Mr & Mrs Smith On Honeymoons
Today help is at hand for all of you planning an amazing honeymoon. There are just so many choices and it's hard to know where to go, and when, so we are lucky to have Mr & Mrs Smith answering your questions live this morning.
The idea for Mr & Mrs Smith was sparked when co founders James Lohan and Tamara Heber-Percy spent a dreary weekend away in a so called ‘boutique hotel’; on their return they resolved to rescue couples from lacklustre minibreaks by self publishing a guide book, which appeared on shelves in 2003.
Today Smith is a global online booking service with more than 900 pulse quickening stays; but at heart, they’re still incurable romantics, with a soft spot for honeymoons.
If you’re a bride (or groom) to-be planning a post wedding trip, and you need a little advice, Smith travel consultant Alexandra Cagney – a French and Spanish speaking wanderer with a passion for Latin America and samba – is here to help, whether you want a short but very sweet minimoon or screw the budget multistop getaway.
Alexandra will be online from 9.30am to 1pm, to answer all honeymoon related ponderings, so questions at the ready.
Alexandra Cagney: Honeymoons are one of the most important holidays you’ll plan – no pressure – your first trip as Mr & Mrs should be about making memories and discovering exciting new things together: it might be something simple like trying a new wine, or more adventurous like climbing a frozen waterfall. It’s also a great excuse for booking a trip you’ve always dreamed about; to take some of the stress out of the planning (alongside a wedding), I recommend talking to an expert, like myself, who can make a set in stone plan a reality, or offer some tried and loved suggestions.
Shorthaul Honeymoon
Europe
If you want to spend a little more time enjoying newlywed life than reaching your destination, set a course for Spain’s Andalucia region. Flights from the UK to Seville arrive in just under three hours, leaving ample time to checkin to 18thcentury palace turned hotel Palacio de Villapanés, then hit the orange tree-lined streets. A mighty Gothic cathedral presides over the city’s colourful centro,and inventive tapas plates are washed down with txakolí white wine and rich rioja. Over Easter, Holy Week celebrations bring curious costumes and candlelit shrines to the streets – it’s a unique snapshot of Sevillan history. Next, drive past the sunbaked plains and villages on the hourlong drive to Córdoba, where Moorish magnificence reigns at the ogee-arch-sporting Hospes Palacio del Bailíohotel (although the Roman ruins in its restaurant hold their own), the Great Mosque of Córdoba and in parts of the Alcázar of the Christians. Then, drive south towards the coast. If you’re a history buff, or a fan of maximalist interiors, stop in Granada, to stay at whimsically dressed Hospes Palacio de los Patos and ogle the Alhambra fortress. To experience countryside and coast – where kitesurfing shifts your honeymoon into sixth gear – stay at Hacienda de San Rafael in Seville Province, where the shore is roughly a 50 minute drive away.
Longhaul Honeymoon
Argentina
I’m a little biased – this is my personal honeymoon daydream – but a holiday in Argentina is a great start to married life. Fly out to cosmopolitan capital Buenos Aires, where Tango is a near-religious pursuit, and steaks are uniformly grilled to perfection. Sultry Legado Mitico pays homage to Argentine icons, including Evita and Che, and it sits amid cobbled streets lined with shops and celeb-hangout restaurants. Recap the first dance at your wedding in the San Telmo barrio; even two-leftfooters will find somewhere they can sauce up their moves. Madonna belted out Don’t cry for me Argentinafrom the balcony at Casa Rosada, visitors can see the famed spot, but I recommend not bursting into song. Mendoza is a two hour flight from Buenos Aires. Argentina’s renowned wine route snakes through the regions improbably green valleys. Drink and be merry at Casa de Uco, an ecofriendly stay surrounded by vineyards and soaring Andean peaks. Stop for tastings at small wineries nearby, and sample Francis Mallmann's just right steaks at Siete Fuegos. A two hour flight north lies the rugged Salta region. At Finca Valentina ranch, equestrian ephemera adds a rustic touch to light modern interiors.The owners can arrange visits to see the Humahuaca Gorge’s ochre to sagecoloured striations. Estancia la Bamba de Areco wears its impeccable horsey heritage like a first prize rosette: staff dress like gauchos, horse riding is included in room rates and polo teams practice here. The old school stay also hosts an authentic asado (Argentinian barbecue). For serious sunlounging, join the beautiful bodies stretched Estancia Vik José Ignacio’s private beach deck, across the border in Uruguay. So fire away with any honeymoon related questions you may have and Alexandra will help you create your ultimate getaway.
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Honeymoon