While some couples enjoy lounging under the scorching sun following their “I dos,” others are looking for adventure and excitement, and everyone wants to enjoy their honeymoons at a first-rate resort. So Bride & Groom Canada presents readers with four unique yet universally luxurious hotspots for post-wedding bliss
BUCCAMENT BAY RESORT
The new Buccament Bay Resort is set to open this year as St. Vincent’s first-ever five-star luxury property. The 338-room resort, the first resort to be managed and maintained by Harlequin Hotels & Resorts, will include the Liverpool Football Club Soccer School, Pat Cash Tennis Academy, Harlequin Fitness Centre, and the Diving & Water Sports Centre, not to mention several bars and restaurants, the Harlequin Performing Arts Academy, and the Alaia Spa (which is a tropical paradise surrounded by fresh water channels that can only be reached by taking a private bridge). There’s nothing like the turquoise water surrounding the islands and cays known as “The Jewels of the Caribbean.”
Couples will love the beachfront settings and cocooning themselves in lavish and exquisite accommodation. After a day of R&R, there are numerous dining options. There’s Arlecchino, the resort’s elegant Italian restaurant, which will serve a delicious array of classic and contemporary Italian cuisine, or guests can enjoy fresh, mouthwatering local seafood and juicy steaks at Jack’s. Ginger & Co. offers an eclectic array of Thai, Japanese and Chinese food prepared in an open kitchen at their Asian fusion restaurant, and at Trader Vic’s Restaurant (the first in the Caribbean), their array of food blends flavours of Pacific Island, Oriental and American cuisines. The resort even has its own coffee shop and nightclub.
Local activities of choice: Visit the Botanic Garden founded in 1765, the oldest in the Western Hemisphere; climb to the top of La Soufriere, an active volcano that last erupted in 1979; check out Wallilabou Bay, which was used as the fictional location for Port Royal in the blockbuster Disney film “The Pirates of the Caribbean;” see the cannons at Fort Charlotte, or swim at Owia Salt Pond, a bathing pool enclosed by lava peaks and ridges.
TETON MOUNTAIN LODGE
A quintessential Jackson Hole spot, Teton Mountain Lodge is the perfect getaway in the winter (for skiing) as well as in the summer (for hiking, horseback riding and more). Located less than a mile from Grand Teton National Park (and within an hour of Yellowstone National Park), guests can spot elk, moose, bear and other wildlife on a day trip to take in the surrounding mountains and forest. Emulating the grand scale and rustic elegance of the Yellowstone National Park lodges, the Lodge features refined furnishings, stone fireplaces, oversize baths, state-of-the-art kitchens, hardwood floors, tasteful lighting, and classic millwork. It’s also well-known for its Solitude Spa, which includes a rooftop hot tub with panoramic views, and is inspired through design and treatments to reflect the restorative and healing powers of water.
Don’t forget to indulge in their world-renowned cuisine at Cascade – you can’t leave without trying their Bacon Bloody Mary. Local activities of choice: A guided tour of Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks; rafting along the Snake River; riding horseback through the National Forest, or experiencing Jackson’s “Last of the Old West” charm at the local rodeo.
THREE CAMEL LODGE
What’s more exotic than renting a luxury “ger” at the Three Camel Lodge for a honeymoon? Located in the heart of the Gobi and constructed according to environmentally and culturally sustainable development guidelines, the gers are built in traditional Mongolian style (without a single nail) and offer all the luxuries of a modern world-class resort. The Lodge’s 20 deluxe gers include a private bathroom with a toilet and sink, a fireplace, a king-size bed and amenities such as felt slippers, Mongolian-styled bathrobes and locally produced toiletries and camel-milk moisturizing lotions. Each ger has a southward-facing door, a nomadic Mongolian tradition, providing an unobstructed view of the desert and the Gobi-Altai Mountains. The gers provide an authentic taste of Mongolian culture and allow travellers to visit the remote Gobi Desert in comfort, providing ideal sleeping conditions in the silence of the desert night. There’s also room service.
The on-site Bulagtai Restaurant, named for the ancient volcanic outcrop that shelters the Lodge, uses locally grown organic fruits and vegetables, dairy products produced by local nomadic families, and organic meat from Mongolia’s free-range livestock herds to create regional dishes and traditional specialties. The Thirsty Camel Bar, which is housed in a naturally geo-cooled room below the restaurant, boasts a wide selection of beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks. There is also an on-site laundry service and a spa staffed by professionally trained massage therapists.
Local activities of choice: Take an excursion into the Gobi led by their professional guides (either by jeep or helicopter), or explore the area riding atop a two-humped Bactrian camel; travel with a palaeontologist from the Mongolian Academy of Sciences to the cliffs to search for and excavate dinosaur fossils, or take a Mongolian cooking class.
THE QUEEN’S GARDENS RESORT
The Queen’s Gardens Resort is Saba’s leading luxury resort and is an upscale, casually chic yet elegant hotel, with magnificent vistas in the rain forest, the mountains and along the Sapphire blue Caribbean Sea. The resort features 12 spacious and elegant suites, each occupying a complete floor of a guest building. Most suites have a panoramic view of the area and feature a private Jacuzzi in a breathtaking setting over the Caribbean Sea or the Saba Rain Forest. At Queen’s Gardens Resort it’s all about getting pampered, from wining and dining at their restaurant, which offers a mix of Caribbean dishes and a fusion of east and west cuisine with a French influence along with an extensive and exclusive wine list to relaxing in the lounge that is sheltered by 100-year-old mango trees. There’s also scuba-diving, snorkelling or hiking on one of the many beautiful trails Saba has to offer. The resort offers massages and yoga as well as a swimming pool, fitness room and library. Local activities of choice: Go on a sunset cruise in The Caribbean; take a cooking class; make your own jewellery at the Jo Bean Glass workshop; take a hike through beautiful villages or the remote backcountry.
For the couples who need to decompress in the sun, sand and surf, Buccament Bay Resort in St. Vincent and Queen’s Gardens Resort in Saba are the perfect go-to locales. However, if adventure and outdoor play is what they are seeking, then it’s off to Jackson Hole’s Teton Mountain Lodge or Three Camel Lodge in Mongolia. Each offers a relaxing, sumptuous environment for a honeymoon. Anyone can find post-wedding bliss at these romantic destinations.