Newlyweds are on the move, increasingly and wildly interested in experiencing new horizons in Central and South America. And with today’s honeymooners, it is rare that this most treasured of memories will be a one-stop destination. Consider just a couple of compelling combos.
Chile
In this South American country, clients can pair a stay in Atacama with a stay in Patagonia; the icing on the honeymoon cake is two nights in cosmopolitan Santiago.
What makes this combo super-duper for honeymooners are two Awasi lodges, combined into a super-luxury, tailor-made Iconic Extremes Honeymoon package. Priced totally all-inclusively at $13,224 per person, couples spend three nights in Atacama in the country’s northern region in the driest desert on earth, and four nights in Patagonia, in the far south, at a place many of us think is South America’s most beautiful national park, Torres del Paine. Also thrown in is a 2-night complementary stay in a luxury hotel in Santiago between the “two extremes.”
Start with Awasi Atacama, an intimate, rustically luxurious, architecturally stunning getaway lodge where couples can truly relax together and experience both the pure tranquility and adventure of desert life. Accommodations are in eight cottages with generous spaces, private patio, a reading sofa, and indoor and outdoor showers. Additionally, each is assigned a private guide and 4WD vehicle to embark on private outings to nearby volcanoes, dry salt lakes, fields of steaming geysers and thermal baths, pre-Inca fortresses and native villages. Other options include horseback riding and biking, or ordering up an intimate candlelit dinner with live music or a private star-gazing excursion with Champagne.
Awasi Patagonia is the next stop (generally closed May through August). It spreads out like an estancia, with a stylish restaurant and guest lounge just a 5-minute walk or golf-buggy ride from 12 secluded designer villas with awe-inspiring views of the Torres del Paine peaks. Villas are furnished with king-size beds and big shuttered windows, minibars packed with goodies, logs staked by woodburners, sheepskin-topped sofas, drenching wet rooms, and private hot tubs for soaking as one stargazes. Each villa has its own expert guide and each day couples book a tailor-made adventure, perhaps glacier-walking, biking, condor spotting, kayaking, horseback riding, or exploring in one’s own GPS-fitted jeep. For more information, visit awasi.com.
Brazil Loves Argentina
On the east coast of South America there’s lots of room for romance. Jacada Travel’s memories-perfect, 12-night Brazil & Argentina Honeymoon. It takes in the beaches of Buzios, seductive Rio de Janeiro, breathtaking Iguassu Falls, and sophisticated and good-times Buenos Aires. Designed by the company’s specialist in both countries, the itinerary shows a fine eye for honeymoon-perfect hotels and resorts, magical moments and purse-strings considerations. The lead price of $4,689 per person covers deluxe hotels, private overland transfers, all domestic flights and some touring treats. Included also is full support from each couple’s Travel Concierge before, during and after the honeymoon, customizing the itinerary with private tours, special restaurant reservations, shopping outings, helicopter tours, wine tastings, samba and tango lessons.
Day 1-5: Drive from Rio to the beautiful seaside resort of Buzios, the sleepy fishing village “discovered” by Bridget Bardot, and the perfect spot to rest up, relax, ramble around, and enjoy the fine beaches and restaurants. Accommodations are at the lovely Vila d’Este Hotel, with Casa Brancas the alternate suggestion.
Day 5-8: Return to Rio for a stay at the Rio Porto Bay Internacional Hotel on Copacabana Beach; all rooms here have sea views, and guests enjoy a rooftop pool and bar. The alternate suggestion is the luxury Hotel Santa Teresa in the hills with grand views of Rio and the beaches below.
Day 8-10: Fly from Rio to Iguassu, staying at the famous Belmond Hotel das Cataratas located right at the falls and offering grand views of the thundering waters. The alternate hotel pick is the Puerto Bemberg Hotel.
Honeymooners are treated here to a full-day private tour to Iguassu Falls on the Argentine side, including hiking along the catwalks above the falls and a Zodiac boat ride right into the falls.
Day 10-13: Fly on to Buenos Aires, and check into the stylish Nuss Buenos Aires Soho Hotel in the Palermo South quarter; the alternate hotel choice is the Hub Porteno in Recoleta. A private transfer to the airport ends this best of two-countries honeymoon.
For more information, visit jacadatravel.com.
