Honeymoons in Asia
A honeymoon in Asia asks you to decide early what kind of trip it is. A few days on a private island, a long culture-led route with a beach at the end, or a slow wellness week all work, and they are different trips. The weather decides the rest, because the best beach season and the best sightseeing season do not coincide everywhere.
This page is about those choices, not about romance in general. If you are looking for the full range of honeymoon ideas, our honeymoon page lists them. Here we help you narrow them down by month, by pace and by what to ask a hotel.
Island, culture or both
If the priority is rest, choose one island and stay. The Philippines' Bacuit Archipelago and Sri Lanka's south coast suit this. If you want to see something, put the culture first and the beach last, so that you arrive at the sea tired and leave rested. Vietnam and Cambodia, or Japan and a few days at an onsen, work this way.
Splitting a short trip between three places is the usual mistake. Two is plenty.
Weather first
Match the beach to its dry season. The Philippines and the Andaman coast are best from about December to April, Bali from April to October and Sri Lanka's south and west from December to March. Our month-by-month guides show every region side by side, and the wrong choice can mean a week of rain.
A wedding date is rarely flexible, and that is fine. If it falls in a region's wet months, move the destination, not the date. March to May suits the Philippines and island trips like it, October to March suits Sri Lanka and southern India, and a spring wedding opens Japan and Bhutan. Choosing the place after the date is easier than the other way round.
What to ask a hotel
Ask about the room, not the label. A room called a honeymoon suite can be the same room with flowers. Ask about the bed, the view, the noise at night, the distance to the beach and whether the restaurant takes bookings for two on the first evening. Ask whether the stay includes breakfast, and what the cancellation terms are.
Tell us the date of the wedding when you write. Some hotels offer a small gesture, and we can ask, but we do not promise one.
Pace and privacy
A private car and guide on the days you want to see something, and nothing booked on the days you do not. Late check-outs are worth asking about, especially if you arrive on an overnight flight.
Flights, jet lag and the first night
Long-haul flights to Asia usually land you tired, often at night. Book the first night at the hotel you most want to sleep in, and ask about early check-in or an extra night so that the room is ready when you arrive. Spend the first full day doing very little.
If the wedding is the weekend before you fly, give yourselves a day at home first. Starting a trip exhausted is the most common way to waste its first three days.
7 days · Manila, El Nido
El Nido, by Island Resort
Four nights on a private island in the Bacuit Archipelago, with a private boat day
from €300 per person per day
Two nights in Manila, then four at an island resort in El Nido with a private boat day. Best from December to May.
10 days · Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An
Vietnam & Cambodia for Two
A private junk on Ha Long Bay, lantern-lit Hoi An, Angkor at dawn
from €300 per person per day
Culture first, then Cambodia's temples and a quiet finish. A balanced trip for couples who want to see something.
14 days · Colombo, Sigiriya, Kandy
Sri Lanka: Coast & Culture
Sigiriya, the hill-country train, Yala safaris and Galle Fort
from €200 per person per day
Two weeks for a longer honeymoon, with a train through the hills and the sea at the end.
Tell us the month, the length and whether you want to do something every day or almost nothing, and we will build it around that.
How far ahead should we book?
Four to six months for the peak months, and earlier for island resorts, which have few rooms. The best rooms go first. Outside the peak you can book two to three months ahead, though flights are cheaper the earlier you buy them.
How long should a honeymoon trip be?
Ten to fourteen days gives you two places and a proper rest. Under a week, choose one. Three places in two weeks is a tour, not a honeymoon.
Do we need visas?
Rules depend on your passports and they change. Check the embassy or official government site of each country before you book. We list what we know in our itineraries, but you must confirm it for your own passports.
When to go
Asia by month · January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December
Other guides
Multigenerational trips · Teenagers · Solo travellers · LGBTQ+ travellers
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