The Best Honeymoon Destinations (by Month)

Honeymoons by Month Pin
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The majority of couples still take their honeymoons shortly after the wedding. Which means that honeymooners have to consider seasonality and find a destination that works well for their specific travel dates. But how do you know which places are the best at different times of year? Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered, with our handy guide to the best honeymoon destinations by month!


The Weather

Before we get to the months, there are a few criteria to keep in mind. First is, of course, the weather.

Sunset beach Costa Rica Honeymoons

Beachy and tropical islands often have just two seasons: Dry and Rainy. These seasons tend to be the opposite on different sides of the world. So no matter what month you travel in, you can find a beautiful beachy location somewhere.

[Photo Credit: Katey & Oliver via Shared Adventures – read about their Costa Rica Honeymoon here!]

The Crowds

a piazza in Rome full of tourists, ideal for Honeymoons

The other important factor to consider is crowds. Certain months see high crowds for a reason. Everyone is excited to experience the best weather the destination has to offer! Think about whether it’s more important to you to have the best weather possible (despite the crowds). Or would you prefer to risk some less-than-ideal days in exchange for having a sense of seclusion?

[Photo credit: Ann via Shared Adventures]

With these answers in mind, have a look at our monthly guide! We’ve split the destinations into two categories: “High-season” is the best weather with potentially the biggest crowds. “Best balance” has decent weather balanced with smaller crowds.

January

St. Lucia– high-season
Costa Rica- high-season
Aruba – high-season

Norway high-season
Swiss Alps- best balance

Beachy Honeymoons: For the best weather, look to the equator. Destinations in the Central America region ( including the Caribbean) will be beautiful. They will also be in peak season. January offers clear blue skies, warm seas, and a perfectly idyllic beach vacation. It’s just a bonus that you can escape from the cold!

Snowy Honeymoons: Consider just how cold you truly want it to be. The further north you go, the darker and colder it gets, which gives you the brilliant opportunity to see the Northern Lights. January also tends to be less busy than February in top ski destinations due to the shorter days.

February

Mexico– high-season
New Zealand- high-season
Hawai’i – best balance

Swiss Alps- high-season
Norway- best balance
California- best balance

Beachy Honeymoons: February is a peak month for tropical travel. The Caribbean, and Mexico are popular with everyone trying to escape the winter cold, including families on school vacation breaks. Hawaii can be a good option, because the weather is temperate year round and spreads the crowds out. And French Polynesia might work, as long as you’re okay with some passing rain showers.

Snowy Honeymoons: How important is skiing? How cold is too cold? If you want to hit the slopes every day of your honeymoon, then February is prime ski season in many winter destinations! If you’re looking for other winter activities, you’ll find the extra cold temps mean a lot of opportunities to snuggle up, fewer crowds, and more daylight hours for adventuring!

March

The Maldives– best balance
New Zealand- best balance

Iceland- best balance (for snow)
Japan- high-season (mid-March)

Beachy Honeymoons: March is a great honeymoon month to avoid crowds if you don’t mind a little unpredictability. It’s the last month of the dry season in many places. So look more closely at the weather reports and consider spots where a few small showers and cooler nights will enhance your trip.

Snowy Honeymoons: This is the last opportunity of the year to enjoy a snowy destination! Consider what winter activities you’re most excited to experience. Because you start to get longer hours of daylight in March, find a destination that has a lot of outdoor adventures. 

a view of the siene, the eiffle tower and the paris skyline in Paris for Honeymoons
[Photo Credit: Ann via Shared Adventures – read about her April in Paris trip here!]

April

The Caribbean– best balance
Seychelles- best balance
South Africa- best for combining different regions

Australia- best balance
France- high-season
Napa, California- best balance

Beachy Honeymoons: April is the bridge between the dry and wet seasons. For the best weather, look into heading a bit further towards the southern hemisphere. If you’d rather stay closer to home, the Caribbean will have some unpredictability, but overall beautiful days and lower crowds. 

City Breaks: April is the beginning of perfectly romantic city breaks. Consider locations that you dream of strolling around, admiring the architecture and the flowers in bloom. Look to Europe and Japan for the most beautiful displays of spring blooms. 

May

Portugal– best balance
Malta- best balance
Costa Rica- best balance
Hawai’i- best balance

Fiji- best balance
Scotland- best balance
Ireland- best balance

Beachy Honeymoons: A perfect shoulder month. If you’re looking to stay closer to home, the Caribbean and Central America will have lower crowds without (yet) the summer rains. Otherwise, you can beat the summer crowds but enjoy the rising temperature on the other side of the globe. Southern Europe and the South Pacific are entering their dry season. Warm weather, low humidity, and the islands practically to yourselves — It makes the long plane trip worth it! 

Sightseeing and Exploring: If you’re not a sunseeker, look into northern Europe. A perfect combination of warm days, cool nights, green countryside, lower crowds, and maybe still a little snow on the utmost mountain peaks. 

lush green mountains of Hawaii an a blue bay on the road to hana. perfect for hawaii honeymoons
[Photo credit: Ann via Shared Adventures Travel]

June

Hawai’i– high-season
Antigua- best balance
St. Lucia- best balance

Fiji- high-season
Greece- best balance
Alaska- best balance

Beachy Honeymoons: June is the beginning of hurricane season in the Caribbean, but it’s still too early for major risk. This is a good month for sun-seekers. Look for spots where you can sneak in before the storm risk increases in late summer.

City Breaks: June is an excellent month for city breaks. Everything is open and waiting, but the true heat of summer hasn’t settled into the cobblestones yet. Look for cities that allow you to get out into nature a bit for a cool breeze.

July

French Polynesia– high-season
Malta- high-season
Italy- high-season

Ireland- high-season
Canada- high-season
Iceland-high-season

Beachy Honeymoons: French Polynesia and southern Europe swell to their peak popularity. Honeymooners in July will almost certainly have to share the beaches with plenty of other travelers.

Outdoorsy Honeymoons: July is the peak month for many cooler-weather destinations that are just coming into their own at this time of year. Look to the north to find green fields, hiking trails, cool mountain lakes, fresh breezes, and unending hours of daylight.

August

Kenya & Tanzania– high-season
Mozambique- high-season
Bali- high-season
Vietnam- high-season

Croatia- high-season
France-high-season

The sweltering temps are reaching their peak and everyone is looking for a beach. August is difficult to avoid crowds, especially in Europe where many countries have their summer vacations. Look to the islands in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa for the peak of the dry season. Beautiful beaches and beautiful clear skies await you there.

driving nin maine
[Photo credit: Liz via Shared Adventures Travel – read about a New England Roatrip here!]

September

Hawai’i – best balance
French Polynesia- best balance
Bali- best balance
Greece- best balance

Croatia- best balance
Italy- best balance
Japan-best balance
The UKbest balance

Beachy Honeymoons: This is the perfect moment to swoop in and enjoy the last warm days without all the crowds. Look to the most popular summer beach destinations. You’ll find amazing weather, still-warm seas, and fewer people.

City Breaks: Like April, September is a perfect month for city breaks. The sweltering heat dissipates and the nights start to cool. Everything is still open and buzzing from summer, but the temperatures and crowd levels are much more pleasant. This is the time to visit Italy, Greece and Croatia!

October

Mauritius-high-season
Vietnam- best balance
Dubai- best balance
Zambia- high-season

France- best balance
Amsterdam- best balance
Canada-best balance
New England- high-season

Beachy Honeymoons: This is the best time to visit those destinations that are almost unbearably hot in summer. While October brings unpredictability, it also brings good opportunities to explore beyond the beach. 

Cool Honeymoons: Stunning fall foliage is the main focus of an October honeymoon in North America and Europe. While you may have a mixture of sun and rain, October’s quiet crispness in the cities will only add to the romantic atmosphere.

November

Thailand-best balance
The Maldives- high-season
Jamaica- best balance

Australia- high-season
Argentina- best balance
Chile- best balance

November is all about the Southern Hemisphere. While the north experiences rain and cloudy skies, the south is right at the beginning of summer. The weather isn’t too hot yet and the crowds aren’t too big, so overall you want to consider the bottom half of the world. It’s also a good time for the Caribbean, as the hurricane risk is nearly past, and crowds ten to be lower.

December

The Caribbean-high-season
Mexico– high-season
Thailand– high-season
Bali- high-season

Copenhagen- best holiday markets
Austria- best holiday markets
Prague- best holiday markets

Beachy Honeymoons: The holiday season sees everyone in the north escaping the cold for beautiful beaches. Consider places near to the equator on both sides of the world- South East Asia, The Caribbean, and Mexico are all in their stride. 

Snowy Honeymoons: The beginning of snow, cold temperatures, and beautiful holiday markets! While snow is a little unpredictable, consider those cold-weather cities with booming holiday markets as the perfect cozy romantic destinations. 

Five Destinations Ideal for Group Travel

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In 2022 we are all focusing on connection — finding ways to share experiences and create memories with those we’ve missed spending time with. But deciding where to go for a multi-generational family, reunion, or friend-cation group trip can be tricky. You want to find somewhere with a little something for everyone. Someplace where you can feel safe, and a destination where you can spend a lot of quality time together. And spend time soaking up everything you’ve missed over the past two years. Here are our suggestions for some small-group destinations that would be perfect for this year’s shared adventure:


Mexican All-Inclusives

Sun, beach, and warm sand for the whole family to enjoy! Plus the added luxury of all your meals and drinks included (and no one has to cook or clean!) With a big focus on relaxation, this is a great destination to reconnect. Many all-inclusives have casitas, villas, or stand-alone suites with their own pools. Which gives you a great sense of seclusion and privacy. Plus, they offer a wide range of activities for all ages and interests. You can just enjoy each other’s company without the stress of trying to get to the next landmark or attraction or figure out where to go for dinner that evening. For bigger groups, groups with younger children or those who love chilling on the beach – The Mexican Riviera has a lot to offer.

Costa Rica

a group of friends white water rafting down a river in Costa Rica

With a tropical climate, plenty of private villas, and beautiful beaches, Costa Rica has a lot in common with Mexico. Costa Rica, however, has a greater sense of adventure. Offering a multitude of outdoor activities from hiking to rafting to ziplining. It’s a great destination for friends who love the outdoors and want to have an active vacation with only a few beach days thrown in. Or families with kids who love animals and would enjoy the variety of wildlife in the area. Plus, Costa Rica has a major focus on sustainability, making it a top choice for your eco-conscious friends.

[Photo Credit: Alex via Shared Adventures]

Italy

Often seen as a ‘romantic destination’ (which it can be) Italy has a great advantage for groups — there’s a little bit of everything. If your group has a wide variety of interests, Italy is the place to go. History buffs, foodies, shopaholics, beach bums, and outdoorsy types alike will all find something to enjoy. You can head north to the Dolomites and the fashionably stunning lake district. Or head south into the wine-soaked hills, the small historical cities, and the beautiful beachy coastline. Cities like Rome and Florence offer history and shopping around every corner. And not too far away you’ll find breathtaking coasts and mountains. Italy is all about coming together for an aperitivo or a delicious meal to share stories about the day’s discoveries and adventures. And your accommodations can range from charming local hotels to sleek luxury resorts, city-center apartments, or private villas in the countryside.

Wales

a Castle Ruin in Conwy Wales

For those who aren’t looking for a tropical climate, Wales is great for a multi-generational road trip. The dramatic coastline and beautiful national parks offer a lot for those who love to be active (and for those who prefer a gentle stroll.) Certainly, you’ll find plenty of historic castles and quaint seaside towns to enjoy together. There’s plenty of room for kids to run around, and adults to follow. Above all, there’s something slow and relaxing about the pace of life in this intriguing countryside.

[Photo Credit: Ann via Shared Adventures – read about her UK road trip here! ]

Safari

Whether you head to South Africa, Tanzania, or Kenya – going on safari with your group of friends or family is a magical journey. Share the once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing incredible wildlife up close. And share stories each night over a gourmet meal back in camp — safaris offer a complete change of scenery away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Additionally, safaris are scheduled and guided to maximize the wildlife (and scenery) viewing potential, making planning your day a breeze. As a result, you have more time to focus on creating memories that you’ll be talking about for years to come. Since most safaris are group activities anyway, why not take your own private group with you?


The Best of Both Worlds

Katey and Oliver wanted to combine some outdoor adventure with the luxury of a relaxing honeymoon getaway — which perfectly describes Costa Rica! I was thrilled to start them off at the Nayara Springs resort: trekking into the forest, zip-lining, and touring a coffee plantation. They completed their honeymoon with some relaxing beach time at the Secrets Papagayo Resort & Spa. Whoever said you can’t have the best of both worlds?

Good morning Ann,

I just had to reach out and thank you for helping plan such an amazing honeymoon for us. We fell in love with Costa Rica, there really are no words to describe how gorgeous it was there. Both resorts were breathtaking, and different enough to make it even more memorable.

View of Costa Rica forest and bay

Nayara Springs

I’m not sure if it was because Nayara knew that we were on our honeymoon or because they happened to have construction happening on the Nayara Hotel Spa/Gardens side of the resort, but we most definitely received a room upgrade there because:

Plunge pool & forest on the Nayara Springs deck

we were on the Nayara Springs adult only side and had a plunge pool on our deck

We were blown away with the service at Nayara. Nayara was a literal dream. We felt so catered to, and the team there is incredibly friendly.

Our ziplining/hike excursion was to die for, we learned so much! And the coffee plantation tour was also a blast!

suspended bridge Costa Rica

The romantic dinner was perfect in every way. We are not sure if the dinner is supposed to include 1 or 2 bottles of wine, but they graciously gave us a second bottle to take with us after dinner of the wine we had with dinner because we enjoyed it so much. The team there really is outstanding, and we are so happy you chose this resort for the first half of our stay.

Everything was literally perfect.

Happy honeymoon couple in front of Costa Rica waterfall

Secrets

Secrets was amazing as well! In such a different way! The beach was gorgeous, and the food was delicious!

Beautiful beach in Costa Rica

We booked a spa and private dinner here as well, which has now given me an addiction to massages. We had our private dinner on the beach, the experience of that was amazing.

View of the bay framed by trees in Costa Rica

We loved having the option of spending our day on the “relaxation” side of the resort. The main area is nice for if you want to mingle and participate in the daily activities, but we loved the quiet of the pool by the spa here, and it was close to our room as well.

pool over looking the bay for Costa Rica Honeymoon

Being able to just chill and enjoy the sunshine made this a great way to spend the second half of the trip.

I know these are details you appreciate to have in your reviews, but we enjoyed ourselves so much, we felt that we had to write you an email to personally thank you. But I will certainly be making sure to post my review as well.

Many thanks,
Katey and Oliver

Pura Vida in Costa Rica

Mix together two adventure-loving young couples…some amazing wildlife-viewing opportunities…a zipline or two…and you have one fantastic “escape” to Costa Rica.  The best part about this itinerary? They never even went to the coast. I love that they explored the interior of Costa Rica and thoroughly enjoyed its “Pura Vida” spirit.

Hi Ann, 

We had a really great trip. Everything went really smoothly. We had lots of time to relax by the pool, especially in Arenal, but we also hit Rachel’s goal on her FitBit tracker every day. I thought things would be a lot more crowded than they were. We had small groups for everything and nothing felt overrun with tourists. 

To make sure I remember things I guess I’ll go through in order of the itinerary.

Day 1 – Transfer to Monteverde went well. No issues getting to the hotel. 

Day 2 – The Monteverde reserve tour was really nice. We had a really well-informed guide and a nice small group. It was us and a family from Canada that we kept seeing around Monteverde for the next few days. We had really good luck with wildlife and saw 4 quetzals, a sloth, lots of hummingbirds, an olingo, and I’m sure some other stuff. Unless people are trained at wildlife spotting, I think a guide is absolutely the way to go. We wouldn’t have seen anything we did without the help…

Rainville CR 1

The coffee tour was really great too. Tim and I aren’t coffee drinkers but it was still a great tour. We got to pick coffee since it was in season! They also showed sugar cane and chocolate processing. We came home with lots of cocoa nibs!

Day 3- On our own, we did the hanging bridges at Selvatura. They were probably the most underwhelming part of the trip. You don’t really see any wildlife and they aren’t really in the canopy, more over the gaps. The ziplining was a much better way to go for that.

The night walk was pretty cool, but it was apparently a pretty slow night wildlife wise. We saw a tarantula though, which was pretty impressive, as well as some other spiders. We also saw lots of coatis and a porcupine. No frogs or snakes though! 

El Establo – Overall I thought it was a pretty nice hotel. It would be interesting to stay somewhere smaller and more like the Eco-lodge the night walk left from, but I’m sure those booked up much farther in advance. Having the pool was nice though, and there was a nice little outlook with hammocks and picnic tables for sunset watching. The food there wasn’t as good at Manoa, but it was still a solid Costa Rican breakfast. I really liked the rooms too, they were spacious with high ceilings and rustic feeling. The staff were also very nice. 

rainville CR 3

One advantage of the hotel was that it was walking distance to a restaurant called Sofia, where we ended up eating twice because it was so good! 

Day 4: The land-boat-land transfer was easy. We were actually the only ones on the boat which was pretty surprising. 

The Arenal hike was really interesting. My dad was trained in geology so I’m always biased towards those things. I think I would have liked a longer hike around the volcano in retrospect. At night the springs were fantastic. I was at Baldi last time and I liked this one much better! We hung out at the “more natural” part and the bartender even brought us frosty tropical drinks while we were in the hot springs! 

Day 5: Loved Ecoglide! I liked that they had the double wires for safety too 🙂 All of us loved the Eco-gliding, even Tim who is afraid of heights. Tucker and I did the Tarzan swing. That was one of my favorite parts!!! We should send you the video of it. 

At night we arranged another night walk from our hotel to try to see frogs since we didn’t on the first night walk. It had rained that day a bit so conditions were better for it. We went to Arenal Oasis Eco-Lodge and Refuge or something like that. It was incredible. We saw tons of frogs, at least 8 different species including the red-eyed tree frog, and according to our hotel desk staff it is more natural than the other frog place in that area. I would highly recommend that to  other people. 

Rainville CR 2

Day 6: River float was really amazing too. The guides were great, as with the whole trip. We saw so many howler monkeys and lots of birds. There were a few people on the tour who lived in Barrington, Rhode Island, so very small world! 

Rainville CR 4

Day 7: Relaxed at the hotel all day (Arenal Manoa). We really loved the hotel. It felt like being in some sort of tropical paradise with all of the flowers and plants everywhere. The room was really nice, and having the view of the volcano from the porch with rocking chairs was definitely something we took advantage of. It was really nice having the regular pool for the day and the hot pool for the evening. We had rooms 232 and 233, which were probably the best ones there, a view of the volcano (in theory…) and no view of other cabins or anything. I would recommend that hotel very highly overall. The food there was also very good. Papaya, pineapple, and watermelon for breakfast every day, along with the gallo pinto and plantains. The waitstaff were great too and by the end remembered we were a group of 4, two cafe drinkers two not. 

If there’s anything else you want to know or have questions about, let me know! Thank you again for planning it all. It would have been nowhere near as good without your help. 

Lydia

 

 

 

You provided excellent guidance for us. I appreciated that you really had us think about what was most important to us when we were selecting the right cruise – and not to totally focus on what other people had to say. THANK YOU for helping to make this a memorable trip for our family! It really was a trip of a lifetime!

Clare and Mark (family cruise to Alaska)

The level of service we experienced was out of this world (and we did NOT make it easy on Ann). We weren’t quite sure where we wanted to go, when we would be able to go, or what “vibe” we were going for. After asking us some key questions (what we liked, didn’t like, why, etc.) Ann helped us narrow down our trip details and planned the honeymoon of our dreams. She helped book some of our excursions, answered some emergency questions while abroad and was always available/willing to help. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be using anyone else for future travel planning – Ann is a rockstar!

Carli (Italy and Spain)