Every LGBTQIA+ couple wants to celebrate their love in a safe environment but unfortunately unlike hetrosexual honeymooners, this means you have to pick your honeymoon destination carefully.
It’s a sad reality that 41 countries still criminalise LGBTQIA+ people and their relationships, 12 countries still impose the death penalty (including Saudi Arabia – note for the allies out there) and 14 countries still criminalise transgender identity. And LGBTQIA+ marriage has still only been legalised in 34 countries.
Therefore when it comes to honeymooning as an LGBTQIA+ couple, if you truly want to celebrate your love in a place which actually celebrates your identity and love in return, you can’t jet off to the typical honeymoon destinations of the Caribbean islands, the Maldives and Bali. Even the LGBTQIA+ friendly destinations of Greece – namely Mykonos – are off the list because same sex marriage is not legal in the country.
So, where does that leave you? Here are the seven honeymoon destinations where you can start your life as a married couple that have the same rights as you do. Think of it as around the world in seven honeymoons or the seven great gay honeymoons of the world…
The Best LGBTQIA+ Honeymoon Destinations
France: For the mini mooners
A couple on the market for a mini moon should look no further than Lou Pinet, set in the hills of Saint Tropez. The glamorous hotel’s 34 rooms and suites, which feel more like a countryside retreat than a hotel, are set around a stunning pool and alfresco bar, lined with sun loungers and sculptures. And despite a stunning recent bohemian/ Soho House Esque make-over the hotel is still full of the 1960s and 1970s Saint Tropez hey-day spirit. Complete with an underground cave spa, Lou Pinet is an idyllic refugee post wedding which still gives you the option to dip your beret into the delights of Saint Tropez which is a short free shuttle ride away. This area of France has charmed the likes of Picasso, so there really couldn’t be a better place to start your latest masterpiece: married life.
Doubles from £793 a night, (www.loupinet.com)
Australia: The honeymoon to finally find nemo
For the honeymooners who want to tick off an item on your bucket list heading to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia could be the one. If that’s you, pack your snorkel and head to the tropical Hamilton Island oasis of Qualia, one of the highest ranking resorts in the world. Set in the midst of the Great Barrier Reef in 30 acres of perfectly manicured landscape the resort has it all: two infinity pools, a two seater golf-buggy for each of the 60 immaculate and modern pavilions which blend into the resort’s tropical environment, two restaurants overlooking the Great Barrier Reef offering the finest Australian produce and it’s own set of snorkelling and diving instructors. You can either retreat to the hotel’s surroundings, enjoy the three-hour Wjitnsunday escape therapy for full body rejuvenation in the spa or venture out in your buggy down to Hamilton’s sandy beaches and its many bars and restaurants. Or, take a day boat trip to Whitehaven beach, which is a must. But there is one place to be at the end of the night: the Long Pavillion bar which stays open until the last person is standing. The perfect place to end your days of trying to find nemo on the great barrier reef.
Qualia Doubles from £855.77 a night (qualia.com.au)
Brazil: For the a city escape and an under the radar retreat
Brazil is one of the best countries my partner and I have EVER visited. Full of life, culture and carnival flavour it screams everything the LGBTQIA+ family is about: it’s loud and proud. If you want a honeymoon destination which combines a city break with a relaxing beach break, Brazil is the place for you. Start with a few days in Rio de Janeiro, tick off the Christ Redeemer (I highly recommend a helicopter trip) and stay at the Fascano hotel on Ipanema beach which comes complete with a rooftop pool and bedroom views of all the delights Ipanema beach has to offer. There is no other hotel in Rio which can compete with the location and the luxury. Then head to the under the radar retreat, Buzios, the so-called Saint Tropez of Brazil, two and half hours away by car from Rio. A small fishing village which rose to fame in the 1960s thanks to Bridgitte Bardot visiting, Buzios is now a stunning mix of old school and stylish resort with jaw dropping beaches. Stay at the Manguinhos beach front hotel, A Concept Hotel and Spa with 36,000 m² of Brazilian oasis. The resort has the right mix of Brazilian, Mediterranean and elegant charm filled with everything you need for a honeymoon from water sports to gastronomic experiences, led by Chef Marcos Sodré. Where better to start married life than reclining in one of the cabanas around the hotel’s atlantic beach front swimming pool with a Caipirinha in hand?
Doubles from £240 a night (https://aconcept.com.br/)
Doubles from £537a night (fasano.com)
Canada: For living out cowboy, cowgirls & cowthemes fantasies…
Asher & Lyric, a travel site dedicated to safety recently named Canada the safest country for LGBTQIA+ people to visit in their list of the 203 Worst & Safest Countries for LGBTQIA+ travel in 2023. So, you can officially dust off your campest cowboy hat, with some certainty that you can live out your Canadian cowboy/cowgirl/cowthem fantasy because whilst Canada has incredible city destinations like Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto for a honeymoon destination with a difference, British Columbia is the place to go, namely Echo Valley Ranch and Spa. Set in 160 acres of land in the Cariboo Mountains filled with a stunning scenery consisting of canyons, forests, grasslands and mountains, you can spend your first days as a married couple horseback riding, forest bathing, practising mindfulness and then heading to The Royal Baan Thai spa which offers an extensive list of traditional Thai and western treatments. The rooms themselves are divided between log cabins, rooms in the main lodge and the more Honeymoon friendly and secluded, Lookout Lodge. Yeehaa honeymooners!
Echo Valley, Doubles from £142 a night (evranch.com)
Costa Rica: The Rainforest Getaway
With Bali and Asian destinations off the list for LGBTQIA+ honeymooners, if you want a tropical escape head to Costa Ricia and the Oxygen Jungle Villas. The hotel’s 12 villas are submerged into their protected rainforest environment and are set in a coastline that is home to humpback whales seven months of the year. The highlights? The infinity pool with rattan sun loungers, looking out to the home of the humpback whales, the O2 Restaurant that serves a five-course surprise menu each night using local produce and you can have a massage in a secluded, private part of the rainforest. You will never get bored surrounded by this much nature and the real bonus is there’s hardly anyone there!
Oxygen Jungle Villas, Doubles start from £332 a night (oxygenjunglevillas.com)
Mexico: The Caribbean alternative
If you want an alternative to the Caribbean island honeymoon destinations, Delek Tulum is the beach retreat destination for you. Set on a private beach on the Cobalt Caribbean coast, the hotel has 21 unique suites including master suites with semi-open-air bathrooms which allow you to soak in carved concrete baths whilst embracing the star lit skies and ocean sounds around you. This hotel is for barefoot honeymooners who just want to chill out and enjoy each other’s company. Top tips? Sample the hotel’s mouth watering Mexican dishes and have a margarita infused afternoon siesta in one of the hammocks lining the private beach. And as the hotel was built completely sustainably and it acitvely supports Mexico’s indigenous communities, this is honeymooning with a conscience.
Delek Tulum Doubles from, £217.20 (https://delektulum.com/)
United States of America: The road trip honeymooners
The California road trip up Route 66 from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is the ultimate honeymoon choice for those who want an adventure, don’t want to stay in one place for too long and also think their new marriage can survive hours upon hours in the car together. But one place that doesn’t always feature highly on the list, actually makes for an off-beat honeymoon location: the Big Sur and The Post Ranch Inn. It is the place to stay if you want to stop off somewhere longer that is a little different to the Wine Country of Sonoma or the big gay bustle of San Francisco. High on top of the cliffs of the Big Sur, all the rooms at The Post Ranch Inn are sans TVs and alarm clocks as all you need are the hotel’s other worldly views to entertain you. The adults only hotel has so many jaw dropping unique rooms to choose from, including Tree Houses and all suites with either ocean or mountain views. The range of activities on offer from forest meditation to falconry to the usual calming spa treatments all scream ‘quality time’ for your relationship and yourself, especially if the wedding preparations have worn you down. And you can always take a trip to the local vineyards, too if you need a tipple or two. But the real draw is the hotel’s Sierra Mar restaurant, set high on the cliffs of the Big Sur. You will experience a farm driven dining experience where the only thing that even competes with the architecture of this incredible restaurant is its natural views. You will not find better views of the Califronian coastline than this.
Post Ranch Inn, Doubles from £715 a night (https://www.postranchinn.com/)
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