5 of the Best Honeymoon Holidays for the Perfect Escape

Whether you’re after tropical island solitude or the excitement of a big city, dreaming about the honeymoon is one of the best things about wedding planning, right? 

We’ve found five of the best places to head on your romantic escape after saying “I do” – and with Qantas Holidays, you can book your flight and hotel together in one easy package, so it’s one less thing to fuss over before the big day. 

Plus, when you book using Qantas Points, you’ll get 45% better value on every fly and stay Holiday Package. So read on to find the best honeymoon holiday for you – and how you can save… 

Hide away in the heart of Hawaii

The name translates poetically as “house befitting heaven” but Halekulani could just as easily mean “unrivalled Hawaii luxury”. 

This vision of century-old grandeur on the Waikiki oceanfront erases the outside bustle on first encounter with its breezy colonial-style lobby flowing to a broad, palm-fringed lawn. 

Teak and rattan combine with bursts of tropical flowers across the two-hectare sanctuary to create a soothing sense of Pacific calm, enhanced by the views of the startlingly turquoise ocean from most rooms and suites.

Waikiki’s buzzing bar and restaurant scene is just outside the gates – don’t miss the cult-worthy shaved ice at Island Vintage Coffee kiosk or the sea urchin spaghetti at Arancino on Beachwalk – but Halekulani is a place to spend lazy honeymoon days lolling on the powder-soft sands of the famed beach with its dramatic volcanic backdrop or on a sunlounger by the swimming pool, tiled in a stunning orchid mosaic. 

Sunsets demand a mai tai at the open-air beachfront bar, while the award-winning French cuisine at the romantic La Mer restaurant is a brilliant excuse for dressing to impress your special someone.

Stay on the water in Fiji

It’s an easy four-hour flight from Sydney, has dazzling white-sand beaches, swaying palms, an adults-only infinity pool overlooking the South Pacific and a breezy bar where sandy toes and cocktails are a perfect match. 

Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay effortlessly sums up the irresistible appeal of luxe Fiji but it has an extra romance card up its sleeve. 

Book one of the 22 overwater bures – the only such accommodation on the main island of Viti Levu – to experience the pleasure of lazing on a daybed on the broad deck before diving directly into the bluest of lagoons for a refreshing dip. 

Back on land, the clifftop restaurant Fish Bar delivers on the promise of its location with a menu that celebrates seafood with lobster rolls and sesame-crusted yellowfin tuna. 

Want to take the romance factor higher? A helicopter flight will take you soaring over an unforgettable landscape of sinuous volcanic outcrops and spectacular coral reefs.

Indulge in the ultimate Bali spa escape

You haven’t been to Bali until you’ve toasted the day’s end at Jimbaran Bay from the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill, where softly glowing lanterns hang from tree branches and beanbags and cabanas dot the sand. 

Front-row tickets to the Island of the Gods’ evening spectacle is just one drawcard of the five-star InterContinental Bali Resort, a sprawling showpiece of Balinese style, from the traditional textiles in rooms and suites to the intricately carved stone fountains cascading into six swimming pools. 

A tented beachfront pavilion at the acclaimed Spa Uluwatu is the evocative spot for a couples’ Royal Heritage Ritual, featuring a massage, body scrub, facial and milk bath, and the hotel’s attentive staff will help you celebrate in style by arranging a private candlelit dinner on the sand complete with a butler and entertainment.

Absolute relaxation – and it’s all less than four hours’ flight time from Perth and a little over six hours from Sydney. 

All-inclusive luxury at Uluru 

There’s no need to get out of your plush king-sized bed at Longitude 131° to admire the majesty of Uluru: the iconic monolith is directly ahead, framed in all its glory by the picture windows of each of the 16 luxury tented pavilions. 

Sitting just outside the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park in Australia’s red heart (about a three-hour flight from Sydney and Melbourne), this incredible all-inclusive eco-resort amps the glamp even further with a host of intimate experiences. 

From a private guided tour of Uluru to sunset drinks at the private pop-up bar or a degustation dinner under the stars at signature restaurant Table 131°, nestled in a secret spot in the dunes, it’s a roll call of red desert splendour. 

And by night, the “swag turndown” service allows you and your beloved to lie tucked up in comfort on the private deck, falling asleep to the majesty of the stars and the crackle of the open fire.

Find your heaven in Hayman Island 

Honeymoon moments abound at Hayman Island, a luxe private island resort hugging the edge of the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage wilderness. 

Be shipwrecked in picnic-ready style on a nearby uninhabited island. Sip champagne on a sunset cruise. Take to the skies with a helicopter tour of the wild blue yonder, complete with a bird’s-eye view of the aptly named Heart Reef. 

But taking it easy is equally alluring at the InterContinental Hayman Island Resort. The loveliest address in the Whitsundays is a vision of shuttered white cabanas and Positano-esque striped umbrellas beside the enormous lagoon pool, bookended by endless palm trees and the gasp-worthy green-blue Coral Sea. 

The romance factor is high but you can increase it even further by booking one of eight adults-only Beachfront Pool Villas, each with a private pool and outdoor terrace leading straight onto the soft white sand.

Take a hip honeymoon to Byron Bay

Enveloped by rainforest, soundtracked by the laughing of kookaburras and the crashing waves of nearby Tallow Beach, Crystalbrook Byron shows why Byron Bay has become a global epicentre of honeymoon hipness. 

The eclectic attractions of the world-famous beach town – from kayaking with dolphins or riding horses along the beach to the siren song of the foreshore buskers – are just a short ride away on the resort’s cute mint-green bikes. 

But there are plenty of things to keep you anchored to this little piece of paradise where suites line a two-kilometre-long boardwalk winding through the sub-tropical jungle. 

Forest restaurant is an airy pavilion serving a taste of the region, from Nimbin Valley butter to Iluka squid, while a 25-metre infinity pool entices with pod-like wicker cabanas on its shady green lawn. 

And let’s not forget the serene Eléme Day Spa – a recent addition following last year’s $6 million renovation – where a smorgasbord of Zen-like couples’ treatments to revive body and soul awaits.

SEE ALSO: 9 Holiday Ideas for an Action-packed Family Escape