How to Plan Your Bespoke Honeymoon

One size most definitely does not fit all when it comes to honeymoons, and if you have so far failed to fall in love with any honeymoon packages offered up by your travel agent, you might consider planning your own, bespoke trip.

Choosing Your Honeymoon Package

Package trips are great if you want everything organised for you, from your flight to your accommodation and even your excursions, but if you are looking for the ultimate in flexibility, and you want complete control over every aspect of your honeymoon, then a bespoke trip is most likely to suit you and your partner more.

Honeymoon Resorts - What and Where?

Start by researching the honeymoon resorts that appeal to you. The easiest way to do this is to set about arming yourself with a wad of brochures from the travel agents.

Travel agents are always a good place to start even if you do not intend to book your trip with them – you can ask questions about the area and get a feel for the accommodation on offer, and see how they rate it.

Once you have a short list of possible hotels start doing your homework on them! The travel agents glossy brochure won't of course tell you about the building site behind the honeymoon suite, or the inedible food on the all inclusive buffet, so get online and hunt out some impartial holiday review websites and blogs – there are loads out there, and they will give you an honest and realistic appraisal of the resorts you are interested in.

How to Go Bespoke

Once you've satisfied yourself with the quality of the hotel or resort, then you'll need to approach them directly for room rates.

You might find that booking direct saves you a considerable amount of money whilst still retaining any honeymooners perks like room upgrades and special welcome packages. Enquire about special deals for honeymooners and ask them to match what you travel agents is offering but at their direct booking price.

Flights of Fancy

Booking your flights should be a simple case of checking out the best deal available and then buying your tickets – in theory. Generally, with low cost airlines, the earlier you book, the cheaper the cost of your ticket. Look out for special deals and offers and book as far in advance as you can – many of the new, smaller companies have special promotions on several times a year where flights can be obtained for ridiculously low prices. Always remember to factor in additional costs though when working out your budget – a £50 bargain flight could be triple that by the time you have added taxes and any further charges for hold luggage or any specialised equipment – sports kit, for example – that you may wish to put in the hold.

Discount Deals

Contact the local tourist office for the honeymoon resort you are planning to stay in – find out about special passes or deals for attractions and events – booking in advance may net you a discount, and at the very least enable you to avoid queues at the ticket offices!

Planning your own bespoke honeymoon can make it a totally individual, one off holiday – plan it with military precision, and you'll have the trip of your life!