Your kind of honeymoon

Swim with whales in Tonga (picture: whaleswim.com)

Dream honeymoons, like dream weddings, aren't one size fits all. Towering palm trees, fruit cocktails and strolling hand in hand upon golden beaches – it doesn't match everyone's personality, budget or relationship.

Ideally, honeymoons are a combination of enjoying your new spouse's company, getting to know each other, as husband and wife, and escaping your daily routines.

Perhaps you're up for an adventure holiday or you'd like to experience another culture? Or maybe you'd just like to get away after all the wedding excitement.

Different honeymoons

• Relax Towering palm trees, fruit cocktails and strolling hand in hand upon golden beaches; such getaways are a favourite amongst honeymooners.Think Fiji, Rarotonga or New Caledonia, or even Hawaii or the Maldives, if the budget can stretch that far. You could check into a resort or hire a private villa. Few can say no to languid days lying in the sun, leisurely meals and tropical panorama.  What about checking into a spa for massages and hot scented baths together? Persuading your man to do this could be a challenge though. Maybe if you two do some water sports first?
• Cultural Immerse yourself in a new culture and learn about a different way of life; what a bride wants suggests Thailand, the Indonesian island of Bali, India or Mexico for an remarkable experience. Also, you can get a lot more than the usual tourist experience by staying in inexpensive, local hotels. You'll learn more about another country by avoiding Westernised resorts and hotels, and save the budget.
• Adventure Hiking, rock-climbing, skiing, extreme sports… you can actually do most of these in New Zealand if you'd like. For a really memorable honeymoon, why not do something that scares both of you? That way you'll come back with the adventure etched into both your memories. Perhaps you just love being immersed in nature. If you and your partner are active, you could enjoy New Zealand's beautiful scenery and have an active honeymoon tramping through bush together. Or you could go further afield and swim with the whales in Tonga, snorkel off the Great Barrier Reef, or perhaps try skiing in the chocolate-box pretty Swiss Alps.
• Sightseeing This sort of honeymoon can be quite unforgettable, containing an element of the surreal, when, after having heard so much about a place and its sights, you finally get to visit yourself. Think Paris, London, Rome, New York or Tokyo, or maybe a photo safari, to see African wildlife, is your idea of a dream honeymoon.Just think of the fun safari-themed wardrobe you could take with you too?
• Romantic Rent a private villa or a secluded cottage and just enjoy one another's company. Cook for each other or head to a cosy restaurant; play board games, read, watch movies and take baths together. Honeymoons contain a big element of getting to know each other, in your new roles, as wife and husband. So what better way to spend your honeymoon than simply being together without any distractions?

By Briony

Tell us about your honeymoon? We'd love to know.