18 Best Tropical Destinations For Celebrating Your Honeymoon In Paradise

There are a few times in our lives when we want everything to be perfect because those moments are one-offs. We aren't talking about birthdays — a bad one can be rectified a year later — watching a movie or going on a date, but chapters in our existence that happen only once. Think a bucket-list trip or a wedding, and thereafter the honeymoon. Derived from the old English phrase "hony moone," a reference to historical European traditions that wish that the marriage's sweet period last at least a month, this special time in our lives comes around, in theory, at least only once. So it's important that it is extra-special. And what better way to make it extraordinary than spending it in a tropical paradise, where life seems sunnier, a little slower, and much more enjoyable? 

While destinations all over the globe welcome honeymooners, the list below is not only adept at ensuring that the happy couple remains so, but also promises experiences and settings that will make the post-wedding celebration a vacation to never forget. These places are, in fact, so alluring that they are almost worth getting married for.

What doesn't the Golden State have in terms of geographic range? Visitors to this slice of West Coast utopia will find beaches, mountains, deserts, forests, valleys filled with vineyards, stunning areas like Yosemite National Park, and plenty of exquisite hideaways. For honeymooners, the choices are almost limitless, with any environment to fit their particular tastes, be that a chic resort in Palm Springs or a sprawling beachfront luxury property in SoCal. At the Post Ranch Inn, set on the cliffs above a rugged stretch of coastline, couples can spend plenty of time enjoying the sublime outdoors on a property where no children are allowed. 

There are opportunities to take long walks in the forests, among towering trees, meditate on the joys of a new union in the middle of the woods, learn about the riches of the onsite edible garden, and simply hang shoulder-to-shoulder on the lip of the infinity pool to gaze over the never-ending surf and waves of the pounding Pacific below. Or honeymooners can simply snuggle up in the gorgeous rooms that include treehouses. 

An intimate property with 50 accommodations, Auberge du Soleil presents couples with a different vantage. It sits on a hillside above the rolling vineyards of Napa Valley, and the setting is shockingly romantic — the valley floor unfurls below, visible from rooms. The Mayacamas Mountains are also on view, and open, warmly furnished rooms are soothing perches to enjoy the visual delights. The food here is also exquisite.

This state in the country's southeast is blessed with tons of spots for the perfect honeymoon, as well as the ideal wedding to precede it. A generous coastline stock and a temperate winter climate mean that beachfront ceremonies are trendy in this part of the United States. They are also a big draw at Walt Disney World, where weddings are officiated all year round. 

For honeymooners in search of something a little special, a stay in Key West puts them at the southernmost point of the United States. They can forego the drive by taking a seaplane, which flies relatively low over the water, allowing passengers to gaze into the clear turquoise seas below and spot dolphins, sharks, stingrays, and shipwrecks. 

They can also get a seaplane to Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, a private-island getaway that feels like a true escape from everyday life. Here, guests can wander along sandy beaches where crushed shells make a pleasant crunch underfoot. Couples can retire to thatch-roof bungalows without televisions or telephones to ruin the cloistered ambiance and have treatments at a plush spa with a soaring inner atrium.

One of the country's most remote states, Hawaii, is where visitors can experience arts, culture, and truly dramatic scenery. It is, in America, possibly the perfect example of a tropical paradise, where craggy, verdant, steeply inclined mountains tumble down to turquoise waters. Hawaii is also the place seas teem with aquatic life like dolphins and turtles; the weather is always welcoming and warming, the perfect combination of attributes for a successful honeymoon. These isles are also blessed with rich local culture, one that has forged customs and identities for centuries and whose traditions can be seen in everyday life, from small ceremonies to the folklore that traces the places and spaces all around. Couples will also find a deep culinary heritage here, with a history of fishing, crops on the island, and of course, the famous coffee of Kona. 

Adventurers will not lack options, with surfing a wildly popular pastime here, great snorkeling and scuba, fishing, whale watching, and some sublime hiking among beautifully maintained national parks. And, for honeymooners set on getting some bragging rights, they can scout some lesser-known spots that are great to discover with their newly betrothed.

An island nation that relies heavily on tourism, the Maldives are tropical paradises scattered like strings of jewels across the Indian Ocean. What sets the Maldives apart from many other getaways in sunny climes is the recurring resort model, where properties fill out a complete island. This is possible thanks to the sheer abundance of appropriately shaped islands and a government keen to promote tourism in the nation. Maldives is one of the ultimate island escapes on the planet, and the choices should suit any honeymoon budget — though nothing here is super-duper cheap. 

What can a couple expect? Trips usually require a seaplane transfer from the main international airport to the specific resort, though some properties closer to the airport can be reached by speedboat. Once on an island, the couple might find tropically designed bungalows set among gardens, on a beachfront, or stilts over turquoise waters. There are also islands without cars but with golf carts that wind around sandy paths and improbably clean blue waters that are almost nourishing in their softness. Let's not forget beaches where the sand is fine and crumbly, perfect for digging your toes into, and clear, sunny skies that bring all of the above into brilliant focus.

Something about Morocco is truly addictive and wonderfully exotic. Maybe it's the architecture, with influences ranging from Islamic vernaculars to Moorish touches, with hints of Art Deco and European style. Perhaps it's the sights and sounds of the souks, the way the light filters through the medinas onto stalls, an image that has appeared the same for hundreds of years. It could also be the food — hearty, full-bodied with a variety of spices and tantalizing to the palate. Or possibly the wild open spaces, like the high mountains or swathes of desert, that are such a refreshing sight. It's all of the above, and Morocco is a destination filled with wonder, history, and fabulous cuisine. 

Honeymooners can choose from a number of cities for a stay, but a few stand out. Essaouira has the undeniable charm of a low-key, almost faded seaside resort, while Fes has a stunning old city. Perhaps the most complete destination is Marrakesh, where the Medina has beautiful gates and ramparts and vendors tightly packed into alleys of its souks. There is also a huge choice of gorgeous riads, or former homes, that are now sublime hotels, extremely private places that are great to hide away on a honeymoon.

This country at the bottom of the African continent is one of the top places in the world to take a safari. Here, visitors can see the Big Five — the term given to the animals that were the hardest to hunt back when it was acceptable to do so, and a phrase that has since stuck to refer to this grouping — of buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhinoceros. Seeing these animals up close, in open space, not caged behind bars or confined to an enclosure, is a thrilling sight, best enjoyed with your better half. 

Many safari camps across the country are positioned in areas where the Big Five roam, and among the most classy is Singita, whose outfit in Sabi Sand includes lodging that mimics the shape of old boulders found in the area and that has plenty of glass to let natural light in. The views are also incredible — of a riverfront where the local fauna comes and goes. 

South Africa isn't just about safaris, though. Cape Town has possibly one of the most beautiful locations in the world; by the ocean and beneath an iconic, flat-topped mountain, and a short distance away, fine vineyards produce the lion's share of the country's wine. It's here that honeymooners will find the gorgeous Babylonstoren Hotel, part of a grand estate with a vineyard, bakery, farm, landscaped gardens, and exceptional restaurants, the kind of place a couple could come to and never want to leave.

Most images of St. Lucia invariably feature the forested peaks of the Pitons and for obvious reasons. These two dramatic peaks make this Caribbean island stand out — literally — formed from volcanoes and rising to about 2,500 feet above sea level (one is just over, the other a little under that mark). They define the island and are great to see up close, on a hike, or from a distance, either from a hotel room or on a boat trip around the island. For honeymooners that can't get enough of the view of these mountains, the smartest choice is to book a room at Jade Mountain resort, set high up on a hill above sister property, the beachfront Anse Chastenet Resort. 

Jade Mountain features a number of spots onsite that have clear, uninterrupted views of Gros Piton and Petit Piton, as they are named, and the sight is breathtaking. Rooms are all known as sanctuaries and have one wall open to the elements. They also feature infinity pools that look onto the Pitons, and couples in them, hanging onto the lip of the pool, might find themselves entranced by the whole experience.

One of the greatest animal spectacles in the world, the annual Great Migration of wildebeest in East Africa is a sight visitors never forget, not just for the visual enormity of it but the sounds of thousands of creatures moving through plains. It happens all year round, with the animals shuffling between Kenya and Tanzania, though for the majority of the time, it occurs in the latter nation. It's certainly a persuasive reason to plan a honeymoon here, as are the chances to see the Big Five from a safari lodge. 

The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge sits on the cusp of a giant volcanic caldera, and below, over the crater floor, black rhinos and powerful elephants roam. Tanzania also has miles and miles of coastline, and the fascinating island of Zanzibar, with an interesting history as a trading stop, and a background influenced by Arabs, Europeans, and Africans, is evident in the architecture and ambiance today.

The northern neighbor of South Africa, Zimbabwe, also promises visitors unforgettable safaris, and one of the country's best areas to see wildlife is Hwange National Park. At Somalisa Camp, which sits beside a vast floodplain that seems to unfurl forever, the plush canvas tents come with outdoor showers and give guests that classic old safari camp vibe. Visitors can go for walks in the bush led by the expert staff, while game drives allow travelers to see the Big Five, as well as the giraffe and an endangered species, the roan antelope.

Zimbabwe is also home to the mind-boggling Victoria Falls, a riot of water from the Zambezi River that drops off a precipice to form the largest waterfall in the world and represents a border between the country and neighboring Zambia. It drops 350 feet, making it more than twice as high as Niagara Falls, and such is the colossal power that it became known as Mosi-Oa-Tunya (or "smoke that thunders" in the local dialect of Tonga, referring to the cascade's mist that looks like smoke, accompanied by the falls roaring sound). While the falls can be seen by foot or boat, a couple should cement the honeymoon's specialness with a helicopter ride, a joyful way to start the rest of their life together.