21 Couples Share Their Amazing, Atypical Honeymoon Destinations

Forget Florida, Hawaii, and Paris! These couples decided to ditch the non-traditional honeymoon destinations and spend their QT time together in locales more obscure.

So if you're in the market for zanier, less cliché honeymoon ideas, you've come to right the place.

From Whistler, Canada to New Zealand and the Cook Islands to Madeira, we've rounded up all the best destinations the standard honeymoon guides won't tell you about. 

Hooray for off-the-beaten-path adventure!

1. The Pacific Coast Highway

"More of an adventure/road trip. We aren't really beach bums and liked the idea of leisurely exploring the coast and seeing parts of Cali that we wouldn't normally see (Carmel, Cambria, Hearst Castle, etc)."

2. Red Lobster

"Had a gift card. Delicious and easy. The wedding was secret and he was leaving on tour the next day. Wedding: Check. Honeymoon: Check. Done and done in 3 hours."

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3. Whistler, B.C.

"We don't really like the heat. We're way more 'mountain people' than we are 'beach people'. Plus, we could drive there and all the money we saved on airfare could be spent on delicious food and drinks. Also, we fell in love over snowboarding, and since we got married in December it was perfect."

4. Maine

"We wanted a cabin and the ocean and we couldn't afford to go overseas. Plus, it's beautiful!"

5. New Zealand and the Cook Islands

"New Zealand for wine tasting in the Marlborough region (my favorite wines come from there), and the Cooks because we wanted the South Pacific but not a typical location that someone we knew had already been to (Tahiti, Fiji, etc)."

6. A murder mystery cruise

"I had gone on a few before I met my now-husband. And we found out the group that runs it was doing one the weekend after we got married. We both love solving puzzles and games, so we thought it would be fun as a mini-moon after the wedding (we had taken a pre-honeymoon to Europe 6 months prior). It had the romance of a cruise with the fun of solving a murder."

7. Venezuela

"Venezuela isn't as politically stable or safe as it was back then, but we had an amazing time and Los Roques is one of the most beautiful places on the planet." 

8. A spa

"Sara and I eloped on a Sunday, spent the night in a cabin in the woods, and spent the next day pampering ourselves at the Spa at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY."

9. The Alps

"A new place every two days. There's a reason people like to go laze on a beach after a wedding."

10. Africa

"I love animals and love being totally out of my element, so this trip satisfied both."

11. Madeira, Portugal

"It's an island that belongs to Portugal next to Africa. We wanted something different. It was like being in the movie 'Cocoon'."

12. Utah

"Our 'pre-honeymoon' right after the wedding was to Utah. We relaxed in Park City and camped/hiked in Canyonlands and Arches. Then we went to SE Asia for our 'real honeymoon' on our one-year anniversary. We figured we would be too tired right after the wedding for a three-week adventure on the other side of the world."

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13. Costa Rica

"We wanted a little bit of everything — adventure, beaches, and rainforests! We hiked Arenal Volcano and then enjoyed time in the hot springs, went on a two-day Class IV white water trip and camped in a hut in the middle of the jungle where our guides made fantastic food and we saw poisonous coral snakes, got massages in the middle of the rain forest, and then spent time on the beach with lizards running around behind us and sloths in the trees. It was amazing!"

14. Goa, India

"We married in India (I lived in Boston, he lived in DC) and our wedding in India. We wanted time apart from the families so we packed a bag and turned up at the airport and decided to take the first flight anywhere for a few days alone. It was Goa the next morning, so we slept at the airport and flew out."

15. Mendocino, California

"We couldn't afford a 'real' honeymoon and we lived in Sonoma County about two hours away. I think we both found the seaside very romantic and it seemed like a happy medium to Hawaii, where we probably would have gone if we could have afforded it. (We were grad students too proud to accept help!) And if you haven't been there, it's incredibly quaint and lovely and I don't regret it for an instant. We didn't get to Hawaii for another 10 years!"

16. Northeast road trip

"We went to the Northeast (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire). It was during the fall, and we did a road trip and stayed in bed and breakfasts along the way."

17. Lakeside cabin

"We went to a woodland cabin by a gorgeous lake. It was winter so there was a fireplace and hot tub in the cabin. Gorgeous wintery views were all we needed!"

18. Italian road trip

"We did a three-week road trip through Italy. My big goal was to try the world's best pizza in Napoli, which I did, and it was the highlight of my life."

19. Barbados

"Beautiful Barbados at Sam Lords Castle where my new hubby learned to drive a stick-shift in our rental car with the steering wheel on the right side. We were challenged by rough terrain, hills, and drivers tailgating us all the way up laying on their horns because my husband was shifting into wrong gears and the car kept sputtering and dying out. I wasn't sure we'd ever be around to see the first anniversary. That was some honeymoon!"

20. Galapagos

"Galapagos was perfect as it was the off-season in August and we practically had complete islands to ourselves. It's not the place to be for a relaxing beach vacation, though. Every day we had different adventures together from scuba-diving with friendly sharks to sea kayaking to cycling down volcanoes and snorkeling with sea lions and penguins. As you can imagine, we needed a second 'relaxing' honeymoon after this."

21. Portland, Oregon

"We flew spent a day in Seattle and then drove to Portland. We spent a week there basically drinking our way through the breweries and taprooms. We had just gone to Mexico a few months prior to getting married and we wanted to do more than just sit on a beach. And really, just all the beer." 

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