Honeymoons In Paradise - Where To Go In June

Image via Tourist Destinations

Summer, for many, exudes an air of romance. While the Southern Hemisphere experiences short days and long nights in June, the Northern Hemisphere is just gearing up for plenty of sunshine and heat. As such, destinations kick into high gear as holiday makers, young and old, seek out the best places to spend their long-awaited summer vacation.

1. Kaua’i, Hawaii
There is no wrong time to visit Kaua’i, one of the oldest of all Hawaiian islands. The timeless honeymoon favourite is home to breathtaking scenery and a perpetually warm, tropical climate. In June, temperatures are near-perfect and the surf is the calmest all year.

Where to Stay
St Regis Princeville is a favourite for couples on this Hawaiian island. The resort of Kaua’i North Shore includes an 11,000-square-foot spa offering taro-clay wraps and maile-oil massages and a 5,000-square-foot infinity pool. The 251 rooms – some of the largest on Kaua’i – are all gleamingly new and decorated in pale blue and warm wood tones.

Image via St Regis Princeville

What to Do
June offers ideal weather conditions for a leisurely boat tour of the rugged Na Pali coast. Enjoy the sunshine and take a swim in Hanalei Bay, or take in the dramatic cliffs and valleys of the Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

Image via Kaua’i

2. Stockholm, Sweden
If you are looking for a refreshingly different honeymoon destination, Stockholm may just be the place. The city offers both a chance to relax and explore a vibrant nightlife and music scene set against a picturesque backdrop.

Where to Stay
The Hotel Lydmar offers classically designed rooms with a contemporary and cool feel. DJs and performers take to the terraces and open air bar, where people relax and choose from a delicious selection of food. If the weather will allow, the first floor terrace provides a perfect view over the waterfront, with a mix of people, young and old, soaking up the atmosphere. The rooms are stylish and the decor mixes the classic and the modern perfectly.

Image via Hotel Lydmar

What to Do
Visit the Västerbron Bridge, where couples secure padlocks and throw away they keys, representing everlasting love. Then, take a walk through the Haga Park and discover tranquility beside a lake and the see the current resident of Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria.

Overlooking the water is one of the oldest inns in Stockholm, which is now the Haga Park Hotel. If time allows, take a short boat ride out of Stockholm to the Stora Fjäderholmarna, a destination for Stockholmers as well as tourists. Home to a new Brew Pub opened by Pelle Ågren and Andreas Willman, it is possible to try the beer which is brewed onsite, with windows facing into the brewery enabling visitors to take a look at the origin of their ale!

Image via View Stockholm

3. Zagreb, Croatia
Croatia is currently going through a tourist boom and counts July as its peak tourist season. So, consider June as Croatia’s sweet spot, where the days are long but hotels have yet to reach capacity. The islands along the Croatian coast are dreamy destinations best seen by yacht, but Zagreb, the capital and heart of Croatia’s culture, is the place to be.

Where to Stay
Built in 1925 as a glamorous stopover for passengers on the Orient Express, the five-star Esplanade is unquestionably Zagreb’s most upmarket hotel. Restored to its former glory in 2004, it offers a level of opulence you will find nowhere else in Croatia. The resort’s 208 spacious rooms and suites are decorated in rich, warm tones and opulent golds, heavy dark wood furniture and luxuriant textiles.

Image via Esplanade

What to Do
Zagreb’s historic town is best explored on foot where you can marvel at the beautiful Austro-Hungarian architecture. Chief among them is the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary (Katedrala Uznesenja Blažene Djevice Marije). Although this landmark of Zagreb has long been veiled behind construction sheathing, its neo-Gothic twin towers, visible over the city, are as close as Zagreb gets to a visual identity worthy of calling-card status.

Spend some time at Mirogoj, one of the city’s architectural gems. Behind a series of green, onion-shaped cupolas that cap ivy-covered brick walls are tiled arcades – monuments to Croatia’s most prominent citizens and the final resting place of 300,000 souls of various religious backgrounds.

Image via Broke Tourist

4. Beijing, China
June is one of the best times to travel to Beijing – not a single Chinese holiday or national celebration falls in June, which might be the reason why, though the weather is still pleasant, it is one of the cheapest times to travel to this bustling city.

Where to Stay
Set in elegant pavilions that were once imperial waiting rooms, boutique hotel Aman Summer Palace in Beijing offers a taste of pampered Qing Dynasty living. Set in clusters of three pavilions surrounding a tranquil inner courtyard, rooms are dressed in natural hues and polished wood inspired by the Ming Dynasty. The Imperial Suite is its own little compound, with drum-stool seating, a private spa treatment room and floor-to-ceiling carved-wood panels.

Image via Aman Summer Palace

What to Do
The best perk of travelling to Beijing in June is being able to take advantage of fewer crowds at the typically busy monuments such as the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square.

The past and the future merge in China’s political capital, where hutong alleys compete with mega-malls, five-star hotels and world-class art institutions. Walk into China’s imperial past at the Forbidden City and marvel at its beautiful oriental architecture. Enjoy a boat ride across the Shichahai Lake on a boat decorated with a lantern. Add the moonlight, some instrumental songs, local snacks and tea while viewing the lake at night. What could be more romantic than that?

Image via Paradise in the World

5. London, England
London is always booming – and beckoning. England’s capital is also its crown jewel, as much entrenched in its history as it is in its future. The backdrop of many blockbuster movies is sure to offer some memorable experiences on your honeymoon.

Where to Stay
The bright, feminine rooms at Number Sixteen’s well-groomed Kensington hideaway are as refreshing and tasty as a cup of Earl Grey on a spring morning. Number Sixteen’s wonderful location makes this London boutique hotel a great base for shopping, weekends or culture trips, or for tacking a little pleasure onto your business affairs. Every room is uniquely decorated with a different mix of Kit Kemp’s trademark flirty florals and savvy colour combinations; rooms feel spacious thanks to high ceilings and plenty of natural light.

Image via Number Sixteen

What to Do
Destinations such as London Bridge and Buckingham Palace need no further introduction. So, pack a picnic rug and spend a glorious afternoon at Hyde Park. Here you can go paddle-boating, see a number of swans and take in a breath of fresh air in the centre of the city. A trip to London isn’t complete without a visit to the iconic London Eye. Originally constructed to celebrate the millennium, the Eye is a giant ferris wheel offering gorgeous views across the city. At night, the wheel is lit up in seasonal colours.