Honeymoon the Huben Way

Hugh and Ben, owners of Huben Travel, on a sofa in their home

Huben Travel is a dynamic premium travel agency for the LGBTQ+ community offering holidaymakers a distinctive 'Two Voices, Your Choices' approach. Husbands Hugh and Ben Eddon-Carruthers, specialise in tailor-making personalised, high-quality travel itineraries and have got their heads together to offer their top advice when it comes to booking your honeymoon over the coming months and years...

Planning a wedding is hectic and so for our honeymoon, we just want a 'fly and flop'. Where do you suggest?

For sun-soaked short-haul 'r&r', we highly recommend choosing to stay in a private villa on one of the lesser known Greek islands like Naxos or Paros. This way you'll avoid the crowds found on more mainstream islands like Crete and Corfu and be able to celebrate your new status as newlyweds in relative seclusion while still being able to soak up the local Greek culture and unwind on beaches nestled in picturesque coves. If you're looking for your honeymoon to take you long haul, The Seychelles and Mauritius are both LGBTQ+ friendly and offer a wealth of luxury accommodation. Fancy Mauritius? We're big fans of the Oberoi Beach Resort which is set amidst lush sub-tropical gardens and on the pristine white sand beach of Turtle Bay, a natural marine park. The hotel features private pool villas meaning you can relax and unwind in secluded splendour – and even have food delivered to your very own raised dining area.If The Seychelles is calling your name, we can hook you up with a stay at the truly special Six Senses Residences Zil Pasyon, a luxury resort set in tropical surroundings on Félicité, a private island with picture-perfect beaches and massive granite boulders. Get there by a scenic 20-minute helicopter journey or an exhilarating one-hour boat trip.

Female couple on chairs on a snow capped mountain

We'd love a honeymoon in a winter wonderland setting. If we called you asking for help with this enquiry, where would you recommend? The Canadian province of Alberta offers breathtaking Rocky Mountain landscapes. Traditionally very busy in summer, a top insider tip is to visit in winter. Although a favourite of many skiers, popular locations like Banff, Johnston Canyon, Lake Louise and Jasper can be explored in relative solitude. Don't miss the opportunity to drive the 232km long Icefields Parkway to see staggering natural beauty in Banff and Jasper National Parks – it's one of the world's most iconic road trips and will allow you to see the Columbia Icefields and the Athabasca Glacier. On reaching Jasper, be sure to check out Maligne Canyon – if you're brave, try ice climbing on a frozen waterfall. Plus, if you're an LGBTQ+ couple you can rest easy as Alberta is a welcoming, accepting place full of friendly locals who embrace diversity and can't wait to show you the spellbinding beauty of their homeland. If you're looking to splash out while on honeymoon, you can't beat a stay at Fairmont's Chateau Lake Louise. If you stay here, don't miss the opportunity to take a guided snowshoeing tour through the mountains surrounding the famous lake.

Tel Aviv dock yard

For our honeymoon we're looking for a buzzy and exciting destination where we can let off some steam while also immersing ourselves in the local culture. As urbanite 'culture vultures' where should we go? Tel Aviv is a great option for a lively city break – and is seen as the Middle East's LGBTQ+ capital. Unlike much of the rest of the region, Israel is really welcoming to travellers from the community. Offering a world-class nightlife scene (particularly around the port and Great Synagogue), the city's beach-front promenade is lined with buzzy cafes and great spots to watch the sunset. For a cultural pitstop, don't miss Neve Tzedek, the city's oldest neighbourhood. It's now a trendy hub of fashion stores and cultural institutions. And when you're ready to chill out, you're spoilt for choice with beaches. Hilton Beach is popular with gay travellers, Gordon Beach is an ideal option if you fancy splitting your time between the swimming pool, sea and beach bar and Bograshov Beach is at the centre of it all and great spot for people watching. We also love that a city break to Tel Aviv can be easily combined with day trips to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. We're also fans of Jaffa's Old City – it's one of the oldest port cities in the world and blends a maze of stores and cafes into its flea market. The winding alleys of the Twelve Signs are a must see.

Aerial view of cape town south africa

You're a specialist agency for the LGBTQ+ community and focus on offering premium travel experiences. So where would recommend for newly married LGBTQ+ couples who want to go on a long-haul multi-centre honeymoon? South Africa is perfect for this – it offers the opportunity to combine a city break with a road trip through wine country before going on safari – a bucket list adventure for so many.Kick start your trip with a city break in Cape Town. Be sure to take a trip up Table Mountain. While you can take the Table Mountain Cableway up to the top, a great way to see the botany is to hike up the 500-million-year-old mountain. The views are epic. Another must see is the touristy, but buzzy V&A Waterfront. You'll also find the ferry to Robben Island departs from here – a worthwhile excursion if you're interested in history as it was here that Nelson Mandela was held for 27 years. And if you're a foodie, be sure to join one of the Cape Food & Wine Tours to learn about how the city took shape around the kitchen garden planted by the VOC (Dutch East India Company). And don't miss the penguins at Boulders Beach, less than an hour's drive from the city. After a couple of nights in Cape Town, head out to one of the most famous wine-producing regions in South Africa – Stellenbosch – for a stay on a vineyard.Make the grand finale of your trip the safari. We highly recommend staying in the luxury tented lodges of the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, a private game reserve near Cape Town. The staff here will treat you like royalty and you can enjoy responsible game drives one-on-one with a personal ranger.

Honeymoon the Huben Way

We're uncertain about booking a break overseas for the foreseeable future until we see how Covid-19 plays out. Where do you recommend for a special staycation honeymoon? The Cotswolds is a tried and tested favourite. A honeymoon here will give you access to beautiful villages, miles of scenic rolling hills and memorable experiences like pony trekking. Whenever we visit, we stay at The Fish Hotel near Broadway, a luxurious back-to-nature bolt hole. Offering upscale hotel rooms, plus accommodation in quirky shepherd's huts with outdoor hot tubs and treehouses, the hotel is also dog-friendly – ideal if you plan to have your canine companion join you on honeymoon. They'll thank you if you do, as the hotel offers a doggy agility course, special dog bathing area and a bespoke afternoon tea for them, too. Another great choice for a 'honeymoon at home' is to head for the wilds of Scotland.If you're looking for somewhere that offers privacy, a strong focus on sustainability and is adults-only, add a stay at Tallavey Cottages to your itinerary. Built around 1870 in Highland Perthshire, the original steading was part of a Highland Estate croft and has undergone significant renovation by the owners and now offers one of the most luxurious self-catering experiences in Scotland. From your own outdoor hot tub, you can relax under the stars and search for the northern lights. You'll be surrounded by local wildlife too and can join a local guided tour with Nature Nuts or take a kayaking trip with Outdoor Explore.Alternatively, go road tripping in Scotland and drive the North Coast 500. This'll give you the chance to see some jaw-dropping scenery and adventure through plenty of wide-open spaces away from the hustle and bustle of life back home. It's best done in style, so why not treat yourself to renting a Range Rover for the trip. We also highly recommend a stay along the way at the award-winning Kylesku Hotel in the northwest Scottish Highlands near the famous Kylesku Bridge.

Four Seasons Bora Bora

We're an LGBTQ+ couple and call you and explain that "Money's No Object". Where would you send us for a truly high-end honeymoon? French Polynesia is THE ultimate choice for a luxury LGBTQ+ honeymoon. At Four Seasons Bora Bora, you'll find high-end overwater bungalows with views of white-sand beaches in the shadow of Mount Otemanu. The Tahitian waters surrounding the resort teem with more than 100 species of marine life including exotic reef fish and colourful corals. To explore the underwater jungle, join a snorkel safari or go on an excursion led by resident marine biologist Denis Schneider, before returning to your bungalow to enjoy a world-class sunset from the comfort of your own private plunge pool.

For more travel inspiration visit: hubentravel.com

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