Luxury Honeymoon Advice (Jan 4 to Jan 20 - 2011)

Hey everyone!

Planning my GRAND Honeymoon in January 2011 and need your input.


Description:
1. Money not a problem (Quality is first)
2. In or Around INDIA
3. Jan 4th - Jan 20th approximately
4. Like Mountains more than Beaches (not new to snow)
5. Choose 4-5 good locations and enjoy.. rather than running around to see more and more spots (I know India is beautiful).
6. Dreams of going to J&K, Himachal.. etc
7. Afraid of heavy snow keeping us locked up and bad pictures (snow in every picture can be boring)
8. If beaches are the only option due to weather, thinking of going to Kerala (beach & backwater), Andaman&Nicobar, Maldives, Sri Lanka .. etc
9. Good hotels and service is a must.. would love to get spoiled by the luxury
10. Air travel and I think Private taxi .. would be the best right?
11. So far been to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bangalore, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Pondicherry and Goa long time ago. Rajasthan and Taj Mahal already visited by my Fiance.. so no to those places.

Please provide your ideas, suggestions for hotels, travel, sightseeing .. i don't think I will like joining those honeymoon tours. Lets discuss this keeping in mind the JANUARY weather. I really want to go to North India.. but from the pictures, it looks like the best time for good pictures and scenery is early or late summer... definitely not January.

Please help folks :-)

For Honeymoon trip, One should visit Kerala during January,2011. This is best time to enjoy Kerala. There you can find excellent hotels/ resorts/ Houseboats. lots of reputed travel agents are there in Kerala (available thru' Internet) for booking of hotels & houseboats at bargain price (though its' a peak season). Also you can contact KTDC also. They arrange everything i.e. Hotel (they own some of the best properties in Kerala), Houseboat, Car, Guide etc.

You may opt for
Kochin (2 days),
Munnar (2-3 Days),
Kumarkoam (2-3 Days),
Thakkedy (1-2 Days),
Kovalam (2-3 days) with one day visit to Kanyakumari.

One option is go to Kerala (Plenty of Luxury options - All the CGHearth properties are best luxurious) with Lakshadweep (Bangaram). http://www.cghearth.com/index.php

However since you dream to go to J&K, Srinagar would be a good option where not every picture of yours would have snow (Dal Lake). You can choose from luxury houseboats or Grand Palace Intercontinental. You have direct flights from Delhi to Srinagar. May be you can also visit HP along with Srinagar since you will not spend much time & energy in traveling to Srinagar.

Ronak.

Perhaps keep to low alititudes in Kashmir, Himachal, and Uttarkhand. The high ones will be snow bound.

Uncanny similarity to this thread: Honeymoon in Himachal - Jan 2011; Need Help with Itinerary !

Butters, is that you?

In Jan, I'd take a long lazy trip to Andaman & Nicobar.

Good input from everyone ... thanks to those who shared their views. I am glad to see this another thread similar to mine... but hey, extra knowledge is no harm! Lets see... some more input this week.

If money really is no object, there is a highly luxurious place in the mountains called 360 degrees Leti, in the Uttaranchal Himalayas. It is an eco-retreat near to Kumaon. You can google it. It is fiendishly expensive!

Just thinking out loud - but since you're looking at the North - have you considered Nepal and Gangtok/Sikkim/Bhutan?

At the time of year you intend going (Jan)It's pretty straight Forward, North & Especially Kashmir will be very cold and down
South the weather is pretty much perfect, as that is why it is considered Peak season down in Kerala.

Eventhough I have not personally been, I have read some good
reports of the Lashkadweep Islands off the Coast of Kerala.
I think to get to the Maldives you may need to go via Sri Lanka.

Have also read the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are also good but
not geared up for Luxury accom as far as I am aware.
There are some wonderfull Luxury choices in Kerala as has most of India come to think of it.

Youv'e definetly got time to do BOTH and anyway as Funds are
not a problem, then you can Fly from North to South or v/versa.

If you haven't allready looked at their site,Its worth having
a look.http://www.tajhotels.com/ there's some interesting ones amongst that lot.

vandy

You said you have already been to Rajasthan, but have u been to Udaipur? If not, i must you will regret if you don't visit because its one of the most romantic places in india with some very luxurious and expensive hotels.

Speedious,

From personal experience ... we were at Dalhousie, Dharamshala and McleodGunj for our honeymoon. Loved every minute of it. I mean, what's not to like about a honeymoon or these places :-)

For us, it was a choice of either Kerala or the mountains. But the mountains won out.

Here are couple of suggestions and this is a blend of luxury and experiencing nature especially the Himalayas.

Start from Delhi and head to corbett national park, enjoy a luxury cottage in the middle of the jungle in the foothills of himalayas. Pamper yourself with spa & wellness, jacuzzi & pool as well as a jeep or elephant jungle safari. You could stay a couple of nights here.

From there move to Rishikesh, hire a private beach next to River Ganga, experience true camping, candle light dinner, and elaborate meals. Apart from all this, enjoy a rafting ride or a kayaking trip in the river. There are other activities as well. Can stay a couple of nights again here.

Now head for snow experience in the upper himalayas in the uttarakhand himalayas, organize a trek or camp at a beautiful location depending on weather conditions and enjoy in the snow. Again, all meals & service can be organized here.

I have personally been through each of these experiences so I know it makes for a wonderful combination. There can be more such interesting combinations only if you find such activities in nature interesting. And yeah your wife preference is critical here.

Freezing to death comes free in those waters in January.

Chahal, have you ever been in Dec in Rishikesh becoz I just did rafting on the 25th Dec and when the sun is shining it is quite an experience. Most people think that summers is best but I tell you if you have not been in winters then you have missed a different experience. Sun bathing has its own charm and so is beach camping when it is not so blazing hot as it is in summers.