MEXICO:  At the top of our recommended list – and most popular among Travel Leaders’  honeymooners – is Mexico, which offers enough choices to satisfy every couple’s dream.  Just south of Cancun lies tranquil Rivera Maya where luxurious all-inclusive resorts blend the area’s Mayan history with modern convenience. 

One of our favorites is the Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso, perched on a spectacular white-sand beach.  The Paraiso is a premiere adults-only resort with suites boasting splendid views of the Caribbean.  Guests enjoy an opulent spa, 18-hole golf course, nightly entertainment, and both fine and casual dining.  This resort is the perfect setting for romance and relaxation.

Another Mexican hot-spot for honeymooners is Cabo San Lucas, located at the tip of the Baja Peninsula where deep sea fishing, a Land’s End Tour, and thrilling whale-watching cruises – plus all the usual sun-drenched resort activities – keep guests entertained. 

Here Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa tops our list for honeymooners.  It is a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts and faces the sparkling Sea of Cortez across a broad pristine beach.  All accommodations are ocean-view suites, finely appointed with exceptional fabrics and superior amenities.  Numerous on-site a la carte restaurants tempt diners with such cuisine as authentic Mexican, Pan-Asian, fresh grilled seafood, and Italian, while the quaint coastal towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are just 15 minutes away. 

For those honeymooners preferring to get a bit more off-the-beaten path, we recommend Huatulco, the hemisphere’s first eco-tourism resort.   Twenty-two miles of picturesque beaches dot the nearly virgin Pacific coastline, while nine sparkling bays make Huatulco a watersports lover’s dream.  

Perfectly placed on Tangolunda Bay, the largest and one of the most beautiful bays, is Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa— the destination for both leisure and adventure.  Endless day and night activities and all the privileges of Unlimited-Luxury® — where everything is included – have been added to the lush jungle, mountains, rivers, and stunning coral reefs.  Dreams Huatulco offers luxury rooms and suites, sun-dappled swimming pools and Jacuzzis, multiple international restaurants serving gourmet fare, a world-class spa and fitness center, and nearby golf, shopping, and excursions.

THE CARIBBEAN:  Among our top picks in the Caribbean is Jamaica.  This delightful island keeps visitors coming back for more:  more of the convenience and vitality of Montego Bay, more of the natural beauty of Ocho Rios, and more of the laid-back atmosphere of Negril.  As the birthplace of Belafonte’s vintage calypso and Bob Marley’s reggae, Jamaica has a beat which welcomes visitors and entices them to stay.  

With four distinct locations, Couples Resorts has provided superior service and luxurious accommodations in Jamaica for over 29 years.  All four – Couples Swept Away Negril, Couples San Souci, Couples Ocho Rios, and Couples Negril – are couples only, all-inclusive, deluxe properties offering villa-style guestrooms, elegant restaurants, and an atmosphere of intimacy and romance.  Cookie-cutter resorts they are not, however, as each has its unique personality and amenities.  Couples San Souci emerges majestically from the cliffs of Jamaica’s lush green mountains and provides an ideal setting of winding walkways, natural springs, and hidden grottos.  The romantic Ocho Rios property offers a dynamic selection of activities including horseback riding, watersports, and even au natural sunbathing on the resort’s private island.  Swept Away Negril fronts pristine Seven Mile Beach, while Couples Negril sports a bold Bohemian style.  There is certainly a Jamaican Couples for every honeymoon couple!

St. Lucia is another perfect destination for your Caribbean honeymoon. The natural beauty of this beautiful Caribbean tropical island must have been created for romantics. Palm fringed beaches, elegant old plantation houses, the soft tropical air, hypnotic steel band music, the tantalizing aroma of the cuisine all combine to make honeymoons very popular on St. Lucia.

Sandals resorts on St. Lucia offer a “Stay at One, Play at Three” program which allows guests to take advantage of three luxurious properties:  Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Sandals Regency La Toc, and Sandals Halcyon Beach.  The St. Lucian is set on its own spectacular peninsula, offering breathtaking vistas, alluring bars serving unlimited premium drinks, sparkling pools, a full-service spa, and a variety of dining options serving delicious gourmet cuisine.  La Toc is set along a stunning stretch of white-sand beach and nearby the world’s only drive-through volcano.  Halcyon Beach is a charming getaway where guests immediately feel relaxed and revived.  All three resorts are within easy driving distance of Castries, St. Lucia’s quaint capital.

The Bahamas is another truly great Caribbean destination, where visitors channel their inner pirate at Fort Fincastle, the island’s original fortress against attacks, discover paradise wandering through the part-jungle, part-garden wonderland of Ardastra Gardens, or kayak to a remote island to claim a stretch of sandy solitude all to themselves. 

The legend of Atlantis comes alive in the Atlantis mega-resort on the Bahamas’ Paradise Island.  Its first class casino, spectacular 34-acre waterpark, the world’s largest open-air marine habitat and interactive aquarium (home to over 50,000 sea animals), world-class marina and Dolphin Cay, opulent spa, and much more make this a destination unto itself.   Guests top off their active days with the gourmet cuisine of Bobby Flay, Nobu, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, duty-free shopping, and exciting nightlife.  Honeymooners need never leave the resort, but should they choose to do so, the Bahamas has even more to offer.

HAWAII:  Hawaii is the ultimate honeymoon destination.  While soft trade winds whisper through the palm trees, sweet flowers are a constant reminder that you are in one of the most romantic places on earth.  With its unique beauty and grace, plus lots of just-plain-fun activities, Hawaii offers enough choices to satisfy the most discriminating traveler. 

Our first choice among Hawaiian honeymoon destinations is the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa on Maui.  This luxury resort offers 40 oceanfront acres graced by spectacular water features including a river pool with grottos, slides, sand beaches, the world’s only water elevator, restaurants, and oversized rooms.  Its Spa Grande is a world-class health and rejuvenation spa, the perfect place for newlyweds to relax and unwind after the wedding hustle-bustle.

CRUISING:   And if one destination won't do, you can visit several on a luxurious honeymoon cruise.  When you can’t choose between big city lights and that romantic island hideaway, there’s another -- equally tempting -- alternative.  On a cruise, you don’t have to choose.  You can explore historic San Juan one day and spend the next on a beach in St. Maarten.  Or really get away:  Alaska may not have beaches, but you can whale watch and dog sled by day and relax in the ship’s hot tub as icebergs float by in the evening.  Tahiti, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia -- wherever you’ve dreamed of starting your life together, a cruise can get you there.

EUROPE:   If you’d prefer a different kind of honeymoon, with exciting nightlife, great museums, and the thrill of immersing yourself in a totally different culture, then Europe is just the ticket.  For years now, honeymooners have been making their way to sophisticated London, eternal Rome, and Paris the City of Lights.  Enjoy dinner on a scenic cruise on the River Seine before sealing your vows with a kiss at the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Could anything be more romantic? 

Well, possibly a trip back in time to a historic (but very accommodating) Irish castle, where you’ll dine like princes and sleep in the earl’s own quarters.  Numerous ancient castles have been upgraded with modern facilities but retain the charm, atmosphere, and sense of adventure they had back in medieval times.  Settle in to one for the duration of your honeymoon, or plan a self-drive trip to sample the royal lifestyle at several.