Where to honeymoon according to Alan Titchmarsh, Cath Kidston and more
Friends of the magazine share their honeymoon suggestions and decide where they'd go now if they got to choose all over again.
Sir Nicholas Coleridge, chairman of Historic Royal Palaces and provost of Eton
'I insisted we write 20 thank-you letters each, per day'
Southern France was the backdrop for Sir Nicholas Coleridge and his wife Georgia's honeymoon.
Georgia and I spent a week in a small hotel in a hill town called Cordes-sur-Ciel in the South of France. The hotel was proud of its highly formal 12-course menu de dégustation — invariably an annoying fixture, so we mostly ate out in bars. All Georgia can remember is that I insisted we write 20 thank-you letters each, per day, for wedding presents, until we had 280 ready to post on our return. It doesn’t sound very romantic, but we are still married 37 years later. If we were to honeymoon again, it would be in India — hot (for me), cultured (for Georgia) and with a carefree vibe. N.B. I write all the thank-you letters myself these days.
Orlando Rock, chairman of Christie’s UK
'There is much for the intrepid to explore.'
Orlando Rock enjoyed a Sicilian honeymoon.
As a dedicated cultural sadist, I planned our surprise honeymoon around visiting all the key architectural treasures of Sicily — Roman mosaics in Piazza Armerina, Greek and Siculo-Arabic temples and Rococo summer villas at Bagheria. Needless to say, when Miranda caught sight of our detailed itinerary, with time for ‘a quick packed lunch’, I learned the importance of flexibility. An extended Latin Americas tour beckons. Costa Rica, Colombia, Patagonia to Argentina… There is much for the intrepid to explore.
Ross Turner, adventurer and filmmaker
'One of our experiences included seeking out a sloth with a local guide, which we found in his garden'
Ross Turner and his wife Rosie ventured to Costa Rica on their honeymoon.
We went to the Pacific Coast, Costa Rica, spending two weeks chasing beaches before heading inland to the volcanoes and lush jungles. One of our experiences included seeking out a sloth with a local guide, which we found in his garden — I am not sure if the location was planned or not. A pinch-me moment was trekking up a thermal river to lie in some hot spring pools. As we looked into the jungle canopy above, we saw about 20 monkeys jumping across the river from branch to branch. If we honeymooned again, it would be to Western Australia to get lost in the Outback, armed with the metal detector my wife, Rosie, bought me. I love the idea of finding treasure on a holiday.
Alan Titchmarsh, gardener, presenter and Country Life contributor
'The bill for a week’s B&B came to £90'
Alan Titchmarsh and his wife Alison had a budget honeymoon in Cornwall.
Alison and I were married in Barnes, west London, in 1975, and had our honeymoon at the Old Quay House in Fowey, Cornwall, spending it walking the cliffs and lunching on smoked-mackerel salad because we were too hard up to afford anything else. The bill for a week’s B&B came to £90. We have had many holidays abroad since, but my heart is in my home territory of the Yorkshire Dales and my wife, Alison, says that’s where we should go for our honeymoon if we had one now. Isn’t that the nicest thing?
Cath Kidston, designer and founder of C.Atherley
'As much as I love travelling to far-away magical places, it usually has its own challenges'
A weekend in Wiltshire was how Cath Kidston chose to celebrate her honeymoon.
We planned to go to New York to stay in our favourite hotel, The Essex House, but between our register-office wedding and going away, I broke my wrist. We ended up heading to my oldest friend’s house in Wiltshire for a weekend. I have known her house all of my life — it is the most comforting and comfortable place to be — so it worked out beautifully. As much as I love travelling to far-away magical places, it usually has its own challenges, so Paris would be my safest destination, with no jet lag.
Clodagh McKenna, chef and presenter
'I had always known I wanted the honeymoon to be not only a celebration of our marriage, but the beginning of our new family life'
Clodagh McKenna on her honeymoon in northern Ibiza.
My husband, Harry, and I rented a traditional finca in northern Ibiza. It was deliciously remote, but nearby villages had food markets piled high with local vegetables and fresh fish — a dream for a chef as I wanted to cook romantic suppers at home. Our first week was quiet bliss, but the second was the heart of the honeymoon as we invited my stepchildren and their friends or partners to join us. I had always known I wanted the honeymoon to be not only a celebration of our marriage, but the beginning of our new family life. The house filled with laughter, music and dancing and the comfortable muddle of people you love. Every evening, we ate outside under strings of lights and a riot of stars. We arrived as a newly married couple and left as something bigger, bound by shared meals and memories that belong entirely to us. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Emma Willis, founder of Emma Willis shirtmakers
'A South African couple in their early twenties, at 5am, casually rolled and lit up a large joint to "enhance their experience", which impressed us both'
In February 1989, we flew to South Africa. Our first stop was the Londolozi Safari Lodge, next to the Kruger National Park. We booked an early dawn safari in an open-top Jeep, joined by a South African couple in their early twenties who, at 5am, casually rolled and lit up a large joint to ‘enhance their experience’, which impressed us both. In February this year, we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a trip to Antarctica, joined by our great friend Joe Knatchbull and the wife and children of the incredible explorer Henry Worsley. There were no joints this time.
Julia Perowne, founder and CEO of Perowne International
'On the Tuscan coast, we chartered a vintage boat for the day and set off to explore the island of Giglio'
Jules Perowne as she appeared on the Country Life frontispiece in 2022.
I had two! The first was to Il Pellicano in Tuscany and Passalacqua on Lake Como, Italy, and the second to Bawah Reserve in the Anambas Islands and Nihi Sumba, Indonesia — two very different experiences. On the Tuscan coast, we chartered a vintage boat for the day and set off to explore the island of Giglio, a charming place and one of my favourite days ever. If I were to honeymoon again, it would be a road trip from Charleston, South Carolina, to Nashville, to Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, and along the coast of the American South.
This feature originally appeared in the March 4, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
