“Twin-centre honeymoon” is a phrase you quite often see bandied around by travel agents and websites – even if it isn’t the most exciting sounding phrase. But it’s a great idea if you want a bit more out of your honeymoon, or if the two of you want different things from it – for example, you want beach and your partner wants a city.
Any decent travel agent will be able to recommend good destination combinations, but the best approach is to choose two destinations that aren’t too far from each other – or, which includes one that you’d pretty much have to travel through to get to the other.
Obviously, the options for twin-centre honeymoons are pretty wide, but here’s a selection to get you started:
New York and Barbados
Spend a few days exploring one of the most vibrant cities on earth, and indulging in a bit of retail therapy, before heading for some serious beachside rest and relaxation. The beauty of Barbados is that there’s also plenty to do beyond lying on a beach, so this is a great choice whether you want to just be lazy or have the option to be a bit more active.
New York
Kenya and Mauritius
Seek out the big five from a luxury safari camp and experience the vastness of the Maasai Mara, before hopping on a flight to the gorgeous island of Mauritius, with its varied cuisine, soft sand beaches and superlative hotels.
Paris and Istanbul
Relive the classic train journeys of the early tourists by catching the Eurostar to Paris and, after a few days in the city, heading off on the long journey across Europe to Turkey’s capital. There’s something really romantic about train travel – especially when you have your own private compartment – and it’d be amazing to step on the train in Paris and step off in exotic Istanbul.
Sri Lanka and the Maldives
So, you’re spoilt for choice with beaches and sea-based activities on this one, but it also allows the opportunity to have, say, one week of doing little more than swimming and sunbathing, and another week doing some of the same, plus some more cultural explorations – vibrant temples, tea plantations and interesting towns, plus indulging in some seriously good food.
Sri Lanka
Vietnam and Cambodia
Ancient ruins, laidback beach resorts, lush paddy fields and amazing food – Vietnam and Cambodia are a real delight if you’re looking for a more adventurous honeymoon, and especially rewarding if you’ve got enough time to really see a fair amount of each country. My choice would be to start in Hanoi, venturing up to beautiful Halong Bay, then winding down alongside the coast, sailing through the Mekong Delta and then up into Phnom Penh and on to stunning Angkor Wat.
Brazil and Argentina
If you fancy a bit of Latin flavour to your honeymoon then there are dozens of country combinations you could opt for in south and central America. Imagine tangoing in Buenos Aires, wine tasting (or even skiing) in Mendoza, and marvelling at Iguazu Falls, then seeking out glorious beaches and islands in Brazil before enjoying the nightlife in Rio. Wonderful.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Photo 2 courtesy of whl.travel; photo 3 courtesy of cokada
With so much choice out there in terms of deciding on the perfect honeymoon destination, the twin-centre idea sounds like the perfect compromise! There are plenty of travel agents to choose from that provide stop-overs or twin-centre honeymoons. My choice from these selections would definately be New York and Barbados. This would offer the chance to do some sightseeing, hit the shops followed by total relaxation on the beach.
I think the New York/Barbados combination is one of my favourites too – and the great thing with NYC is you can couple it with quite a few beach destinations other than Barbados so there’s plenty of choices!