Why Waiting for Your Honeymoon Might Be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
- Sophie at The Honeymoon Club
- Jun 19
- 5 min read
An unpopular opinion from a honeymoon company? Probably.
It might sound strange coming from people who spend their days planning dream honeymoons, but with years of experience in the wedding industry, we’ve seen the same thing time and time again.
Couples reach the end of their wedding completely exhausted. After months (or even years) of planning, decisions, budgets and expectations, the idea of packing a suitcase and heading straight to the airport can feel like just… too much.
That’s why at The Honeymoon Club, we often encourage couples not to rush straight into their honeymoon the day after their wedding. Instead, we love the idea of slowing things down. Spend a few days together on a beautiful UK mini-moon, soak up being newlyweds, relive your favourite moments from the wedding and simply enjoy each other’s company.
Then, when the dust settles and you start feeling that pull of excitement about where your honeymoon could take you, that’s when we start planning. Properly. Without the pressure. So your honeymoon gets the attention it deserves, and you get to enjoy every second of the process.
So, if you’re feeling the same way, here’s where we like to start.
These are seven of our favourite UK mini-moon retreats... places that feel like the world slows down the moment you arrive. Think long lie-ins, slow mornings, beautiful food, and that quiet, newlywed feeling where time feels like it stretches just for you.
Best Countryside Retreat
The Fish Hotel, Cotswolds
High on a hillside within a 500-acre private Cotswolds estate above the village of Broadway, The Fish is one of
those places that’s hard to categorise, and all the better for it. With 66 rooms, suites, tucked away huts and back to nature treehouses nestled into the woodland, it suits every couple differently. The Hook restaurant from Martin Burge delivers seriously good seafood inspired dining, and the surrounding Farncombe estate offers everything from falconry and axe throwing to yoga and wild walks. It holds Small Luxury Hotels of the World membership, which says everything about its standing.
The vibe: Adventure meets luxury. Ideal for couples who want a little bit of everything.
Best Luxury Escape
Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire
Set on an 85 acre estate in the Oxfordshire countryside, Estelle Manor is everything a post wedding escape
should be: effortlessly cool, beautifully considered, and utterly indulgent. A Grade II listed manor house with 108 bedrooms, from rooms in the main house to woodland cabins and private houses, there’s something here for every couple. The jewel in the crown is Eynsham Baths, a 3,000 sq metre Roman-inspired spa nestled deep in the ancient woodland, complete with five pools, a tepidarium bathing hall and ten treatment rooms. Add four restaurants, sweeping parkland and pursuits ranging from archery to birds of prey, and you have a place that asks very little of you except that you enjoy yourself.
The vibe: Effortlessly stylish. The kind of place that feels like a private members’ club, but one you actually want to belong to.
Best Foodie Escape
Wildhive Callow Hall, Peak District
Tucked into 35 acres of wildflower meadows and ancient woodland at the gateway to the Peak District, Callow Hall is a beautifully restored Victorian country house with serious personality. Stay in one of 15 bedrooms in the main house, or go further into the wild with one of their woodland Hives or self contained two bedroom Treehouses. The Garden Room restaurant champions seasonal British produce, and the Coach House offers a yoga studio, sauna and treatment rooms for those who want to do absolutely nothing productive with their time. Bliss.
The vibe: Wild at heart, with all the creature comforts. Perfect for couples who want nature on their doorstep but don’t want to rough it.
Best Romantic Hideaway
Outbuildings, Dorset
An adult-only farm hotel near Bridport with the Jurassic Coast a short drive away. Outbuildings is one of those rare places where every room tells a story. With just 12 bedrooms, named The Sty, The Byre, The Pressing Room and so on.... each is individually designed with copper baths, outdoor hot tubs, log burners and plenty of character. Dine at The Cart Shed, which uses farm-grown and local South West produce, catch a film at the Hay Barn Cinema or soak the night away at their Bubbles in The Woods experience. The tagline sums it up beautifully: leave your dress codes in the city.
The vibe: Rustic luxury with a playful edge. For couples who want intimacy, good food and something a little different.
Best Secluded Cabin
Squirrel’s Nest, Wales
Set on 900 acres of hillside in the heart of Powys, Squirrel’s Nest is one of the most celebrated treehouse retreats
in the UK and it’s not hard to see why. Three beautifully crafted treehouses (Trawscwm, Cadwollen’s and Prince Llywelyn) each sleep two and come with private hot tubs, suspended hammocks, fire pits and panoramic Welsh countryside views. The interiors are warm and inventive, colourful fabrics, handcrafted woodwork, bath tubs positioned to face the view. It’s genuinely romantic in the most uncomplicated way. Featured in The Telegraph, the Evening Standard and more, this one has form.
The vibe: Pure escapism. For couples who want to disappear from the world completely.
Best Glamping Mini-Moon
Arcadia Glamping, Loch Lomond
For couples who want to make their mini moon feel like an adventure, Arcadia delivers something genuinely special. Two handcrafted woodland cabins - Halcyon and Elysium - are hidden within 21 acres of private woodland and pasture in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Both come with outdoor baths, hand built fires and that particular quiet that only the Scottish Highlands can offer. The estate is also home to sculptor Rob Mulholland’s studio and sculpture trail, which winds through the trees... unexpected, atmospheric and completely unforgettable. As featured in The Times.
The vibe: Romantic and raw. Scotland at its most beautiful, for two.
Best Unique Stay
A Little Bit of Rough - The Rocket Lodge, Rutland
This one stops people in their tracks. The Rocket Lodge in the heart of rural Rutland is three reclaimed grain
silos and four shepherds huts, all connected by oak-framed glazed links and sitting in their own private corner of the woodland, complete with a wetland pond and island. It’s been on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (I love George and slightly addicted to Amazing Spaces!) and you’ll understand why the moment you arrive. The bathing room alone is worth the trip: a huge copper bathtub, an oversized mirror ball, reclaimed oak church doors and a salvaged carved fireplace with a bio-ethanol stove. Outside, a wood-fired hot tub, pizza oven, fire pit and hammocks with far reaching views over the Rutland countryside. Completely private. Utterly one of a kind.
The vibe: Wildly creative and deeply romantic. For couples who want a story to tell... and a bathroom they’ll never forget.
Whichever you choose, the most important thing is this: you don’t have to have it all figured out. The honeymoon will come. For now, just be newly married.
When you’re ready, we’re here.
The Honeymoon Club | Honeymoon Planners | Bespoke Itineraries | Mini Moon | UK Breaks
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