Honeymoon in December: Where to Go

There are two very different ways to spend a honeymoon in December. Early in the month, some tropical resorts can feel more relaxed, with more time and attention for individual guests and sometimes a more attractive price. Spend Christmas or New Year at the very same hotel and the experience may be entirely different: more guests, special dinners and a festive programme. If you have any flexibility, I'd start by deciding which of those experiences you actually want.

I've seen that contrast particularly clearly in Mauritius through my earlier work arranging weddings and stays there. But December offers several other kinds of honeymoon too: exploring Sri Lanka before finishing on a beach, escaping to a private island in the Maldives or discovering a corner of the Caribbean. Southern Tenerife and Cape Verde are worth considering if a milder Atlantic holiday suits you better than a long tropical journey from your part of the world.

Mauritius in December: why I'd look at the beginning of the month

If I could choose my dates for a honeymoon in Mauritius, I'd compare the first half of December carefully with Christmas and New Year. From my earlier work with Mauritian hotels, I remember some resorts being quieter before the festive rush, with more room to arrange things personally for a couple. It wasn't true of every property, but that difference could be worth more to me than an extra celebration on the calendar.

December is already summer in Mauritius. The days are warm, the air is more humid and there is generally more rain than in November. The landscape can be beautifully green, though, and the island offers plenty beyond its beaches. If you like mixing time at the hotel with exploring, that can be a lovely combination.

You might also come across fresh lychees or flamboyant trees flowering red in some places. Their seasons extend from late November into December, and it's a pleasure to encounter them when you're out on the island. But for a December honeymoon, my main reason for looking at the earlier dates would still be the possibility of avoiding the busiest holiday weeks.

One weather detail matters: Mauritius's official cyclone season begins on 1 November, not at Christmas. Activity is generally greatest later, around January to March. That's a useful distinction when considering December, without treating any tropical month as a guaranteed forecast.

Christmas and New Year: the same resort, a different experience

Christmas or New Year's Eve beside the ocean can be wonderful in its own right. Some resorts put on festive dinners, entertainment and celebrations. If you love that atmosphere and want to welcome the New Year somewhere tropical, the programme might be one of the reasons you choose to go.

If privacy and a quieter honeymoon matter more, I'd be more selective about the hotel and the dates. I remember how different some Mauritian resorts felt before Christmas compared with the peak festive weeks. A hotel full of guests and families moves at a different pace. Arranging special details for a couple, or getting the same level of individual attention, could be more difficult.

The price may change just as noticeably. At individual hotels, rates for early December and the Christmas period can be very different. There isn't one nationwide Mauritius price rise on a fixed December date. Each property sets its own prices, packages and conditions.

That's why I'd compare the same hotel, the same room category and the total cost of the stay, including meals and transfers. For Christmas or New Year, check whether that particular resort requires a gala dinner, a minimum number of nights or different cancellation conditions. Those details can matter as much as the advertised room rate when you're deciding what you can spend and how long to stay.

For a couple dreaming of a lively tropical New Year's celebration, those arrangements may be exactly right. If I wanted a more intimate honeymoon, I'd start looking around the turn of November and December or in the first half of December. The right dates depend on the atmosphere you want.

What if you're planning a wedding in Mauritius as well?

A honeymoon after getting married and a trip on which you hold the wedding ceremony in Mauritius involve different arrangements. In our earlier wedding work, there were dates around Christmas that we preferred not to offer for certain ceremonies. The challenge wasn't simply finding a hotel: for a legally valid marriage, the availability of the person conducting the ceremony and the relevant official appointments matters too.

There is no blanket ban on weddings in Mauritius after 20 December. If you're planning a legally recognised ceremony, confirm that the appropriate official and the ceremony date are actually available before committing to the trip. A symbolic ceremony has different practical and administrative arrangements. The important thing is not to confuse a hotel's availability with the availability of the ceremony itself.

Sri Lanka in December: exploring followed by the beach

Sri Lanka would be high on my list for a December honeymoon if you don't want to spend the entire trip at one hotel. You can discover landscapes, culture and remarkable places together, then leave part of the holiday for a few quieter days by the ocean.

In December, the south and west of the island, particularly the southwest coast, are generally more favourable for a beach stay. The northeast monsoon affects the east and northeast differently. I'd work out where you want to finish your journey by the sea and build the sightseeing route around that, rather than assume the entire island has the same December season.

That combination of discovering somewhere new and then unwinding at the coast is what makes Sri Lanka such an appealing December option for a couple who enjoy a little adventure together.

Maldives in December: privacy on a small island

The Maldives offer a completely different honeymoon. Instead of travelling around a large island, you might choose a small resort island, a villa close to the beach and days with very little to do except enjoy being together.

December is a transition from the wetter southwest monsoon towards the drier northeast monsoon. The more settled dry-season pattern is generally associated with January to March. If choosing the month with the best chance of favourable beach weather is your main priority, I'd compare December with January or February as well.

But if you're travelling in December and want the privacy and pace of a resort island, the Maldives are still well worth considering. I'd pay particular attention to the actual hotel's price and festive-season conditions, especially for Christmas and New Year.

Caribbean in December: beaches, culture and island life

Selected Caribbean destinations become more attractive in December than during the autumn storm season. The official Atlantic hurricane season ends on 30 November, although that date isn't a promise that storms can never occur outside it.

Compared with a tiny Maldivian resort island, the Caribbean offers a tremendous range of experiences. You could settle into a beachfront hotel, choose an island with a lively local culture or travel between places to see more of the region.

I'd decide what kind of honeymoon the two of you want before picking an island or hotel. A quiet resort stay calls for a different choice from one built around music, local life and exploring. You don't need an encyclopaedia of every Caribbean island; you need to find one that matches the trip you have in mind.

Southern Tenerife and Cape Verde: a different kind of December warmth

Southern Tenerife is an attractive December option for a couple who love walking, day trips and an active holiday. Long-term climate records for Tenerife South Airport put the average daytime high at about 23°C in December. That's comfortable territory for exploring, rather than the tropical summer warmth of Mauritius. How convenient the journey is, of course, depends on where you're flying from.

Cape Verde offers another Atlantic setting, with long beaches and a generally drier December. The wind can make a considerable difference to the experience beside the sea, so I'd choose the island and hotel with that in mind. For couples who like combining beach time with days out, it can be a worthwhile alternative.

Where I'd travel for something other than the best beach weather

The Seychelles are in their wetter northwest-monsoon period in December. Their scenery and beaches are beautiful, but if my main aim were the best chance of favourable beach weather, I'd personally choose another month.

Zanzibar can still see the tail end of the shorter rains in December. It can appeal if you'd like a mix of beach and local culture. On the northern beaches around Nungwi and Kendwa, tides generally interfere with swimming less than on many other parts of the coast, though that doesn't mean the tide disappears.

Bali is in a rainier part of its year. I'd look at it for exploring, culture and time around Ubud rather than build the entire honeymoon around predictable beach weather. Fiji is already in its tropical cyclone season, so it wouldn't be among my first December weather-led recommendations.

Where I'd go on a honeymoon in December

For a tropical island, beautiful resorts and the chance of a quieter stay, I'd begin with Mauritius in the first half of December. The difference between a pre-Christmas visit and a busy festive week is one I'd think about before booking.

For exploring followed by time beside the sea, I'd consider southern and western Sri Lanka. For privacy at a resort, the Maldives, with the understanding that their drier season becomes more established in the months ahead. For a varied tropical trip, a carefully chosen Caribbean island. And if active days appeal more than tropical heat, I'd look at southern Tenerife.

If your dream is to spend Christmas or New Year's Eve somewhere tropical, choose the hotel for the kind of celebration you actually want. A festive oceanfront resort can be a wonderful experience. But for a quiet honeymoon together, sometimes the very same hotel earlier in December will suit you better.