If you’re booking your honeymoon independently (ie, not through a travel agent), then it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to choosing and booking your hotel(s). Here’s some of my favorite sites, which I return to again and again when researching our holidays – and which I used when planning our own honeymoon.
Kayak is always one of my first ports of call as it searches numerous websites – like Expedia, lastminute and Hotels.com – to find the best hotel deals available. You can also use the website to search for flights, car hire and city breaks, among other things.
One of my very favorite travel websites, offering a superlative range of accommodation options, across all budgets, around the world, with little extras often thrown in for booking through them. In addition, each property has been reviewed by a member of the i-escape team, or one of their team of respected travel writers, with honest opinions about what the accommodation has to offer.
Mr & Mrs Smith“>Mr & Mrs Smith
No one does seriously sexy, boutique hotels like Mr & Mrs Smith“>Mr & Mrs Smith
No one does seriously sexy, boutique hotels like Mr & Mrs Smith“>Mr & Mrs Smith – and it’s quite easy to lose days drooling over the gorgeous hotels they have on offer. More often than not, their prices are better than you could get by going direct through the hotel, and members (membership is free) get free perks like wine on arrival, which are perfect for honeymooners. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all high-end hotels, however - Mr & Mrs Smith“>Mr & Mrs Smith – and it’s quite easy to lose days drooling over the gorgeous hotels they have on offer. More often than not, their prices are better than you could get by going direct through the hotel, and members (membership is free) get free perks like wine on arrival, which are perfect for honeymooners. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all high-end hotels, however - Mr & Mrs Smith“>Mr & Mrs Smith also have a “budget boutique” selection available, with gorgeous hotels on offer for less.
Mr & Mrs Smith“>Mr & Mrs Smith also have a “budget boutique” selection available, with gorgeous hotels on offer for less.
If you’re planning on honeymooning in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain or Portugal, then it’s hard to beat Sawday’s beautifully curated selection of properties, which range from small, personal hotels to gastropubs with rooms and quirky B&Bs. This is a great resource if you’re looking for somewhere away from the big chains, with a bit more personality, and especially if you want to make sure your money goes into the hands of local people. Sawday’s also runs the great Canopy & Stars, which has fabulous glamping sites on offer in the UK and on the Continent.
Though I find this a little more impersonal than most of the other sites I’ve mentioned, this is still a great resource for finding out what luxury hotels are on offer in your destination – most are quite high-end, however, but it’s not impossible to get a good deal, and there’s lots of eye candy to whet your appetite.
A note about TripAdvisor
Many people will claim to rely on TripAdvisor for planning their holidays, but while I won’t say that you shouldn’t use it, I would advise that you read reviews with caution, as there’s no guarantee that someone writing a review will actually have stayed in the hotel, and it’s easy to get carried away and write somewhere off just because a disgruntled ex-guest who might have entirely different tastes to you didn’t have the best time in the world. You’ll find more information about using TripAdvisor to plan your honeymoon here.
All photographs © Kiwi Collection
