Planning your honeymoon? Our little black book of luxury travel specialists will ensure your trip of a lifetime – be it beach paradise or adventure – more than matches your expectations
Planning the journey of a lifetime should be a fun experience and we’ve selected nine of our favourite travel specialists to help you realise your dreams. Whether your taste is white sand beach and infinity pool, luxury safari lodge or a journey through dramatic wilderness landscape, these travel specialists can fire up your imagination, provide firsthand expertise and look after the small but important details that turn a good trip into a great one.
Abercrombie & Kent
Bespoke luxury specialist Abercrombie & Kent offers plenty of travel inspiration – with everything from minimoons in Italy and Oman to bucket-list trips to Antarctica and Canada’s Rocky Mountains. You’ll find choice twin-centre options, such as Tanzania and Zanzibar, and epic adventures in South America and Japan in the mix. Usefully, honeymoon choices are organised by season, so you can ensure you get the best weather and sightseeing. abercrombiekent.co.uk
Audley Travel
Every holiday is tailor-made at Audley Travel, and with specialists who know firsthand each of the regions it covers. Once you’ve booked a trip you are supplied with a useful travel organiser giving day-by-day itineraries and insider information and you have travel concierge services while you are on the road. There are some great safari, city and adventure options that you can mix in with its Hidden Beaches collection, so if you fancy blending luxury hotels with a yurt or simple safari lodge, this is a good place to come. audleytravel.com
Beachcomber
Beachcomber specialises in fabulous holidays to Mauritius and – since it pioneered travel to the country and now owns and runs eight hotels there – it has an unrivalled knowledge of this Indian Ocean paradise island. You can book everything from an all-inclusive luxury trip to a custom-created holiday. You will also find choice holidays to the Seychelles and carefully selected destinations in Morocco, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the mix, making it possible to combine two slices of paradise in one adventure. beachcombertours.co.uk
Black Tomato
Black Tomato works to design the perfect honeymoon by shortlisting your preferences – including working with each of you separately to plan additional surprises. To ensure the excitement of your trip doesn’t get lost in pre-wedding planning, it organises pre-journey tasters, including Honeymoon Arts of Travel Kits – maybe coffee for Colombia or cashmere wrist warmers for Iceland. You’ll also find reward and loyalty schemes and inspired ideas – from firm favourites such as city and safari in South Africa to adventures in Mongolia and Rwanda. There’s even a proper castaway experience on Krakal, a remote island between Java and Borneo. blacktomato.com
ITC Luxury Travel
ITC was among the pioneers of bespoke luxury travel and its five expert teams deal with everything from racing, sport and wellbeing holidays to ‘fly and flop’ and cultural tours. It is a specialist in the Caribbean, offering hidden-gem destinations and hotels, but you’ll find choice European, Australasian, African and Asian adventures too. This is a good place to look if you want to charter a yacht or are looking for a select cruise. itcluxurytravel.co.uk
Kuoni
With over 90 destinations in its portfolio, Kuoni is a great choice for an individual travel plan. It has a high-street presence if you prefer a face-to-face meeting to plan your trip – including branches in some John Lewis stores. The Maldives remain a firm favourite among its honeymooners and some islands are exclusively on its books. But there are also city and adventure destinations – from experiencing Yosemite and San Francisco to trekking in Asia and safaris in Africa. Also a great place to look if you want to travel at your own pace through Europe. kuoni.co.uk
Original Travel
With some really unusual ideas in the mix, Original Travel is on a mission to inspire you to get off the beaten track. A South Pacific idyll in Bora Bora, cruising off the coast of Mozambique or a fabulously chic French hotel on Saint Barts are among the ideas on its honeymoon hit list. Or, for something entirely different, it offers safaris in Swedish Lapland snow to see the aurora borealis. Its team work hard to ensure upgrades and VIP extras, and you’ll also have a concierge service. It has a gift list service so that friends and families can contribute extra honeymoon treats. originaltravel.co.uk
Scott Dunn
Scott Dunn is a specialist bespoke travel company with an impressive selection of travel awards under its belt. It operates its own luxury ski chalets in the Alps and has villas in the Mediterranean with its own staff, also seeking out the most select hotels and properties across the globe. Honeymoon options range from European sojourns and beach retreats to spa holidays. Among its recommended trips is a visit to Singita Lebombo, a contemporary lodge within South Africa’s Kruger National Park with an emphasis on luxury, getting back to nature and enjoying abundant wildlife sightings in this game-rich corner of the park. scottdunn.com
Virgin Limited Edition
One of the biggest draws within the Virgin Limited Edition collection is Necker Island, Richard Branson’s British Virgin Islands Retreat. You can hire a room for a Celebration Week and enjoy candlelit beach dinners and blissful seclusion poolside. Other options in the collection include luxury tented suites at Mahali Mzuri, located in Kenya’s Olare Motorogi Private Conservancy. If boutique is more your style, there’s a choice hotel in South Africa’s wine region of Franschhoek, a kashbah retreat in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains and a romantic Swiss lodge at Verbier. virginlimitededition.com
