Getting married is an expensive business, and after all those celebrations, you might not feel like splurging. Your first vacation as a married couple shouldn’t break the bank. Here’s our guide to the best destinations for a budget honeymoon.
1. Riviera Maya, Mexico
For a leisurely dip into the delights of Latin America, you can’t beat the Riviera Maya. This tantalizing shoreline between big resort Cancún and balmy beach town Tulum is the place to celebrate your new nuptials.
Discover Mexico’s best diving on the island paradise Cozumel. Home to the northern hemisphere’s mightiest reef, there are multiple swim-throughs and coral overhangs. Or bask on one of the myriad sandy beaches rimming the coast like Playa Morelos. If you’re feeling more adventurous, foray into the fertile interior and plunge with your partner into mythical cenotes – sinkholes where you can swim amidst pristine blue-green waters. Prices are high compared to other parts of Mexico but the Riviera Maya still offers budget options for traveling couples.
Planning tip: For ease of travel, consider renting a car if you’re traveling around the Riviera Maya. Visit between December and May for the best chance of a rain-free trip.
2. Southwest India
India excels in potential romantic adventures that cost next to nothing. But both the southwest coast of Kerala and Goa offer an additional level of stress-free straightforwardness.
These two serene states are the places to head for balmy sandy beaches (Goa has India’s best, and there are more liberal attitudes to tourists in swimwear here) and wellness (holistic healing technique Ayurveda has its epicenter in Kerala, with double rooms at top Ayurveda retreats available for US$160 per night or less).
Alternatively, you can voyage with your loved one through the bewitching Kerala Backwaters, a latticework of tropical inland waterways.
Planning tip: The most settled weather in both states occurs from December through March and is much less hot and sticky.
3. Marrakesh, Morocco
Stylish yet traditional, beguiling Marrakesh is one of Morocco’s most appealing cities. Arguably Africa’s best budget honeymoon destination, the continent’s first Capital of Culture is a great place for newlyweds.
Whisk your other half off for a walk through one of the world’s most romantic gardens, the cactus-stippled Jardin Majorelle. Created by the French painter Jacques Majorelle, he centered the one-hectare space on a cobalt-colored villa, which became the trailblazer for an entirely new hue, Majorelle blue.
Alternatively, go on one of the most memorable (and affordable) shopping sprees ever in a labyrinthine souk such as Souk Semmarine, or any number of high-end boutiques. You’ll save even more if you bed down in a riad (a Moroccan mansion arranged around an interior courtyard).
Planning tip: Spring and autumn are the best times to visit Marrakesh to avoid the sweltering summer temperatures.
4. Havana, Cuba
Forget the formulaic Caribbean. For a honeymoon full of surprises, choose Cuba. Nowhere else in the region can match the island for culture. It also specializes in spontaneous experiences and amorous activities.
Start by sipping created-in-Cuba cocktails like mojitos and daiquiris atop roof terraces. Learn to sway to the island’s sultry soundtrack of jazz, rumba, salsa and Buena Vista Social Club. Then wander Havana‘s malecón (seaside promenade) and its drop-dead gorgeous old town La Habana Vieja.
If you want some beach time head to Varadero, a paradisiacal sandy peninsula lined with hotels that match every notion of romantic.
Planning tip: Travel to Cuba between November and April, after hurricane season, for minimal rain and the most pleasant weather. Consider staying in casas particulares (local-run bed and breakfasts). Many are more lavish than the hotels, and cheaper too.
5. Budapest, Hungary
Relax. You’re in the only capital city in the world with natural thermal healing waters. Several ornate bathhouses across Budapest capture the toasty therapeutic currents of 118 springs. Soaking in them is sure to get couples all fired up – especially with private bathing for two for under US$50.
Make time to stroll to storybook Buda Castle or up to the turreted Fisherman’s Bastion atop Castle Hill. The romantic views overlooking the mighty Danube River don’t cost a cent. Then after dark, seek out a cozy corner of a candlelit ruin bar that dot the Seventh District for a drink. Located in abandoned buildings, the bars offer affordable drinks, alternative music and a glimpse into Budapest’s creative side.
Planning tip: June is a good month to visit, with warm temperatures and fewer crowds than July and August. The Danube Carnival, a colorful celebration of local folklore, also runs in June. Romantics can learn the classic couples’ folk dance, Csárdás.
6. Crete, Greece
If it’s European sun and sea you’re seeking, Crete turns up the heat on Santorini – Greece’s honeymoon hot spot – with warmer weather, lovelier beaches and generally cheaper prices. Check out Hania in the west. It has a comely Venetian harbor and gobsmacking nearby beaches, some speckled with pink sand.
Hike together through Samaria Gorge, Europe’s longest, and journey east to discover the mighty ruins of Knossos, linked to the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Then it’s time to take your pick of the beaches. Spoilt for choice, these sublime crescents of sand don’t cost a cent to explore.
Planning tip: Early and late in the holiday season (April–May and September–October) are good months to visit Crete without the holiday hordes.
7. Luang Prabang, Laos
Hidden amongst lush mountain foothills at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers in Northern Laos, Luang Prabang is a great budget spot. According to legend, Buddha rested during his travels at Luang Prabang and smiled. So will you and your loved one once you see what you can get for less than US$30 per person per day (staying in no-frills accommodation).
Wander among idyllic Indochinese villas and admire the UNESCO-protected architecture of richly decorated, pagoda-like Buddhist temples. Take spiritually nourishing walks to religious sites, passing files of monks along the way. Head out to heavenly waterfalls, such as the turquoise cascades at Kuang Si, 30km (19 miles) southwest of town. Luang Prabang is the kind of place with an overwhelming sense of calm.
Planning tip: If you arrive in Laos after the end of the wet season in October or November, the lush green landscape glimmers entrancingly from the recent rains.
8. Northwest Highlands, Scotland
Swerve Scotland‘s more conventional tourist spots like Edinburgh and Loch Ness and plot a course north to one of the remotest and most sparsely populated parts of Europe instead. With so few settlements in the Northwest Highlands, there are not that many tempting places to spend your honeymoon funds.
Instead, intrepid newlyweds can go on fantastic, free hikes and save money by overnighting in a bothy, atmospheric wilderness shelters that allow guests to stay for one or two nights gratis.
Tie your hikes in with a visit to a romantic castle – such as causeway-linked Eilean Donan, a fortress so stunning it appears cut from a shortbread tin – to really feel the love. Or cozy up in a far-removed Highland hotel, embosomed in a vast estate of a rock-scattered moor, mountain and craggy shore.
Planning tip: A honeymoon here is always going to be outdoors-focused, so it’s handy to know that May and September are often drier, sunnier months than those in the tourist high season (July and August).
9. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Few cities scream “romance” more than Buenos Aires. With super-seductive tango dancing as its lifeblood, the self-styled Paris of South America offers as much as its French cousin – but at a snip of the price.
Wander through the colonial streets of bohemian San Telmo with its antique shops and impromptu dance performances. Partake in the sweet tradition of merienda (teatime) with your partner in an elegant cafe. End your evenings with a fruity glass of oh-so-Argentine Malbec and toast your new life together. Built for wandering slowly, the seductive Argentine capital marries passion with beauty and art with architecture, much of it all for free.
Planning tip: Spring (September to November) is the time to visit before it gets too hot and locals leave the city for the coast. Combine a vacation with an intimate excursion out to one of the estancias (countryside ranches) outside the city.