Honeymoon Hideaways

Never be shy when you’re booking your honeymoon hotel. Make sure the travel agent, the tour company and the hotel know what you will be celebrating, and provides you with the best honeymoon travel deals. Some operators organize extras for honeymooners that don’t appear on the bill, like flowers and a bottle of wine in the room. But they are wise to couples who try it on. Hoteliers and operators are tired of folk pretending they are newlywed in the hope of a free drink or meal. You might just be asked to show your marriage certificate before the goodies appear.

Double bed: If you want a double bed for your honeymoon, a reasonable expectation, you need to choose your country and your hotel carefully. In most tourist and business hotels, a ‘twin’ room means two single beds and a ‘double’ mean one large bed. But you will be hard pressed to find a proper double bed in a Spanish hotel or in Greece. American hotels have wide, wide beds and even the two beds in their ‘twin’ rooms can each be nearly the size of a British standard double. In France, hold your arms out wide and ask for a ‘matrimonial’. Some countries call double beds ‘French’ beds.

Stuck with twin beds? If it is possible to push the twin beds together, put the mattresses across the beds and there will be less chance of them sliding apart and one of you falling through the gap in the middle.

Wrong room: If you booked and were promised a double bed not a twin bedroom, and you are given the key to a twin room, complain at once. Don’t wait until you have unpacked or until the next morning.

Passion killers: If you are planning to honeymoon far far away, bear in mind that sugar-white beaches, tropical sunshine and film-star cocktails can take their toll on more than the joint savings account. Jet-lag, stomach bugs and sunburn are no respecters of romance.