Whether you’re looking for sun, snow or a unique rural retreat, FRANCESCA KENLEY discovers some of the special places to spend your honeymoon both at home and abroad
The Beer Moth, Scotland
This unique truck has been lovingly renovated by Walter, the creator of the Inshriach Yurt. Having liberated this 1956 Commer Q4 from the Manston Fire Museum in Kent and wrestled it back to Inshriach House, he has quite literally raised the roof (by a foot). Then he laid an oak parquet floor rescued from a Tudor mansion, salvaged snooker table slate to make a hearth and a fire escape to make a staircase. The Beermoth now also sports an over the top Victorian double bed, the door from one of the cottages at the farm, and the former back wall of the doghouse. The mahogany plinth has been replaced with a wood-burner, the inexplicable stuffed squirrel has vacated the premises, and the cutting edge of unusual places to stay has been delighting guests ever since.Where better for a totally unique honeymoon! Prices start from £60 per night.!
The Beer Moth, 01275 395447 canopyandstars.co.uk
The Honeymoon Gatehouse, France
The Honeymoon Gatehouse in the Dordogne was constructed in the 15th Century on the site of an earlier castle and sits within the grounds of the owner’s private chateau. It is built of golden stone flanked by four towers; a tributary of the Dordogne River flows through the chateau grounds. The Romanesque town of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne is just 6km away. The region is known for its wonderful oak, chestnut and walnut woods, foie gras, strawberries, walnuts, crepes, truffles and wine. The gatehouse is ideal for nature lovers and, as its name suggests, is perfect for honeymooning couples as the ‘Brides’ bedroom features a romantic four poster bed.
Prices from £1,600 per week
Oliver’s Travels, 0800 133 7999 oliverstravels.com
Ferry House, Scotland
A new yet traditionally styled stone and slate house in the Scottish Highlands within 66 acres of private land on the shores of Loch Crerean. On the site of the old ferryman’s cottage The Ferry House has its own private shoreline in this picturesque area of outstanding natural beauty. Wonderful, uninterrupted views from the open plan living area. Ferry House Cottage is a paradise for nature lovers with private woods and shoreline as well as the Scottish highlands and islands to explore. There are many great seafood restaurants close by, famous Scottish castles, picturesque beaches and a good base for mountain biking. Prices are £1,145 for 7 nights & £600 for 3 nights
Sheepskin, 01865 764087 sheepskinlife.com
Maison La Minervetta, Italy
La Maison is perched on a ridge overlooking the sea and is a 15 minute walk from the historic centre of Sorrento, one of the most romantic places in Italy, you can also reach the fishing village of Marina Grande by a private staircase. A truly romantic setting all rooms at Le Maison have views over the sea and Marina Grande and from the living room there are large breathtaking views from the terrace of Sorrento and the gulf. Prices start from £335 per room
La Minervetta, +39 081 8774455 laminervetta.com
The Roundhouse, Cornwall
The Roundhouse is genuinely unique; tranquility, the stars, the romance of sleeping in an Iron Age Roundhouse. Bodrifty Farm is a wonderful place to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life and to capture the spirit of a distant time, in significant comfort. Tell stories by the open fire and then spend a peaceful night tucked up in Egyptian cotton sheets, under a duck-down duvet in your handmade four-poster bed with flowers woven into the willow headboard. Seize the once in a lifetime opportunity to sleep in ancient grandeur and wake to the sound of birdsong and the wind swishing through the trees. You will have exclusive use of the The Treehouse during your stay at the Roundhouse, which has a kitchen where you can prepare a feast with edible flowers from the Bodrifty organic market garden – or perhaps fresh-that-day Cornish crab, landed locally in Newlyn; stroll across the moors, scattered with ancient monuments, to one of the many stunning beaches nearby. Prices start from £120 per night.
The Round House, 01275 395447 canopyandstars.co.uk
Finch Hattons, Kenya
Privately owned and managed, Finch Hattons is one man’s dream to create an ideal, offering guests a unique opportunity to relive the golden era of the safari with elegance, first class comforts and the finest cuisine surrounded by the spectacle of the great African wilderness. The camp surrounds a natural freshwater spring, flowing through three crystal clear pools, with tents along the water’s edge, The camp is unfenced and a wide variety of game has been sighted on the surrounding plains. The springs are home to a resident pod of hippopotamus, which spend their days wallowing in the ponds and their nights grazing around the camp. Crocodiles and a healthy population of terrapins and monitor lizards also live here, and are often seen sunning themselves at the waters edge. Prices start from £235 per person sharing per night on full board basis and on all inclusive £350 per person sharing per night.
Finch Hattons, +254 721534423 finchhattons.com
Treetop House, Scotland
Treetop House is the ideal retreat for newlyweds and opened to its first guests in April 2014. It’s a uniquely designed holiday house perched on a wooded hillside with panoramic views across Loch Broom and out to Scotland’s Summer Isles. It has been beautifully designed to create a romantic and intimate retreat. Inside you’ll find a luxurious living space including woodburning stove, sauna and luxury freestanding bath. The views from every room are spectacular; panoramic seascapes and landscapes, dramatic Highland skies and waterfalls. Only a ten minute walk from the centre of Ullapool, combining rural isolation with the village experience, the house backs onto the Ullapool Hill Path network, and there are endless opportunities for climbing and mountain walking in the vicinity. Golden sand beaches are nearby, as well as golf courses, castles, hill forts, sea kayaking and boat excursions. Prices start from £900 - £1600 per week.
Treetop House 01285 750 713 oneoffplaces.co.uk
Sala Silvemine, Sweden
The Sala Silvermine hotel in Sweden has an underground room built for couples. With only one underground suite, which is the world’s deepest bedroom, the hotel is open throughout the year. The suite has been built 155 meters (500 feet) below the earth’s surface within an ancient mine that has been preserved beautifully. If you are looking for a unique honeymoon destination then this ticks all the boxes. The hotel staff will take you to the underground suite in a mine lift that takes you 500 feet down in just four minutes. The bedroom is furnished with a luxurious and comfortable double bed along with other silver furnishings and a champagne platter, which is a part of your honeymoon package. Prices start from £370 per night.
Sala Silvermine, +46 22467760 salasilvergruva.se/en
Cary Arms, Devon
For a perfect hideaway to escape to for romance and privacy, the Cary’s secluded location in Babbacombe Bay ticks all the right boxes with its two-night Romantic Hideaway Experience. Flowers, Champagne and strawberries will be waiting in your room upon arrival to set the scene, before going down to dine in the privacy of the glass sphere ‘Pod’ - a totally unique dining experience. Besides the aforementioned, a Yon-Ka spa treatment is included in the experience for each of you.
Prices start from £625.
Cary Arms, 01803 327110 caryarms.co.uk
Honeymoon safaris, Africa
Whether you’re looking for a real adventure or a couple of weeks relaxing in the sun, the beaches and wilderness of Africa holds the promise of lifelong memories: consider a safari drive over extensive plains alive with wildlife or the barefoot freedom of a dhow safari in the Quirimbas Archipelago of Mozambique, sleeping on the shores of deserted islands. Go island hopping in the Indian Ocean. From exclusive retreats offering fine dining, personal butlers and a little pampering to a two centre trip taking in Victoria Falls with its spectacular lunar rainbows visible in the spray combined with a few nights on safari at one of the beautiful lodges in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia or Botswana.
Do a little research and discover the African honeymoon of your dreams - you won’t be disappointed.
Zambezi Safari and Travel Company
zambezi.com 01548 830059
