Best Beach Honeymoon Destinations

Known For : Stay in an Overwater Bungalow Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scuba Diving in Maldives

The Maldives is the one place where the hotel is the whole holiday. Most resorts sit on their own island, so you check in and stay put, and a water villa with steps down into the lagoon is what couples come for. Pay for two or three nights of it rather than all seven. Resorts near Male are a short speedboat ride, while the far atolls need a seaplane that flies only in daylight, so book a morning arrival. December to April is the dry season. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person.

Best Time: December to April

102 Maldives Attractions

Known For : Tanah Lot Uluwatu Bali Swing

Bali gives you two settings in one trip. The usual split is three nights inland at Ubud for rice terraces, waterfalls and a villa with its own pool, then four on the coast at Seminyak, Jimbaran or Nusa Dua for beach clubs and seafood grills on the sand. Nusa Dua is the calmest of the three and the easiest if you want to do very little. Flights run six to eight hours via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. The dry season is April to October. Packages average around Rs 64,000 per person.

Best Time: April to October

302 Bali Attractions

Known For : Radhanagar Beach Cellular Jail Scuba Diving In Andaman

A week in the Andamans costs less than almost anything else here and needs no visa. Base yourself on Havelock, now Swaraj Dweep, where Radhanagar is the beach everyone comes for; add two nights on Neil Island if you want it quieter. Swim off the patrolled main stretch rather than wandering past the markers. Ferries from Port Blair take about two hours and sell out, so book them with the trip. Avoid May to September. Packages average around Rs 22,000 per person.

Best Time: October to June

81 Andaman Attractions

Known For : Big Buddha Patong Beach Phuket Old Town

Phuket suits couples who want a beach and plenty to do off it. Kata and Karon are the calmer stretches to stay on, Patong is the loud one, and the quiet luxury sits around Cape Panwa and up at Mai Khao. The boat trip to the Phi Phi islands is the standard day out, though Maya Bay now runs on visitor limits and swimming there is restricted, so check what the trip includes before booking. Packages average around Rs 36,000 per person. The Andaman coast is dry November to April.

Best Time: November to April

128 Phuket Attractions

Known For : Seven Coloured Earth of Chamarel Le Morne Brabant Underwater Waterfall

Mauritius is the easy one to organise: one island, good roads, and resorts used to honeymooners without feeling like a factory. The north around Trou aux Biches and Grand Baie has the most within walking distance, the east is windier and quieter, and Le Morne in the southwest is the most isolated. Seven nights is plenty. Cyclone risk runs roughly January to March, so May to December is the safer booking. Resort rates set the budget here more than the flight does, which makes the hotel the decision that matters.

Best Time: April to December

147 Mauritius Attractions

Known For : Calangute Beach Dudhsagar Falls Fort Aguada

Goa works for a short honeymoon rather than a long one, and where you stay decides the trip. The south around Palolem, Agonda and Cavelossim is calm and green, while the north around Anjuna and Vagator is where the crowds and the music are. Four or five nights is right. Swim between the lifeguard flags, because the currents here catch people out every season. Book November to February, when the sea is flat and the shacks are open. No visa, short flights from every metro and cheap food make it the least expensive week on this list.

Best Time: October to March

197 Goa Attractions

Known For : Bentota Beach (Ventura Beach) Bentota River Safari Ayurvedic Spa at Bentota Ayurveda Center

Bentota is the closest international beach honeymoon to India and the easiest to pair with something other than sand. It is about two hours down the coast from Colombo airport, the resorts are large and quiet, and Galle fort, the turtle hatchery and the Madu river are all short drives away. Four nights here plus three in the hills at Kandy or Ella makes a full trip. The west and south coasts are dry December to March. Packages average around Rs 42,000 per person.

Best Time: November - April

28 Bentota Attractions

Known For : Anse Lazio Snorkeling in Seychelles Sunbathing in Seychelles

Seychelles is for couples who want the beaches without a resort strip. Mahe has the flights and the shops, Praslin has Cote d'Or, and La Digue is the one to stay on if you want almost nothing to happen: bicycles, granite boulders and Anse Source d'Argent. Ferries link all three and need booking ahead. There is no cheap week here. April and October are the calm turns between the two monsoons, with the rain falling November to March.

Best Time: April to May, September to October

96 Seychelles Attractions

Known For : Ao Nang Beach Railay Beach Phi Phi Islands

Krabi is the quieter half of the same coast as Phuket and costs about the same. Ao Nang is the practical base, with the boats and the restaurants, while Railay is reached only by longtail and is the more private place to stay, though there is little there beyond the cliffs and two beaches. Five nights is enough. The window is the same as Phuket, November to April. Packages average around Rs 31,000 per person.

Best Time: November to April

46 Krabi Attractions

Known For : Minicoy Island Agatti Islands Kalpeni Island

Lakshadweep is the quietest beach honeymoon an Indian passport can reach, and there is very little to do on it. Agatti and Bangaram are the two islands set up for couples, with a handful of cottages and a lagoon to snorkel. An entry permit is arranged through your operator, so book earlier than you would for the Andamans. Flights and boats thin out in the southwest monsoon, so plan October to April. Once the permit and the cottage are paid for, there is almost nothing left to spend money on.

Best Time: September to May

18 Lakshadweep Attractions

Known For : Stone Town Nungwi Beach Jozani Forest

Zanzibar is the beach half of a bigger trip. Most couples fly in after a few days on the Serengeti or at the Ngorongoro crater and spend four nights on the coast. The north at Nungwi and Kendwa is where the water stays deep enough to swim at low tide, while the east coast beaches empty out for hours when the tide goes out, which catches people by surprise. Two nights in Stone Town is enough. The long rains peak March to May.

Best Time: June - October, December - February

51 Attractions

Known For : Chaweng Beach Fisherman's Village Ang Thong National Marine Park

Koh Samui matters because its season runs opposite to Phuket's. The Gulf coast is at its driest roughly February to September, so this is the Thai island to book when the Andaman side is wet. Choeng Mon and the north end of Chaweng are the calm parts, and Lamai is the middle ground. Flights land on the island, which saves the ferry. October to December is the wettest stretch. Packages average around Rs 34,000 per person.

Best Time: January to September

57 Koh Samui Attractions

Known For : Langkawi Sky Bridge Langkawi Cable Car Seven Wells Waterfalls

Langkawi is the cheapest way to get a resort island with its own airport. Pantai Cenang has the restaurants and the sunsets, while Tanjung Rhu and Datai Bay in the north are where the quiet hotels are and worth the extra drive for a honeymoon. The cable car and the mangrove boat trip fill a day each, and duty free prices help. December to March is driest, with the monsoon around July to September. Packages average around Rs 33,000 per person.

Best Time: November to March

49 Langkawi Attractions

Known For : Sao Beach VinWonders Phu Quoc Grand World Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc is Vietnam's resort island and the right base if you want a beach week rather than a beach stop. The long west coast around Long Beach has most of the hotels and the sunsets, while the south around Bai Sao is quieter and prettier. Flights connect through Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, so it tacks neatly onto three nights in either. The dry season is November to April. Packages average around Rs 57,000 per person.

Best Time: December - March

40 Phu Quoc Attractions

Known For : Relax at the Beach in Gili Trawangan Snorkelling in Gili Trawangan Swim With Sea Turtles in Gili Trawangan

The Gilis work as a three or four night add-on to Bali rather than a trip of their own, and Gili Trawangan is the one with the restaurants and the dive shops. There are no cars, so you walk or take a pony cart. Gili Meno next door is the honeymoon island, with almost nothing on it. Fast boats from Bali take about two hours and are cancelled in rough weather. April to October is the dry season. Packages average around Rs 55,000 per person.

Best Time: May - September

16 Gili Trawangan Attractions

Palawan takes a long day to reach from India, usually two changes, and repays it. El Nido is the base for the lagoon boat tours, Coron is the one for wreck diving, and the island resorts on Bacuit Bay are where couples stay. Give it at least six nights, because the travel eats two of them. December to May is the dry window.

Best Time: November - April

Known For : White Beach Fly Fish Parasailing

Boracay is a small island with one long beach, and White Beach is divided into three stations: Station 1 for wider sand and the better hotels, Station 3 for cheaper rooms, Station 2 for the noise in between. Bulabog on the far side is the windsurfing side. The island was closed for a clean-up and reopened with limits on beach beds and parties, so ask what your hotel can still offer on the sand. November to April is the dry half.

Best Time: November to February

30 Boracay Attractions

Known For : Sunset at Oia Sunset Cruise Hike from Fira to Oia

Santorini is a caldera holiday rather than a swimming one, and it is worth knowing that before you book. The beaches are volcanic gravel, black at Kamari and Perissa, and Red Beach has had rockfall closures, so treat it as a viewpoint. Stay at Imerovigli or Firostefani for the same view as Oia with fewer people in it. Four nights is enough, then Naxos or Milos if you want actual sand. The season is May to October. It is one of the more expensive weeks here, and the caldera view rooms are why.

Best Time: Apr-Oct

55 Santorini Attractions

The Amalfi Coast is a driving and walking honeymoon with the sea at the bottom of it. Positano and Ravello are the two towns to stay in, the beaches are small and pebbly, and most of the swimming happens off a boat or a hotel platform. The coast road is slow and the buses fill up, so use the ferries between towns instead. Late May, June and September are the good months, and August is hot and booked out.

Best Time: April - June, September - October

Known For : Burj Khalifa Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo At the Top Burj Khalifa

Dubai only works as a beach honeymoon in winter. From November to March the Jumeirah and Palm hotels are pleasant and the evenings are warm. From June to September the sea is bath temperature and the beach is unusable by mid morning. Three or four nights is the right length, paired with a desert night or a stop somewhere else on the way. Packages average around Rs 41,000 per person.

Best Time: November to April

127 Dubai Attractions

Known For : The Lazy Beach Koh Rong Samloem Coconut Beach

Koh Rong is where Cambodia's beach honeymoon actually is, rather than the mainland port town you fly into. You land at Sihanoukville and take a fast ferry of under an hour. The resorts are small and simple, power can be limited on the quieter bays, and there is very little to do beyond the water. Three nights is enough, added onto Siem Reap. November to April is the dry season and boats are unreliable outside it.

Best Time: October to January

17 Koh Rong Attractions

Known For : Hana highway drive Haleakala volcano summit Water sports

Maui is a long way from India, roughly 24 hours with two changes, and it is priced for American honeymooners rather than Indian ones. Kaanapali and Wailea are the two resort strips. Hana and the Haleakala summit are the drives, and the sunrise slot at the crater needs a reservation booked days ahead. The snorkelling trip to Molokini is the one boat worth taking. April, May, September and October are the best value months.

Best Time: Throughout the year

62 Maui Attractions

Fiji is the furthest destination here, around 18 to 20 hours from India with a change in Singapore or Hong Kong, so it only makes sense if you have two weeks. The Mamanuca and Yasawa islands are where the small resorts are, most of them on their own island with a boat or seaplane transfer, and a beachfront bure is the thing to book. The dry season is May to October, and the cyclone season runs November to April.

Best Time: July - September

Known For : Boat Party Ibiza Old Town Ibiza Nightlife in Ibiza

Ibiza is a beach club holiday and it is honest about that. Couples who want the quieter version stay in the north around Santa Eulalia or Portinatx, or cross to Formentera for the day, where the water is the best on either island. Cala d'Hort and the view of Es Vedra are the standard sunset. June to September is the season, and August is both full and expensive.

Best Time: May to October

32 Ibiza Attractions

Known For : Victoria and Alfred Waterfront Table Mountain Two Oceans Aquarium

Cape Town is here for the coast rather than for swimming. The Atlantic at Camps Bay and Llandudno sits around 14 degrees and carries rip currents, and the warmer water is over on the False Bay side at Muizenberg. What you come for is Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula drive, the winelands an hour inland and very good food for the money. December to March is summer. Most couples add a safari afterwards.

Best Time: October to April

41 Cape Town Attractions