Koele (800-321-4666; fourseasons.com/koele), one of two newly renovated Four Seasons resorts on Lanai. Splurge on the 1,250-square-foot Great Hall Fireplace Suite ($1,300), which overlooks the property's gardens and pool. Enjoy supper at the lodge's Dining Room, where chef Thomas Bellec uses local ingredients to create such dishes as butter-poached Keahole lobster or duck breast roasted with lavender and honey.
DAY 7 Horseback riding is the best way to see Lanai; an equestrian guide (arranged by the hotel) will lead you along wooded trails that wind through up-country plains. Later, drive to Koele's sister property, Manele Bay (800-321-4666; fourseasons.com/manelebay), for a private evening at its "Spa After Hours" ($680; call the hotel two weeks in advance to book). In the candlelit spa, you'll have exclusive use of everything, including the eucalyptus steam room and treatment rooms. The staff will serve you pineapple tea and light appetizers, like ahi tuna and vegetable wraps.
DAY 8 Take a ride to Niihau, the smallest inhabited Hawaiian island, with Niihau Helicopters ($365 a person; 877-441-3500; niihau.us/heli.html); the isle is known for its empty beaches, monk seals and tiny Kahelelani shells. Return to the lodge to freshen up, and then head to Ihilani at Manele Bay for chef Meredith Manee's authentic Italian cuisine.
DAY 9 Pass the time on Hulopoe beach, Manele Bay's idyllic stretch of white sand. Hire a catamaran through Trilogy ($179 a person; 888-225-6284; sailtrilogy.com), snorkel in the marine preserve offshore or just linger under the palm trees and try to spot spinner dolphins (and, in the winter, humpback whales). Your final honeymoon meal should be a sunset dinner for two by the resort's golf course, at the Challenge at Manele Tee Box, which affords the best view on the entire island, overlooking the ocean. You'll be surrounded by torches above the crashing waves. After dessert, the hotel staff will treat you to your very own fireworks show (on request; from $10,000).
A THAI RETREAT
AGENTS Betty Jo Currie and Jean Pickard, Explorations, a Virtuoso Agency
Currie, who has worked as a travel agent since 1993, concentrates on adventure travel and exotic destinations. She's gotten even more experience planning honeymoons lately: both of her daughters have put theirs in her capable hands. "Young couples these days are certainly experienced travelers, but they're also hard workers," Currie says. "It's important that their honeymoon be packed with activities while still offering much-needed downtime." Pickard, a thirty-year veteran, specializes in Asia and some of the more remote areas of the world. 800-451-9630; explorationstvl.com.
DAY 1 Arrive in Bangkok and take a van from the airport to Chiva-Som (rooms from $1,560 for three nights, including daily massages; 011-66-32-536-536; chivasom.com), a beachfront health resort about three hours south of the capital, on the Gulf of Thailand. Choose one of the lakeside Thai Pavilions and have a health and wellness consultation to help you determine which treatments to opt for during your stay. Dinner will be served in your pavilion.
DAYS 2–4 Spend the next three days recovering from the stress of planning your wedding. Sit by the pool, pamper yourselves at the spa or take tai chi or yoga classes on the beach.
DAY 5 After breakfast, check out and return to Bangkok via car; from there, it's a seventy-five-minute flight to Chiang Rai, in the Golden Triangle region, where Laos, Thailand and Burma meet. A Four Seasons guide will drive you in a Land Rover from the airport to a post on the Mekong River, where you'll board a traditional longtail boat for the twenty-minute ride downriver through the floodplains of the Mekong. Check into your luxurious private tent at the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle ($4,975 for three nights, all inclusive; 800-332-3442; fourseasons.com/goldentriangle), which overlooks the mountains of Laos and Burma's Ruak River. Enjoy Thai, Laotian and Burmese cuisine at the Nong Yao restaurant, an open-air thatched-roof pavilion, or a five-course formal dinner at tables around the fire at Elephant Camp, both at the resort.
DAYS 6–7 Go hiking on mountain trails, take a river excursion on the Mekong and learn how to drive an elephant from a mahout (elephant trainer).
DAY 8 Return to the Chiang Rai airport, where you'll catch a flight back to Bangkok. Stay in a river-view room at the Peninsula Bangkok (rooms from $240; 866-382-8388; peninsula.com), on the far side of the Chao Phraya — away from the bustle of downtown. A shuttle boat will transport you to the nearest SkyTrain station (Bangkok's gleaming overhead rail system provides the easiest route to the city's top shopping area). Have dinner at the famed Blue Elephant Bangkok (011-66-2-673-9354), which serves traditional Thai dishes, like lamb massaman and shrimp curry, in one of the few colonial buildings left in Bangkok.
DAY 9 Sign up for a tour of the city's temples — Wat Trimitr and the Temple of the Golden Buddha — and visit the Grand Palace, which includes Wat Phra Keow, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. In the afternoon, take a klong tour of the city's canals in a small boat, stopping at the Jim Thompson House (011-66-2-216-7368; jimthompsonhouse.com), a museum that commemorates the Thai silk entrepreneur.
DAY 10 After one last breakfast on the riverfront, indulge in a treatment at the hotel's Espa spa before leaving for the airport and flying home.
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