Nayara Tented Camp
Costa Rica
Wildlife spotting awaits in the Costa Rican rainforest — if you can tear yourselves away from your private thermal pool.
Among Costa Rica’s many eco-lodges, Nayara Tented Camp is riding high – literally. Its safari-style tents perch like nests overlooking the smoldering Arenal volcano, with a carpet of green jungle spread out before them. That wasn’t always the case: 50 years ago, the land was plowed bare by cattle farmers, a phenomenon that continues to decimate the country’s wild spaces.
But Nayara Resorts purchased these 25 hilly hectares and returned them to their lush roots, creating a wildlife corridor brimming with howler monkeys and tropical birds. Nayara Tented Camp is the last (and most unique) of three carbon-neutral resorts that have sprung up among the trees. (Guests have access to amenities across the three properties, tripling the number of restaurants, bars, and pools where you can hang your “Just Married” hat.) Canvas tents, complete with air conditioning and spa baths, open onto terraces with infinityedge thermal pools that honeymooners may never want to leave. But you should; the thrill of coming to this part of Costa Rica is experiencing the flora and fauna — a task Nayara makes very easy. Take a naturalist-led walk to spot tree frogs, navigate bridges across waterfalls and ravines in search of monkeys and toucans, indulge in coffee tastings, or loll around the reception area looking for some of the resident sloths.
From $1,070/night
The Brando
French Polynesia
Break into the Honeyfund for this Polynesian private-island escape where sustainability meets hedonism in equal measure.
With turquoise waters and reefs teeming with colorful fish, Bora Bora is a honeymooner’s dream. But when movie stars and former heads of state want to cast away to the South Pacific, they escape to Tetiaroa instead. Actor Marlon Brando acquired the island, once a Polynesian royal family retreat, after he visited it during a location scout for 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty. These days, it’s home to The Brando, a famously discreet (guests sign privacy agreements on arrival), absurdly beautiful, island resort where balmy beachfront mornings fade into languid afternoons of pure relaxation.
While French Polynesia is known for its overwater bungalows, The Brando’s 35 villas are firmly planted on land, tucked into lush foliage with indoor-outdoor baths and decks that spill out to private plunge pools and secluded stretches of sand. The Tetiaroa Society oversees the responsible stewardship of the land, and choosing not to drive stilts into the ground is just one of the ways it preserves the atoll’s ecology. Solar panels, coconut oil-fueled generators, and a seawater air conditioning system help The Brando pursue zero carbon. Nearby, you may spot visiting scientists studying seabirds and breeding turtles.
But for most couples, a stay at The Brando is about slowing down until you melt into a state of sun-kissed bliss, where the only big decisions are when to dip your toes into the electric-blue water and what type of rum you’d like in your cocktail.
From €3,600/night; all-inclusive from €4,500/night
Goldeneye
Jamaica
You don’t have to be a James Bond fan to fall for the laid-back vibes at Ian Fleming’s former Jamaican estate.
On a stretch of Jamaica’s northern coast, a 2-hour drive from the tourist hubs of Montego Bay and Negril, sits GoldenEye. This is Ian Fleming’s former estate, where he penned all 14 James Bond novels, taking breaks to entertain famous friends and to skinny dip in the emerald-green lagoon. Where the island’s all-inclusive megaresorts can be ostentatious, GoldenEye still retains its original character – an understated, laid-back, toes-in-the-sand kind of luxury that other resorts hope to evoke but never quite embody with the same effect.
Legendary record producer Chris Blackwell, who launched the careers of Bob Marley and U2, bought the property in 1976, added acreage, and opened it to the public. (He also created the GoldenEye Foundation, which champions initiatives to protect the heritage and ecology of Oracabessa, while providing employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for its residents.) The 45 villas, cottages, and beach huts have secluded outdoor showers, private porches, and sound systems with curated playlists as befit the hotel’s current ownership. Splash out for a beach villa, where you can emerge Daniel Craig-style from the water and stroll across the sand to your private porch.
While away the days with treatments at the swim-up Field Spa, hopping between the rum bars and restaurants, sunning on the three beaches, and staking out lounge chairs on the small offshore island. James and his Bond Girls never had it so good.
From $420/night
Six Senses Douro Valley
Portugal
Wine country and a world-class wellness retreat merge for the ultimate romantic honeymoon in the Portuguese countryside.
The first thing that strikes you about visiting Portugal’s Douro Valley isn’t the beauty of the river winding through terraced vineyards or the vibrancy of the local wines, it’s that getting here takes a mere 30 minutes longer than a flight to Napa. And once you’ve arrived in this world-renowned wine region, you can’t beat the romantic appeal of Six Senses Douro Valley. Burnt-orange terracotta, natural stone, warm wood, and characteristic blue-and-white azulejo tiles flow from serene suites, through the restored 19th-century manor’s common spaces, and out to secret gardens. (In summer, don’t miss the saltwater pool, surrounded by orchards of ripe peach and lemon trees.)
Indulgence seems to be the only thing on the itinerary here, starting with daily wine tastings, led by a team of in-house sommeliers; visits to wineries, including neighboring Mourão, where you can sample 100-year-old Port; and frequent stops at the self-service wine dispensers stocked with local vintages. Rivaling the wine offerings is the wellness program at the 23,000-square-foot spa, where all guests (even those without a hot-stone massage or golden aura facial on the books) can sink into the hydromassage pool, linger in the Himalayan salt or herbal therapy sauna, and concoct scrubs and masks at the Alchemy Bar.
All these luxuries come with an altruistic side: Six Senses Douro Valley directs a portion of its proceeds toward a Sustainability Fund, which contributes to nonprofit causes, like scholarship programs for local children and funding conservation for threatened native species.
From $910/night
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