honeymoon... fantastic resorts needed!!!
 

i would love to plan an amazing honeymoon in Europe. Preferably a few days on a beach or island and a few days in a quaint town. i've been to the amalfi coast, so i'd prefer not to do it again, but i'm not against doing it again either, since last time i went with friends. Can anyone recommend some fantastic resorts they have been to which would be amazing for a honeymoon? i'm thinking spain, france or italy, but i am open. we want to go to a place where there are fun things to do and with great atmosphere. price is not a concern.
thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You could try Sardinia or Corsica.
Plenty of options on these islands.

An absolutely gorgeous property is Reid's Palace on Madeira, a place I plan to go to someday. Discounted rates are offered through Virtuoso, which also provides free amenities (upgrade at booking, daily buffet breakfast, and more). You'd get there from Lisbon, Portugal ... which is also a very interesting city.

What time of year are you looking at for your European honeymoon?

What time of year?

Would you consider Taormina? Would Ravello be an option--Hotel Caruso or Villa Cimbrone would certainly be romantic!

Do you want definitely to be on the sea?

Santorini and Crete should be on your short list.

In Santorini, we stayed in Oia, overlooking the Caldera, which was one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited, including my usual favorite, the Amalfi Coast!

We stayed at Perivolas in a one-bedroom suite, but there are better places to stay, I think, like KATIKIES, or ASPAKI SUITES. Check previous posts by the incredibly helpful Brotherleelove2004, who is one of the Greek experts (esp for Santorini!) on this board.

In Crete, we visited Chania, a gorgeous city on an old harbor that dates back to Venetian times. The city is a blend of Venetian, Turkish, and Greek cultures, and offers much to see and do in a very beautiful place. There are some excellent beaches within a two hour drive, as well as hikes, biking, and ruins to explore. AHHHH...

We went to the Cote d'Azur for our honeymoon last year. We loved it.

those ideas look great. a couple comments...

i looked into Reid's and it looks great, but i got mixed reviews on-line. did you hear it was great?

i've never heard of anyone going to Sardinia or Corsica. any great resorts there?

santorini/mykanos is an option.. i'm worried there wont be enough to do and it might not be as exciting as italy, spain, or france.. i've been to corfu and liked it though.

any places on cote d'azur? ive been to nice, which was nice. not as spectacular as positano i thought.

we are looking to go in October.

Here are my top picks in the Cote D'Azur:
Hotel La Reserve de Beaulieu in Beaulieu sur
http://www.reservebeaulieu.com/

Hotel De Cap Eden Roc in Cap d'Antibes)
http://www.edenroc-hotel.fr/

La Colombe d'Or in Saint Paul de Vence

http://www.la-colombe-dor.com/

Chateau de la Chevre D'OR in Eze
http://www.chevredor.com

I am not sure if all of these hotels are open during the whole month of October.

I think we need more info about you before we can really make on target recommendations. Some resorts are quite posh and yes, snobby. We've had this happen a few times over the years, most notably in Beaulieu ( Le METROPOLE) and Mykonos ( GRECHOTEL BLU). Much depends on your personal style, but we prefer casual places, where it's an option not to suit up at night, and we can easily walk into town for dinner/shopping. What about you?

You might investigate Spain's "paradores", which are very special, one-of-a-kind hotels in interesting locations.

For something a little more exotic, you might consider a holiday in Turkey (and it might be less expensive than an EU country). A day or two in Istanbul (either at a high-end property like the Four Seasons or an exotic B&B), a few days in a high-end resort (some are too touristy but there are some very nice areas) and then a couple of nights in Cappadocia. (For an appropriate honeymoon theme, you could stay in a "hotel" that's built into one of the "fairy chimneys" - some people say that these bizarre land formations are rather suggestive in shape ...

Given that you're going in October and want some beach time, you need to head south, as far south as you can, so Santorini is a great choice (and spectacular location).

Flowr asked for places in the Cote D'Azur and also mentioned that price wasn't an option.
I agree that Santorini would be a better option in October. The Katikies would be my choice.
http://www.katikies.com/

Try this resort; it's in the hills above Cannes: http://www.fourseasons.com/provence/attractions.html

Another fine hotel/resort is the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc (which takes only cash!):

http://www.edenroc-hotel.fr/

wow.. i really like the Kakities in Santorini.. looks really beautiful.

i did see Chateau de la Chevre D'OR on-line and thought it looked fantastic.

andrew8- i will definitely look into the ones you sent. they look GREAT!

The four seasons near cannes looks great as well!

i guess this is how i'm feeling... my fiancee has never been to most places in Europe, so i am thinking of doing one of the following...
1)take him to Positano (i've been already) and maybe another spot in italy like Lake Como (which i haven't been)
2) go to sevilla and an island in Spain, like canary or tenerife (i had a friend who recently got back from spain and said it wasn't great... !!?)
3) go to marseilles and maybe eze village or cote d'azure
4) greek islands

we want to pick 2 places and have a little bit of culture, are romantic, and not just beach, which is what i'm worried about w greek islands. any thoughts??

also... we may go in September instead of October

If you decide to go to Positano you must stay at Le Sirenuse.
Another place you should stay when your on the coast is the Palazzo Sasso in near by Ravello.
Both of these places are the best in the area if not in all of Italy. You will have great weather and warm enough ocean temps in September.
If want a to stay in Rome before or after you visit the Amalfi Coast, I suggest the Hotel Hassler where we also had a great stay.

http://www.hotelhasslerroma.com/

http://www.sirenuse.it/

http://www.palazzosasso.com/

wow... those places look amazing! i really love them! do you think we should do that option? i went to positano a few years ago with friends, but did not stay anywhere nice. i really, really loved it, but was hoping to go somewhere new.. maybe we can do positano/ravello and then lake como since i havn't been there yet. i'm sure i will get a different experience being in a nicer hotel, like the ones you suggested.. will def keep them in mind! thanks for the great suggestions!

I would do that option Flowr. I would start in Positano/Ravello, then use Rome(Hassler Hotel) as a mid point before going on to Lake Como.
Your going to have such a great time if you do this trip. I am really happy for you both.

Hi, Congratulations! On Lake Como, we really enjoyed Villa D'Este, www.villadeste.it It is beautiful with lovely restaurants. Good Luck!

i saw the villa d'este and it looked fantastic!

thanks so much for all your help!!! i am really excited now!!!

do you think all these places are driving distance if we get a car??

is there another good spot to stop between the amalfi and lake como besides Rome? i have spent a lot of time in rome and thought it might be more fun to try another town...

Near Rome, but not south:


http://www.lapostavecchia.com/

You could fly in and out of Rome, stay at the Il Pelicano in Porto Ercole on the coast--Relais and Chateau resort with beautiful pool and grounds with tall pine trees that whisper in the wind and swimming in the Med an option if you descend steps. Great food. Discreet service. Some cute towns nearby--Porto Santo Stefano, Ortobello and Giglio Porto on the nearby Isola del Giglio. Then hop over to Orvieto for a lovely Umbrian town before returning to Rome to fly home. Check out the Il Pelicano on the Relais and Chateau website. We stayed there several years ago and still talk about it. Prices are way up from when we stayed, so quality must be continuing or they'd not be able to continue to charge so much. When we left, the people checking out ahead of us booked their vacation for the following year before leaving. It's a place that inspires loyalty, among those who can afford great luxury. I think you'd like it.

Il Pelicano and La Posta Vecchia both look GREAT... exactly what i am looking for!!!! Il Pelicano looks like a really beautiful setting..

you are all so helpful!!!

Hi F,

Totally off the subject, but is there any chance you can begin a sentence with a capital letter?

All these places in Italy are great... I didn't mention the places on the Amalfi Coast since you had been there before. Villa d'Este is one of the world's most gorgeous hotels. Virtually all of the properties that have been mentioned are members of Virtuoso.

If I were you, I would stick either to the south of Italy (Rome down to Amalfi) or the north (Florence, Tuscany, Milan, Como). You wouldn't want to drive from Amalfi to Como; it's a LOT of driving.

Flowr, whatever you decide, give a look to the Choupana Hills resort
http://www.choupanahills.com/en/en_index.html

Is there a way besides driving to get from lake como to naples that is not very, very long? Is it reasonable time-wise to take a train or a short flight?

Flowr,
Would you be interested in staying in Capri at one these hotels instead of going to Lake Como??

JK Capri(brand new hotel thats super hot now)
http://www.jkcapri.com/index2.php

Grand Hotel Quisisana(always been a classic, right in the middle of town)
http://www.quisisana.com/en/home

You can take an Al Italia flight from Naples to Milan Malpensa airport thats less than an hour flight. Its an hour car ride to Villa D'Este from Milan Malpensa airport.

Here is a former royal residence that's a possibility on Sardinia:
http://www.hotelvillalastronas.com/
Maybe combine with this place:
http://www.hotelsugologone.com/

For Corsica, options include:
http://www.dominique-colonna.com/
http://www.hoteldespecheurs.com/

i thought Capri was nice, but i really wasn't thrilled. i was hoping to combine the amalfi w a place i hadn't been yet. a flight from como to naples may be a good option. is that a lot of travelling for a honeymoon?? is lake como worth the extra flight? i just thought the ville d'este looked so fantastic...

You could also easily combine Villa D'Este with a trip to Nice and the French Riveria. There are flights between Milan and Nice, and/or you could take the train, which is only about four hours between Milan and Nice.

Flowr, I was perfectly content staying in the Amalfi Coast along with Rome at the end our trip. It it were me I would just stick with the AC and not bother with Lake Como this trip. If you want to do Villa D'Este some day you could combine it with Venice as thats what my wife and I have planned down the road.
I think if you were to stay at one the hotels that I listed on Capri you would have a better time.

What I almost did during our AC trip was go to Portofino to stay at the Hotel Splendido, but at the end I thought it was too much traveling due to my health problems.
http://www.orient-express.com/web/os...l_a2a_home.jsp

flowr,

Are you going for one or 2 weeks?

Do you have any kind of a budget?

I love the suggestions for Palazzo Sasso and Hassler but they are both pretty pricey.

I think on a honeymoon it is nice to go someplace neither of you has been before. This way you can explore together instead of one of you being the "expert" - kind of a honeymoon philosophy of mine.

Our wedding was in mid September.

We honeymooned in Greece. It is a fascinating and romantic country. We saw the Acropolis, then flew to Mykonos for 5 days for R&R and other honeymoonish endeavors. Then we boarded a cruise there and saw a number of other islands plus Ephesus in Turkey over another 5 days and then spent the last few days on Corfu. It was interesting and fun but also restful and romantic.

We spent our 20th anniversary at the Palazzo Sasso in Ravello. It was romantic, good food, gorgeous views. Not so much to see or do without a bit of a drive down the mountain but still charming. We did go to Capri and Pompeii as day trips. We climbed a million steps to work off all the tiramisu from PS - it's soooooo good.

We also just spent a week in Spain. I think you could put together a nice combination of beach and culture there if you head to Andalusia and Costa del Sol. Choose your resort carefully, however, as we were underwhelmed by some of our accommodations...It is a romantic country IMO and not as expensive as Italy. Plus, I felt a bit beyond the whole tapas scene at this point in my life but I think I would have really enjoyed it when I was young and still liked to drink and hang out at bars;) Amalfi will still be there when you're old...

your suggestions are all great... i do agree that it would be nice to go somewhere new. i've been to the amalfi and the french riviera. in my opinion, positano was the most beautiful. i went there with friends 4 years ago on a backpacking trip, so this may be different since we are staying in a resort... ?? i've been to corfu, but no other areas of greece. i've seen some really great hotel recs in santorini, so that is an idea. i do want to get a lot of culture along with beach. Believe it or not, i have been getting mixed reviews of Spain. I've been to Barcelona and didn't love it. I thought it was too industrial. I was considering sevilla, cordoba, and/or costa del sol. I am open to places there bc there is so much culture but haven't been blown away by any hotels. I am also wary because i want the trip to be spectacular and places like ville d'este, Il Pelicano, Le Sirenuse, and The Katikies all look really unbelievable. Budget is not a concern and we will make our trip 2 weeks or a little less. It is a really tough call because I think Positano was pretty hard to beat and would be very romantic. Yet, at the same time, would like to try somewhere new that is just as great. That is why i was hoping to combine lake como with Positano. I didn't realize how far it was though.

I really think you should look seriously at Greece. Santorini, as I posted before, is at least as pretty and romantic as Positano, if not more so. Katikies is one of the top hotels there, and I'm sure you'd have a fantastic time in Oia, a gorgeous town perched on the edge of the caldera. You could take a private boat tour of the sulphur springs and the volcano, and eat the most amazing seafood ever (!) down at Amoudi Bay, which is accessed by a long staircase below town.

From Santorini,it's an easy trip by boat to either Crete or Mykonos, both of which would be perfect for a honeymoon. I prefer Crete to Mykonos, but in all fairness, we didn't get a chance to explore the other, less touristed side of the island.

Oh- and by the way, like you, I fell hard for Positano, and never thought I'd find a destination that would match how I felt about it until I visited Greece for the first time two summers ago.

Then Flowr it sounds like its Positano for your trip which is a great choice.

Weadles, I can't wait to visit Oia some day.

andrew8,

If you loved the AC, you'd definitely love Greece, although the food in and around Positano is enough to make me swoon!