Your Honeymoon: The Best Gift You’ll Ever Give Each Other
The wedding is over. The guests have gone home. And now, for the first time, it’s just the two of you.
Your honeymoon is more than just a holiday. It’s the very first trip you take as husband and wife, a rare window where you can leave every responsibility behind and focus entirely on each other. So where should you go? How much should you budget? What do you need to plan ahead? Read on, because we’ve put together the most practical honeymoon guide you’ll find.
Before You Book: The Essentials to Sort First
Great trips start with great preparation. Before you confirm any flights, here are the key things to lock in.
Time: Allow at Least 7 to 10 Days
A honeymoon should move at a different pace from your regular travels. Racing through attractions leaves you exhausted; sitting at a café together with nowhere to be is where the real magic happens. If your itinerary feels crammed, you’ve probably over-planned. Spaciousness is the point.
Budget: Plan Early so You Can Spend Freely
Honeymoon costs vary enormously depending on your destination. European destinations like Santorini and Paris typically run S$4,000 to S$9,000 per person including flights and accommodation; Southeast Asian gems like Bali are far more accessible at S$1,500 to S$3,000 per person whilst still feeling thoroughly luxurious. Getting your newlyweds’ financial planning sorted early, with a dedicated honeymoon fund set aside, means you won’t have to second-guess every splurge along the way.
As a newly married couple in Singapore, it’s also worth exploring the various government schemes available to you. The Singapore Marriage and Parenthood Benefits guide covers housing grants, baby bonuses, and other financial support that could free up more of your budget for the trip of a lifetime.
Your Rings: Protect Them on the Road
Your wedding jewellery is often the last thing you think about when packing, but it deserves attention. Swimming, hiking, and spa treatments can all damage a ring if you’re not careful. Brush up on how to care for your wedding rings before you travel, so your rings look just as stunning in the final day’s photos as they did on the first.
Honeymoon Destinations TOP 5: Find Your Perfect Match
🌊 No. 1: The Maldives, A Private Paradise in the Indian Ocean
Ask a hundred couples where they’d go for their honeymoon and most of them will say the Maldives first.
Overwater bungalows perched above lagoon water so clear you can see the sand beneath. Private beaches with candlelit dinners at sunset. All-inclusive resorts where the only decision you need to make each morning is whether to snorkel or simply float. The Maldives is, without question, one of the most purpose-built romantic destinations on the planet.
Best Time to Visit: November to April, during the dry season, for consistently clear skies and calm seas.
Budget Guide: Overwater villas typically start from S$600 to S$1,600 per night depending on the resort tier. Factor in five to seven nights for the full experience.
One Thing to Note: The Maldives is a dry country as a whole, though most private island resorts operate their own policies on alcohol. Confirm before booking if this matters to you.
🏛 No. 2: Santorini, Greece, Cliffside Romance on the Aegean
Santorini has earned its place as Europe’s most iconic honeymoon island, and it absolutely lives up to the reputation.
White-washed walls and blue-domed churches, the famous Oia sunset viewed from a cliffside terrace, local wine at a taverna, volcanic black sand beaches and a turquoise caldera stretching to the horizon. For couples who love a visual backdrop that feels almost impossibly beautiful, nowhere quite compares. Book accommodation in Oia or Imerovigli for those signature caldera views from your own private balcony.
Best Time to Visit: May to June or September to October. The summer crowds thin out, the weather is glorious, and prices are slightly more reasonable.
Budget Guide: Including flights from Singapore, expect to budget S$4,000 to S$7,500 per person. Infinity pool suites are the most sought-after choice for honeymooners.
Trip Extension: Combine Santorini with two to three days in Athens for a contrast of island serenity and ancient history.
🌿 No. 3: Bali, Indonesia, A Tropical Escape with Soul
If you’re after a honeymoon that blends nature, culture, and genuine luxury without breaking the bank, Bali consistently delivers.
Private jungle pool villas in Ubud, golden sunset beaches in Seminyak and Kuta, world-class wellness retreats in Nusa Dua, terraced rice paddies at dawn, and Hindu temples that feel like they were placed there by the universe specifically for your Instagram grid. Bali’s beauty is layered and it reveals itself slowly, which makes it ideal for a honeymoon spent at a relaxed pace.
Best Time to Visit: April to October during the dry season, when outdoor activities are at their best.
Budget Guide: Including flights from Singapore (just under three hours), expect to budget S$1,500 to S$3,000 per person. Private pool villas start from around S$200 per night, making genuine luxury surprisingly accessible.
Must-Do Experience: Book a couples’ jungle spa treatment in Ubud. It’s quintessentially Bali and makes for a honeymoon memory that’s genuinely hard to replicate anywhere else.
🗼 No. 4: Paris, France, The City That Invented Romance
Paris is the answer to a honeymoon question that didn’t even need to be asked.
A kiss beneath the Eiffel Tower, a Seine river dinner cruise at dusk, mornings with croissants at a marble-topped café in Le Marais, and the kind of effortless beauty in every cobblestone corner that makes you understand why so many love stories are set here. For couples who adore art, fashion, food and the sensation of wandering somewhere genuinely beautiful, Paris is as close to perfection as city honeymoons get.
Best Time to Visit: April to June for spring blossoms, or September to October for golden autumn light and fewer tourists than peak summer.
Budget Guide: Including flights, expect to budget S$5,000 to S$9,000 per person. Staying in the 7th arrondissement or Saint-Germain-des-Prés puts you within walking distance of the major sights.
Honeymoon Bonus: Arrange a bridal portrait shoot in the Palace of Versailles gardens for photographs you’ll have framed on your wall for decades.
🍁 No. 5: Kyoto, Japan, Four Seasons of Pure Beauty
For Singaporean couples, Japan is one of the most naturally appealing honeymoon destinations, and Kyoto is its most enchanting chapter.
Golden pavilions reflected in still ponds, bamboo groves in Arashiyama, lantern-lit geisha districts in Gion, moss gardens so quiet you can hear yourself breathe. Kyoto is one of those places that changes entirely with the seasons: cherry blossoms in spring, fireflies along the Kamo River in summer, crimson maple canopies in autumn, and hushed snowfall over temple rooftops in winter. Whichever season you choose, there’s a distinct atmosphere waiting to become part of your story.
Best Time to Visit: Late March to April for sakura season, or mid-November to early December for autumn foliage. Both periods are magical but do attract crowds, so book accommodation well in advance.
Budget Guide: Including flights from Singapore (roughly seven to eight hours), expect to budget S$1,500 to S$3,000 per person. Staying in a converted machiya townhouse or a ryokan inn adds an extra layer of immersion.
Trip Extension: Combine Kyoto with Nara (deer park and ancient temples) or Osaka (street food heaven), easily done in three to five days total.
Planning Tips to Make Your Honeymoon Truly Memorable
Choosing a destination is just the beginning. How you shape the trip matters just as much.
Build Empty Space Into Your Itinerary
Don’t fill every hour. The moments you’ll remember most from your honeymoon aren’t the famous landmarks; they’re the unplanned ones: a spontaneous detour down an alley neither of you recognised, a shared bottle of wine on your hotel balcony at midnight, breakfast in bed with nowhere to be until noon. Leave room for those.
Tell the Hotel It’s Your Honeymoon
Always. Most quality hotels will arrange rose petal turndown service, a complimentary dessert, a room upgrade, or a welcome amenity simply because you mentioned it. Email the property directly after booking to share the news. It takes two minutes and frequently results in something wonderful.
Consider a Bridal Portrait Session Abroad
Many couples now incorporate an overseas bridal portrait shoot into their honeymoon itinerary. If you haven’t yet settled on your gown style, A Bride’s Guide to Finding the Perfect Wedding Dress is worth reading before you travel, so your look is ready well before departure.
Look Your Best for Every Moment
Your honeymoon will be full of photographs worth keeping forever. Bridal beauty prep: whether to DIY or go professional before the wedding walks you through what to prioritise so that you arrive at your honeymoon glowing and camera-ready.
It All Starts with the Ring
Every honeymoon begins long before the flight. It begins with the moment you said yes.
If you’re still in the midst of planning your proposal or choosing your rings, these resources are worth bookmarking: understanding how to choose the perfect engagement ring, knowing the difference between an engagement ring and a wedding band, and figuring out how much to budget for a proposal ring are all essential reading before you visit any jeweller.
For something truly one-of-a-kind, ALUXE offers acredo German-crafted bespoke wedding rings that let you design a ring as unique as your relationship. If you’re weighing up your diamond options, the guide to natural diamonds vs lab-grown diamonds will help you make a confident, informed decision.
For proposal inspiration, the ultimate proposal planning guide and a roundup of the world’s most romantic proposal locations are perfect starting points.
Once the proposal is done, you’ll want to think about how to choose the perfect wedding date and explore some of the most beautiful outdoor wedding venues in Taiwan for those dreaming of a destination celebration.
For even more honeymoon destination ideas, our guide to the 10 hottest honeymoon destinations has plenty more inspiration to explore.
Begin Your Brilliant Journey Together
Every beautiful honeymoon deserves a ring to match. Explore our GIA Diamond Knowledge Centre to understand what makes each stone extraordinary, or browse the engagement ring collection to find the one that speaks to your love story. Ready to take the next step? Book a boutique appointment and let our consultants guide you to the perfect ring before your most romantic journey begins.
References
Editor’s Note
There’s something quietly wonderful about watching a couple walk out of our boutique with a ring they love, already half-planning where their honeymoon will take them. A honeymoon doesn’t need to be flawless to be perfect. It just needs to be yours. Whatever destination you choose, set the phone down for a few hours each day, look at each other, and be present. That’s the part you’ll actually remember.
One Ring, a Lifetime of Promises
From diamond shapes and 4Cs to band style and comfort fit, our team will guide you to the wedding rings that truly reflect who you are as a couple.Not sure which ring is “the one”? Visit ALUXE to try on different designs in person and see how each piece looks and feels on your hand.
Honeymoon FAQ
