From moonlight baths to picnics in mangrove forests, African honeymoons offer matchless touches, writes Michelle Colman.
1.New Okavango lodge in romantic setting
In March 2017 the ultra-luxurious Royal Delta Lodge opens in the Okavango, in an ultra-romantic setting between the Selinda and Vumbura Rivers.
It will have two canvas honeymoon suites, measuring a substantial 85sqm and 75sqm. Each will offer a private patio overlooking a lagoon with sweeping views of the plains beyond, a private plunge pool and wood-fired hot tub.
There is a butler service and golf cart transfers between suites and main areas, which are positioned on raised wooden walkways. The main areas include a library, discovery room and the explorer’s room, all reminiscent of a bygone era, along with a gym, spa, and a cocktail lounge.
Honeymooners can enjoy morning, afternoon and night game drives, star gazing, boat cruises, mokoro trips, fishing and horseback safaris as optional extras.
Royal Delta Lodge has its own landing strip, and can be accessed by light aircraft transfer. It also has an aircraft converted specifically for scenic photographic flights.
Opening specials are already on offer, and rates include private dinners, honeymoon turndowns and other trimmings. The specials can be viewed on the website of An African Anthology.
2.Blue Train bliss
Incorporating The Blue Train into a honeymoon on its route between Pretoria and Cape Town gives a couple 31 hours of cocooning in luxury with a butler service, brunch, high tea, dinner and breakfast, an off-train excursion and accommodation in a plush compartment with en-suite bathroom.
As a value-add, the train offers a night’s complimentary accommodation at the Sheraton or Castello Di Monte hotels in Pretoria, or at the Taj Hotel, The Westin or 15 on Orange in Cape Town. This applies to guests paying normal nett or rack rates.
On the southbound route, the off-train excursion is a stop at Kimberley, with a visit to the Diamond Mine museum and the Big Hole. Northbound, a stop is made at Matjiesfontein, a Victorian village in the Little Karoo that has been declared a heritage site in its entirety. A drink can be enjoyed at the historic Lord Milner Hotel.
The train, which has two lounge cars and a dining car, also offers seasonal packages to Durban and the Kruger Park.
3. Night skies the star of the show
Romance is found at a number of Sanctuary Retreats properties, among them Sanctuary Baines’ Camp bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana. Here honeymooners can bathe under the stars and then go on to sleep in the open, under cover of night.
The lodge has just five suites, each with a private deck where a free-standing zinc bath can be set up for one or two. It appears magically on the candlelit deck while guests are out on an evening game drive. The bath is filled with warm water and plenty of environmentally friendly bubbles. Mobile canvas screens are placed around for privacy, without obstructing the view of the stunning surroundings.
Each suite also has a four-poster ‘sky bed’ that can be rolled out on to the deck for a night under the African star-filled night sky.
At Sanctuary Saadani Safari Lodge in Tanzania, which borders the Indian Ocean, the Siri Suite (siri meaning ‘secret’ in Swahili), is ideal for honeymooners and comes with its own private swimming pool, private access to the beach, outdoor shower, sundowner deck, bar, and dining area. Sanctuary Kusini in the southern Serengeti once again makes the most of the African night sky, with stargazing sessions where guests can cuddle up in a blanket around a camp fire to view the celestial display.
4.Kenyan safari hotspots offer discount for brides
At Saruni Mara and Saruni Samburu in Kenya, brides are being offered a 50% mid- and high-season honeymoon discount this year, for bookings of four nights and more.
Located in northern Kenya, Saruni Samburu’s six luxury, eco-chic villas have views over the Kalama Conservancy and Mount Kenya. It is the only lodge in over 80 000 hectares of wilderness. The safari experience here is guided by Samburu warriors passionate about their land and culture.
Saruni Mara is a small, boutique lodge in the Mara North Conservancy bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve. In this instance, the guiding is done by Maasai warriors who share their ancient wisdom of the area and its animals.
October and December 1-19 are mid-season periods still to come this year, while August, September and December 20-January 2 are upcoming high-season validity periods. The tented Saruni Wild camp can be booked in conjunction with Saruni Mara. Conservation fees are payable for all nights.
5.Safari and spa accent at Summerfields
Summerfields Rose Retreat and Spa, near Hazyview and 10km from the Kruger National Park’s Phabeni Gate, is offering honeymooners a four-night package with one night free and a number of complimentary inclusions.
If flying in, honeymooners will be met at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and, once at Summerfields, they receive a welcome drink and 30-minute back, neck and shoulder massage. After some rest time, sundowners are served, followed by dinner. When the couple return to their room, a romantic bath would have been prepared.
Day one comprises a full-day Panorama Route tour with a packed lunch, followed by a 20-minute pre-dinner foot massage and dinner. There’s a half-day game drive in the Kruger Park on day two in the morning or afternoon, with a packed breakfast or lunch, followed by more spa treatments. Day three brings a half-day spa package at the Rose Spa and a guided tour of the rose and macadamia farm. On departure on day four, the couple leave with a small gift.
Accommodation at Summerfields is in tented suites, although one can upgrade to the Forest Room at additional cost. The dining outlets, River Café and The Summerfields Kitchen, focus on farm-to-table dishes. The package price is R16 780pp sharing.
6.Secluded beaches in Mozambique
The dunes behind Machangulo Beach Lodge in Mozambique provide an opportunity to take a romantic walk on the beach to a new level.
“For ultimate seclusion and views, the dunes behind the lodge provide some amazing vistas, all within an easy walking distance of the lodge. The dune walk ends on the beaches surrounding the lodge and provide a stunning location for the clichéd ‘walk on the beach’,” says Chris Nolte, Co-owner.
Machangulo Beach Lodge, reached by boat transfer from Maputo to the Santa Maria Peninsula, is an option to be considered by couples who want to avoid busy locations and who have a penchant for nature. The lodge recently introduced stand-up paddle boards and kayaks, and these have become a popular means of exploring nearby mangrove forests. Nolte says a romantic picnic can also be set up in the area, providing adventure in the endless twists and turns of the mangroves.
7.Lighthouse views from the bath
Tucked away on the fynbos-covered coastline of the Eastern Cape and perched on the edge of the sandy beaches of the Indian Ocean is Cape St Francis Resort – all white-washed walls, cobbled walkways and pretty gardens.
The resort offers romantics intimate beach strolls, pamper spa sessions and candlelit seafood dinners. Pre-organised pleasures include sundowners on the rocks – where stunning sunsets are on view, or boat cruises for two along the Kromme River.
With a variety of accommodation types, the five-star luxury beach villas are the ultimate in privacy and serenity, all with stunning sea views, private walkways down to the beach and plush en-suite rooms. Guests can recline in the bath with a view of the lighthouse, savour wine and the sound of waves on the deck, or share a romantic breakfast picnic as the rising sun shimmers on the sand.
8.Sabi Sands intimacy
With only 10 comfortable chalets, the four-star Idube Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands is an intimate location for a honeymoon.
“We make a special effort for honeymooners and give them a private dinner in the honeymoon boma with a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine. We also do a candlelight turndown. These are all complimentary,” says Sally Kernick, Marketing Director.
9.Three-night honeymoons at top Legend properties
Four three-night honeymoon packages at attractive ‘per couple’ prices, with a series of value-adds are on offer from the Legend Hospitality Group. Two of them feature beach locations and the other two are at bush lodges.
At R21 000, the Dugong Beach Lodge package in Vilanculos, Mozambique is top of the range, and includes all meals, non-motorised watersports, and a romantic picnic. The package at the Whalesong Hotel & Hydro at Plettenberg Bay in South Africa’s Western Cape is going for R4 500 with breakfast daily, a picnic lunch basket and back and shoulder massages.
In the Waterberg region of Limpopo, packages at the Entabeni Safari Conservancy and Legend Golf & Safari Resort are priced at R8 700 and R7 500 respectively. The former comes with all meals, two game drives, a bush picnic, a couples’ back and shoulder massage or mini facial. The latter includes breakfast daily, the same massage/facial option and a rooftop or bush picnic.
All packages include sparkling wine, romantic bed turndown and a 10% discount on activities.
10.Connecting idyllic safari and beach spots
Airlink connects honeymooners to some romantic African destinations in Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar and South Africa.
The airline operates daily flights from Johannesburg to Kasane, for access to Botswana’s Chobe, as well as daily flights from Johannesburg to Maun, gateway to the Okavango. Recently introduced is a new direct service from Cape Town to Maun on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
From Johannesburg the airline flies to Pemba in northern Mozambique on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It also serves the Mozambican port of Vilanculos daily from Johannesburg, and on Thursdays and Sundays from Nelspruit.
On Sundays Airlink has a service from Johannesburg to Nosy Be in Madagascar.
In South Africa, it flies from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Skukuza in the Kruger National Park daily. It also has daily flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban to Nelspruit KMIA. Here, a short apron transfer connects passengers onward on Airlink’s Lodge Link service to the Ulusaba, Arathusa and Londolozi airstrips.
