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Honeymoon Harmony
So many destinations, so little time. Without a doubt, planning the perfect honeymoon can be an overwhelming experience. But it doesn’t have to be—that’s why we’re offering our help, guiding you toward a handful of exceptional destinations that offer amazing settings for extraordinary memories.
Total Retreat
Cap Juluca, Anguilla, British West Indies
(888) 858-5822, www.capjuluca.com
At Cap Juluca, a curved row of whitewashed villas line the beach, each housing four guest suites replete with glass-walled shower stalls that lead outdoors into private, walled gardens where you and your new spouse can sunbathe au naturale. But there’s more to this all-villa, seaside Caribbean hideaway than frozen mango drinks and moonlight strolls beside the sea—for one week each month, the Casablanca-esque resort is host to “Total Wellness: Mind, Body & Spirit,” a program that blends yoga, astrology, and spa treatments with shamanic healing sessions and transpersonal work. Designed to help facilitate personal growth, resolve lingering issues, and enrich relationships, the program is lead by yoga teacher and life coach Diana Bourel. Recreational options include challenging your loved one to a languid game of croquet on the resort lawn, sailing, or strolling the white sand beaches hand-in-hand beside the turquoise sea. Breakfasts of tropical fruits, berries, freshly baked breads, juices, and coffee or tea are delivered each morning to your villa’s wide veranda overlooking the ocean, and afternoon tea is served at the main building every day at 4 o’clock. Have a casual lunch at the beachside café and book dinner at one of the two onsite restaurants: Pimms, with gourmet seafood and island fare, or exotic Kemia, where you’ll swear you’re being served your tapas inside a sparkling, cushioned genie bottle. The spa features a range of traditional and holistic therapies designed for two. The Jamu Massage includes elements of Chinese and Balinese techniques, accompanied by your choice of spiced or floral essential oils. Should your desire be for a more extensive therapy, the Juluca Ritual for Two combines the sensual textures of sea salts, herbs, flowers, and mint clay to exfoliate, followed by a massage with tropical oils, hot tea, and a candlelight sea salt and flower bath for two. The ritual is bestowed in the privacy of your villa.
Adventure
Topnotch Resort & Spa, Stowe, Vermont
(800) 451-8686, www.topnotchresort.com
It’s easy to think of Stowe’s Topnotch Resort & Spa as a great destination for skiing, snow sports, and romantic sleigh rides, but this gorgeous hotel deep in Vermont’s Green Mountains excels as a year-round address for a host of adventure options. Enjoy mountain biking, hiking, fly fishing, canoeing, golf, and dog sledding, or schedule a game at the Tennis Center, recently ranked as one of the top ten in the northeast. The Equestrian Center offers private rides and lessons, and local outfitters can arrange glider excursions or trips down the 2,300-foot Alpine Slide in Stowe. The resort’s Nordic Barn Recreational Center has rental equipment available for most activities. During winter months, you can refine your Triple Camel at the new skating rink, then enjoy a cuddle by the bonfire or a mug of hot cider in the chalet. Take a day off to wander around charming Stowe, where you can stroll along the walking paths over rustic bridges, or take an organized tour that reveals the secrets of how apple cider is made and maple sugar is gathered. The resort’s spa offers regionally themed treatments including the Vermont Woodspice Herbal Wrap and Maple Sugar Body Scrub. You can experience an indulgent Couples Swedish or Aroma Mountain Massage beside a crackling fireplace, complete with chilled champagne. Rooms at Topnotch are fashioned in the style of a European manor house, and include junior and garden suites. A member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Topnotch offers exceptional dining at Maxwell’s, where menu choices include Misty Knoll Coq Au Vin, Vermont Apple Wine Braisage, and Orzo Risotto and Wilted Spinach. At the more casual Buttertub Bistro & Lounge, specialties include Macaroni and Vermont Cheese with Bacon and Parsley. Topnotch is a scant two miles from Mt. Mansfield, Vermont’s highest mountain, and located on a 120-acre wooded estate less than an hour from Burlington.
Luxury & Pampering
Las Ventanas al Paraiso Resort
Los Cabos, Mexico
52-624-144-2800, www.lasventanas.com
Glamorous and elegantly chic, Las Ventanas is an oasis of white stucco and colorful tiles set beside the Sea of Cortez on the Baja California peninsula. Dreamy villas surrounded by flowering damiana and pungent chaparral provide secluded patios for lounging during the day and telescopes ready for stargazing in the evening. Begin the day with a sunrise yoga class overlooking the ocean, then slip away to the spa, where an abundance of his-and-her treatments are delivered in tranquil indoor and outdoor settings. Signature treatments include the Desert Purification with detoxifying Mexican clay, and the Tri-Crystal Body Scrub with sea salts, sugar, magnesium oxide, and rosemary moisturizing mask to hydrate facial skin. Schedule a Sea & Stars Night Massage for Two, administered in the privacy of your suite or patio, and luxuriate in an aromatherapy massage while starlight settles over you and waves wash onto the nearby shore. Spend the afternoon beside the pool, where butlers will keep your thirst at bay with deliveries of blended teas and cool herbal elixirs. Polish your margarita-making skills at the Tequila & Ceviche bar, where the resort’s resident Tequilero offers lessons in the finer points of this potent national treasure. As the sun slips below the horizon, dine at La Cava, the resort’s private wine room, where you can sample from a wide selection of regional and international wines. For sea views, reserve a table at The Restaurant, featuring fresh seafood prepared with a regional twist. When you return to your villa, you’ll find the space filled with a soothing and seductive aromatherapy scent specially selected earlier that morning by you and your best beloved.
Four Seasons Resort, Santa Barbara, California
(805) 969-2261, www.fourseasons.com
Many refer to the coastal community of Santa Barbara as the “American Riviera”—and for good reason. With a stunning backdrop of rolling hills, Spanish architecture, and sandy beaches, Santa Barbara is the ideal getaway for newlyweds. The Four Seasons, Santa Barbara, perched above Butterfly Beach in Montecito (the coastal town just south of Santa Barbara), is stunningly striking. The Spanish colonial architecture, featuring red roof tiles, ivory adobe, and arched walkways, is highlighted by tropical flowers, luxurious balconies, and views of the beach. Book the Mariposa Suite and you’ll be set above the grounds on the second story in one of the original buildings. In the afternoon, head to the spa for a couple’s massage (either stone, deep tissue or Swedish) and the unique Grape de Vine treatment—a signature treatment honoring the nearby Santa Ynez Wine Country. The treatment begins with a grapeseed body scrub and is followed by a relaxing massage with rose and lavender. After your treatments, head to the pool for some people-watching (celebs frequently stay here) and an afternoon cocktail. In the evening, either enjoy a candlelit dinner in your room from the Four Seasons Patio Restaurant, or head into Montecito and dine at the local favorite, Cava Restaurant (www.cavarestaurant.com), which features excellent food and drinks (try the sangria) as well as live music on the weekends. Before you retreat to your room, take a stroll down Butterfly Beach and listen to the waves breaking into shore.
The following morning, after a blissful spa breakfast in bed, head to the fitness center for morning yoga or play a round of croquet on property. In the afternoon, request a picnic lunch from the Four Seasons and take a short, romantic drive north to Santa Ynez Wine Country, where the acclaimed Sideways was filmed. Enjoy your picnic amidst the vineyards at Foley winery, which has received awards for their Pinot Noir (www.foleywines.com).
—M.B.W.
Tropical Escape
The Fairmont Orchid,
Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii
(808) 885-5778, www.fairmont.com/orchid
Believed to be the home of the passionate volcano goddess Pele, the Big Island’s amazing ecosystems include Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano, rainforests, lava fields, perfect beaches, and more birds and flowers than you can name. It’s this setting that defines the Fairmont Orchid. Located on the stunning Kohala Coast, the 32-acre resort is famed for its Spa Without Walls. Couples massages are offered in both the oceanfront massage cabanas and platformed massage huts (called hales) that surround a waterfall. In the afternoon, relax on the lanai (patio) of your room, and sip something tropical and fruited while you listen to the sound of waves washing ashore. The resort’s beaches front Pauoa Bay, where you can swim, sail, snorkel, learn to paddle a traditional outrigger canoe—or nap in a hammock built for two. Each afternoon, Hawaiian green sea turtles line the shoreline in a protected section of the beach. Cultural classes include coconut leaf basket weaving and hula dancing, and Hawaiian art and artifacts are displayed throughout the hotel. Plan an afternoon exploring the shops of nearby Kona, hiking through a rainforest, or climbing the amazing terrain of Volcanoes National Park. The hotel has four dining options, offering a selection of island fare and authentic Japanese cuisine. At The Grill, you can feast on Fresh Chive Pasta with Kauai Shrimp and Diver Scallops or Grilled Hawaiian Walu with Fennel Pollen Crust. Be sure to save room for the resort’s famed Warm Bourbon Macadamia Nut Pie.
—Debra Bokur
May/June 2006
