The Honeymoon - Ka`ana Resort

The Honeymoon
Hot
List
We did our homework. We got tips from trusted travel writers,
filtered through all of the happening hotel and travel news, and
interrogated our on-staff honeymooners. What we came up with
was a list of everything from overwater bungalows in Tahiti to
cave tubing (yes, that's a thing) in Belize. DW&H proudly presents
the great escapes that everyone will be talking about in 2014.
70 destination weddings & honeymoons
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by Ta r a B r a d l e y
september/october 2013
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Grenada
What's Hot LaSource
has always been one of Grenada’s favored allinclusive properties. (It was doing all-inclusive
before it became a Google buzzword). This year,
there are 19 million new reasons to go. Sandals
recently invested $19 million into the property,
which has been transformed into Sandals La
Source Grenada. The resort beckons with three
individualized villages — typical to the Sandals
brand — as well as three pools, two river pools,
nine restaurants, and private plunge pools on
every balcony. Now’s the time to get in on the
action: An opening date of December 12 means
killer promos are rolling out now.
Kingston, Jamaica
What's Hot In the past, commercial airlines
have focused on Montego Bay and its cruise terminal, leaving Kingston-bound travelers with a
three-and-a-half hour drive from the airport. With
Delta Air Lines launching its first daily nonstop
round-trip service between Atlanta and Kingston
in May, all that has changed. It also made Strawberry Hill an attractive option for low-impact jetsetters. Just a 50-minute jaunt from the airport,
this hotel is perched 3,100 feet up in the Blue
Mountains and features just 12 cottages, including a 3,000-square-foot, two-story villa.
“
From top:
St. George,
Grenada; warm
pot of plantains;
Strawberry Hill;
rum; coconut stand
in Jamaica; St.
Maarten’s Maho
beach. Opposite:
Jade Mountain.
Editor’s Pick
st. lucia
Jade Mountain resort is
the stuff of honeymoon
legend. When you first walk
into your room, you cry. Or
at least, I did. Something
about the vaulted ceiling,
the gleaming wood floors,
the white canopy bed
draped in gauze, the
Technicolor views — and
oh yeah, the private infinity
pool plunging over the edge
of the missing fourth wall
into oblivion — reduced
me to tears. It was the
same feeling I had when I
first tried on my wedding
dress at the salon, the exact
emotion that swept over
me when we first set foot in
our newlywed home: This
is it; this is the one.
St. John What's Hot
The
US Virgin Islands’ no-passport-required
angle is a big draw, but the trendy rise of
small batch rums has turned the Caribbean’s signature elixir into a cottage industry.
Start your tasting tour in Coral Bay at Sweet
Plantain’s Restaurant. On the rum menu: Haitian, Jamaican, Nicaraguan, French, cheap, and
ultra-premium (it’s closed August-November).
For an all-day rum trip, the daily ferry from Cruz
Bay will take you to BVI Tortola’s West End in 30
minutes. At the rustic Callwood Rum Distillery in
Cane Garden Bay, which dates back 400 years,
try the Arundel Rum. The distillery is the only
place it’s sold. Pass out at the 47-acre Westin St.
John near the ferry terminals.
St. Maarten What's Hot Insta-
gram junkies, start your filters. Any traveler that
has visited St. Maarten knows you can’t come
home without the island’s iconic plane shot. (It’s
the Caribbean version of London’s changing-ofthe-guard pic.) Maho Beach is so close to Princess Julianna Airport’s runway that everyone tries
for the prized snapshot of a massive 747 landing
over one’s head. So get yourself into a premier
oceanview room at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort
& Casino, the island’s only all-inclusive, take a
walk down the beach to the airport, and prepare
to go viral.
72 destination weddings & honeymoons
— Erika Hueneke, executive editor
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Tahiti
At the Four Seasons Resort, Bora Bora,
breakfast is delivered on an outrigger canoe.
My entertainment consists of watching the
first golden rays of morning sunlight slip
across the face of Mount Otemanu. The view
from the resort is arguably the best on the
motu, and there’s a priceless value to having
a front row seat for sunrise as it lights up
this iconic sight. I’ve traveled the world as a
photographer but this view is something I’ve
dreamed of since I first saw a photo of Tahiti.
Maldives
What's Hot In April,
Etihad Airways announced it was adding Washington D.C. to its list of North American cities
(New York, Chicago and Toronto) offering routes
to the Maldives through Abu Dhabi. More good
news: Etihad is a partner of American Airlines,
so you can use those AAdvantage miles. After
that 18-hour flight (yikes!), fight the jetlag in your
overwater villa at Baros Maldives. The waters offer all-you-can-snorkel reefs, and the Lighthouse
Restaurant lets you get googly-eyed romantic in
their overwater pavilion. Not to mention that
it doesn’t get much sexier than sleeping above
schools of fish.
Cuba
– Jon Whittle, senior staff photographer
From top: Aerial view of
Baros Maldives; Havana,
Cuba; Xanadu Island
Resort; diving in Belize;
Peru’s resident llamas;
Machu Picchu’s Sanctuary
Lodge. Opposite: Four
Seasons Resort, Bora Bora.
Editor’s Pick
Tahiti
Tahiti
Editor’s Pick
At the Four Seasons Resort, Bora
Bora, breakfast is delivered on an
At thecanoe.
Four Seasons
Resort, Bora Bora,
outrigger
My entertainment
breakfastofiswatching
deliveredthe
onfirst
an outrigger
consists
golden canoe.
My
entertainment
consists
watching the
rays of morning sunlight slip of
across
first
golden
rays of
morningThe
sunlight slip
the
face
of Mount
Otemanu.
across
the
face
of
Mount
Otemanu.
view from the resort is arguablyThe view
from
theonresort
is arguably
the best
the
best
the motu,
and there’s
a on the
motu,
and
there’s
a
priceless
value
priceless value to having a front rowto having
a front
row seatasfor
sunrise
it lights up
seat
for sunrise
it lights
upas
this
this
iconic
sight.
I’ve
traveled
the
world as a
iconic sight. I’ve traveled the world
photographer
but thisbut
view
something
I’ve
as a photographer
thisisview
is
dreamed
of
since
I
first
saw
a
photo
of
Tahiti.
something I’ve dreamed of since I
staff photographer
– Jon Whittle,
first saw a photo– Jon
of Whittle,
Tahiti.senior
Belize What's Hot Many
newlyweds are seeking “a more active or adventurous element to begin
their journey through life,” according to last year’s honeymoon trends
report by global research firm Mintel.
Belize has you covered by land or by sea.
Snorkelers and divers gravitate to Belize’s Blue
Hole, often opting to hang up their fins at Xanadu
Island Resort. Back at sea level, Ka’ana Resort,
hidden in the jungle of San Ignacio, leaves you
and yours to get your adrenaline boost with ziplining tours, cave tubing, and horseback riding to
ancient ruins.
Peru What's Hot Not into watching your
xxx
senior staff photographer
74 destination weddings & honeymoons
What's Hot It’s only a matter
of time before the embargo ends and there’s a
Starbucks on every corner. With more operators
receiving “people-to-people” licenses, access to
this forbidden country is slowly loosening up. If you
want to see Cuba before there are venti Frappucinos all over Old Havana (i.e. with its sexy, vintage
style intact) Insight Cuba offers packaged tours
priced at $10,000 per couple. On the travel agenda: visits to live music venues, bicycle taxi tours
and a trip on an antique steam train ride to nearby
towns. Don’t forget to pick up some artwork
while you’re there. You’ll have proof that
you visited Cuba before it was legal. Now
that’s something you can brag to your
grandkids about.
money disappear with your first latte? Cuzco,
Peru’s liveliest city, will grant you around $2.75
nuevo soles (PEN) per US dollar. (Not to mention
that many shops, restaurants, and hotels accept
U.S. dollars.) Opened in June, Palacio Nazarenas
is the city’s newest hotel and the perfect stop before hopping aboard the luxury Hiram Bingham
train to the sacred site itself. Or opt for Machu
Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, which is next door to
the Incan monolith. End your day with plates
of Peruvian dishes and a slumber party in your
oxygen-infused room — to ward off any pending
altitude sickness.
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Cabo San Lucas What's
Hot Even celebs like Chelsea Handler and
Jimmy Kimmel want to get in on the A-list trips
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux throw at the
One&Only Palmilla. And rightfully so, upon check
in guests are given customized sewing kits with
pre-threaded needles to match their wardrobes. At
night the property’s gardens are transformed into
a candlelit fantasy world with 1,000-plus lanterns
hanging from trees. For a private day at Lover’s
Beach, the property’s yacht, the One & Only, drops
couples off with a picnic lunch. And that treatment
goes for everyone, not just Jen and Justin.
Playa del Carmen
What's Hot Beaches are what traditionally
bring honeymooners to Playa del Carmen. But inthe-shoppers head to Quinta Avenida — Mexico’s
answer to Fifth Avenue. Also on the scene: restaurants, art galleries and luxury boutique hotels
like Acanto Condo Hotel. Bonus: The beach is only
500 yards away. Come evening, the hotel will set
up a dinner for two on the rooftop. It’s the best
place to enjoy the Kobe beef carpaccio, grilled lobster risotto and kicking views of the city.
La Paz What's Hot Thanks to Aero-
From top left: Lover’s Beach in Cabo San Lucas;
homemade tortillas; shopping in Quinta Avenida in
Playa del Carmen; a lantern-lit evening at the One
& Only Palmilla in Cabo San Lucas.
Mexico’s recent addiction of twice-weekly direct
flights from Los Angeles, you’ll reach this city north
of Cabo before the in-flight rom-com ends. A prime
spot on the Sea of Cortez brings access to the Isla
Espiritu Santo (and visits from the Baja’s big five:
whales, dolphins, sharks, sea lions and manta rays).
But it’s not just about the water here: La Paz is Old
World Mexico with warm tortilla scents wafting
through the walkways and family-membered mariachi bands walking the streets. For honeymooners, we suggest the Costabaja Resort & Spa and a
stroll on the Malecon seaside boardwalk lined with
bronze sculptures by local artists. It’s the perfect
photo opp.
Cancun
What's Hot A spa, award-winning restaurant,

76 destination weddings & honeymoons
For even more hot honeymoons, visit
destinationweddingmag.com/
honeymoon2014.
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casino, golf course: In Cancun, it’s standard practice for resorts to have these perks. Then here
comes Moon Palace Golf Resort & Spa and its
$55 million renovation, and now we can add concert venue to that list of next-level amenities. The
upscale all-inclusive has hosted acts like Shakira,
Enrique Iglesias and Usher. (Ricky Martin is set to
hit the stage in December). Don’t have your honeymoon dates picked yet? Be on the lookout for
more concert announcements: couples booking
five-nights or more get comped tickets.