Intrepid travel share their expertise with You & Your Wedding...
Q: I am looking for honeymoon ideas for next September, we want to be somewhere hot and relaxing to begin with and then to move on to a city for a bit of culture and to ease ourselves back into normal life. We’re not sure of our budget at the moment but it won't be enormous. Any suggestions?
Intrepid: Thailand is a favourite of mine and the islands around Ko Samui or Koh Pha Ngan are best at that time of year. Bangkok is an awesome city for pampering. Thailand is also amazing value for money.
Q: We are almost decided on Malaysia for our honeymoon. We are going to include time in Pangkor Laut, Borneo and Kuala Lumpur. When we are in Borneo, we want to do a PADI diving course and I know there are several centres in Kota Kinabalu. Do you know if it is better to book this is advance or wait until we get there? Also does it make a big difference which centre we go to?
Intrepid: It's best to do research before you go as some of the local dive centres can be dodgy safety wise. Make sure you go to a PADI-approved centre, also do some research on the web for best dive sites as apparently there has been some bomb fishing around the coral in some areas. If an area's highly rated on a site like dive-the-world.com, you know you're on to a winner.
Q: We are getting married on 23 August 2008 and would love to go somewhere nice and tropical fairly quickly after the wedding. Any advice on where to go to experience a lovely warm and intimate honeymoon at the end of August, beginning of September that won’t break the bank?
Intrepid: Have you thought about somewhere like Zanzibar or somewhere along the Kenyan coast? August is a great time to go and Zanzibar boasts white sandy beaches and a palm-fringed coastline - perfect for an idyllic get-away! You could also then combine it with a couple of days on safari - from Zanzibar you can make the short hop to Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, which boasts game from both southern and eastern Africa.
Q: We're thinking of going skiing or somewhere cold for our honeymoon. Any ideas?
Intrepid: For something a bit more romantic than skiing why not explore some of Europe's most beautiful cities? You could be discovering the wonderful architecture of Prague, the fairytale castles of Cesky Krumlov and the romantic streets of Vienna under a blanket of snow. Take a look at our Winter Wonderland trip (intrepidtravel.com/trips/wsw) for some ideas.
For alternative ideas, the obvious one is Marrakesh and Essaouira on the coast of Morocco as it's a similar flight time and will be warm. Also Madeira is coming back into fashion again as a cool destination, with lots of boutique retreats opening up – have a look at Reids Palace Hotel (reidspalace.com) if you fancy splashing the cash one night).
Q: We are going to New Zealand for our honeymoon in about a month's time! Do you think we should book activities before we go or can we wait until we get there? We want to do things like sea kayaking in Abel Tasman, Milford Sound and a hot air balloon ride. Any suggestions?
Intrepid: Most activities are easy enough to book when you get there, even at peak times. However, the main thing to be wary of is that there are limited permits available for some of the most popular treks in the National Parks. If you're hoping to do some 'tramping' as they call it in NZ, it's wise to investigate whether you need a permit first - and to book it in advance if you do. The NZ tourist board is great and would be able to offer advice (newzealand.com).
Q: I'm getting married on 27 September 08 and we're stuck on ideas for a honeymoon, we were considering Mexico but are unsure if late September/early October is a good time to go there? Where else would you recommend for this time of year?
Intrepid: I think Mexico would be a bit of a no-no at that time of year - you run the risk of sharing your honeymoon with a hurricane! Zanzibar on the other hand would be a great option. The rainy season starts towards the end of October so you should be OK. There are plenty of relaxing resorts to choose from, and again it's only a short hop from Tanzania if you wanted to combine it with a couple of days on safari.
