When planning your perfect wedding day who wouldn’t be looking for the dream honeymoon to match? But between the flowers, favours and the flights costs can rack up pretty quickly.
With these top ten budget-friendly getaways you can count your pennies without compromising on all the once-in-a-lifetime experiences, dynamic culture and delicious cuisine you could want for your first adventure as newlyweds.
Morocco oozes Arabian exoticism and romance © Mauricio Abreu / Getty ImagesMorocco
Arabian exoticism, fragrant spices – and lovely low prices. ’s hard to beat for bargain romance. , Fez and offer time-warp medinas chock-full of character and cheap cafes. Eschew your sense of direction to get lost in the maze-like souqs – the shopping possibilities are plentiful, with everything from carpets to babouches to be snapped up. Converted riads (traditional courtyard houses) offer accommodation with oodles of atmosphere; some are pricey but many are astonishingly reasonable, enabling palace-like stays on a pauper’s budget.
Even budget 'mooners can get the first-class treatment on India's railways © Hira Punjabi / Getty ImagesIndia
Long-favoured by the impecunious, has become more expensive – but, mostly, it’s still amazingly cheap. For instance, opulent Palace On Wheels trains might be dear, but even budget ’mooners can afford first-class on India Rail – a Delhi-Udaipur overnighter costs around US$20 second-class, and only US$10 more in first-class sleeper.
A street vendor selling pho on a floating market in Vietnam © hadynah / Getty ImagesVietnam
You could get by for less than US$10 a day in and still eat like a king – it’s street-food heaven. Make sure to sample the city’s signature dishes: beef pho, bun cha (barbecued pork with rice noodles) and chow a bánh mì (baguette) as you wander. A mid-range trip won’t break the bank either, but will buy more characterful guesthouses, a better cruise and memorable experiences (a cookery class, a cycle around ) with change left for a beach stay on beautiful .
Let your fancy side out for less with a delicious pastel de nata in one of Portugal's cute cafes © Luismaxx / Getty ImagesPortugal
is liberating. The little anxieties – is that cafe too posh for us? Can we afford another coffee? – don’t exist here. Even in fancier establishments, espressos usually cost less than US$1, beers no more than US$2. You find yourself ordering a second pastel de nata (divine Portuguese custard tart) – well, why not? There are cute casas and converted farmhouses oozing charm for under US$100 a night, too.
Indonesia's diverse landscapes offer endless opportunities for adventure © Soft_Light / Getty ImagesIndonesia
Numbers are high, costs are low in . Rooms might start from a startling-sounding 350,000 rupiah – but that’s only US$25. It’s easy to be a millionaire here, so even budget ’mooners can afford plenty of fun. Obvious-choice has great beaches, boutique stays, culture in , cracking surf. But Indonesia has 17,000 isles! Consider and the , culture and volcanoes on and jungle adventures on .
Dive over kaleidoscopic reefs in Honduras © Joe Dovala / Getty ImagesHonduras
is the budget choice in Central America. Inexpensive food and lodgings are easily found. It’s also one of the cheapest places to learn to dive. Head for the white sands of to scuba or simply relax by the for less; the nearby islands of offer the most romantic escape. Tack on the Mayan ruins of and adventures in .
Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia may be lesser-known, but is no less impressive than Angkor Wat © sihasakprachum / Getty ImagesCambodia
is a happy marriage of world-beating sights and budget-friendly prices. It’s home to , for which a seven-day entry ticket costs US$72 – ridiculously expensive compared with everything else in the country; ridiculously cheap for a week’s worth of exploring the vastness of the site’s Unesco-listed temples and jungle. Cheap beers (US$1), meals (US$2) and ever-improving low-cost accommodation ice the cake.
Hit the slopes of Bankso for prime powder at bargain prices © Mike Harrington / Getty ImagesBulgaria
Not the most obvious honeymoon choice, but an inexpensive option whatever the season. Capital has enough to interest urbanites. Sun-lovers can loll by the : soft sand, beers for US$2 – what’s not to love? Winter-mooners can hit Europe’s best-value skiing: and have slopes for all levels, plus family-run pensions, hearty taverns and (thanks to that cheap beer) lively après-ski.
Share the road with South Africa's magnificent wildlife on a self-drive safari in Kruger National Park © Alta Oosthuizen / Getty ImagesSouth Africa
Safaris aren’t usually budget options, but in you can save by self-driving ’s 2WD-friendly roads, staying at rest camps en route. Right across the country, food prices are good and accommodation plentiful, ensuring there’s something for all budgets – the winery hotels on the are particularly good value compared with those in rival wine regions around the world. The best bargain? The Shosholoza Meyl Sleeper train runs virtually the same scenic route, between and , as the luxurious Blue Train but costs a twentieth of the price.
Soak up some culture and admire the colourful architecture of San Juan, Puerto Rico © dennisvdw / Getty ImagesPuerto Rico
The Hispanic islands tend to offer the best value in the paradisiacal-but-pricey Caribbean. has affordable inns and resorts, plus super sand and more history than most – capital is one of the Americas’ oldest cities. For extra honeymoon magic, kayak at night with glowing plankton in . For extra savings, go in May: prices are up to 40% cheaper May to early December because of hurricane season (June-November), but in May it hasn’t begun yet.
If Italy is out of budget, Croatia makes for a pretty stunning compromise © Ascent/PKS Media Inc / Getty Images
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