For a memorable start to married life, you could have alpacas as ring-bearers, arrange a choreographed dance down the aisle to Beyoncé, or even elope with your bridesmaid — but there are better ways to leave a lasting impression (no offence, Queen Bey). Instead pin a buttonhole to a luxury honeymoon hotel that scores A* for originality. As a newlywed on tour, you want the upscale trappings and high-level service that’ll oil the cogs of seduction, but also wow factor — a trip to remember, which doesn’t tip over into absurdity.
We’ve weeded out the boot-shaped bed and breakfasts and bone-shakingly-basic jungle huts to highlight our pick of unique or unusual honeymoon hotels that strike the right balance between thrills and frills. Because if you haven’t been to jail/the desert/a treehouse with your one and only, is it really love?
ARCTIC TREEHOUSE HOTEL
Rovaniemi, Finland
Its setting in frozen-quiet Finnish Lapland — and a glimmer of hope for seeing the Northern Lights — secures Arctic Treehouse Hotel’s otherworldly credentials. But this Rovaniemi retreat has other extraordinary qualities too. For newlyweds, it’s a snow-dusted springboard to shared adventures: husky sledding along pine-fringed trails, enjoying high-octane thrills at the wheel of a snowmobile, or dropping your line through a carved hole to try ice fishing.
And what a romantic nest you have to return to: each stilted suite at Arctic Treehouse Hotel has a glass wall at the foot of your forest-gazing bed. Textural furnishings, faux-fur throws and underfloor heating provide the hygge. Beyond, a Lappish sauna brings the steaminess, and the hotel’s wilderness leanings inform Rakas Restaurant’s New Nordic cuisine, with bouillabaisse made with Arctic char and perch, and foraged cloudberry tiramisu.
FAENA HOTEL BUENOS AIRES
Argentina
In its least romantic guise, a honeymoon is a period of idealised contentment. But among the crimson interiors of Faena Hotel in Buenos Aires’ waterfront barrio Puerto Madero, you’ll have no need of rose-tinted spectacles: there’s a scarlet flamboyance to this Philippe-Starck-designed bolthole, from the velvet drapes in your bedroom to the crown fountain in the pool, to the Twenties-inspired cabaret-club bar (and honourable mention for the unicorn-head mounts in the restaurant).
Ruby-red flourishes aren’t the only things smoothing the industrial edges off this converted granary stay. Spa soaks à deux, couple’s treatments and tango lessons lace your time at Faena with welcome Latin heat. And the hotel’s impressive Malbec cellar is our kind of red, too.
THE INTERLUDE
Melbourne, Australia
The benefits of prison time are up for debate, but the upsides of a spell at reimagined jailhouse stay, the Interlude, are not. Its past as Melbourne’s notorious Pentridge Prison has been reframed to harness the drama of its stark bluestone architecture as a one-of-a-kind backdrop for a luxury wellness hotel in Coburg.
A cosseting spa and spectacular pool sit in the basement, its canteen is a fine-diner and the hotel’s atrium has been converted into an arts hub-cum-wine bar. Experiences from wine tasting to tea-blending can be fine-tuned to meet the just-married brief. And, if you’re going to do time on your honeymoon, your criminally inviting, high-spec cell will have you craving a longer sentence.
BORGO CANONICA
Puglia, Italy
Do you love your Smith trulli, madly, deeply? If so, make a beeline for Valle d’Itria — where you’ll find the whitewashed stone huts with conical roofs so typical of Puglia that give their name to our weak pun. Check in to Borgo Canonica, and you can stay in one of these traditional dwellings, although you’ll be pleased to hear that the straw-covered floors and guest livestock of your mediaeval predecessors have been replaced with contemporary shades-of-cream interiors flaunting dreamy exposed stonework and vaulted ceilings.
Days here unfold as a series of halcyon snapshots: basking poolside on loungers; clinking glasses of local primitivo in the sun-warmed courtyard, and dining amid the domes on balmy Apulian nights. And if you’re fantasising about romance-laced days at the coast or exploring quaint villages, Italy’s heel delivers both surf and turf.
CASA SILENCIO
Oaxaca, Mexico
Zapotec archeological site Mitla may be just down the road from Casa Silencio, but there are treasures to unearth at your unique digs when you stay at this eco hideaway in Xaaga. At the heart of this Oaxaca hotel is a mezcal distillery, where prepared agave is milled the traditional way and interiors are peppered with shots of mezcal-related motifs.
A garden-to-table restaurant, scenic plunge pool and speakeasy bar are the teasers for star-of-the-show suites. A proven hit with honeymooners, open-plan Tierra has an antique bath tub; or opt for Sol, where the bathroom’s built into the courtyard tower (made of mezcal bottles). If it’s sierra views you covet, bijou, glass-walled Aire affords them from three sides.
THE NED DOHA
Qatar
A former government ministry is an unlikely aphrodisiac, we understand — especially when you add block-concrete Brutalist architecture to the mix. But the design crew behind Soho House hotels were undaunted by their (ministerial) brief, working alchemy with swish retro furnishings, designer lighting and sumptuous textiles to create a seductive stay in the Qatari capital that you’d readily vote for.
A photoshoot-worthy courtyard pool, varied choice of dining and drinking spots, and a members-only club floor for after-dinner revels — all with covetable on-the-Corniche co-ords — boost this city hotel’s hedonistic credentials. If you’re looking for a post-nuptial after party, the Ned Doha is an originally-housed contender.
MIHIR GARH
Thar Desert, India
Jodhpur, Jaipur, Rajasthan: north-west India’s storied state conjures ideals of epic romance with ease. But before you get carried away (preferably on horseback, by a Rajasthani royal), let us draw your gaze to the Thar desert. This wide-open wilderness offers a honeymoon-worthy oasis in the form of luxury boutique hotel Mihir Garh.
You could be forgiven for overlooking its intimate set-up of just nine regally appointed suites; not to mention its sofa-edged infinity pool and peacock-patrolled gardens, because all eyes are drawn to Mihir Garh’s crazily crenellated exterior — the architectural equivalent of an ornate sandcastle. Your opulent Indian fairytale is sure to end happily, though, thanks to a pampering spa, raring-to-adventure riding stables, and private dinners for two on the rooftop terrace.
THE DARLING
Copenhagen, Denmark
Holing up in the loveliest of apartments in the wake of your wedding feels entirely doable — and, done right, can offer an escape with as much glamour as any all-frills resort. A high-spec guesthouse of just two serviced suites, the Darling is the darling of anyone with a passion for Scandinavian design.
Each pied-à-terre, tucked into Strøget Street in the Danish capital, has been dressed with pieces from the great and the good: Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl and Børge Mogensen are all represented — their wares curated by owners Jens Løkke and Uffe Buchard, the pair behind fashion title, Dansk Magazine. And an entourage of private chefs (at extra cost) and concierges to call on means that the service here is as finessed as the furnishings.
AMANGIRI
Lake Powell, Utah
Awe is in strong supply among the copper-coloured rockscapes of Utah, where sculptural buttes, arches and mesas stand sentry under incredible star-freckled night skies, and in the south, the mighty Colorado River pools into Lake Powell.
If canyon country is on your hitlist, plumping to stay at Amangiri will be a game changer. In this windswept landscape at the heart of Navajo country, it’s a pleasant surprise to find top-notch dining, a stellar spa and couple-friendly indulgence — a rarity that makes checking in to one of Amangiri’s sleek suites, or, perhaps, a tented pavilion at neighbouring Camp Sarika, even sweeter. And if you’re still not convinced, one glimpse of the pool, which curves around a sandstone escarpment, will likely prompt ‘I do’s.
For further inspiration, explore our pick of the world’s most unusual luxury hotels