5 Romantic Getaway Ideas for Every Couple
By Taysha Murtaugh
Courtesy of Faena Hotel Miami Beach
Your honeymoon isn't the only opportunity to travel together.
One of the best ways to reconnect as a couple before or after the wedding? Take a romantic vacation! Whether you're embarking on a celebratory engagement trip, your honeymoon or latermoon, an anniversary excursion, or a just-because-you're-in-love getaway, there are so many locations fit for falling in love all over again. Here, we round up a few of our favorites in the U.S., based on your needs as a couple—regardless of if you're just married or not. Because your honeymoon isn't the only opportunity to travel together.
Smith Fork Ranch
Courtesy of Smith Fork Ranch
Adventurous Honeymoon Ideas
Perfect for: Adventures
If it's adventure you seek, head West! To this resort in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, which boasts "rustic luxury" in the form of three cozy cabins, a mountain house, and a river house (three-night minimum stay, from $950 per night). You'll dine on meals prepared with fresh ingredients, many of which are grown on-site in the organic farmstead. But it's the experiences that really set this spot apart from the rest: Go horseback-riding, fly fishing, or biking or hiking in the mountains. Try your hand at sporting clays or archery. Embark on an off-ranch excursion like rock-climbing, schedule a river float or kayak, or visit a winery or vineyard. For the ultimate adventure, book the safari package. You'll ride pack mules and horses to a private camp, dine around the campfire, and watch the sun set over the mountains before retiring to a safari-style walk-in tent that's surprisingly luxurious (available through October 10th, $600 per person). Pamper yourself after all that time in the great outdoors with a relaxing treatment at the spa.
Note: There is also currently a special offer for guests who book three nights to get a fourth night free.
Courtesy of Mohonk Mountain House
Honeymoon Locations Where You Can Sit Back and Relax
Perfect for: Rest and relaxation
A Victorian castle and a luxury spa, all in one? Yep, it's real at this award-winning retreat nestled near the Catskills in the Hudson Valley in upstate New York. You'll enjoy gourmet meals, a menu of soothing spa options (including couples treatments!), and cozy accommodations complete with porches overlooking the mountains, the lake, or the gardens. Take advantage of the meditation and mindfulness classes, the mineral pool, salon, solarium, and more, and at night, snuggle up by the fireplace in your room (from $541 per night). There are plenty of ways to get active, too: The resort offers fitness classes, seasonal activities like water sports, and—of course—hiking with the most picturesque views. Bonus: It's also a wedding venue!
Ace New Orleans
Fran Parente
Where to Honeymoon If Food Is Your Main Priority
Perfect for: Foodie outings
If the most important part of traveling is, well, eating, you can't do much better than Ace New Orleans. Three amazing on-site eateries make this a must for any food-obsessed couple: The restaurant Josephine Estelle's James Beard-nominated chefs fuse Italian and Southern food (Bon Appetit
just named them one of the best new restaurants!); Alto is the rooftop garden and grill, where you can enjoy equally great food and drinks poolside; and the newly-launched oyster and cocktail bar, aptly named Seaworthy, offers yet another place to grab a bite—all three hot spots have their own unique cocktails, wine, and craft beers. When you've had your fill, drift off to sleep in one of Ace's magnificently modern and oh-so-serene rooms (from $149 per night). The next day, if you feel like venturing off, there are plenty of other places to thrill your taste buds: Balise, Compère Lapin, Herbsaint, and Willa Jean (which also made
's list) are all a short walk away.
Ways to Geek Out on Your Honeymoon
Perfect for: Culture
Sure, you could slip away to a city like New York or D.C. for their many museums, but if you're looking for something a little less expected, might we suggest Miami? Located right in the cultural district, this arty restoration of the historic Saxony got a design assist from Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin—yes, of Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet fame—meaning the hotel is somewhat of a work of art in itself. In fact, the garden is home to a gilded woolly-mammoth skeleton, and the lobby displays eight Juan Gatti murals. Your room will be just as beautiful, with rich red and turquoise furnishings full of retro glamour inside and panoramic views of the oceans outside (from $745 per night). Plus, the nearby Faena Theatre rotates live performances, and even the beach sometimes serves as a canvas for outdoor installations.
The Ranch at Laguna Beach
Courtesy of The Ranch at Laguna Beach
Best Beach Honeymoons
Perfect for: Beachside hangs
There's really nothing better than lounging with your love in the sand and sun—and we found the perfect new place to do it: The Ranch at Laguna Beach opens their suites, bedroom cottages, and a luxe treehouse this fall (from $350 per night), near one of the most acclaimed beaches in the world. The first full-scale resort to open in Laguna Beach since 2003, The Ranch provides complimentary transportation to take you to and fro the beachfront, where you can surf, kayak, paddle- or skimboard, snorkel, deep-sea fish, explore tide pools, or, you know, just sunbathe and enjoy a picnic basket custom-made for you. When you're finishing soaking up the sun and saltwater, there's also golfing, hiking, bird-watching, stargazing, and campfires, as well as meditation and wellness classes and spa treatments.
2 of 6 Smith Fork Ranch
3 of 6 Mohonk Mountain House
4 of 6 Ace New Orleans
5 of 6 Faena Hotel Miami Beach
6 of 6 The Ranch at Laguna Beach