15 Best Luxury Honeymoon Destinations for Couples Who Hate Crowds

A honeymoon; nobody dreams of queuing for breakfast or sharing a beach with three hundred other guests the week after their wedding. Yet that's exactly what usually happens at plenty of famous resorts in high season. Each of the fifteen places here is different, from a desert lodge in Namibia to a fishing cabin above the Arctic Circle. What they have in common is space, and a better than usual chance of having the view to yourselves.

How to Actually Avoid the Crowds

Pretty doesn't mean quiet. Some of the most beautiful places are packed most of the year. There are three things to avoid that. The first is distance, ideally somewhere need to take a flight or a long drive to reach. The second is the hotel. A place with a small number of villas will always make it calmer than a big resorts. The third is timing, because in shoulder months, even a famous spot could make it feel surprisingly empty. Get two of these right and you're in good shape.

1. The Maldives

In the Maldives, the distance from Malé matters lot compared to almost anything else. Resorts close to the capital are convenient but surely can feel busy. Those in the outer atolls need a seaplane or a domestic flight, and they're noticeably quieter for it. Every resort here has its own island, so a remote one with a modest villa count is about as private as a honeymoon gets. A villa over the water with a plunge pool and a house reef right off your steps is what you could expect.

2. Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Bora Bora is no secret. That's worth saying up front, because the main island can feel busy in peak season. Most of the top resorts avoid that problem by sitting out on the motu, the narrow islets that ring the lagoon. Staying on one puts gap between you and the main island, and gives you Mount Otemanu as the view from your bed. Early morning is the best time to be on the lagoon. The water is still, the light is soft and you'll usually have it to yourselves by doing a kayak or a paddleboard. It's also worth studying a resort map before you book. Villas lined up along one long pontoon can feel quite sociable, but if want more privacy those spaced out around the shore could be an option.

3. Seychelles

Seychelles is spread across more than a hundred islands in the Indian Ocean, and that makes the island more quiet. Most visitors stick to the three main granite islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. La Digue is where you'll find the smooth pink boulders on Anse Source d'Argent, and the island is so small that bicycles are the usual way to get around. On Praslin, the Vallée de Mai is a forest of giant coco de mer palms that feels nothing like a beach holiday. For real seclusion, honeymooners tend to look beyond the main islands to the private ones. North Island and Fregate Island Private each have a small number of villas and plenty of untouched nature. And on Fregate the giant tortoises wander freely (they were there first, to be fair). For calmer water, it is good to plan around April, May, October or November.

4. Musandam, Oman

Musandam is a peninsula at the very tip of Arabia. Its coastline is a maze of deep inlets, or khors, where bare mountains drop straight into the sea. Seeing them from a traditional dhow is the classic day out, and dolphins often swim alongside the boats in Khor Ash Sham. Most couples drive in from Dubai, and the border crossing adds a little time but very few other tourists. The place to stay is Six Senses Zighy Bay, with its own private pool villas built in local stone. Go between October and April as the summer here is seriously hot.

5. Palawan, Philippines

Palawan is the long, thin island province that stretches toward Borneo, and it holds some of the most beautiful coastline in Asia. El Nido and Coron are famous for limestone cliffs, hidden lagoons and very clear water, which is also why the standard island hopping tours there get crowded. A private boat is the way around that. It is good to start early, ask your captain to reverse the usual route and you'll often reach the lagoons before the group tours. For true quiet, look at the private island resorts scattered around the province. Amanpulo, on Pamalican Island in the Sulu Sea, is the best known for those. Closer to El Nido, the El Nido Resorts properties on their own islands are another option. The best weather usually runs from about December to May. Pack light if you are flying to Amanpulo, as its plane has strict luggage limits.

6. Bhutan

Bhutan charges tourists a daily fee to keep numbers down, and it worked out well. Valleys are quiet, monasteries are rarely crowded and the main road can go a long way without another car. The lodges are some of the best in the Himalayas. Aman, Six Senses and COMO all have properties spread across different valleys, so you can move between them over a week or so. Almost everyone hikes to Tiger's Nest, the monastery stuck to a cliff above the Paro Valley. You would need a full day for it, and might be better to do end of your trip, when you are finally used to the altitude.

7. The Azores, Portugal

The Azores are nine volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic, and you can get there with a short flight from Lisbon. São Miguel is the biggest blue and green crater lakes around the village of Furnas. In the Terra Nostra garden there's a warm, iron rich pool the color of strong tea. Hydrangeas line the country roads from about June to August. The islands are getting busier year by year but still calm compared with most of southern Europe in summer. Another option can be Flores, the island where waterfalls run down green cliffs and you can have more space and privacy to yourselves. As transportations are limited, and the best viewpoints are down narrow lanes, it is recommended to get a car.

8. The Faroe Islands

There are more sheep than people in the Faroe Islands, and on most walks the sheep will be your only company. The islands is located between Iceland and Norway. Most people come for Múlafossur, the waterfall at Gásadalur that drops off a cliff toward the sea. The weather changes constantly, so don't forget to pack a warm jumper or jacket. During clear nights in the darker months, you can see the northern lights. Although a hike or a boat trip can be cancelled with very little warning due to a fog.

9. Lofoten Islands, Norway

Red wooden cabins on stilts, half standing in the sea, are the first image most people have of Lofoten. These are old fishermen's huts, and many now make warm and comfortable places to stay. Behind them, sharp granite peaks climb straight up from the shore. The seasons are extreme as the islands lie north of the Arctic Circle. From late May to July, you can experience White Night, when the sun usually never sets. While winter brings long night with a long blue twilight and a fair chance of the northern lights. July draws the biggest crowds by far, and June, late August and the winter months are much calmer.

10. Namibia

Climbing a dune at sunrise is one of the main reason most couples go to Sossusvlei. Where the red sand rises higher than almost anywhere else on earth. The tallest sand dune in the area is called Big Daddy, even though it takes some effort to get there it is worth to see the view straight down onto Deadvlei. It might be better to go in the morning or near sun set time as it gets uncomfortably hot by midmorning. Lodges in this part of the desert are small and set far apart, and your closest neighbors could easily be several kilometres away. After dark, you can go for the NamibRand Nature Reserve which is an official International Dark Sky Reserve where you can see clear stars.

11. Patagonia, Chile and Argentina

It's the scale of Patagonia that stays with people. On the Chilean side, Torres del Paine is all granite towers, glacier fed lakes and wind strong enough to stop you mid stride. A few lodges sit inside the park and keeps the trailheads within easy reach. You can cross to Argentina and watch the Perito Moreno Glacier calve into Lago Argentino, the cracks echoing across the water long before the ice hits the lake. Between December and February is best timings if you are hikers, especially if plan to go trails in Torres del Paine. Hiring a private guide who knows the paths makes a big difference. At the end of the day, a spa treatment and a hot tub with mountain views are hard to argue with.

12. Aitutaki, Cook Islands

If Bora Bora is the South Pacific name everyone knows, Aitutaki is the one that tends to get missed. The lagoon is huge and shallow, with little sandy islets, and you will spend at least one full day on it. You can book a private boat instead of a shared cruise if you want to choose your stops and maybe claim a sandbank for the afternoon. One Foot Island has a tiny post office that stamps a footprint into your passport, which can be a cute souvenir. Getting here takes a short flight from Rarotonga, so the places to stay can be limited and small.

13. Zanzibar, Tanzania

Plenty of couples save Zanzibar for the end of a mainland safari. For a honeymoon, the northeast coast is the place should go for, with soft white beaches and boutique villas. Or Mnemba Island, just offshore, which is a private island with only a few beach bandas and has some of the best snorkeling on the coast. You can set aside a day for Stone Town as well, its carved wooden doors and rooftop terraces feel worlds away from the beach. On the east coast, check on the tides before you plan to swim, as the sea can pull back a surprisingly long way at low tide.

14. Sri Lanka's South Coast

If you ask most honeymooners to picture Sri Lanka, they will probably describe the image of south coast. The area around Tangalle and the quieter coves east of Galle, where fully dotted with small luxury hotels and palm trees over the beaches. If you are looking for massage, Ayurveda is deep into daily life here. Many resorts offer full programs rather than just a basic massage. If you have time, you can add a few days inland iwhere the air is cooler and the hills are green. The best season to the coast is December to April. After that, the southwest monsoon brings rougher seas.

15. Ladakh, India

Among the Himalayan ranges, Ladakh can feel vast and dry and wonderfully remote. Monasteries cling to hilltops, the valleys could pass for another planet and the summer season is short enough to keep visitor limited. It is ideal for couples who want their honeymoon to feel like an adventure they would talk about for years. Monasteries are attached to hilltops, so if you're up early, the morning prayers at Thiksey can be a way to start a day together. There are plenty of seasonal camps set up near the shore; although the altitude needs respect, suggest to plan two or three days in Leh to adapt before going higher. And arrange permits for the lake area well in advance.

Choosing Between Them

These fifteen range from overwater villas to Arctic cabins. They're all beautiful, so the useful question is what you want to do with your days. If the answer is very little, pick an island. If you want to hike, explore and see something wild, look at Bhutan, Patagonia, Namibia or Ladakh.

Pairing two places can work well too, such as the Maldives followed by Sri Lanka, or a Tanzanian safari that ends on Zanzibar.

Peaceful and quite honeymoon may take a bit more planning than usual, buts it's worth every bit of it.

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