Here, Jane Anderson, Editor of 101 Honeymoons, selects the most romantic trips for epicureans.
Gastronomy in the Lakes
It’s not all Kendall mint cake and Cumberland sausage when you head to the Lake District on honeymoon. Gilpin Hotel & Lake House offers an indulgent Gilpinmoon package in a Spa Suite with views of the Fells, along with in-room spa treatments and culinary treats. After champagne on arrival, couples enjoy a spa hamper packed with Pure Lakes products and tickets for a romantic cruise on Windermere, dinner at Gilpin’s 2AA Rosette pan-Asian restaurant, Gilpin Spice, followed by two nights of fine dining tasting menu experiences with wine pairings including one evening at the Michelin-starred SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel.
Scottish Seafood Trail
Image: Visit Scotland
Get your tartan picnic rug at the ready and your oyster knife sharpened for a wildly romantic romp around the west coast of Scotland where the seafood doesn’t get any fresher. McKinlay Kidd’s seven-night Scottish Seafood Trail includes a cookery demonstration and lunch at a fine-dining restaurant in Arduaine, stays on the shores of Loch Linnhe, a shellfish safari near Gairloch with lunch, and a finale at a fine-dining hotel in Achiltibuie.
Home cooking in Umbria
For an indulgent romp around Italy, Oliver’s Travels suggest starting in the romantic Tuscan city of Florence, followed by a foodie-led exploration of Umbria. Begin your adventure in a penthouse suite at Ponte Vecchio Apartment with the cuisine of Florence on your doorstep, before heading to Residenza Portici in Umbria, an ancient family palazzo where the owners will organise for a senora in the village to cook a traditional five-course meal for two with hand-made pasta and local wine.
Hot flavours of Mexico
Honeymooners in search of fiery flavours and colourful cuisine will adore Oaxaca, the gastronomic capital of Mexico. Think traditional mezcal, moles, tlayudas, asado, spicy hot chocolate and grasshopper. Turquoise Holidays suggests combining Oaxaca with Mexico City, the home of tacos and now one of the world’s most innovative and exciting gastronomic capitals.
South Africa’s foodie road trip
Cape Town and the Cape Winelands are two of the best destinations to find organic local produce, fine wines and world-class cooking. Spend your honeymoon exploring iconic vineyards tucked into breathtaking valleys. Fine dining experiences are paired with famous wines, South African whiskys and craft beers for the ultimate southern hemisphere foodie honeymoon with Mahlatini.
Cambodia cuisine and culture
Inspiring Travel recommends Cambodia as one of the world’s fastest-emerging foodie hotspots. Khmer cuisine is a favourite of some of the world's leading chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Rick Stein, and on this trip you get to dine at Phnom Penh’s top-rated restaurant, enjoy a picnic in the foothills of the Oudong Mountains and take a traditional cookery class. You’ll also have time to explore the majestic sights of Cambodia, from the temples of Angkor to beautiful Tonlé Sap Lake.
Sri Lanka’s food trail
For one of the most exciting food experiences in Asia, Experience Travel Group has created a new 12-night tour of Sri Lanka to coincide with the Gourmet Galle Food Festival. Perfect for couples who bond over pol roti and sour fish curries, this chauffeur-driven honeymoon includes the island’s best-kept foodie secrets along the island’s south coast including a 15-course Kamatha farmhouse dinner and a private cooking demo, ‘teaology’ in the Hill Country, plus spice-infused cocktails at one of the best beach bars in Asia.
Big Canadian mountains and menus
Food doesn’t get any bigger than in Canada – with scenery to match. Honeymooners in search of robust flavours and impressive scenery will love Canadian Sky’s 12-night self-drive Mountains and Menus tour of British Columbia. Highlights include farm-to-fork produce in Vancouver’s Granville Island Market, the ice wines of Okanagan Valley, and a foodie tour of the mountain resort of Whistler. There’s plenty of kayaking, wildflower meadow strolls and wild swimming to build up your appetites.
Eat your way around the Italian Lakes
Head to the Italian Lakes and you’ll find fine food everywhere you look, from ‘forno a legna’ (wood-fired) pizzerias to high-end Michelin-starred chefs such as Ettore Bocchia at Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on Lake Como. Whether you want to take an authentic local cooking class, jet ski around the lake, or relax with a chilled glass of Aperitivo Chiare, Italy specialist Citalia has a delicious honeymoon all mapped out.
Brazilian kitchen for two
Frozen caipirinhas at the ready, you’ll be toasting one another in style on a Brazilian foodie honeymoon with local specialists Dehouche. Begin your adventure in style in Rio De Janeiro, with its red-hot food scene, tasting some authentic local cuisine with the Cariocas, and meeting one of the city’s top chefs for a tour of a local market and a masterclass in Brazilian cuisine. Discovering Brazil through the medium of food takes you from the big city to tiny villages like Atins on the mangrove-lined Preguicas River for local organic flavours at Vila Santa Teresa.
Five-star flavours of Corfu
If you’re thinking of a Greek Island honeymoon with a foodie focus, check out Nido by Mar-Bella Collection, a small luxury adult-only hideaway on the coast of Corfu. It offers wine tasting and cooking lessons, along with a culinary tour of Corfu Old Town, a visit to the Governor’s olive mill, and a tour of the Theotoky wine estate. The hotel also hosts its own food festival, Greek Chefs Abroad, featuring the best Greek chefs from around the world.
By Jane Anderson
March 2024