A memory honeymoon should be more intimate than hackneyed; it represents the good taste shared. And if you’re going to be asked about one holiday, this is the one. Here are some of the exciting and adventurous honeymoon destinations we should suggest – from Portugal via South Africa to Japan.

 

1. ITALY

 

Ah, Italy! Romantic home! Where can I begin? Amalfi, in which the light sings your spirit, and the vertiginous mountain path leads to another place of beauty? Tuscany, where the sunbathes in its golden haze the hills and your lover? Puglia, for peaceful beaches and great food, Venice (though never in August) – The Italian lakes that feel like another age, and that eternity is more romantic.

 

The Italian islands than are: Capri and the less-known islands of Ischia with its incredibly turquoise sea and white sandy beaches along the Costa Smeralda; sandy beaches with hot springs and the lesser-known. And do not forget Sicily. And do not forget.

 

2. THE MALDIVES

 

While your butler gives you a martini on the boat, the Maldives is a honeymoon destination. If you have a vision for yourself, hammocked in your over-water villa.

 

The Maldive resorts are each year out with ever more opulent and romantic experiences – candlelight dinners for 2 on your private sandbank; wooden suites roaming on stylish stretches to the sea, accessible only by boat. You would have to make the only tough choice to choose the best island for you. Almost all of them deliver a dreamy holiday perfect for a honeymoon, with the bluest blue scenery that will never lose its brilliance. Some of our highlights include the good look of the designer, coupled with the soothing boho vibes of Joali and Soneva Jani, a glowing haven with some of the largest villas with big private pools.

 

3. GREECE

 

Somehow, Greece and the Greek Islands are so captivating. The simple elegance, the past and myths, the scrub-type wilderness, the beautiful blue, and white struggle. All that light! All that light! Dazzling at the little church dome and the rock-framed fishing cottages. In long, hot summers which seem to last for the most part of the year, the incredible blue of the sea and sky.

 

4. TOKYO, JAPAN

 

Name it the good taste capital. Shangri-La was discovered by you: Foodies, snobs, architecture buffs, and culture nuts. More than any other city Michelin stars. (Yep, Paris is second – and spread out.) From the all-glass Prada and Dior shops to Tadao Ando’s minimalist concrete mall Omotesando Hills, architecture doubled for sculpture. Mixologists combine craft-based drinks with laser precision in cozy 10-sitter bars and sumo wrestler scuffles at stadiums. Slow-drip coffee bars, independent designer stores, traditional workshops, and 8th-generation noodle counters are all narrow back streets.

 

5. COSTA RICA

 

This land is renowned for its steamy cloud forests, stunning surfing beaches, and varied wildlife. Brides and grooms who want to enjoy can look only at the Papagayo peninsula. On the Pacific coast, there are only two hotels – a Four Seasons and an Andaz – on the scale of this magnificent 1.400-acre section, and a few Villas for 4 seasons. Think of this as your own exclusive Costa Rican corner: 21 soft, powdery beaches, eight miles of picturesque sea cliffs, and 600 miles of rainforest and mangroves.

 

6. COMPORTA, PORTUGAL

 

Comporta is the exclusive beach-hock-type back to nature: a pristine idyll, attracting all people from Louboutin to Sarkozy. Chic and discreet. Just an hour driving from Lisbon to Portugal’s bluster western coastline was a crucial factor in ensuring spotless and secluded retention of the strict preservation and stewardship regulations by the elite banking community. The single landscape extends across light-green fields of rice, scented cork forests, and 12kms of spellbindingly primary beaches.

 

7. PERU

 

Picchu does not have to mean to slow down the Inca track for a week to pack this bucket list trip to Machu Picchu. The Holy Valley can be done in the same way. Firstly, the spectacular Andes Explorer train from Belmond that runs through the Andes, past Titicaca lake, and across Cusco, with a spa for couples to help get their way through the frenzied energy of wedding days and without end to Pisco Sours in the restaurant cab. In Cusco, jump into the countryside and stop at the luxurious collection retreat of Tambo del Inka with its private train station, where you can directly drive into Machu Picchu’s Incan citadel.

 

8. DEPLAR FARM, ICELAND

 

Yeah, yes, in five years or so Iceland has reached three times as many tourists. Iceland is the destination of the day. But in the far north Troll Peninsula, you won’t see many crowds. It’s as other-worldly as it sounds, a rough backdrop of emerald, snow-cloaked mountains, and calm, teal waters. Deplar Fernmachine is the remote, high-speed farmhouse: a former farmhouse with a 13-suite stunner with a living grass roof, an indoor, outdoor geothermal pool, and a spa with float tanks, it offers the ultimate in quiet, soothing, and relaxing conditions.

 

9. CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

 

Time was Colombia’s less visible destination for honeymoon. However, the deep-rooted romance on the Caribbean side has proved insistent and in the past 12 years, it has helped tourism rise more than 300%. The old wooden walled city has colonial sun-yellow villas and cathedrals, balconies with bougainvilleas, and sluggish corners across paved streets to arcaded squares. It also bursts, however, with contemporary energy provided by fresh creative kitchens (now rivals of Lima) and a wise mode crowd attracted to the old and new brass.