Exotic Honeymooning
Written by Amanda Jones, Special to the San Francisco
I am a travel writer, therefore, according to a multitude of people I have never met, I am the perfect person from whom to solicit honeymoon advice. Here’s a typical scenario: The phone goes and it’s a man’s voice (but not always, this does happen in reverse). He sounds harassed. He begins by telling me so-and-so convinced him I was the one to solve his enormous problem. His wedding is coming up and he’s been a bit slack on the honeymoon planning. The bride, well, she’s a great gal, loves the outdoors, terrific with kids and animals...but he’s not quite sure if she’s the really rugged sort. His idea of a truly good time, however, is an Arctic dog sledding trip, but she’s nixed any extreme-sport sojourn. She has agreed to a little adventure, a little sport, an exotic location, okay, but she wants romance, she wants comfort, she wants ice in her cocktails. Fair enough, I say. Good for her, I think that sounds excellent. Have a good time.
Wait, he says, panic evident, where should we go?
I trot out my caveat about one person’s paradise being another’s purgatory. I tell him about the couple to whom I suggested a shark diving trip in Samoa and the groom came back with less of a leg than he left with. I mention the Subcontinental episode, which climaxed in stomach pumps. There is a pause, but I can tell he won’t be put off. He’s a desperate man.
With a sigh and a caveat emptor, I divulge my list of adventurous places which may make for interesting dinner-party tales, but which don’t require any bride to forego luxury in the process:
Wharekauhau, New Zealand
In the fabulously bucolic Wairarapa region of New Zealand,
this luxurious, Edwardian-style mansion is gorgeous and terribly
refined while still providing that “in the boonies”
feeling. It’s more like the landed gentry does adventure
travel, although it’s not in the least bit stuffy, as
English country lodges can be. Still a working sheep station,
Wharekauhau (pronounced Forry-ko-ho) is located on a rugged
strip of coastline and 5,000 acres of emerald pasturelands.
And it’s just down a country road from some of the best
wineries in New Zealand. You really never have to leave your
overstuffed fireside sofa, but for activity freaks, you hop
on a horse and go mustering, or you can fish, golf and hike
the nearby mountains.
Wharekauhau Country Estate, Western Lake Rd., Featherston;
Season: All year, although November to April is best.
Pricing: doubles from $280 per person, per night
Booking: USA 800/525-4800 or New Zealand 64-6/307-7581, fax
64-6/307-7799; email: wharekauhau@extra.co.nz
Casa de Sierra Nevada, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
San Miguel is Mexico’s jewel town. An old Spanish colonial
town, it’s clean, neat, safe and has great food. The
Casa de Sierra Nevada is not only the best restaurant in town,
but, in my opinion, is one of the best and most romantic hotels
in all of the Americas. Created from a series of five restored
mansions, you feel like the fortunate guest of a benevolent
colonial host. The main casa was built in 1580 and each room
is decorated as you would expect guest quarters to be back
then—with Spanish antiques, parquetry, tapestries, oil
paintings and colorful ceramics. There is a wonderful tiled
pool built in the shade of arched ruins. The location is superb,
just a few blocks from the main square, but removed enough
so that any Saturday night revelry, or the booming bells of
an overzealous monastery novitiate, doesn’t interrupt
the peace.
Season: June until September
Pricing: Deluxe doubles from $168 (although I strongly suggest
a suite, from $204).
Booking: 1-888-341-5995 or 52-415-27-040
email: sierranevada@mpsnet.com.mx www.unisono.net.mx/snevada
Mnemba Island Lodge, Tanzania
Imagine a private African island in the Arab-influenced portion
of the Indian Ocean. Part of the historically exotic Zanzibar
Archipelago, Mnemba is about as romantic as it gets. “Barefoot
luxury” is how the brochure describes it, and sure enough,
arrivers kick off their Bally’s and Dolce & Gabbana’s
and slide manicured toes through the sugary sands of perfection.
The design of the resort echoes the bygone splendor of days
when the Sultan of Oman traded spice and gems along this coastline.
The 10 cottages all have intricately carved Zanzabari furniture,
embroidered mosquito nets cascading over the bed, latticed
wood doors and tinkling glass bead dividers between rooms.
African print pillows are tossed everywhere and gossamer white
curtains billow in the sea breeze. Mnemba has spectacular
diving, water-skiing, windsurfing and fishing (both deep-sea
and fly). The best part is that you won’t be racking
up a huge bill every time you order a Coke ...the tariff,
although admittedly lofty, includes all food, alcohol (except
champagne), sports and a personal butler. If you can afford
it, and you’ve always wanted to see East Africa—go.
It’s the ideal place to swap game-kill tales after a
safari, or as a destination unto itself.
Season: July-April.
Booking: Africa Travel Center (800) 361-8024 (303) 473-0950
fax (303) 546-0875 info@africatbl.com
Pricing: Per person, per night, double; $500 (August rates
are $550). Prices include food, drink, activities and transfers
from Zanzibar.
Coral Princess Cruises, Kimberley, Australia
How about this for an alternative to your regular cruise.
You are on a spacious, four-decked catamaran in your own en
suite stateroom. There is a spa on the upper deck and an al
fresco dining room on another. You are passing some of the
world’s oldest scenery—waterfalls, ocher-colored
gorges split with slow rivers, high plateaus and rocky escarpments.
Dolphins, whales, dugongs and turtles float by, and the air
is filled with all sorts of exotic birds. You are reaching
parts of Australia that are practically impossible to get
to by land, and there’s an excursion on shore every
day—generally along the lines of hiking to a remote
cave where you see 10,000 year-old Aboriginal cave paintings,
or a climb to a freshwater swimming hole (gigantic man-eating
crocodiles prevent swimming in the ocean). The Kimberley region
of Northern Australia is naked, primordial splendor—sensory
overload for the nature lover.
Season: April to September
Pricing: Based on ten night cruise, per person, double occupancy.
Rate of exchange may cause changes .
Cabin $2,718
Stateroom $2,915
Deluxe $3,110
Booking: USA (800) 441-6880, (831) 335-4954, Fax (831) 335-5239,
email: coralpss@aol.com www.coralprincess.com.au
El Nido, Philippines
This entire archipelago off the coast of Palawan is unexpectedly
impressive. Islands erupt from the sea with towering limestone
cliffs and thick jungle. Below lie hidden coves lapped by
aqua waters teeming with tropical fish. There are two resorts
on neighboring islands, both owned by the same Filipino beer
magnate. Miniloc is slightly hipper, more oriented towards
active folk. Book one of the cottages hanging over the water.
Young guides will take you snorkeling, kayaking, scuba diving,
sailing, waterskiing or spelunking. If you want pure isolation,
order a picnic lunch ask to be marooned on a remote beach
for the whole day. Lagen has a nicer beachfront, but is slightly
more formal and elegant (with fine dining). It’s perfectly
permissible to jump between resorts. I suggest a couple of
nights at each.
Season: November to June.
Prices: Rates include waterfront cottage, all meals, boat
transfers and water sports.
Miniloc - $165 per person, per night.
Lagen - $230 per person, per night.
Booking: Philippines - (632) 894-5644 fax, Fax (632) 810-3620
www.asiatravel.com/elnido.html
Ariau - Amazon, Brazil
If the Tarzan and Jane thing is your fantasy, well, here’s
your place. Just outside Manaus, the hotel is built into the
treetops of the Amazon jungle, with stairs leading to the
canopy hundreds of feet above the banks of the Rio Negro.
The amusing thing about this hotel is that the rooms are open
and large, but entirely encased in wire mesh. This, of course,
is to keep you in and the wildlife out, and seems like an
appropriate reversal of roles. The monkeys are the only breathing
soul who will disturb you. They sit outside, staring in, stuffing
berries into their mouths, making wry observations about how
similar human behavior is to their own. During the days you
can take jungle treks, seek out the pink dolphins in the murky
river water or visit the local Indian tribes by small dugout.
Request a suite in tower number five. They are secluded and
well guarded by woolly monkeys.
Season: December-August
Prices: (Dependent on season and availability. Includes boat
transfer, all meals and river excursions.) For a three night,
four day stay, the suites in Tower Five are $800 per person.
There are other rooms which are both more and less expensive.
Booking:
USA (888) 462-7428, or (516) 482-1592, fax (516) 498-2395
email: jill@AriauAmazonTowers.com
BRAZIL: (5592) 234-7308 phone, (5592) 233-5616, email: treetop@internext.com.br
www.ariauamazontowers.com
Shamwari Game Reserve - Eastern Cape, South Africa
A privately owned game reserve in the Eastern Transvaal, Shamwari
has two absolutely fabulous lodges on their huge property,
both of which are a flashback to Africa’s White Nights
era. Long Lee Manor is an elegant Edwardian mansion with manicured
laws and crystal chandeliers. The other is the Shamwari Lodge—a
series of 5 five-star African-style thatched bungalows decorated
with fine African art. Those who prefer dining with white
tablecloths and then retiring to the library for a glass of
port should perhaps stay at Long Lee, while those wanting
a highly luxurious interpretation of native Africa should
choose the Lodge. I would recommend you stay at both. Shamwari
has all the big game you will want—white and black rhino,
elephant, buffalo, lion, giraffe, leopard and hippo. And you
have them all to yourself, along with a scant 36 other guests.